Sciatica Regimen

Summary: Use a piece of foam taped to the top of the "butt crack" under the coccyx (see below) or use a coccyx support cushion as shown below. Curcumin taken 3 caps per day, and pure bromelain taken in large amounts may help with pain. Use straight line back stretching and The Water Cure. Inclined Bed Therapy may help long term.

The sciatic nerve exits the spinal column between the lowest lumbar vertebral body (L5) and first level of the sacrum (S1). It supplies sensation to the posterior thigh and buttock, knee flexors, and foot muscles. When this nerve is compressed, inflamed, or irritated anywhere along its length, pain may result. The term sciatica refers to a pain that radiates from the lower back into the buttocks and down the back of one or both legs. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve of the body.

Instead of supplements, first try this measure. Get a 1"x1"x3" strip of closed cell minicell foam. Ask someone you know who kayaks or canoes since it often used for knee and thigh braces. It is typically gray, soft, and not abrasive, but you might want to shave the corners to make it more round. Use medical tape (white tape) to tape it at the top of the butt crack so that when sitting, it presses up on the coccyx (tailbone). This will cause more pain UNTIL the hip muscles are relaxed. Most people will not notice that sciatica causes the muscles in this area to tense due to the pain. And it is almost an art to allow the hip muscles to relax, but once it is achieved, this measure will yield immediate relief.

This is against "conventional wisdom" which says to use a seat cushion which is cut out on the tailbone so no pressure is placed on it, but putting this slight amount of pressure on the coccyx will often yield immediate relief if the hip muscles are relaxed (make them "sigh"). This is the reason why old-fashioned chairs had a bump under the tailbone - to support the coccyx to prevent sciatica. It is hard to find them these days since apparently everyone has forgotten why the bump was there.

There are a few manufacturers of sciatica cushions who actually understand sciatica and make cushions which work. Many make cushions that would work well if they recommended that the cut-out portion of the cushion be faced front with the bump facing the back, under the coccyx. Most make flat cushions with a cut-out which are worthless. Some completely understand the issue and put the bump on front and back so the cushion cannot be used incorrectly. See this page for examples of cushions that actually work. The gap in the middle and the bump on the front are not necessary in the cushion pictured. Note that it is usually necessary to wiggle and stretch the butt crack to get the foam to press on the correct area - it does no good if it pressing the entire backside up.

Further measures to speed progress include ensuring adequate vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids (EFAs) with the General Maintenance Regimen and following The Zone Diet which reduces inflammation. Practice straight line Back Stretching and see a chiropracter if needed.

Bromelain, which is pineapple enzyme, is a good pain reliever since it can be taken in very large amounts without causing stomach upset. Turmeric extract, also known as curcumin, is an even better anti-inflammatory (and COX-2 inhibitor) and can be added to the regimen for additional pain relief, but should only be taken at 3 caps per day since too much at one time can upset the stomach.

Someone on the rife listserver wrote and asked if there were any rife frequencies that may help sciatica.

A respected researcher on the rife list wrote this:

"{While we had no success using a Rife Bare device for treating sciatica,} It may be of interest to you to learn we did achieve some quite measurable successes utilizing a variation of Richard Lloyd's version of the Super Thumpy type magnetic pulser. These anecdotal evaluations were conducted in calendar year1999-2000.....on a relatively small (8) population. Many different settings (from .5 to 5 sec. pulse frequency) and application times (3 min. to 45 min.) were tried. Overall, about 1 sec. repetition rate and 15 to 20 min. treatment periods appeared to yield the best overall result. In two cases, the results were quite swift----and dramatic. Excepting one case, all individuals enjoyed measureable pain level decreases."

Someone else wrote that they had a long standing problem with sciatica that was relieved by using candida frequencies on a rife device, although he had no idea why this helped since candida is not associated with sciatica.

Another wrote this:

"With regard to the problem of sciatica, though I cannot offer any help in the area of rife frequencies, I do have information regarding another mode of help in this arena.

I have had to personally fight off a very severe attack of sciatica about a year and a half ago. So bad that I could not sleep at night, but spent many hours in my recliner in the living room!! I had tried accupuncture and chiropractry without success and finally decided to try a new modality called "prolotherapy" to see if it would offer some success.

I located a doctor near me in Florida, went to that doctor, got two treatments and was "cured". I have not had any problems since!!

The treatment consists of injecting a solution (I believe it is calcium gluconate, but not sure) around the site of the pain--up and down the spine and into the "gluteous maximus" on the left side (the affected side). The solution acts as an irritant to the body, so that the body sends an additional supply of blood to the site, resulting in the rebuilding of cartilage there.

It might be difficult to find a doctor who uses this modality since, as you know, anything that is frowned on by the medical esablishment results in few doctors willing to try it--but, believe me, it is worth it!!!