Sciatica/cramp/back pain

[overnighthearingloss]

I suffered badly with back pain when my lupus first presented. In more recent years it has been quiet. But over the last month or so I have felt the occasional twinge or weakness in my lower back.

Sometimes I can get cramp in my foot. Usually whilst lying in bed. But I have found taking magnesium seems to help control that. That is usually just cramp.

But yesterday evening it felt a bit as if I had pulled my back, with no apparent reason for this. Last night in bed I thought I had a cramp attack and got up to walk it off going from room to room. But it was not regular cramp which tends to just lock the muscles. This time part of the sole of my foot felt numb whilst my calf up to my knee felt very tight. More like a sciatica attack.

Its been some years since my last problem with sciatica and I can't remember what I did to resolve it then. I don't remember having outside help.

Any hints / suggestions welcome

[Kokica]

Hi, I have cramps in most parts of my body, incl back muscles. I now take quinine every night and it helps enormously. For me, nothing else worked

[Cas70]

Walking and resting is best plus some topical pain relief - try Deep Freeze, they have pain patches which you can cut in half and put over your sciatic nerve and they last 12 hours. Good luck

[Peppytea]

Hello lovely,

I’m not sure there’s anything worst than having back pain! I had an injury at work a few years back, which became the catalyst to fibromyalgia and possibly lupus/rheumatoid arthritis.

I have found a world of wonder on the web. There are some fantastic websites that specialise in back injuries or back pain that show you some great stretches that are safe and beneficial for whatever your back may be doing. Also look on YouTube for ciatic pain stretches or something like that, it will show you how it’s done which I find easier to follow.

I also found yoga to be the best thing for me. Half hour in the morning and at night, to warm everything up before the day starts and bedtime. It just means everything is stretched so it doesn’t become tight and trap a nerve. I was also told to lay on my front - at the time I had no idea why my bum and legs were going numb and were like ice, so I sat upright for hours on end in pain. So lay on your front, make sure your comfortable and that your head is supported by a pillow.

I hope some of this has helped! Obviously I’m no nurse or doctor so I would consult someone official before going ahead with anything anyone had said (a part from rest of course! Do plenty of that.).

I really hope that your back improves - let us know how you get on dear 💖🌟

[chlorophyle]

I know this is an old post but I wondered if you had tried being 100% gluten free. I had numerous ailments which I considered to be autoimmune ( hence my interest in this forum) but I have never been given a diagnosis for any of them. About 5 months after being gluten free I suddenly noticed I was completely free of back pain and sciatica, a chronic problem of over 20 years’ standing.

I have read some of your contributions and tend to agree that there is a lot of truth in the functional medicine approach.