slipped disc trapping sciatic nerve---help

HI,

for the last 6 weeks I have had a ruptured disc in the lower back which is trapping my sciatic nerve.I have bathed in epsom salts as I read that Helped.I am taking msm,chondrotin and glucsomine as well as diazapam.
Has anyone else got any other remedies or ideas that helped them with a similar problem. I really want to get better so that I can do the garden lol.Apart from that we bought a dome tent in December to go camping for the first time and need to get better in time.

would appreciate any help,

Diggerman

I had exactly the same as you.
The only thing I can suggest is keep taking the pills (dont think you are soft for taking them). I cant remember the concoction the doc gave me but they knocked me out for 3 days. Next is take plenty of rest, get off the puter cos that isnt doing your back any good. Just lie down on settee get other half to bring you food and drink and to help you up when you get the call of nature.
Then when things seem a little better just walk around maybe do washing up but dont lift owt.
Eventualy it will start to feel better, but dont rush it or you will be back to square 1. I went back 2 work driving hgv's after a month. All i did was tighten a strap on back of wagon and POP it went again. So that was another 3 months off work.
So all I can suggest is take your time and take it easy.

Chris

My mum had really bad sciatica aggravated by a slipped disc. She was on medication, physiotherapy, heat treatment and acupuncture but it only got worse. Her saving grace in the end was going to the chiaropractor (spelling), it was quite dear but it was the only thing that got her back on her feet

Osteopath ???? would be my recommendation ive had a twisted spine since i was in a car crash every time i visit my local i come out a couple of inches taller always bang my head getting in the car.

Hope you are better soon. :)

hi ,
Diazapam is a real bad habit forming choice, see if the doctor will give you 5-hydroxytrytophan ( 5-htp ) you can buy it from holland and barrett etc if he/she wont , if you have to buy get 100mg per capsule serving , its a natural anti depressant and has been scientifically proven toperform as well as prozac etc with virtually no one ever having side effects .

.hope this helps
all the best -Ade

You don't have a 'slipped disk', in actual fact it is a prolapsed disk. Basically, the wall of the disk cracks and the innards spew out (prolapse), it is this that is pressing on your sciatic nerve.
The prolapsed substance will eventually be washed away to be reabsorbed back into your body - although sadly not back into the disk.
The disk wall will repair itself but the repair will not be as strong as the original - so you will have recurring problems.
Best remedy is to carry on but take things a bit easier. Anti-inflammatory tabs can help but really, the worst thing you can do is mask the pain - the pain is your body's way of telling you to slow down.
magnets are a great way to mask the pain - if the problem isn't going to repair itself (great for arthritis etc) but you need to know the pain is there.
Manipulative therapy (massage etc) can help but only short-term.

Hi Diggerman,it's good news-bad news time!My wife had a similar problem in that she couldn't walk very well because of pain in her lower back.It was diagnosed as a trapped nerve.
We went to a wedding & a bloke there told her to hang from a door.Yeh exactly that,hook your fingers over the top of the door lift your feet & just hang.
Think about it,your body is constantly bearing down on your spine so, by hanging from the door you are taking the pressure off & hopefully releasing the trapped nerve.
Anyway it worked for my wife, within 15 minutes of door hanging she was up on the dance floor & boogying like a teenager!That's the good news.
It lasted for a couple of days & then she was in pain again.Door hang again-fine,for a couple of days.This went on for a while until she sneezed.This is the bad news-that sneeze shot her disc out taking the nerve with it.When they finally operated the disc was just under the skin but it had stretched the nerve beyond repair.She is now disabled & ,on really bad days, cannot get out of bed & is on morphine for the pain.
If you have a friendly gp ask them to send you for an mri, hopefully then they will spot it before it gets worse.This didn't happen for my wife which is why I'm suggesting it now for you.There is a possibility that, had my wife had one in the earlier stages,she wouldn't be disabled now.
Sorry just noticed the date of your posting,this probably won't help then!!Oh well,I'll post anyway.

Ive recently gave birth to a second slipped disk. The first one occured 2 and a half years ago does not want to heal, and the second last week.

I have had two visits this week to a Chiropractor and although its costing me money .. its working. The pain is going.

My GP has been prescribing heavy duty pain relief for two years .. they are not really working as well as they could and the prescription charges so far are more than the cost of the chiropractor. (The only thing that works is entenox and morphine - not recommended for long term use!)

He says he cannot reverse the damage but he can make it manageable and stop further disks prolapsing. The proposed programme is another 3 visits in the next 10 days, then once a month for 6 months, then once every 3 months.

I do find that stretching my back helps... Im too short (and fat!) to hang off a door frame... but standing behind an armchair and dangling with my head towards the seat and my feet off the floor helps enormously.

And... keep moving! Try to spend no more than 20 minutes sitting (all you have to do is stand up for a minute or so then carry on... or if youre standing all day... move around a bit.. even if its a couple of steps forward and back)

and best of luck.