Sciatica pain and spearfishing.

Quote from pantoja

as for now i'm walking about 2 hours a day. i'd rather run but it hurts. and when i get home i feel better. later it comes back. but at least im ok for a bit and im not sitting around and gaining weight. i heat up the area with a hair dryer and my wife massages a bit. when i get to cuba i'll take care of it with the cost close to nothing, i dont have insurance , i cancelled it after my last accident because the cost went up to much.

Running tends to put you in hyper extension as well and my aggrevate things. Try cycling/spin/exercise bike if you have access. It encourages lumbar flexion and may relieve your symptoms. A way of getting the aerobic exercise w/o aggrevating your symptoms.

What type of weight belt setup do you use while freediving? I've seen a few guys with back problems build a brace out of some cutting board material that redistributes the weight. The vest might be another option. Good luck! Hope you get fixed up.

Stretching is the key Sergio. And that's what Yoga is all about.

The exercises posted by Hardline are great, and there are much more that you can find in the web. Anything that stretches your lower back will help.

Regarding the weight belt, you probably already do it, but position it as low as possible. Better in your butt(hips than in your waist.

When it comes to weight bearing gear that goes around your waste be it a duty belt or weight belt, move as much gear as you can towards the front . Serves a couple of functions...

A. It move the brunt of the weight from your lower back to your stronger center core

B. Makes shit a snap to get to. Thoughtless and effortless...

Try a folded towel behind your lower back in the car to support the lumbar. Remember to keep your pelvis tilted forward

From age 22 to about 42 I had a lot of lower back pain and after an MRI (yes, it took me 20 years to finally have it really checked out) it was determined that I have a partially herniated disk.

I had read somewhere about core strengthening. For most of those 20 years I was working on a farm and surfing but man, my back would tweak and I would walk like a cripple for about a week.
I tried stretching and it would work, but only for temporary relief of the symptoms.....mainly pain.
So one day I started doing situps. And within 3 weeks I could feel a major difference. To this day, I'm almost 57 now, I still do abdominal exercises at least 2-3 times per week and I never get those tweaks anymore. My back is still a bit stiff if I've been sitting crooked for too long or something but I can lift things now and man, it's made a huge difference in my life.
I know there isn't a universal fix for all back problems but this worked wonders for me.

You core is basically a girdle for your spine. If you do not support your torsos weight with muscle, it all gets heaped onto your spine an pulls things out of alignment.
Core strength is key

The only SEAlS I know have fur;) but here is a work out I have done in the past.
This year I have only lifted a Pint.

Cheers, Don

Navy SEAL Workout Series (1 of 3): Core Advantage - YouTube

Even if you're not a "modern mom", you should try this:

Working Your Core: How to Do the Plank - Health & Fitness - ModernMom - YouTube

Thanks Marco, better looking instructors too.:D

Cheers, Don

Marco, call me a sexist pig...I didn't hear a word that was said on your video. All I could do was watch the lady in pink's butt. Whoooaaaa.

Sciatica so bad I was in bed for three weeks on morphine while three dr.s said surgery for 5th lumbar. Went to VA physical therapist and he said not back at all but twisted pelvic. Fixed me on couch in about 30 seconds. Took month for all pain to go a way. Very common as 95% of back problems for sciatica he sees are from pelvic not back, Many useless surgeries. I had back problems like most over 40 and now over 60 and assumed back. I gave up tanks all together due to back. Found freediving really helps. Good luck and don't believe what every Doc tells you if it really gets unbearable check around.

Pelvic stabilization exercises are key

Try one or two visits to a really good PT as mentioned above. Get them to show you exercises and help you learn how to perform them correctly. What we think is correct form and what is correct form are often two different things. I had a similar problem for months and no one I saw could help me, then found the right guys and they got me out of pain in about 2 months. My problem was a muscular imbalance from heavy weight lifting. Imagine your body has two chains running through it twisting from one side to other. One of my chains was dominant. Still trying to completely correct the problem years later but at least my ass doesn't kill me rolling out of bed! Please for your sake it is worth the money.

Quote from pantoja

im really close to leaving for cuba where i can see a few doctor free of charge, so i think i'll find the right person one way or another to show me the real problem. ... or so i hope.

Prayers for a safe and fun trip.

Desear-ir-mejor . Don

Que te vaya bien Sergio, cuIdate y mejörate pronto. Toma fotos de las pescas.

Have fun and take care.

Even if I don't know you personally, I feel like I do. We end up becoming friends without knowing each other. Internet magic...

good luck buddy...feel better

Feel for ya,pal...let us know how it works out.