[sksnls]

I have got sciatica again 2nd time in 2 years but what I want to know is what to do with my work I have booked in. If I could get on and do it I would but tried to do my jobs today and it was agony.
Do  I call my customers and explain whats happened and hope they understand or do I pass the work on to another cleaner I know and who I can trust or do I take someone on part time on a self-employed basis until I am fit enough to continue.
My biggest concern is that I am still establishing my business and it has picked up nicely so I dont want to go backwards by turning jobs down.

[Bob Allen]

Been having trouble with my back lately and have been having regular physio, im sure you have already but if you havnt seen a specialist yet then do so. i know they are not cheap but they do help and its money well spent and you will lose money long term if its not sorted. I have re-arranged a few jobs lately and the customers have been understanding. I wouldnt give it away personally.

[garry22]

I think most customers will understand.

Following an op a couple of months ago, I had to put a few people off. They just waited until I was back "on the tools again".

You need to get it sorted. Is it sciatica or a trapped nerve in your hip caused by wanding. I moved my handles up until I stood a lot more upright than before which helped a lot.

If you had been in the Midlands I could have recommended someone but you are a bit far away (he does actually get people fly in from abroad for treatment)

[M.Acorn]

Could this be what I am suffering from ? I get a numb right leg,from my hip to my knee,also get numb fingers and sometimes pins and needles,not really painful just annoying,could be the start of something worse

[Mike Halliday]

keep working, if needed go to the docs and get some tramadol but if you rest you will heal slower you need to be constantly moving you need to be putting yourself in pain.

most back problems are prolapsed discs, they don't 'slip out' the jelly like substance pushes out and presses against nerves creating pain, this pretruding jelly does not go back it slowly breaks away and is absorbed by the body. Imagine if you stay perfectly still  the pretruding disk just sits thier pressing against the nerve, but if you constantly move it might momentelery cause pain but it will encourage the prutrusion to brake away.

i suffer greatly with my back when I have an episode I drug my self up and do a bag work out, I try and hurt my back more........ rest is the worst thing for a 'bad back'

[Simon@arenaclean]

I have a similar problem but have not suffered for a year or so. Agree with Mike resting is not the right thing, you must keep mobile. Mine is all about position as in it hurts in a particular motion, I too raised the wand handle and when I fitted a glide that made a tremendous difference. I observe the bending of knees when lifting or picking stuff up of the floor etc. Go to Chiropractor (sp) and take their advice, there are various exercises you can do but it would be wrong to advise as your circumstance might be different to mine. I had this from a rugby injury when I was 17, finished my playing days sadly

[COLIN BRIGHT]

i suffer from the same thing.. had 2 weeks off about 5 years ago and had to have a course of injections into my lower back (they hurt) and the hospital made me a man girdle that has metal rods running through it so it restricts your movement. work really well ,in fact wore it for 2 weeks at the begging of April but managed to carry on working, also Co-Codomal pain killers from the docs a great,
hope your back fells better soon

[Doctor Carpet (Ret'd)]

.....or it could be a tumour growing inside your spine slowly crushing all your nerves

Probably not-but I just thought I get you worrying.

Rog

[sksnls]

Thanks for the repiles, I originally got it through lifting and carrying in my old job as a hgv driver but I am aware of adjusting the height on the wand to make sure I dont bend to much. I went to physio last time and they gave me excerises to do which im trying again. I am currently taking co codamol, naproxen and diazipan and have tried to keep moving as I know it makes it worse sitting around doing nothing hence why I tried to do my work today, however I was ok on the first job but was walking around like a hunch back by the time I finished the 2nd job. Hoping it will ease up over the weekend but have a busy week next week with some important jobs I wouldnt want to cancel!

[Simon@arenaclean]

If you are in trouble rather than hand over the work to your trusty collegue why not share it with both of you working the job. Funny but I know what you mean by hunch back, i've wanded with one hand pressed on the top off my leg to stop me stooping. Really important to keep upright if you can

[robert meldrum]

I've sent you an email.......if it fails to arrive........contact me at

robertmeldrum@yahoo.com

[Mike Halliday]

Robert why not just give your advice here so we all can benefit from it, or is it so secret it can only be sent by email

Let me guess.... "Don't listen to that advice, I have a diploma in back quackiness,  this is what you need to do"

[wynne jones]

First of all your health is no 1 if you walk around and keep moving fine, but if you start lifting portables and rotaries or even hoses out the van the wrong way you may regret it for a very long time.

Also you need to go see someone other than a gp who will not pump you with drugs and tell you to rest it. The cause could be a multitude of things but may be fixed easily some will need a lot of time. Pay whatever to get a thorough diagnosis and treatment.

And work hard on marketing so you don't have to work too hard on the wand.

[Hilton]

I agree with the keep moving comments, stop and you'll seize up...

Once fit again do back strengthening exercises such as weight training....

I suffered terribly with my back and it still ain't great but this has helped no end..

[robert meldrum]

OK Mike

I sent the email as I find a lot of crap posted on this subject when it's raised. As it happens your advice is pretty sound but if the condition gets so bad and you can't straighten up or the pain is unbearable you won't be able to work.

My email refers to the man who got my flexibility restored and got rid of the pain then taught me how to maintain the correction myself which I've done since 2001.

My back is truly knackered but I can quickly get rid of sciatica in a couple of minutes by carrying out two simple exercises.

Incidentally......most back or referred pain is caused by muscles pulling when they should be relaxing.

The man who fixed me when no one else could lives in Harrow and his name is Alexander Barrie.   Never got a diploma but I did go back down and trained in his Pelvic Correction Therapy which has helped many people I've met over the years.

[The Great One]

It may not be sciatica at all!!!

It is probably your PIRIFORMIS muscle located in both arse cheeks, when it gets tight it give all the symptoms of sciatica!

Push your thumb into the cheeks just past your hip bone, go deep and if you get a dull ache then it's too tight and is putting pressure on the nerve.

Go get a sports massage, deep tissue massage and ask them to massage it, they go in with elbows!, it hurts but it will sort you right out, it'll take a few visits.

You can stretch it yourself to check,

lay on the floor, legs out straight
bend one leg up so the foot is flat on the floor, knee pointing to the ceiling,
put the foot on the other side of the knee
If the left leg is bent, put over the right knee,
now with the right hand, SLOWLY pull the knee to the floor
you'll feel the pririformis start to strech, hold for 20 seconds, then release
do it again and you'll get a little lower, hold the stretch for 20 secs, let go
do it again

now repeat for the other leg

it'll help

You're welcome

[robert meldrum]

The inversion table is indeed an excellent way of allowing your spine to relax and by reversing the downward force on the spine the discs, which are not really discs but compressed balls and just taking the pressure off them for a few minutes each day can be very beneficial.
There are other ways of doing this, eg, lying forwards over the big exercise balls and gently rocking forward.
I had osteopathy for many years which partly resolved the problem but never got rid of it.
Chiropractors are likely to make matters much worse and best avoided. There are a few good ones around but very few.
If there is a recurring problem with back pain the most likely cause will be a tilted or twisted pelvis. This is what Alexander Barrie's method is able to correct.

[John Kelly]

Lynn has numerous problems with her back which resulted in her seeing a Chiropractor at least once every four weeks, sometimes three times a week, for TEN YEARS.  Cost an absolute fortune.  It gave her short-term relief (sometimes she couldn't even get out of bed and fainted numerous times with the pain when she did get on her feet) but, despite their promises, she never went more than four weeks without having manipulation.  Four years ago she started Pilates and within the first few minutes her instructor told her she was lordotic (too much curvature of the spine), to go with all the other problems she has.  Her Chiropractor had never spotted this.  After a year of regular Pilates classes she stopped seeing a Chiropractor.   Four years later she has still never see any back 'specialist', she deals with all the heavy machines etc here without any problems, has never had one day where she has not been able to do anything due to pain in her back, and is doing Zumba classes four times a week.  Pilates is all about strengthening your core muscles which, in turn, support your back.  Don't just think it's a woman only thing as there are plenty of blokes who attend the classes Lynn goes to, as well as professional athletes.

[robert meldrum]

Pilates can give the same result as the Pelvic Correction treatment.

Chiropractors are charlatans and NEVER try to cure a problem, they relieve a percentage of the pain so that people will return and keep returning. They look to making their clients lifetime clients by deceit and lying.

Occasionally osteo's and chiro's get  " a result " by default and the client goes away happy and singing their praise but they don't know why they got the result.

I've recommended Pilates and Yoga to many as it can not only give relief but results in a stronger and slimmer physique.

The chiro' WOULD have noticed the lordosis John but  " may " have used it to his advantage. It can be improved but it's not a very pleasant therapy and as Lynn has discovered applying the best techniques can improve posture through time and reduce the curvature.

[Hilton]

Pretty much my thoughts on quack Chiro's who buggered up my sons back (thankfully solved now), snake medicine merchants unregulated and sometimes downright frauds.