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Do You Have Sciatica?


jhawker23
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I am plagued with this pain in the @ss! Literally! I have an extensive daily stretching routine, multiple treadmill workouts and do core strengthening home workouts(no gym membership) but I cannot get over this. I'm 31 and within a healthy weight range.

It hits me almost exclusively driving (car) and playing golf. The pain shoots down on the first swing and never lets up the entire round or practice.

Do any of you fight this same thing? If so, have you found anything that helps?

I've seen a few different physicians and they refer to PT. PT's say it can usually be resolved with regular therapy treatments but their treatments are little more than stretching. It's not getting better. It's been going on for 4 - 5 years, maybe more.

Anyone going through this too???
What's in the bag...

Driver --- G15 9* Aldila Serrano
3 Wood - Sumo2 15* Aldila NV
5 Wood - Versus 19* Mitsubishi Bassara 83Irons ---- X-Forged 4 - PWWedges - Vokey S.M. 52.08, 56.08 & 60.08Putter --- Futura PhantomBall ------ Tour i(s)
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I am plagued with this pain in the @ss! Literally! I have an extensive daily stretching routine, multiple treadmill workouts and do core strengthening home workouts(no gym membership) but I cannot get over this. I'm 31 and within a healthy weight range.

Gad, I feel for you. I'm amazed this topic shows up so seldom on golf message boards. I got sciatica in September 2004, literally on the golf course. I was hitting range balls in Miami when a shooting pain went down my left lower back, through my ass and left leg and into my left foot. I'll never forget it. I should have stopped hitting but my dad was videotaping my swing and for some asinine reason I thought I needed to finish the bucket. Some swings were manageable but other times I was in so much diabolical pain I had to back off.

I've lived with it ever since. The only constant residue is stinging and numbness in my left foot. I'm a lefty (other than golf) and sciatica has plagued me solely on the left side. I've heard it's normally on the right. My upper instep has light stinging all day long, to the point I can't sleep with covers on that part of the foot. It drives me nuts. Otherwise I've been lucky. Brief episodes but the first two months were the worst, by far. I flew back to Las Vegas, thinking I had suffered the worst of it. But the next two months featured days when I could barely move. I remember being stuck on all fours trying to get into the tub, and realizing there was no chance. Moving in any direction, even the slightest, was absolute agony. I tried to drive to work one day but there was zero chance to get into my car. Probably the most embarrassing episode was at a grocery store at about 10 PM. I had to sit down 7 times on the floor of the store. The pain would be so relentless on my left side I could only relieve it by slowing sitting, and staying there until it briefly subsided. Then it would happen again within a minute or two. I had young shelf stockers try to come to my aid but all I could tell them was I was in sciatic pain and managing any way I would. I try to swim frequently. I walk and do stretching exercises every day. But I'm always aware this could resurface at any time. My dad has battled sciatica for 40+ years. Mine arrived in my mid 40s.
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I HAD a mild form of sciatica since about 2002. I went and got all the x-rays and MRI's and such and I literally could see my very lowest lumbar vertabrae pinching my nerves. I literally lost all association with the clubhead during the swing I basically hoped that it was square at impact because to me it felt like I was swing a "grip and shaft with no clubhead on it" I stretched and took yoga and everything that most people do. I didn't want to take any medications because that would just be masking the pain and it doesn't correct the problem. What I found was that I couldn't quite do a stretch that would stretch the very low low back just above your butt. The one thing that I found that did work for me was an inversion table. I am a big guy so I had never seen one that didn't look like it would break when I got on it until about 2 months ago I saw that Weider makes a really stable one. Just on my quick tryout on the store I leaned back only to a 45 degree agle and I could feel this great stretch in my low low back and hip area right in the area that I just could never quite seem to get a good stretch in . It is a gradual process and you have to get used to it and learn to relax while doing the inversion but I do 5 sets of 3 minutes everyday with up to 75 degrees of inversion (90 degrees is full inversion) and the result have been tremendous for me. I used to dread picking up stuff off of the floor or tying my shoes or simply just getting into a car but now the pain is completely gone and the nerves are slowly but surely healing from being pinched because my golf game is starting to come back around again. I am definately making a strong effort to shed some pounds and relieve even more of the pressure on my back and I still do yoga and pilates but inversion was the only thing that worked for me. Your back pain seems much more severe than mine so I would ask a doctor before getting one you should definately take a look into one because it has been a godsend for me.
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I've been researching inversion tables, anyone used them? I really haven't found a negative review yet... Maybe some relief there???
What's in the bag...

Driver --- G15 9* Aldila Serrano
3 Wood - Sumo2 15* Aldila NV
5 Wood - Versus 19* Mitsubishi Bassara 83Irons ---- X-Forged 4 - PWWedges - Vokey S.M. 52.08, 56.08 & 60.08Putter --- Futura PhantomBall ------ Tour i(s)
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I've been researching inversion tables, anyone used them? I really haven't found a negative review yet... Maybe some relief there???

Sorry Righty to Lefty, I re-read my post and I could see how it would look like I didn't trust your opinion. My point is to hopefully find more people here that have used them with success. I've spent about $2,000 on golf in the last month and before I spend another $200, I need a little more convincing, but the more I read about this, the more I wonder why I haven't found it sooner. I'm out the door now to try a few out.

I found the Lynx Portable Back Stretcher with excellent reviews. It's only $99 and is a small unit you use on the floor to decompress the spine. I'll post the results, I'll definitely get that today if they have it in stock, meanwhile I'll keep an eye out on Craigslist for the table. I just don't have anywhere to set it up where I could leave it out. I'd be stuck out in the garage hanging upside down. The neighbors will love that one. Thanks for pointing me in this direction!
What's in the bag...

Driver --- G15 9* Aldila Serrano
3 Wood - Sumo2 15* Aldila NV
5 Wood - Versus 19* Mitsubishi Bassara 83Irons ---- X-Forged 4 - PWWedges - Vokey S.M. 52.08, 56.08 & 60.08Putter --- Futura PhantomBall ------ Tour i(s)
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I might be the only one interested in this thread, but I'm going to continue...

WOW!!! I found the Lynx Portable Back Stretcher and I think this could be something special. It's only $99. Very simple to use. I just used it, did 5 reps of 10 - 15 seconds and I really feel a comfortable stretch in my lower to mid back. I don't know what this will mean to my sciatica, but this can't hurt. It may be psychological, but I feel like I am standing straighter after the stretch.

Finally, has anyone been using a foam roll for stretches?
What's in the bag...

Driver --- G15 9* Aldila Serrano
3 Wood - Sumo2 15* Aldila NV
5 Wood - Versus 19* Mitsubishi Bassara 83Irons ---- X-Forged 4 - PWWedges - Vokey S.M. 52.08, 56.08 & 60.08Putter --- Futura PhantomBall ------ Tour i(s)
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I've never had it, but my boss did. Just getting over it now but it had him from playing golf for about 8 months. And he's the Head Pro here. Ultimately he found that visiting a chiropractor helped him the most. He went to physical therapy, and foot doctor to get orthodics and consulted with the number of doctors we have at the club, and sure enough, the adjustements helped him the most.

Callaway RazrFit Extreme 9.5 w/Project X 6.5
Callaway XHot Pro 15* 3Wood w/Project X 6.5
Callaway XTour 18* 2h w/S300
Callaway XHot Pro 4/5 irons w/S300
Callaway XForged III 5-PW irons w/S300
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I had pain in the lower back and also migraines. I went to a neuroligist several times. He put me on a different type of medication every month at my visit, when I said that I still had pain.
Anyhow, I finally broke down and went to the Chiropractor. It took about 6 weeks of visits, and I have no more lower back pain or migraines. It really works. HE showed me X Rays of before and after as to how my pain was eliminated, and why.
It's a shame that Chiropractors dont advertise more than what they do, to expalin how that can really help people. Or, have the money to back them. The medical industry just has too much power and money. They have our country brainwashed. Every other commercial that you see is about trying to sell a prescription drug, with many side effects. Just trying to cover the pain, instead of fixing the real cause.

Go to the Chiropractor. Get on a schedule of visits, and feel your pain and restrictions go away. Which, in turn will help your golf game and life as a whole.
Thats what I did. My life is so much better.

Later,
Cole

In my bag:
Driver: Callaway FT9 w/ the VooDoo
3 Wood: R9
5 Wood: R9
Irons: Callaway FTi's. steel / stiffWedges: Callaway X Forge 52, 56, 60Putter: Odyssey #1 Dual Force 2

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I might be the only one interested in this thread, but I'm going to continue...

I have suffered from sciata for years, never had the chance to try an inversion table out, but I think I am going to look for one now. That is some of the worst pain in the world, puts me completely out of commission, even though it only hits me every 6-7 weeks.

Next time they give you all that civic bullshit about voting, keep in mind that Hitler was elected in a full, free democratic election- George Carlin


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Oh, I'm going to the chiropractor when I get back to the states immediately to get some adjustments because that is the root of the problem in my opinion. As your body gets out of alignment, nerves get pinched especially if you sit down alot (sitting down puts more stress on your back than anything). The problem is that I'm in Kuwait, and chiropractors are illegal so I have to manage it until I get some treatment. I will continue using the inversion table in between treatment to keep myself in balance longer. To me medicine is only good for pain management because it doesn't correct the problem but I swear by inversion. If you try it you'll see that the pesky area in your very low back gets a very strong and deep stretch and to me it is just great after a workout or at the end of the day when all the fluid has just about been compressed out of your vertabrae. I just don't like hearing the stories of people in pain especially when it affects their golf game!!!

P.S. I took a look at that back stretcher that was mentioned. It looks like it could be usefull but you will have to supply the force for the stretch and I think that it takes 5 or 10 minutes to really get relaxed to get a good stretch so you might want to do a 5 or 10 minute session and see how you feel.
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I've been researching inversion tables, anyone used them? I really haven't found a negative review yet... Maybe some relief there???

Yes I have a Teeters. I also do a lot of pilates and stretching. My focus is on stretching my legs and hips. My sciatica is fairly well controlled, but sitting for a long time, or riding in a cart, especially with some one who has to drive full out so we can wait longer for the other twosome to hit

can cause me big pain. I use the Teeters at the end of the day, it does seem to help with recovery and being able to come back the next day. It seems to work best if I use it right before bed.

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4 and 5H, 6I-GW Callaway Razr, SW, LW Cleveland Cg-14, Putter Taylor Made Suzuka, Ball, Srixon XV Yellow

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Do you wear seatbelt driving? I prebuckled mine for a while and sat on it and it caused me to get sciatic. Just a thought. Also, Where do you have your wallet. Put it in front pocket. Back another prime sciatic causer....Good Luck.
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  • 4 years later...

I started researching this issue, as I too experience the pain basically while golfing and driving my car.  When I golf I feel it in my left leg and left side of my butt. The pain is not so bad that I can't golf, but you can feel it throbbing.  When I drive my car which I feel has very poor support in the seats, I feel the pain in my right leg and right buttock. It kicks in any point after about 10 or 15 minutes of driving and I have to shift my weight to my left side to relieve the throbbing.  I don't keep my wallet in my back pocket anymore, but still have this pain.

Hopefully it stays at this stage and does not get any worse, but I will start doing regular exercises to try and minimize the throb.

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Originally Posted by jhawker23

I am plagued with this pain in the @ss! Literally! I have an extensive daily stretching routine, multiple treadmill workouts and do core strengthening home workouts(no gym membership) but I cannot get over this. I'm 31 and within a healthy weight range.

It hits me almost exclusively driving (car) and playing golf. The pain shoots down on the first swing and never lets up the entire round or practice.

Do any of you fight this same thing? If so, have you found anything that helps?

I've seen a few different physicians and they refer to PT. PT's say it can usually be resolved with regular therapy treatments but their treatments are little more than stretching. It's not getting better. It's been going on for 4 - 5 years, maybe more.

Anyone going through this too???

I had a problem with my sciatica, it just went away, lucky me

I would go see a doctor and get a scan of your back. You can actually have a sciatica problem near your spine (herniated disk), and it will cause the same problems if you have the inflamation around the nerve in your hip girdle.

Usually for me, just keeping active helps, tons of ice helps. I also spend time on my back with my feet elevated to just get all pressure off my back. After a few months it went away.

Basically i found it was just strengthening the muscles in the hip area, keeping active, ice the area if it gets bad, take pain meds, stretch and give the area time to feel better.

Luckily this was during winter, so i didn't have to worry about it bothering the golf swing.

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
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Yes, I've had it and have another episode recently, but i got it under control quickly.

It was so bad last year that I couldn't sleep in a bed (I slept in a recliner instead) and couldn't sit in car seat. It was excruciating.

After going to a chiropractor, physical therapy, stretching, yoga, X-rays, MRI's and voodoo, I went to an older doctor who prescribed a very mild muscle relaxer (so mild I could drive), Vitamin B supplements (he swore it would help me), and some pain patches that apply topical pain relief directly through the skin -- I put one on the back of my thigh and my left butt.

I was better in 2 days.

He gave me a months worth in case I needed it again and said to just stop talking everything when I felt better. I had it return a month ago and took the pills again for a couple of days and was fine, again. Amazing.

I searched for months for relief and an answer last year. It was a waste of money and agony for me, but profitable to every crackpot I went to.

I know how painful it can be, and I would only wish it on my ex-wife.

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http://thesandtrap.com/t/56069/good-golf-posture

For the first 50+ years of my life, I've had a healthy back. To this day, I still do a bit of heavy lifting (I gather, hand-split and stack about 16 cords of firewood every year), play numerous sports (including tackle football) and perform some light weight training. When I took up golf last year, my lower back went to hell. Might have been a coincidence - I'll never know. But I read the thread above and immediately changed from the anterior, s-shaped posture to more of a posterior tilt. Since then, things have improved and I probably take as many golf swings every day as most people on this site. I still have to stretch, but rarely take anything for pain.

I realize this story is completely anecdotal and more than likely has little to do with your sciatica, but I thought I would share it just in case. Something else I learned from my injury, it's best to hold a stretch for 30 - 40 seconds.

Alright, so I don't know much about golf and next to nothing about medicine, yet I'm compelled to share my opinion about both. Don't you hate know-it-alls?

Good luck recovering from your injury.

Jon

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  • 2 months later...

I never had sciatic pain before, that is until around 3 weeks ago when I started to feel this pain..like a stitch in my side shooting through my lower back into my butt. It got so bad so quick I had to walk (limp) off the course. It got worse over the next few days. Saw a Chiropractor. He worked on me and even ended up sending me to my regular doctor because the inflammation was so bad I needed steroids. I also got a muscle relaxer and prescription version of Alieve. The steroids did help bu the pain meds didn't seem to help much. The muscle relaxer did help with some muscle twitches in my legs and while it didn't fix the pain did help me sleep.

Since then it got better, then i played golf a week ago and it came roaring right back. I have been back to the chiropractor and had acupuncture. Both work temporarily but then the pain is back a few hours later.

My biggest issue is sleeping. I can't get comfortable in any position and if I do I wake up in the middle of the night with an aching feeling in my butt, thigh and a throbbing pain in my knee.

Slowly it seems to be getting better, but with golf season coming to an end in the next 6 weeks or so I want to get back out there ASAP!!! But now I am scared that even if it gets better it will come right back. Ugh.

The inversion chairs always intrigued me. I might give that a shot. I could see how it would alleviate pressure on the spine.

Great thread.

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I have had several back problems of a serious nature. I cannot tell you what to do about yours, but I think I am qualified to advise you to find out exactly what is wrong before you do anything about it.

When you went to see the doctors, did they find out exactly what was causing the pain? Did you get an MRI? It is likely that there is nerve compression in either L4-L5 or L5-S1. At least find out where the compression is, and what is causing it.

As for the car, a previous poster said to take your wallet out of your back pocket when you drive. Good advice. When you sit on a wallet, you press your sciatic nerve right up against it. Getting a small pillow to put behind your back to adjust the curvature of your spine will help, too. Car seats do not support the back's natural curvature.

As for golf, consider stopping playing until you get this problem under control. Golf could be doing nothing more than aggravating the condition. It certainly won't help. Otherwise, any therapy you pursue could be a case of one step forward, one step back.

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Note: This thread is 1022 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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