Sciatica and Gardening

I took a couple of ibuprofen today (sciatica and a sore shoulder) and did some gardening and can't say that it feels better but it certainly doesn't feel any worse either!
The best thing to do is pace yourself and be careful, stop before you feel you've had enough.

I had dreadful sciatica, thankfully it has eased at the moment, and the advice I got was to try and keep active as usual. I did some gardening, and walking, and i found it helped to ease my pain actually, although not the same for everyone, so just try a little to start and see how you go.

I bought one of those vibrating mattress pads (from QVC I think) for after gardening back ache. Very soothing but I don't know if it would do for sciatica.

As an ongoing sufferer of Sciatica, you do have my sympathy. I might suggest starting off with very light tasks and see how it goes. I know if I tackle jobs involving moving planters or digging I am asking for trouble and have learned to accept it, though it’s frustrating. You must let us know how you get on.

Thank you all for your kind words. I don't like to moan to friends and family as back pain is such a bore, but a problem shared is a problem halved.

rockgran , I hadn't heard of those vibration pads and I thought I'd researched everything! Found something similar on Amazon that you can wear whilst moving!! Thank you!

Today I did a little indoor gardening on my house plants. Got my son to bring the compost inside and repotted a few plants into some lovely charity store finds vintage pots my DIL bought me.

Everyone else, HootyMcOwlface, Callistemon & Marilla I empathise with fellow sufferers. I hope the dreaded sciatica buggers off and leaves you all alone!

It's not the back garden yet but baby steps! What is everyone growing at the moment? How are your gardens looking?

I suffer from sciatica but was given exercises by the physiotherapist which makes sure I don't suffer for long.

Be gentle, take it slowly and gradually

1. Stretch the hamstring muscle at the back of your thigh by leaning over in your chair as far as you can until you feel a pull on that muscle, gently does it, hold for as long as you can. Increase this by a couple of seconds every day.

2. If you have a bath, get out whilst still warm and bend as far forward as you can to get the same effect. It may not be far, just so's you pull a bit on the thigh...gently.
If you have a shower, do this at the end of the showering time when you have 'hotted up'

3. Lie on your side, the one which doesn't have the pain. Bend the leg on the side which does and push your knee, gently, towards the bed.

4. If none of these are possible, just try stretching your leg whilst standing at the kitchen counter or holding onto a chair. Just so you get that slight tension at the back of the thigh which will stretch the muscle.

She explained to me that the sciatic nerve is painful because the hamstring muscle is trapping it, so stretching that muscle helps free it and lessens the pain.

We moved to a new build 18 months ago and are trying to establish the garden. It is much smaller than our previous garden and still in its infancy. Just bought three rose bushes yesterday for planting this week. I don’t usually spend quite so much on one visit to the nursery, but I have to have some roses this year.

Thank you Bradford Lass for the exercise tips.

Thank you for the exercise tips BradfordLass

The last time I had this was when I was pregnant! and it was more painful then but shortlived, disappeared as soon as the baby arrived.

Dilly - not a lot apart from trying to grow some herbs from seed. I should go and tackle the pots today ready for some summer colour, see what has survived and what has not.

These NHS exercises help me -

www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/exercises-for-sciatica/

How about using a TENS unit? Or make an appointment with a chiropractor?

I was going to suggest a chiropractor too. Mine uses ultrasound to help if it is particularly tight. He also tells me to walk regularly. Good luck.

Thank you for all the new suggestions, superb fellow grans!

I'm going to try the NHS Lisagran kindly linked and BradfordLass72 list! One of my son's is mad keen on personal fitness so I might get him to talk me through them when he is around tomorrow, I'm not the most coordinated!

The TENS machine sounds interesting, without sounding strange, how do they feel? Do you feel a difference after using one and would there be a particular model I should purchase?

I'm a little nervous of chiropractors what is your experience of them Nannytopsy & rosecarmel?

Callistemon, I did the same thing today. Also roped the husband into edging the flower beds as we have a BBQ tomorrow. Wish my pots didn't look so dingy, also saw my dastardly dogs have made a right mess of my BBQ cover, although neither of them would own up to it!

DillytheGardener I should have mentioned the TENS machine in my previous post as I have one.

It should be used in conjunction with the stretching exercises though.

It feels a bit tingly and as you control it, the level of tingle is up to you.

They are wonderful inventions and my very first TENS got me walking again after a serious car accident in 1997.

Formerly I was crawling, quite literally on hands and knees because the pain was so bad I couldn't stand or sit.

Enter TENS - da-dah!
And I wore it all day, for hours, increasing the tingle (electrical impulse) as much as I could handle.

Six weeks of that and I was Femina Erectus again.