Welcome to General Chat - GAW Community Area
This General Chat area started off as a place for people to talk about things that are off topic, however it has quickly evolved into a community and has become an integral part of the GAW experience for many of us.
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Rules for General Chat
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Be respectful to each other. This is of utmost importance, and comments may be removed if deemed not respectful.
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In short, imagine this thread to be a local community hall where we all gather and chat daily. Please be respectful to others in the same way
Quick medical question. Does anyone here know some good treatments for treating siatica? I have a friend who is dealing with really bad chronic pain.
Ice on 20 minutes or Heat 20 minutes. General rule heat for muscle pain and ice for bone/joint. I believe each person has to figure out what works best for them. I know my body and pain good enough I know which is best and honestly it depends on how bad the pain is. I believe you can get over the counter lidocaine patches. They probably aren’t as strong as RX but it’s worth a try. I see a pain management doctor and get RX. They are expensive if you your insurance doesn’t pay well. Example my RX is $95.00 at Sam’s with insurance and $10.00 at Walgreens because my insurance has contract with Walgreens. Mail order might be cheaper for some. I know it’s hard to find a good doctor you can trust. I’ve seen this doctor since 2010 and I do trust her. She’s the only one I trust. When it’s really bad I can go into the office for lidocaine and tordal injection.
Yoga poses that stretch the bag and hips are good. I don’t know official names. A quick search would give the right stretches. Bending flat over a kitchen counter or wall will do a good stretch.
Sciatica pain usually comes from a damaged disk. Sometimes you can try everything and it doesn’t help. Epidural is very helpful but I wouldn’t trust just anyone with that. Also don’t get more than 3-4 cortisone doses a year. Doesn’t matter if it’s a regular injection or epidural it’s the same dose.
Essential oils and topical herbal salves can help with pain and inflammation. That’s trial and error to find what works for you. I order herbal salves from a small business. She grows the herbs or plants and makes the salves. It you need the link I can share. Arnica, Devils Club, St John’s Wort & Cottonwood salve or oils are good.
Compex has very good tens units with heat that help tremendously with muscle pain. They are not cheap but if you have constant pain it’s worth the investment. They run sales a few times a year. It’s as helpful as a massage and the cost of 1-3 massages. I don’t get massages anymore because they are very expensive and the relief won’t last me a week.
Walking is one of the best things you can do. It stretches the muscles helping work out the pain.
There’s anti inflammatory supplements available to take. Most people swear by turmeric. It doesn’t help me and too much for me is a detox. Search supplements that help with inflammation and pain.
Honestly exercising and stretching helps. Tell them to Google exercise for sciatica. It takes time but does help.
Thanks for the lead. Do you are anyone else know about any supplements or practices that may help? For example, what role does dehydration play in it or other factors?
Sorry, I do mot