LEG PAIN SCIATICASlipped discAn analogy ...(Keywords: leg pain sciatica, chiropractic, BERNARD PRESTON, Femero Acetabular impingement syndrome PINCER, leg length inequality, slipped disk, help for sciatica pain)Leg pain sciatica usually, like the common cold, starts insidiously. Ignored, a cold may go through this process: Cold > Influenza > Bronchitis > Pleurisy > Pneumonia > Death The process can usually be stopped at any stage with the appropriate treatment. Neglected, the disease process marches remorselessly on .... In the lumbar spine ...In the lumbar spine, the process is different, yet the same: Research shows that 5% of sciaticas proceed to intractable pain within six months. Please don't assume you will be in the 95%! Tracking the progression of leg pain is done using the
Slump Test for Sciatica ...
 Custom Search FROM THE COAL FACEYesterday I was consulted by a man who developed low back pain about eighteen months ago, after gardening. After a month, it started tingling in his leg, and then his leg became numb. LEG PAIN SCIATICA ! Three months ago he had a back operation. The next day he couldn't lift his foot off the ground and he walks with a typical "foot drop" gait. Ironically in Dutch the colloquial term for an operation is 'ben geholpen'. "After I was helped I could no longer lift my foot." One of the sciatic nerve roots was damaged by the miner, working with his chisels and drills. And he still has pain running all the way down to the foot. Can Chiropractic 'help' him. We'll see. Update: I confess this man is but one of many, and I can't remember who he is or what happened! Suffice it to say, try all else before going under the knife.
PREVENTIONNeglected, both the common cold and low back pain, if ignored, may become medical emergencies. An ounce of prevention ... ...is worth a pound of cure!Almost invariably this situation occurs only by NEGLECT. That may be on the patient's part (your part?), his doctor's fault, and yes, even your chiropractor's fault. Sometimes, misfortune intervenes. A shower of sneezes, a slip on a lettuce leaf ... but usually, IT'S NEGLECT! The result? Leg pain sciatica ...
SLIPPED DISC RULESThese slipped disc rules may just save your bacon if you have severe lower back pain, particularly if it radiates into your leg. Never underestimate how a slipped disc, neglected, can ruin your life. Really, I mean it. Take it seriously, go for treatment, get into a home exercise programme, sit less....Fish oil has enormous proven benefits for all joints, not to mention the heart, mind, Alzheimers, Parkinsons...
FISH OIL HEALTH BENEFITS ... removing fatty plague from the arteries. Aside: Ebooks for downloadNew … hot off the press STOP PRESS: Stones in my Clog my third book has just become available for the first time as an ebook for just $2.99. Our STORE … It’s very easy to download this Microsoft Word file, no special Kindles etc are necessary. Just click View, then Full screen Reading… Just $2.99 buys you nearly 400 pages of inspiring stories...
Mrs S consulted me 10 days ago. Ten years ago she had a prolapsed disc and successful surgery, though the pain in her back never went completely away. Regularly she had problems. Her saving grace is supreme fitness: she rides to 40 km to work, and back, every day. No mean feat. Then three weeks ago the pain became the most severe since her operation, and she decided to consult me. Fortunately she was at Grade I. Only Low Back Pain and responded extremely well to what we call the chiropractic adjustment: after only two treatments she had 70% less pain. Every chiropractor loves to treat fit patients. Then on Friday Mrs S. fell down five dangerous Dutch stairs. Shit happens and now the future is very precarious. It pays to be careful when you have a sore back ... leg pain sciatica looms. Update: Mrs S is fine. For once the Dutch stairs had not great deleterious effect. She went (with arm twisting!) through the full rehab programme, and has no pain. It's not always like that. I've learnt the hard way, and you can learn from my experience: NEVER TAKE LOW BACK PAIN FOR GRANTED. IT CAN TURN AROUND AND BITE YOU!
COALFACE IIIMr Jansen consulted me yesterday; his history was fairly typical. Three weeks ago a bit of pain started in his low back. A one-man-band contractor he was in an invidious position: NO WORK, NO PAY! Same as me! So he continued as usual. "Ik kan me voorstellen," as we say in Dutch. "I can imagine." I would have probably done the same. And yet ... There he was, standing before me, twisted like a gnarled tree in what I call the typical "Pisa sign". His frame looked for all the world like a leaning tower as he leaned over to the side in what we call an antalgic posture. Ant-algia. They come in two sorts and fortunately he was indeed leaning 'away' from the painful side.
A bilateral sciatica down both legs is much less common but it can happen and is always serious especially if it affects your bladder control. If you are interested in sciatica home treatment always remember to exercise your back every day. In 2011 Chiropractic Help will be doing a major upgrade to include videos of back exercises. TIP: You can and perhaps should always consider home treatment for lower back pain, but if it goes down your leg... then it's time to find a good chiropractor.
Find a good Chiropractor ...
There are two kinds of antalgias: you may lean towards the painful side, or away . They are quite different. Those who lean "towards" the painful side, if they are smart and listen to their chiropractor, will get better much quicker, but the chance of relapse is greater if they will not accept that, like the "away from" type, the disc will take 6-8 weeks to heal. If the man in the picture had pain on the RIGHT SIDE, and he is leaning towards the LEFT SIDE, then he has the 'away from' kind. They take longer to come straight, but have a better chance of complete healing. Antalgia is serious. It is often the prelude to a nasty leg pain sciatica that wends its way down the weary leg. Follow your doctor's instructions, but my advice is to stay at home at least until you can stand up straight. Don't sit, alternate between lying (with a cushion under your knees) and walking. Move onto your side as your back dictates, with the cushion between your knees. During the day, get up at least every hour and walk around. Research shows that too much bed rest is not helpful. If you've come to this website because you're a bookworm, then you may enjoy this short story from Frog in my Throat .
This story is all about an antalgia, in an amusing setting. BIG TOE ... Meet Jack!
But a neglected antalgia often leads to a leg pain sciatica, with tingling and pain spreading down the leg. TipBernard Preston's rule is: If you are in the Pisa sign then you shouldn't be at work. Don't sit, don't bend, and try very hard not to sneeze. A quick nose blow will usually stop a sneeze. Depending which disc has been effected the leg pain sciatica may go down the back of the leg to the side of your foot, or down the side of your leg and over the big toe, or onto the top of your thigh. Classically, there are four important grades. I add a fifth.
I could add a sixth. The essence of good health care is to prevent this progression. Take Leg pain sciatica seriously. You can test yourself by pricking your leg with a pin and comparing it with the other leg. Are the legs the same? Can you walk on your heels and lift your big toe? Can you stand on your toes on the effected foot, and bounce up and down? Can you take your full weight on one knee without the leg buckling?
My ruleYou can wait with a sore back, but if you have leg pain sciatica spreading down the leg then it's best to get to your chiropractor fast. Read more about scientific rationale for Chiropractic Therapy.
Chiropractic Therapy ... LUMBAR FACET ARTHROPATHYChronic, neglected lumbar facet subluxations lead to premature arthrosis (wear and tear) in the joints. They become large and rough preventing you from standing up straight and often causing leg pain sciatica if you bend backwards or to the side. Pain down to the lower leg... don't let it happen. Exercises EVERY DAY before getting out of bed, and an occasional but regular visit to your chiropractor is our solution. Occasional... not every week. Too much manipulation is also not healthy.
LUMBAR FACET ARTHROPATHY ... LEG PAIN ON TOP OF THE THIGHLEG LENGTH INEQUALITYOr in normal jargon, could you have a short leg? Leg length inequality research confirms that it causes not only hip and knee arthritis, but also lower lumbar back pain. It probably untimately is also one of the causes of lumbar stenosis. Leg length inequality and low back pain are now confirmed to be strongly associated. Not responding to Chiropractic? Has your Chiropractor considered a short leg? Here is a leg length inequality CaseFile that might interest you.
SLUMP TEST ...... test you can do at home if you have LEG PAIN SCIATICA ... Sitting in an upright kitchen chair, straighten each leg, one at a time, parallel to the ground. Does it hurt? In the back? In your leg? Then it's best to get to your Chiropractor.
More about the SLUMP TEST ... LOWER BACK AND LEG PAINWhen you break the health rules it invariably catches up with you... despite that, a positive frame of mind is vital in difficult cases. There are hard decisions to be made: LOWER BACK AND LEG PAIN ... a difficult casefile.FEMERO ACETABULAR IMPINGEMENT SYNDROME (FAIS)Whilst leg pain may appear to be "leg pain sciatica", the reality is that there are many causes of leg pain. One of them is FEMERO ACETABULAR IMPINGEMENT SYNDROME; it comes in two forms. Pincer and Cam.
SACROILIAC JOINT INFLAMMATIONNew medical research confirms what chiropractors have long known. The sacroiliac joint is a major cause of lower back pain. It can also cause leg pain in pregnancy and leg pain sciatica.
ARTHRITIS IN LOWER BACKFalls on the buttocks, other injuries that were not well managed (with Chiropractic, of course!), a short leg causing a scoliosis and a heap of other causes such a poor diet, cause arthritis in the lower back. Another important cause is Immobilisation Arthritis which starts when joints in the lower back are fixated, reducing the normal swish of synovial fluid through the joints (it brings fresh nutrients and oxygen to the cartilage, and removes waste products).
IMMOBILISATION ARTHRITIS ... What is so surprising is how well even elderly patients with arthritis in the lower back usually respond well to gentle Chiropractic treatment.
LINKS
MONTHLY NEWSLETTERChiropractic Help and Bernard Preston send out a joint monthly newsletter covering an interesting copy (facial pain this last month) and something from our Nutritional Corner such as the importance of Omega 3 in the prevention of arthritis in lower back.Regularly there is a feature on LEG PAIN SCIATICA - lower back and leg pain is where the average chiropractor spend 60% of their time. You can sign up at the bottom of any Chiropractic Help page, such as this one:
LOWER BACK AND LEG PAIN LEG PAIN SCIATICADid you find this page useful? Perhaps forward Leg Pain Sciatica to a friend suffering from the condition? |
BEAN PLANTS
The Legume family
Too much carb? CARBOHYDRATE COUNT CHART
COOKING GREEN BEANS
The H Factor ... beans lower homocysteine
TOFU NUTRITION
LENTIL PROTEIN
OPEN ANDRE AGASSI - read how he survives on lentil soup
FOODS THAT LOWER CHOLESTEROL
AUTHENTIC HUMMUS RECIPE ...
GROWING CHICKPEAS ...