Quote Originally Posted by Homeward Bound View Post
I suffered with sciatic pain all the time for a couple of years before my back finally 'went' whilst playing rugby. I'd been to physios etc. and had acupuncture both before and after this, each time getting a different diagnosis. I eventually had an MRI scan which found the cause to be two breaks in a lower vertebrae, leading to the spine slipping forward and squeezing the disc onto the sciatic nerve. Proposed solution was to pin vertebrae together but whilst procrastinating over this, I did a stack of lumbar raises, using vertebrae to squeeze disc back away from sciatic nerve, as well as improved my core and posture as others have mentioned. As a consequence I was back running within a couple of months and the only problems I encounter are some stiffness in my back ... although I've given up the rugby, especially as I played in the front row.

I found that the closer I got to knowing the cause (and for me seeing the evidence on the MRI scan helped), the more I felt in control and able to deal with it positively.
HB, that's encouraging.

Got it bad at the moment - it seems to have moved to a new level, where I can hardly jog down the towpath. Feels like my whole hip / thigh unit is encased in a strait-jacket.

Physio thought I might even have a stress fracture in the hip somewhere but it's looking to me like my prolapsed disc has suddenly got worse. Probably need another MRI to get to the bottom of it.