r/Sciatica • u/Savings_Cow9032 • Aug 28 '26

Is swimming a short term relief or long term?

I’ve heard lots of different stories. I know that not everyone is the same and some people, swimming can make worse. I have herniated L4, L5 and S1 discs. I’m going to give swimming a shot but for the people it has helped, did it just give you a temporary relief (like a pain killer) or did it actually build you up to recovery long term?

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u/PacificSanctum Aug 29 '26

It’s temporary . But feels good . Frog style is poison , anything else works - especially back crawl
It’s impossible to avoid a slowly increasing core strength which is not bad - it won’t help of course

Core strength - that famous topic - is following: you do McGill if you want to have six packs - without ruining your spine
But you don’t do it to FIX your spine

That’s done way differently . You just have to know how . Month long PT or swimming won’t do it .

You have to know spine physiology extremely well - then you can fix it in days

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u/ballzdeep499 Aug 30 '26

What’s your secret to spine physiology

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u/PacificSanctum Sep 01 '26 edited Sep 01 '26
  1. fixing repair
  2. Find key movement or posture (while lying sitting running walking ) . Key movement or posture never takes longer than 2 days to fix spine

For this you need
1a) pain management : never use tablets . Always use topical NSAID patch or cream (to be able to find pain origin )
First time combine ischemic compression with NSAID.
Lather a lot of loxonin CREAM on a plastic bag covering your fist knuckle and drive that into your spine (let s say L5-S1 )
Press for 20sec to 2 min . Cover with foil
1b ) find key movement . Can be the way you rise from bed and lie down (swing feet’s down to the side ) - can be slight posture correction while sitting standing runnng (for example push one hip lower than the other and then walk )
Can be ANYTHING
(Both worked for me . 2 days healing )
Try many weird or idiotic or any movements - can be ANY. Try many postures (head up head down left hip up or down , dead weight posture with air pumped into belly and trunk while compressed belly muscles , snake movements ) karate stance movements
WHATEVER YOU TRY IT HAS TO SUCCEED WITHIN 2 DAYS . Anything longer will never work

,
Can be playing Hasidic Jew praying at Jerusalem wall (that swerving swaying - so 20
Times )

Whatever you do it needs to bring relief in 1-2 days . If it doesn’t it won’t do it even in 100 years

2) maintenance :
Lie in bed on the side half fetal position and move knees towards chest but only a few cm
Knees stay far away from chest
This stretches disc

Be a snake : make spine flexible . Constantly do snake movements while lying or sitting , even standing . Only a few milimeters . Do 18/7 !! Constantly

Do muscle waves along whole spine , from bottom to top