It appears that I am suffering from sciatica. Yes, it sucks.
Lower back pain, aching in one side of my butt that is starting to reach the top of the back of my thigh.
What type of doctor should I see? Neurologist? Orthopedist?
Thanks
Start with your family doctor. Most insurances need the approval of the general practitioner before you get referred to the specialists. IOW, you can’t just make an appointment with an orthopedist (which is who you will end up seeing), without the go-ahead from the GP.
This condition of which you speak, and of which I suffered from also, is usually caused by a problem with the disks or the vertabrae in the lower back, so an ortho who specializes in lower back issues is the guy who will actually treat you.
I ended up going to a chiropractor, an ortho, and the local sport therapist to get treated.
I believe I could have avoided the treatment and self healed myself if I knew what to do before the pain got out of hand. What I do now (I learned a little from the chiro, and the therapist) is hang from the rafters in the garage for a minute or two to increase the spacing between the disks and relax the pressure on the spinal cord. I had severe sciatica at one time and now I can do almost any acivity I want to. I was a week away from having surgery at one time.
When I feel the slightest discomfort in the lower back, I hang. I’ve been doing this for 2+ years now and have not had to go back to any of the specialists once, not even the chiro.
>When I do the hanging thing, I hang from my hands and relax my entire body trying to concentrate on letting the muscles in the lower back completely relax. The only muscles in use are the one in my arms to keep me from falling. After I feel that my muscles are relaxed and my spine has stopped settling/stretching, I slowly rock my hips from side to side enough to allow the rest of the lower back to straighten out and stretch. When I do this properly, I feel 110% better. I then climb slowly back down the ladder to the floor and the ritual is complete.
Good point.
I’ll try the hanging thing too. I think I’ve caught it in time.