slipped disc

[Tim]

I slipped my disc the other day and have sciatica. I can barely move! anybody have any advice for a quick recovery. I have been trying to stretch and do excercies, but my range of motion is so little its very frustrating. Not really sure where to begin to recover at this point. Besides just resting.

[JustAnotherExplorer]

Trigger point therapy can possibly provide some relief.  Trigger points are small points in the center of muscle fibers that bunch up tightly and can cause pain either locally or referred to other parts of the body.  If you have sensitive enough fingers then they can be felt in the muscle tissue as little bumps.  The way to self treat a trigger point is to massage across it with a short, 1-2 inch (3-6cm) stroke, 6-12 times at a pressure that you would consider about a 7 on a pain scale of 1-10.  Massage in one direction only and use a tool, if possible, to save your hands.

Trigger points may not be the cause of all your problems, but some have almost certainly been created by the stress and are contributing to the pain.

I'm not sure where the appropriate trigger points for your pain will be located but they're probably in either your back or your buttocks  The best resource that I've found for self treatment of trigger points is

http://www.triggerpointbook.com/

Which may be available at your local library and can certainly be ordered at Amazon.com

[goodsamaritan]

Look for the best chiropractor in your area.

or

Look for the best dorn method practitioner in your area.
What is dorn? http://dorn-method.com/

[xylothrill]

Traction worked for me once but you have to be in bed for months. Any other treatments for me only gave temporary relief. I ended up having back surgery twice after failed physical therapy, chiropractic, and spinal steroid injections.

I hear VAX-D is supposed to be pretty good at relieving the pressure and allowing the disc to slip back in and heal. http://www.vax-d.com/

I feel for you. I've had sciatica, foot-drop, and spasms. No one who hasn't gone through it can possibly understand.

[Tim]

thank you all for the advice and information. I have not heard of these treatments before. Im not sure i generally trust chiropractors, but the dorn method seems great. im also trying to self treat through message after reading about trigger point. im very interested in the vax d treatment as well. this has not been fun. ive been resting a lot and trying to loosen up as much as i can to try to start stretching and doing excercises.

[Raw Kyle]

I went to an osteopathic manipulative doctor about a rib injury recently and she seemed to have some good methods for moving around ribs, vertebrae and organs. Not sure if they get into teh vertebrae so much but if you have trouble finding practitioners of the other stuff or have some extra time/money to try it I'd suggest checking it out.

[Guittarman03]

I would also check out a guy called Pete Egoscue, particularly his book "The Egoscue Method of Health Through Motion."  Alot of the same principles it seems as the Dorn-Method, but no need for a helper to work through the exercises.  He has another book called "Pain Free," which seems to be more of a site specific type of pain alleviation, but I much prefer the first book (shorter in length too), as it seems to offer a regimen of stretches and exercises that bring the whole body in to proper alignment over the course of a few weeks to months. 

My dad used it to kick huge knee braces that he wore for decades when playing sports, I used it to recover from a 25 ft fall where I broke my foot in numerous places and pretty much "jostled" my whole body out of alignment.  I also showed it to my girlfriend to CURE her headaches and back tension.  If you try it, I have no doubt it will do wonders.