The walking goes on.  The healing goes on and I wonder if some of my recent experiences can help others suffering with sciatica, presumably those people with similar symptoms as mine.

Two years ago I had an MRI scan due to horrendous sciatic pain.  The scan showed a bulging L5 S1 disc that was presumably, (although not definitely) aggravating the sciatic nerve.  I couldn’t sit for months.  Any time I rose from the lying position caused frantic pains in the left buttock area.  Gradually as I gently put weight onto my left leg the pain would subside, but towards the worst part of the episode it could take half an hour to actually stand up!  I eventually stopped standing up.  I was off work for six months.

This episode now has identical symptoms yet thankfully is nowhere near severe.  I knew the warning signs so I started to stop everything that seemed to aggravate the condition.  I have stopped sitting down completely.  I either stand or walk and at night lie down in the best possible position to attempt to keep the pain away.  I’ve stopped driving, don’t bend forwards and eat standing up with a raised table.  (As I write now I have my keyboard on a bunch of magazines, a couple of books and a shoe box all on top of a table at exactly the right height for comfort). Taking the strain off the aggravated area allows healing to take place at its most rapid and easiest rate-I think!

And so thinks Paul Boxcer, a chartered and HCPC Registered Physiotherapist.  I found his book on the internet and it’s very good.  Paul, like I also, believes ‘The human body has an innate desire to heal itself’ and he truly believes his book,

“LOW BACK PAIN AND SCIATICA- a personalised treatment approach”

can cure you of the pain you are currently suffering. I’ve read the first half, all about diagnosing your pain, reducing the acts that aggravate that pain and then how to heal that pain.  In my opinion he makes a lot of sense and it was exactly what I was looking for, an explanation of the mechanics of sciatica, working out which kind you have, and then moving on to getting better-quick!  Paul’s website:  www.teach2treat.com

A few points with the remaining 120 words:

1)  Surfers Against Sewage have just had their beach cleaning weekend. They reckon at least 150 UK beaches have been cleaned.

2)  Somebody has kindly cleaned the small but horribly littered lay bye at the Horton turnoff on the Blandford/Salisbury road in Dorset. We complained about it.  Someone did something about it.

3)  I have left my litterpicker in Portland. I’m going to fetch it tomorrow.  That means I can litter pick on my walks without having to bend down.

And finally, for some of you sciatica sufferers, I have worked out a way to put on underpants, socks and trousers without have to bend down, video coming soon in next blogpost.

(500 words).