Herniated Disc Pressure On Sciatic Nerves
On the advice of my excellent chiropractor, I visited a spinal/sports AMA clinic for an MRI to see what was causing such horrendous pain and numbness in my hips and legs. I knew that my falling from a flatbed truck 25 years earlier had herniated at least two of my lumbar discs, but chiropractic had always worked for me until now. The MRI revealed two herniated discs putting pressure on my sciatic nerves, and two more discs that were torn but not herniated. THe AMA doctor's planned course of action was first to prescribe Proxicam anti-inflammatory 10mg/24hrs, plus cyclobenzaprine muscle relaxer 10 mg 3xdaily, plus Tramadol pain killer 50mg 3xdaily. Then in a couple of weeks, he wanted to give me a cortisone shot in my tailbone, and then proceed with physical therapy while the are was calm under that injection.
Meanwhile, my office job of sitting for 9 hours per day on a chair was becoming more and more painful, in addition to the pain I already had. I researched ergonomic chairs and noticed that many people were sitting on medicine balls. They were being banned, however, in more and more offices because employees were falling off of them and claiming work injuries. Then I found the "Ergo Chair," an egg-shaped medicine ball inside a wheeled frame that also acts as armrest and back support. Since using the chair at work (and taking it home every night for another 4+ hours of freelance computer work), I'm off all medication and I have canceled the cortisone shot. I plan to investigate physical therapy + chiro + acupuncture.
The point is that the right chair can make all the difference AND save you money! Check out the Ergo Chair online! (This is a totally unsolicited testimonial.)
George M., Redmond, Washington