News you won't see in controlled mainstream media.

I have had this condition since I was pregnant with my son, in 2004. I believed it came on due to my pregnancy, but it was unbelievably BAD, to where I couldn't sit, stand, lie down or anything without crying out in pain. Now that I think back, it also came on during the same time as an onslaught of other symptoms. I didn't know my mercury amalgams were poisoning me then, but I am very curious if anyone else has sciatica that has had amalgams.

My 17 yr old daughter is pregnant. She is coming on with the terrible sciatica, too. She has had leg cramps and pains (that we think originated from her back) for several years. We have both seen a chiropractor with little or no relief, especially her. She has NO amalgam in her mouth, but she was immunized AND while we were moving in 2004, I found a broken thermometer in our downstairs bathroom. I didn't see the mercury anywhere, and had no idea how long it'd been broken (could have been months), since my husband and I had been using the one upstairs, and the kids used the one downstairs. I am horrified that maybe we vacumed it up and dispersed it, or it went down our heater vent and had a meltdown and let off toxic fumes, and maybe she got exposed that way.

Anyone else that has sciatica, I would love to hear your story.

Hi there, Did you find anything to help your sciatica? I am in severe pain with this also..to the point of sobbing daily..thanks for any input...

Oh, I am so sorry for both of you. I have chronic back pain as well. It is not usually sciatic, though, unless I sit on hard surfaces. I fell holding my baby 17 years ago and bent my tailbone backwards and crunched 2 discs. Now I have 3 bad lower back discs and was also rear ended 2 years ago and got a bad case of whiplash. I had neck surgery in January. Have 3 bad discs in my neck, too. I get lots of nerve pain into my arms and hands which I help control with wrist braces at night.

On thing an owner of a local Herb Shop (they sell the same brand herbs Russ does, Nature's Sunshine) told me helped her was the Skeletal Strength formula. In fact, I need to get some. I also see an orthogonal chiropractor who does sound wave adjustments on the atlas bone. He's the first chiropractor I've ever been to that has actually helped straighten me out. My husband use to call me a crooked bird.... I am straight now - but do have the disc issues still and can't do anything too long. I have a couple zero gravity recliners that were pretty expensive. I can't even sit on my own couch long. I also carry around a chair pad from Brookstone that has a cut out where the tail bone area would be. Basically I just have to do everything I can not to aggravate it. Sadly I live a very limited life in some ways....but I guess I've adjusted. At work I just move around a lot. I find walking helps immensensly as long as I do it with resting in between. (Like to and from classes around campus). The staff doesn't quite get that I really LIKE to run errands for everyone when I work up front during planning periods. (I'm a sub at my daughter's high school). There are several stretches, too, that I learned through physical therapy that help, too. I've heard mercury can aggravate or even cause pain, but I know I have anatomical reasons from injury. It has possibly kept me from healing, though...... I do have sciatic pain if I push it and know it is miserable. I hope you feel better and am sorry you are dealing with this. You know what comforts me when nothing else does? That we will get new bodies.... These are temporaries. May seem small comfort at times, but this happened to me when I was only 31 and I've dealt with it a long time. It kept me from having another baby, in fact. I have 2 girls but wanted more. I tried once but miscarried. As time went on it just seemed too hard. Now my baby - the one I hurt myself protecting - is a SR in high school and will be going out of state to college next fall. I get really depressed thinking of that sometimes and was wishing yesterday I'd had another kid. I said a prayer and thought of school. I think teaching special ed will fill the holes...

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-Sciatic Pain

-Definition of Sciatic Pain
Sciatica is the inflammation of the sciatic nerve, usually marked by pain and tenderness along the course of the nerve on through to the thigh and leg.

-Description of Sciatic Pain
Sciatic pain usually starts in the buttocks and extends down the rear of the thigh and lower leg to the sole of the foot and along the outer side of the lower leg to the top of the foot. Pain may also be present in the lower back.

Several nerve roots leave the spinal cord and exit through holes in the sacrum to combine and form the sciatic nerve, which then passes between layers of the buttock muscles into the deep muscles of the back of the thigh.

A primary cause of sciatica is a herniated or bulging lower lumbar intervertebral disk that compresses one of the nerve roots before it joins the sciatic nerve. Sometimes, irritation of a branch of the sciatic nerve in the leg can be so severe as to set up a reflex pain reaction involving the entire length of the nerve. For example, if the nerve is pinched or irritated near the knee, you may feel the pain in the hip and buttock.

Another cause of sciatica is the Piriformis syndrome. The piriformis muscle extends from the side of the sacrum to the top of the thigh bone at the hip joint, passing over the sciatic nerve in route. When a short or tight piriformis is stretched, it can compress and irritate the sciatic nerve. Because the piriformis muscle acts to rotate the leg outward, people who habitually stand with their toes turned out often develop Piriformis syndrome, as do runners and cyclists, who over use and under stretch the piriformis muscle.

-Ruptured Intervertebral Disk

This may be the most painful, yet easiest, condition to identify. A ruptured or herniated disk is one that bulges and extends into the spinal canal, pressing on the nerve roots. This causes the nerve root to become irritated. On occasion, a ruptured disc can occur after bending over and lifting, however, it usually occurs for no apparent reason.

A ruptured disk may cause back pain and muscle spasms, but a more common complaint is sciatic pain. This is severe pain spreading down one leg and often into the foot. Sometimes, it is the only symptom of a ruptured disk. A ruptured disk can generally be detected by a physical examination alone. Occasionally, a myelogram, CT scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are necessary to confirm diagnosis and determine if surgery is required.

-Causes and Risk Factors of Sciatic Pain
Sciatica is usually a symptom of a bulging lumbar disk. Its distinguishing feature is greater pain in the posterior thigh and lower leg or foot over time, rather than in the lower back. Usually, no specific trauma can be blamed. An action as simple as bending over may bring on sciatic pain. Standing, lifting, sitting or straining may aggravate it.

-Treatment of Sciatic Pain
The primary treatment of sciatica is rest, to allow the inflammation of the nerve to subside. In an effort to alleviate the pain, various medications (such as analgesics and muscle relaxants) may be prescribed, or anesthetic agents may be injected into the area around the spinal cord. In cases that do not respond to such conservative measures, surgery may be necessary.

Recently, new surgical techniques, such as microsurgery and the percutaneous (through the skin without cutting, as with a needle) removal of disk fragments, have been developed. These techniques have considerably decreased hospital stays and loss of work time. So far, success at relieving pain and neurologic symptoms has been good. Not all individuals with disk problems, however, are suitable for this surgery.

Physical therapy under a doctor's supervision or prescription is often used to relieve the pain of sciatica. Many therapists advise their patients to overcome the effects of a ruptured disk by developing the core muscles (the four muscle groups that form at the waist) in order to provide a supportive column of muscle that will help keep the disk in place.

-What Questions To Ask Your Doctor About Sciatic Pain

-*What tests are needed to diagnose the cause of the pain?

-*What created this problem?

-*Should a specialist be consulted?

-*What treatment is needed? Are there any side effects to the treatment?

-*How effective is the treatment?

-*If rest is required, how much rest is needed and for how long?

-*Are there any alternative treatments?

-*Will you be prescribing any medications? What are the side effects?

-*If nothing is done about this problem, what is likely to happen?

-*Can this happen again?

-*How can this be prevented?

-*Are there any activities that seem to aggravate the condition more?

-*Will surgery be necessary?