How therapeutic massage helped my sciatic nerve

how therapeutic massage helped my sciatic nerve

Today I would like to share How Therapeutic Massage Helped My Sciatic Nerve.

However, let me begin with a few disclaimers:  I am not a medical professional nor did I seek the advice of my personal physician when I choose to follow this path.

If you are experiencing these same issues, it would be best to begin with your own doctor before you proceed with any type of treatments.

HOW MY SCIATIC NERVE ISSUES BEGAN

How therapeutic massage helped my sciatic nerve

You may recall that in mid-February the state of Texas experienced an extremely cold winter storm, including power shut downs for many residents.

Mr. B & I were two of those.  We went over 30 hours in complete darkness in a home 39 degrees on the inside. I sat literally for hours in a chair near a fireplace under multiple blankets and did not move.

In hindsight, I should’ve moved more…but I was freezing.

At some point during that episode, I rose out of my cocoon and realized I could not walk or put weight on my left leg.  It was extremely painful.

My first thought was that I must have pulled a muscle when lifting heavy groceries from our car prior to the storm.  No matter what I tried, the pain would not diminish.

It was limiting my mobility and keeping me up at night.

How Therapeutic massage helped my sciatic nerve

A very good friend (now a legal resident) was once a nurse in Mexico and was certain it was my sciatic nerve.  Like several others, she said it would take time to be pain free.

I dove in and began to research sciatic nerve issues.  There is a lot of information out there.  

I did not go to my doctor, because I believed I would be sent to physical therapy and that sounded expensive.

I was advised by several people to do online stretches (which I tried) and to consider a chiropractor.  

The pain was up my leg and well into my bo-honky…it did not feel like a back issue to me.  But that side of my lower body was useless.

Then I read this article….How Massage Can Ease Sciatic Pain.

THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE ENTERS THE PICTURE

How therapeutic massage helped my sciatic nerve

Massage made sense to me that it might help, so I began to study Therapeutic Massage.  It is a general term for massage which relieves pain, reduces stress and works on a specific area.

Other benefits have been described as:

  • reduced muscle tension
  • improved circulation
  • stimulation of the lymphatic system
  • reduction of stress hormones
  • relaxation
  • increased joint mobility and flexibility
  • improved skin tone
  • improved recovery of soft tissue injuries
  • heightened mental alertness
  • reduced anxiety and depression.

How Therapeutic Massage helped my sciatic nerve

I believed it was worth a try.  I am not going to sugar coat my first session…within five minutes…I wanted to run out of the room screaming!  But I began deep breathing and hung in there.

I had signed up for 55 min. sessions.  After each one, I would see some progress.  But it took four sessions for me to be completely pain free and back to normal.

In each session, we have only worked on the glutes, hips, legs and feet.  This week was my fifth session and I feel completely normal…able to leap tall buildings in a single bound kind of normal.

Each session has been painful, but yielded great results.

In between my weekly appointments, I have done regular stretches and begun to workout again.  

How therapeutic massage helped my sciatic nerve

Yes, I am glad I took this route over others and would recommend it.  I so hope this post will help someone.

Also, I am in the middle of allergy shots and I am allergic to spring more than any seasons…so I have to acknowledge that this massage has also helped my sinuses clear. 

I am now stopping my weekly appointments and going to do bi-weekly for at least another month.  But, I am so glad to have my mobility back!

For anyone in San Antonio, I would highly recommend Oak Haven Massage,.  They will allow you to select “therapeutic” when you sign up online.

Has therapeutic massage helped anyone else?  Please share….and, of course…..

KEEP SMILING!!!

 

By Pamela Lutrell

 

 

17 Comments

  1. This interested me because I also suffered from this condition several years ago. It was sudden and for a long time I struggled to sleep, walking was very painful and there was no comfortable position. I didn’t go to therapy either, because I found a website that showed stretches and exercises for this condition. I did them daily through the pain, and for me it worked. Still took time, but the gradual improvement was all the encouragement I needed. One day I woke up pain free. This is a horrible thing to suffer through. I’m glad you found a solution and that it worked. I personally can’t do massage because I have issues with touching in that way, but know others who get frequent massages and swear by it. This condition is truly debilitating, so glad you are past it and know what to do if it happens again.

  2. I’m so glad you found relief. I enjoy massage and believe in its many benefits. It is one of the many things I have missed during the pandemic. I would do it more often if it weren’t for the cost. I just want to mention that I would not rule out considering physical therapy as an option because of cost because if you have medical insurance it should be a covered service.

  3. That is a good point on the medical insurance, Sue. There are some insurance programs which will also cover massage. Fortunately, the place I have been attending in San Antonio offered a package deal and that is what I went for.

  4. It can help to do a combination of physiotherapy and massage therapy. I guess that’s why most physiotherapy clinics have registered massage therapists on staff where I live. Many medical plans cover both.

    You are brave, booking for a long treatment. Probably 30 minutes is a better choice for most people.

    Now here’s a tip from my doctor. Once you are feeling better, invest in a cheap pool noodle. Cut it into a manageable section, and gently roll on it on the side that had the pain, to within your tolerance (and I do mean gently). Just a few minutes a day can help. This can help avoid a recurrence. If you don’t like it or can’t tolerate it, you’ve only spent a few dollars.

  5. I have a regular exercise roller and use it before I work out. Totally worth it!

  6. After a long flight to Paris, my sciatic nerve reared its ugly head as I walked up the jet bridge and painfully lasted for months. I finally conceded defeat and saw my chiropractor who advised a series of decompression therapy treatments which worked for me. Sciatica is a horrible, debilitating condition and its a blessing to hear of other options in case it occurs again as well as preventative measures. So glad you’re back to normal, Pam!

  7. I had a painful bout of sciatica several months ago and my doctor sent me to PT. This was covered by Medicare. It was hard work but worth it and now I am much better. I do try to limit my sitting in front of a computer time as sitting seems to aggravate the condition. I will check into massage therapy. Thank you.

  8. I had a bout with sciatica about a year and a half ago. It came out of nowhere. Just woke up one morning and it was there. The pain was excruciating, especially at night when I would literally sob in pain. I remember thinking that I had not experienced such pain since I was in childbirth. I did go to the doctor and was put on medication, which helped, but not at once, it took time. Saw a physical therapist (this was pre-Covid) and that helped too. The pain finally subsided and I was able to go off the medication. I’ve been fine ever since, but it really opened my eyes to how horrible pain. My sympathies to anyone going through it.

  9. Hi, would you share the website for the stretches you found helpful. I’m going thru this now with some improvement but would like to find complete relief. May try massage because I want to return to my active life. Thanks-

  10. Thanks Michele…how awful to endure it on vacation!! There are good suggestions here and thanks for sharing!

  11. Oh Debbie, it is truly as you say one of the worst painful experiences I have had. I am so sorry you were at the point of medication but glad you are past it.

  12. Oh, Pam, I feel for you. I suffer with sciatica also and it affects my left leg as well. I have a primarily desk job so too much sitting makes it flare. I try to walk every day to keep it at bay. I have found ice packs on your lower back and bum help a lot. If I do this at the end of day, it seems to reduce the inflammation. I suggest one of those large reusable ice packs from the drugstore. I keep one in the freezer at home and one in the freezer at work and sit on the pack at work or place on my lower back while reading or watching television at home. I know the warning signs now – so when they appear, I work in more walking, ice, and some ibuprofen. I have also found that Pilates helps a great deal, especially a workout on the reformer. And I have a Pilates chair at home so I use that to do some stretches and work it out. I have not tried massage, but I will now. I hope you feel better very soon.

  13. Due to an old back injury sustained many years when skiing; I can relate to your sciatica pain which can also be very debilitating and do agree that massage therapy can help. In my case, I think I have experienced almost every symptom as a result (fortunately not all at the same time though) which goes in cycles. My more recent one being excruciating pain in the pelvic area (that began in mid December) which this time I opted for chiropractic treatment combined with physio exercises that definitely is helping. All said; I also believe as we age, patience for recovery is also a key so hang in there Pam and continue what you are doing.
    -Brenda-

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