I find it incredible just how much we take for granted the elemental things within our lives. When I was in my early 20’s, I had a glob of wax obstruct my ear canal for a while. My sense of hearing was diminished, until I eventually got in to see an ENT; who, quite painfully, unclogged that cruddy cerumen. I remember tearing up in the last few seconds of him teasing out what looked like a nasty, slimy brown ball of goop about the size of my pinky finger tip. My point being, losing my hearing (out of one ear) for a short while made me realize how even the most rudimentary facilities we are given in life are not always fully appreciated until we are bereft of them. Thus goes everything in life I suppose. Don’t know what you got till it’s gone.

I probably spent a few days on cloud nine elated by my newly restored sense of hearing; and then sadly lost that appreciativeness and exhilaration to carrying on with the daily grind. However, today, I did not want to talk again about gratitude, but rather, yet another health problem that has recently affected me.

One pastime I enjoy most in life is receiving massages. However, a month ago after having received one – from a massage therapist I have visited several times before – I noticed a day or two later that sitting (and then standing) was tender in my right gluteal region. At first it was relatively mild, similar to muscle soreness we might experience after a solid workout. As days passed, that soreness was no longer isolated to just my gluts but started to radiate and extend down my right leg into the calf region. The severity of the pain also increased substantially, as did the frequency of when it was occurring. Tasks like sitting on the toilet and driving to work had me tearing up.

Sciatica is a nerve pain which originates in the lower back and radiates from deep in the buttocks and can travel down the lower leg. Usually sciatic nerve pain is unilateral and will only be symptomatic on one side of the body. There are several known causes, but a herniated (or “bulging”) disc in the lumbar (lower) spine is typically the most common. As a result, the nerve becomes compressed and there is pain (sharp, burning, radiating), inflammation and often times numbness/muscle weakness associated with it.

My commute to work each morning is only about 15 to 18 minutes; and I kid you not, I almost had to pull over multiple times to just stand up and stretch. Sitting for even short periods of time became excruciating. Fortunately mine was only an intermittent and postural pain; others unfortunately may experience it on a more constant basis. I had everything from a light tingling sensation, to pins-and-needles, to a strong, sharp burning and numb atrophy feeling in my calf muscle.

By the time I would arrive to work, daily, I would be popping 800 mg of Ibuprofen. That would get me through most of my day. At home, I would apply a heat pack and do some stretches. I also made one visit to a chiropractor and had some spinal manipulation and adjustment techniques performed.

“That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.” 
— Friedrich Nietzsche

According to SPINE-health.com, this affects 10-40% of the population, typically around the age of 40 years. Also, certain types of occupations (perhaps dentistry?) who often bend their spine forward or sideways or raise their arms frequently (okay, definitely dentistry!) may be higher risk. Thankfully, most cases typically get better with nonsurgical treatments within about 4 to 6 weeks. Some have persistent (over 1 year), and even progressive symptoms, in which case sometimes surgical intervention may be indicated.

As I write this, I am relieved to say my sciatic nerve pain is the best it has felt in over a month. It exists still, but not at an unbearable level like a month ago. Time, medication, proper stretches, heat therapy and the hands of a good chiropractor seem to have helped me make nearly a full recovery. Who knew something so simple like a drive to work or sitting on the toilet could be so painfully agonizing. Sciatica sucks!

Okay, so I have some PTSD about getting massages now. That is a blog post in and of itself. If you are just starting to have sciatic nerve pain, I am happy to share with you some of the Youtube videos and bookmarked websites I have on stretches that were effective with managing my pain. Please feel free to contact me directly or leave comments below! Thank you for taking the time to read this post, I appreciate it!