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The day before she was due to fly to Cape Town for her grandson’s wedding, Shirley Boyle was suddenly struck down with what she describes as ‘the worst back pain of my life’.
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she → publish → life
Determined not to miss the celebrations, the 77-year-old former dental practice manager from Newcastle-under-Lyme gritted her teeth through the nearly 12-hour flight.
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manager → determine → flight
But by the time she touched down in South Africa, she was relying on crutches, with painkillers barely taking the edge off.
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painkillers → touch → edge
It was clear this was far more than a simple pulled muscle.
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this → pull → muscle
Back home just days later, her GP delivered the diagnosis: sciatica.
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The condition occurs when the roots of the sciatic nerve – which runs from the lower back down through the hips and legs – become inflamed or compressed.
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which → occur → hips
It is relatively common, striking around three million Britons each year, and affecting as many as four in ten people over the course of their lifetime.
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And while in most cases it clears up on its own within a few months, the pain in the meantime can be extreme – and, for some sufferers, completely debilitating.
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pain → clear → sufferers
NHS guidelines recommend a stepwise approach for sciatica, starting with over-the-counter painkillers, then moving to weak opioids, drugs for nerve-related pain such as gabapentin and, in some cases, epidural injections.
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guidelines → recommend → cases
In the most severe cases, patients may even undergo surgery to decompress the nerve.
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patients → undergo → nerve
Sciatica occurs when the roots of the sciatic nerve – which runs from the lower back down through the hips and legs – become inflamed or compressed
But experts told The Mail on Sunday that the vast majority of patients can ease – and even cure – the condition themselves, without using powerful drugs, simply by making a handful of lifestyle changes.
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majority → occur → changes
As columnist Dr Ellie Cannon wrote last week, although she sees patients with sciatica ‘almost every day’, many remain unaware of the simple treatments available.
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many → write → treatments
She asked readers to share how they had managed their often-debilitating sciatica – and was inundated with letters and emails.
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Their suggestions ranged from the conventional – physiotherapy, regular exercise and weight loss – to the more unusual, including inversion tables to create space between the vertebrae; CBD patches on the area and even regular buttock massages.
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One woman even wrote that she cured her sciatica by ditching her underwired bras: ‘I’ve swapped to highly unflattering shapewear that is like a surgical stocking and gives no shape whatsoever.
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But I have not worn a bra in six months and have not had sciatica since,’ she added.
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‘I’d tried it before for hip pain, so I booked a session as soon as I got home,’ she said.
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she → try → session
‘After the first treatment I felt nothing – I thought it was a waste of money.
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But later that day, after sitting in my armchair for a few hours, I stood up and walked to the kitchen without my crutches.
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‘By the seventh session the pain had gone completely – and it’s never come back.
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It’s amazing.
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It → ’ → ?
So what actually works for sciatica – and what’s just a gimmick?
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We asked the experts...
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It was during the first lockdown that Marie Gressman began to feel twinges of pain in her back.
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The nurse and senior lecturer at Teesside University was spending hours teaching remotely, sitting bent over her computer – and in her free time, working in the garden, lifting heavy tools and plant pots.
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nurse → spend → tools
‘I think I must have overdone it one day,’ explained the 69-year-old.
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‘The pain became unbearable… it felt like I’d been kicked by a horse.’
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Marie Gressman, 69, cured her sciatica with regular yoga and healthy eating
After a few weeks, Marie sought help from a physiotherapist, who confirmed sciatica.
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who → cure → sciatica
For Marie, it was regular core-strength exercises using a swiss ball, weekly yoga and Zumba classes and posture adjustments – using a small roll when sitting in a desk chair – that finally cured her relentless pain and numbness.
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‘I took Nurofen for as long as was needed, but it wasn’t until I began doing my daily core workout and using my back roll that the pain actually resolved,’ she said.
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It might sound counterintuitive, but one of the best remedies for a trapped sciatic nerve is regular movement and staying active.
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one → sound → movement
‘Two or three decades ago people were told to rest in bed,’ says Dr Annina Schmid, professor of pain neurosciences at Oxford University.
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‘But we now know staying active is the most important thing for recovery.’
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staying → know → recovery
Research shows repeated light exercise eases most types of back pain – including sciatica – and NHS guidelines recommend keeping mobile.
One of the best forms, experts say, is swimming.
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experts → show → forms
The water’s buoyancy reduces stress on the spine, while its resistance strengthens core and back muscles.
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resistance → reduce → muscles
This low-impact exercise also boosts circulation and lowers inflammation.
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exercise → boost → inflammation
‘Animal studies show swimming is incredibly effective at healing sciatic nerve injuries,’ says Dr Schmid.
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‘Aerobic exercise improves nerve pain and has a regenerative effect, helping nerves heal and grow back properly.
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nerves → improve → effect
It also has a potent anti-inflammatory effect – as effective as some medication.
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FIND RELIEF ON THE MAT
Like swimming, yoga can also help soothe sciatica.
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yoga → find → sciatica
…and 65 more, not listed.
The Aporia
