After 5 sessions with the physio - it was mutually agreed that I now was in control of my stretching and that continuing with this program was the best thing.
A couple of weeks have passed since that point. I continue to do the stretching exercises of all the muscles around my hamstring, hip, buttock, lower back and trunk.
I have also occasionally used the "tennis ball" technique as a way of massaging the piriformis muscle. I don't use a tennis ball, something slightly smaller and harder - it's a kids bouncy ball, perhaps something you would throw to a dog. Lying down with the ball placed carefully on the muscle.. and rolling your weight around it - gives a sort of pain but also a relief.
Additionally I have a small hand held massager with infra red - which I apply each night to either hamstring or buttock.
I have changed my office chair to something more sympathetic and ergonomic - (I had previously changed my car)
I have also started jogging - and manage to do 2-3 sessions per week of 30 minutes. Sometimes it is a little bit painful, but a day or two later I feel the benefit. This additionally exercise has added a lot of general benefits, weight - feeling of appetite and general fitness.
This last weekend was intense where I was doing a bit of everything. By Sunday I was quite sore in my legs - but on Monday I feel the benefit. My hamstring doesn't get the chronic pain and I don't get the acute pains.
So how it feels is the investment in stretching and taking care of the muscles is really paying off.
At Easter I was in real pain, suffering a lot. Now it feels manageable. It isn't cured 100% but I would say it is 80-90% sorted.
The only thing I can think which triggered all of this was switching from left hand drive cars to right hand drive cars.. which changed where I put my right leg.. from being straight to being kinked to the right.
A long painful story - but there is hope for curing this syndrome.
3 comments:
I hadn't thought of the left-to-right hand drive thing! I just moved back to the UK after 8 years in the US, so might be a correlation there.
I believe that the rotation of my foot is a huge part of this. I've been really conscious of not turning my right foot out when I sit, drive and walk, and it's really helped.
agree on the position of your feet.. I try and keep my knees together when sitting at the desk.
I also noticed a massive difference between car seats also..
my left hand drive car in Belgium was an audi a4 and very comfortable. I took a 3 month rental of a ford mondeo and it was just incredibly painful once the sciatica hit.. whereas my wife's car a ford focus was a bit better. So it must be something to do with how I was placing my back and feet in the car.
I also notice the progress has been made that when you have an involuntary movement.. like sneezing.. previously it was massively painful when that happened, and when driving it was quite a serious situation. Whereas now it's just a minor irritation.
Did you manage to see the physio yet?
I saw my GP yesterday and she's giving me a referral, so should be able to make an appointment for next week. Getting started at a new gym next week too.
We moved house this week, out of a second story flat into a basement flat, so lots of stairs to carry stuff down. My calf was in agony the past couple of days, but it was muscle pain from walking correctly. The sciatic pain has almost completely gone, which is fantastic. Taking no chances though, still going to the physio.
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