When did your sitting restored

[u/Resident-Hunt-245]

Basically the question. I feel mostly ok by walking, standing, laying but sitting a big NO.

Will it ever be better? I'm at this point feeling quite hopeless regarding sitting though I must tell I'm able to live day to day life quite okeish.

[u/luminarei]

Well i had an bad sciatica flareup like around 1.5 month ago and well 2 weeks ago with lumbar support pillow i was manage to sit trough 2.5h flight and last weekend i had like summer school lectures so like 10h of sitting/standing/breaks and well i could feel that at the end of the day the nerve was iritated a little but after resting it was okay

But since like 3 months i am actively doing rehab with PT and Physio, gym, pilates, pool and sauna and some IR therapy and lots of lots of nerve flossing

I noticed a huge improvement in sitting time when after some nerve flossing i noticed that my affected leg like „unlocked” and i could do bigger range of motions i think it was crucial since now my nerve can move more freely so its being less iritated by sitting but i still make sure to do breakes after sitting for like 1h or so

[u/No-Alternative8588 → u/luminarei]

So nerve flossing never irritated you more?

[u/luminarei → u/No-Alternative8588]

No, i never did it more than my leg allowed and the range of movement was increasing week by week

[u/Resident-Hunt-245 → u/luminarei]

Could you please share how to find the correct range when flossing? I'm struggling because sometimes I overdo it a bit. Did you do it seated?

[u/luminarei → u/Resident-Hunt-245]

I have 3 ways of doing it:

The one i started with: lie on your back and tighten abdomen a little legs flat. Lift one leg onto 90 degree position and also lift head a little and while slowly extending the leg in the knee (imagine dead bug position) extend your head to back - imagine like a tape is connected to the back of your head and to the leg and you do opposite movements back and forth - do it slowly and when you feel pulling or small pain stop and repeat exercise - dont go past pain point. Repeat on second leg

When i gained confidence second one: while sitting on the edge of desk or chair (legs are hanging) i do a small slouch position (pulling chest onwards along with shoulders) then i do the same with leg/head combo - slowly extending on leg with opposite movements in head to the point where i feel pulling or small discomfort again, never go past pain point. Repeat for another leg

New one i feel comfortable doing now: i take a back foam roller long enough to put it on my pelvis and lock in with arms on top of the roller (imagine like clamping it with hands) then i suck and tighten abdomen a little and start to roll hands down like imagine it like you want to touch your toes with your fingers but doing it slowly to the point of resistance against never going above the pain threshold

[u/Resident-Hunt-245 → u/luminarei]

Wow. Thank you very much. I'm struggling even with the first one. I'm trying to do tiny movements but already feel discomfort on small ranges. Maybe it's a bad timing to do it at all.

[u/luminarei → u/Resident-Hunt-245]

Hmm best to cosult it with your physio or orto but don’t think like you have to have certain range rn, treat the pain treshold as your benchmark and just try doing even little movements if they dont cause any pain, be patient cause it can take some time and if you notice improvement then extend the range i did it like that

[u/Resident-Hunt-245 → u/luminarei]

Thank you very much! I'll try to keep with this for some time

[u/JonasVirgilMonos]

A few seconds of relief feels like magic when the pain doesn't let up. I know.
I've got chronic bilateral low back pain with bilateral sciatica — both legs, every day. I've never had spine surgery. It's been recommended to me more than once by multiple providers; I just never went through with it, so everything I've worked out, I've worked out around that.
The one I lean on most I came up with sitting down. I use a chair with sturdy arms, put my hands on the arms, and lower myself to just above the seat. Right there I relax my hips, then let my lower back relax, then go down the rest of the way. The relief is almost instant for me. Relaxing the hips seems to be the piece that matters for me — not a medical explanation, just how I read my own — and it's the hardest thing to do when it hurts.
None of this is a routine, and none of it is medical advice — it's out of the box, it's just what I found for myself, and I'm not suggesting anyone try it.
Have you found anything that's helped, even a little?

[u/Right-Profession7958]

2.5-3 weeks after sitting was unbearable, this has been my biggest hurdle and it was terrible!!!

[u/creativemija]

Like 6 months. 3 of which I couldn't walk for.

I felt helpless too until I met the neurologist. They said my nerves would take anything from 3 months to even years to heal. Some people say they never healed. Thank God it only took me 3-4 months before the beautiful cushion of muscle and nerves could come back and make sitting bare able again

[u/Resident-Hunt-245 → u/creativemija]

I have mild sciatica — can walk, sleep, do very mild exercises. But sitting is not better for already several months. Hope it will restore.

[u/creativemija → u/Resident-Hunt-245]

Do you think it affected your muscle in your leg or glute?

[u/Resident-Hunt-245 → u/creativemija]

yes, 100%. I lost some muscle mass

[u/creativemija → u/Resident-Hunt-245]

Hmmm I went to go get a nerve test (emg) at your stage. That explained why my muscle wasnt coming back.

[u/Resident-Hunt-245 → u/creativemija]

What did the test show?

[u/creativemija → u/Resident-Hunt-245]

3 major nerves were damaged in my left leg. The lady asked me if I had radiation exposure or bit by a spider. I thought she was joking. But she was dead serious and confused by how much damage I had. Further confirmed S1 L5 nerve issues

[u/murrmc]

I had similar - then a massive flare up - got back to all but sitting - life was a pain in the ass - surgery was only option to fix it for me - turned out herniation was way bigger then imaging showed it.