 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm self diagnosing here (seeing the doc next week). Having googled my symptoms it looks like I've got sciatica.
It's quite painful especially as my work is very physical with lots of lifting and carrying heavy timber. I'm wondering if it's likely to adversly affect skiing. I do a decent amount of exercise besides the work - Running and weights mostly also learning tennis and roller skating.
Anyone else had experience with the condition and is it likely to clear up?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Graham Warren, you need a proper diagnosis, there are too many causes and points of discomfort to make a blanket decision of sciatica. I've had it twice from a mechanical injury and that healed naturally and quite quickly with just local injection and oral pain relief. However there are long-term issues that this may just be a symptom of . . . A visit to the quack and maybe beyond is essential as the pain can be excruciating.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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My symptoms pretty match what I've read on the various websites. Although not completely.. One thing that I don't get is shooting pain. Doing what I do for a living means I've always got lower back pain, I always gripe and grimace getting out of bed. Running and stretching keep me right. I get the numb thighs too.
Rather than the typical shooting pain It feels more like a pressure point in the exact place where the sciatic nerve is in the fancy CGI animation I saw. It really effing hurts that's for sure.
Seeing the doctor on Thursday but really just wondering if it'll be aggravated by skiing... Not that I'd let it stop me. I might take a trip over to the local dry slope on Sunday and see what happens. Purely for research purposes of course.... 
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If the pain is actually in your a**e you might try Preparation H.
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As an aside preparation H is the best healing cream for tattoos.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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It's worth getting an expert sports massage person to do some work on that pressure point. I've had mild sciatica and work on that piriformis muscle made a big difference. But my sister was crippled - literally- for weeks with sciatica. Couldn't drive, could scarcely walk across the room, off her head on strong pain killing cocktail. It took ages to sort itself out and now,8 months later she's still not 100%. Personally, I'd advise against skiing until you've got a proper diagnosis and consulted a sports physio about the best exercises in the circumstances.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I skied with sciatica on an EosB a few years ago. It was in my right hip/leg and was painful on left turns but ok on right. I ended up doing long turns left and short hard turns to the right to kill the resultant speed. If the pain got too bad I took cocodamol (sharing an apartment with a pharmacist helps) and carried on. Still had a good week.
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Sciatica usually goes away in 4-6 weeks. @Graham Warren, I see you say thighs. Do you get the pain in BOTH thighs? If so go right back to the GP and ask fo a referral to a specialist.
Sciatica is caused by a slight compression in the nerve bundle (Disclaimer; Although I worked on the sciatic nerve assessing neurodegeneration, this is not a medical diagnosis). This can be caused by little bits of bone out of place or a small muscle (cant remember the name) that presses against the nerve when in spasm. Discuss this with your GP an you may benefit form muscle relaxants.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Sounds very similar to mine though I started to get pains down the outside of my leg as time went on. .Mine was caused by sacroilliac joint issue and was cured by a couple of visits to the physio.
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a small muscle (cant remember the name) that presses against the nerve when in spasm. Discuss this with your GP an you may benefit form muscle relaxants.
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I think that's the piriformis. Having a sports therapist put her elbow into it can create the most exquisite pain but can improve things. In mild cases you can use a tennis ball to roll around, against a wall, into you find the hurty spot - there's no doubt when you've found it and typically it is just in one buttock. I do that when things are a bit dodgy - do it several times a day for a few days, if it's going to make a difference you'll know quickly. There are different reasons for sciatica - hence the need for a diagnosis. But you wouldn't do yourself any harm rolling a tennis ball around with your buttocks. Preferably without an audience.....
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@Awdbugga,
Crikey! 
I'm starting to feel like bit of wuss now!
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I get those pain down my left side including my right Testie, but stops at the knee.
Its piraformis causing it for me as my hip alignment is out due to my left leg being longer than the right due to a messy knee. It only comes on after some heavy lifting. My understanding is sciatica is a ‘stop’ pain, rather than grim & bare it.
Basically, dont self diagnose on the internet.
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You know it makes sense.
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Spot the typo.....
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, I don't get pain in my thighs but do sometimes experience dumbness when lying down.
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I see no reason to edit this particular case of fat fingers.. 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@Awdbugga,
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Stretch it. Lay face up on floor. Good side leg straight. Bad side bend knee and try and keep foot on floor. Then pull the bad side knee over the good. You should feel the stretch in the hip. Always works for me. Takes a few days.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I had sciatic leg pain. Got an MRI done and it was a prolapse of the L5/S1 disc. I spent 6 months on the floor full of drugs. It all came round on it's own in the end because I couldn't afford the surgery. (For those who moan about the NHS, I was referred to see a specialist by my GP 18months ago, I'm still waiting. Then a2 year wait for an MRI and a 3-5 year wait for surgery after that. Or if you've got €8k all done in 6 weeks by the same people in the same hospital!!!)
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@rogg, 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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It's all good now Hurtle, but it was a rough six months.I stretch twice daily for about 7 minutes a session and do a few squats/rotational exercises/planks etc of a lunchtime. No real pain 6 months on, but there are one or two positions that can make the pain flare - sawing logs seems to be one, so a good excuse. 
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@rogg, glad you're better, that sounded horrific.
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@andyg9053,
With running I do a lot of stretches and such already. I noticed this morning that it doesn't really hurt at all whilst running except when going up steps. I tend to take two or three at a time so the knee is raised to hip height.(We have a lot of ramps and steps being a coastal village.)
@rogg, glad to hear you're better. Like you I rely on the regular stretching and plank/push ups to keep me right.
@pam w, I enjoyed some 'exquisite pain' this morning during the warm down after my run. Digging my knuckle into my buttock for a good couple of minutes whilst leaning against a railing looking out to see. When I'd finished I turned round to see a guy walking his dog looking rather oddly at me. 
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| andyg9053 wrote: |
| Stretch it. Lay face up on floor. Good side leg straight. Bad side bend knee and try and keep foot on floor. Then pull the bad side knee over the good. You should feel the stretch in the hip. Always works for me. Takes a few days. |
+1
Recommended by a physio 7 or so years ago which I stretch out daily, together with a hard sponge roller on the base of the spine and across the top of the buttocks.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Graham Warren wrote: |
| @rogg, glad to hear you're better. Like you I rely on the regular stretching and plank/push ups to keep me right. |
Swimming always helps m out too. Worth a go.
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@pam w, You were right.
The doctor's confirmed it's the piriformis. I just need to apply rule 5 and do more appropriate stretches more often. It's definitely clearing up by itself anyway I'm glad to say. Although lumping 100kilo timber slabs up 4 flights of stairs between two of us hasn't helped things much this week.
Thanks to everyone for the advice
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