It started with just a little burning in my feet and ankles. Now, it's severe pain, difficulty walking, muscle cramps, little to no sleep. It's beginning to affect my whole body, and I don't know what to do. I don't have Diabetes. Doctors just doing tests and giving me Gabapentin which does very little. It seems like many people are having this problem lately. Thank you and God bless.
You're viewing a single comment thread. View all comments, or full comment thread.
Comments (42)
sorted by:
I KNOW WHAT HAS HAPPENED. PLEASE READ.
You have a pinched nerve in your neck, spine or hip caused by improper sleep posture. I know how to fix it. It's happened to me and lasted nearly an entire year before I accidentally figured out how to fix it. The solution is easy and cheap. All you need is to buy a wedge pillow and follow the directions below.
Either order online or go to Walmart or similar and purchase a wedge pillow. One like this one:
Mainstays Wedge Pillow
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Foam-Wedge-Pillow/1122020564?classType=VARIANT&athbdg=L1200&from=/search
or this one:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Kolbs-Bed-Wedge-Pillow-Memory-Foam-Top-Stylish-Chic-Jacquard-Cover-Wedge-Pillow-Sleeping-Acid-Reflux-Heartburn-GERD-Pillow-Snoring-Pillow/799746786?classType=VARIANT&adsRedirect=true
When you get the pillow home you will sleep on this pillow only. You will sleep flat on your back with your spine and neck straight with no twisting of the spine, neck, shoulders or hips. This means you will lay on your back with your head facing forward ONLY.
Your knees may be straight or bent, but no twisted hips. Your arms may be up or down. Head may only face forward.
You will sleep like this (it may be uncomfortable) for the next 2-3 weeks. This will realign your spine and in time the inflammation will lessen and sometime after a week or two, it will unpinch the nerves spontaneously. It will feel like a miracle.
Trust me. This has worked for me and several of my friends. You just have to get through the 2-3 weeks of 'straight spine' sleeping and your body will magically restore itself.
Besides the pinched needles in the feet sensation (I had it for 9 months) that was cured with the straight spine sleep cure, I have had other similar results when I developed an ulnar nerve disorder in my left elbow & thumb and a pinched nerve in my hip that caused my knee to hurt when I exercised.
Each time I'd tolerate these issues for weeks or months until I'd suddenly face palm myself and say, 'Duh! I need to get out the wedge pillow' and then I'd sleep on that for a few weeks and magically unwind my pinched body part with no residual problems!
Please report back and let me know if this works for you.
Did you try a chiropractor first? Just curious.
I mean, if you know it works, it's a great solution and great advice to give.
But fixing it in one session sounds better, if you don't mind the cost, than 3 weeks of a challenging practice. More important, if the chiropractor is good, they can offer exercises or changes to your posture or gait that lead to the problems happening in the first place, to prevent it from happening again. For example my Chiro gave me a different sort of chair cushion that helps straighten the spine with a small exercise.
I most certainly did! I'm a big fan of the art of chiropractics and have been going as needed since I was a teenager. The chiropractor recommended 3x week until further notice. Each time I went, the issue did not resolve, which was odd to me. After numerous months, I stopped going as there was no relief, and it was expensive.
And, per your thoughts - the problem was not the way I was sitting, or my gait, or anything like that. I am a former trained ballerina and collegiate gymnast with ridiculously good spine health and posture. I stretch easily, I walk well, I have good core strength and have no gait or balance issues. My issue likely is that my spine and body is so flexible that it will easily conform to whatever position I put it in.
In my case I found the culprit boiled down to the mistake of cuddling up on a too fluffy pillow, or sleeping on my arm, or laying with my neck crooked or my hips in a twisted position for hours at night. And, clearly, my continued sleeping like that caused the situation to develop. Let me describe exactly how I figured it out.
Years ago, I suddenly developed severe carpal tunnel in my right arm, and a sharp needle sensation in my feet upon standing. I had done nothing to cause this. My regular doctor was alarmed and recommended a wrist brace and then if it didn't resolve within a few months, to have surgery. He had no advice on my stabbing foot pain. This lasted for nearly a year. No amount of stretching or exercising helped this.
While enduring this, I noticed I was getting a lot of sleep creases on my face from sleeping on my side or on my stomach. I decided that I would try to sleep on my back and see if that would eliminate them. Laying flat on the bed was no good, so I picked up a wedge pillow and tried that. Not only did it eliminate my creased face in the morning, but to my surprise, by about day 12, I woke up and realized my carpal tunnel was gone, as was my needle sensation in my feet. I slept on that wedge pillow for a few weeks more and then gradually switched to a different pillow that allowed me not to put pressure on my face and allowed me to side sleep, which I preferred. The wedge pillow got put in the closet.
Years later, seemingly overnight, a severe ulnar nerve compression in my left elbow to thumb appeared. I had done nothing to cause it. I couldn't even squeeze my hand into a fist. It stung like a son-of-a-gun. My doctor recommended surgery. My sister-in-law had the same thing and went to Mayo for surgery. Her surgery went poorly, she was in a lot of pain, had a big incision and scar and basically had no relief! I opted to wait. I had that for a full year until I did the face palm and said, Oh my gosh. I should get out the wedge pillow and sleep flat on my back. Guess what. Within 2 weeks I woke up with a completely normal hand and wrist and no more ulnar nerve compression!
Years after that I developed pain in my right knee when exercising and correctly assumed it was my right hip which used to get out of place back when I was a ballerina. I used to be able to self adjust, but couldn't do that anymore. The chiropractor had no luck either. After a couple of months of it not resolving, I got out the wedge pillow (I really hate sleeping on it) and about day 10, I was awoken by a sensation in my right leg and I could feel my hip release. It even made my foot kick. I got up and walked and the pain was all gone!
This recommendation has been given to 2 friends who both had similar success after wearing knee braces for months which resolved upon sleeping flat on their backs on the wedge pillow.
Do what you want. I just know what I've experienced!
That's awesome. Good for you for trusting yourself more than the degree-enhanced specialists.
I guess I've had better luck with my chiropractors. In every profession you'll get hacks: ones that just want (or maybe it's all they know) you to get weekly treatments for life. But others are true healers, and will help you enough so that you don't need them anymore. That's the kind I like. I suspect there are probably targeted tricks and devices that would work quicker than the wedge pillow, but it's not my expertise at all, and so I don't blame you for sticking with what works. And I congratulate you for discovering it. Thanks for sharing the story.
Thank you