sciatica from too much sitting???

[gimpy]

did a search on it but ffound nothing specifically like what i was looking for.

its been just over a week since i had a meniscus removal done on my right knee and while it seems to be healing well, i've developed another problem that is extremely painful at times. after doing some googling, i've determined that i've got sciatica or a pinched/inflamed sciatic nerve in my left leg. no back pain but sharp shooting pains starting under my left ass check and shooting down my leg. 1st noticed it last monday, 3 days after my surgery during which i was sitting or lying down 90% of the time. had a few more instances of sharp pains and 1 excruciating episode that lasted prolly 20 seconds and then today its been quite bad and noticable every time i sit and try to lift my leg.

could this just be from extended periods of sitting while recovering from my surgery or is it from something i did??? should i be worried or will it pass once i'm able to resume physical activity??? anything i can do for relief in the meantime??? i'm gonna ask my doc at my next post-op this week but thought someone here might have some additonal insight. thanx

[nikster140]

ooh that is not fun. i've been dealing with sciatica from structural problems since about age 12. it can be very painful and get to the point where it's dehabilitating. the pain in the ass cheek/shooting down the leg is normally what it feels like, you might have some pain in your foot that you don't think is related.

it is probably related the physical inactivity, but also take into account posture and minor misalignments in the hips (which everyone has).

stretch a LOT. but stretch both sides so you don't become more misaligned, concentrate on keeping your hips parallel in your stretching.

vicodin helps, but if it's a chronic problem like i had, you'll want to find more long term relief. i personally started weight training and practicing yoga and have been pain free for a year or so.

at this point, i would be careful because the sciatic nerve can be pinched by a slipped or bulging disc. it's pretty unlikely you did that without noticing, but i would talk to a doctor before you get back to your normal physical activities like running or skiing or anything.

if it's not a disc, you should be fine when you can move around again, i know it hurts a lot but just try to stay flexible and balanced. also, when sitting, try to keep your knees below your hips to take stress off of the SI joint.

if you have any more questions let me know!