Sciatica: The Pain That Gave Me My Career

Being someone who’s role is to help others recover from pain and injury, minor or severe, doesn’t stop me from being knocked around by conditions like sciatica and others.

Sharp, shooting pain down my leg, tingling in my foot, and tightness in my lower back; I can find myself in the same position as my clients, facing a painful condition that is making simple tasks seem like debilitating chores.

After all, I am human, and when on the handful of times I have suffered from sciatica, it never ceases to hit me hard — mentally and physically.

Mentally, as I am the fixer of this condition — I’m not supposed to suffer from it. And physically, because it can stop me working and make my job just that much harder.

Pain Is a Great Equaliser

I’ve spent years teaching clients about posture, stretching, strengthening, and self-care. But when it is my turn to deal with sciatica, I realise how easy it is to forget the discomfort and frustration that comes with the chronic pain. It is humbling once in a while to shift from being the one giving advice to the one who needs it.

Back To Basics

I have to treat myself with the same care and attention I give my clients. First, I have to take a step back — resting and modifying my activities.

I assess my symptoms, pinpoint where the pain is resonating and think logically about what has changed, what have I been doing… look at simple triggers like my feet — has their alignment changed? Has something knotted up in my legs? Have I not been stretching enough?

I start with specific gentle stretches and massage to release and alleviate tension in hips, back and areas of my legs. Once the acute pain has subsided, it’s time to start strengthening to prevent future flare-ups. (I strength train multiple times a week, and if for whatever reason I’ve missed a few sessions, I really do notice the difference.)

Perspective

These experience’s deepen my empathy for my clients. It’s one thing to prescribe exercises, but living with sciatica at certain times has given me a deeper understanding of the mental and physical challenges of the recovery.

I approach each client’s journey with even more compassion, knowing firsthand how slow and sometimes frustrating the healing process can be.

But it also prompted me to create my book.

Sciatica can be a complicated issue — yes. But it is normally also a very logical condition.

Pain and how it shows itself in the body is not always obvious in why it’s happening.

For instance, the sciatic nerve being pinched and causing pain in the side of your leg can be caused by a muscle that has knotted up and is too tight in the lower leg. When you know what to look for and how to pinpoint which areas the sharp stabbing pain is resonating from, it is easier to know exactly what areas to treat, and why.

A visit to a Sports Therapist and Deep Tissue Therapist is not cheap. But a good one will be hugely beneficial in kick starting your recovery and should give some immediate relief. It is highly advisable if you want to get on with your life.

Your GP/Medical Health Service can prescribe you strong pain relief, but be aware of the kick to your gut health and immunity.

They may offer give you a 10 minute appointment to see a Physio down the track, which may — or may not be helpful in giving you a handful of general stretches.

If you are looking to get back to a pain-free life quickly, and make sure you have the tools to avoid sciatica in the future, I would like to invite you to check out my guide book Simple Steps to Stop Sciatica and Back Pain.

It is a no-nonsense, easy to understand, straight forward guide. Follow it and you will be back on track, living your life in record time.

And the best part is this rescue guide will cost you less than a decent coffee.

Don’t lose precious days, weeks and sometimes months for the price of a coffee.

This is a cost effective ebook that I have written for you — because before all of this began, I was you.