Diving with sciatica

[Bert van den Berg]

For many years I have been fortunate to be able to do 2-4 dives a month. Last December an old herniated disc problem resurfaced and the pain in the left leg had caused me to stop diving for fear of worsening the problem. My left buttocks and left calf are severely affected. Only sitting or lying in the fetal position offers relief.

My GP referred me to a musculoskeletal specialist (who just happens to also be a scuba diver). I asked if it was possible for me to dive and surprisingly he said yes, but to take my gear off before climbing onto the boat.

Does anyone reading this post have experience with diving with sciatica pain?

 

[tridacna]

Following with keen interest. How are you treating it?

 

[-JD-]

I am currently (hopefully) working toward recovery from this. Severely herniated disk, two rounds of injections in (keeping a potential 3rd in reserve), just starting physical therapy.

I will say that the spinal (foraminal) injections took me from total disability to walking limited distances over 4 weeks. Now we wait to see if PT will be enough for a stable, full-function recovery, or if I am destined for surgery (likely due to the extent of the herniation. )

A lot of other folks chimed in with their experiences on my earlier thread so it may be worth a read: Questions: Dive-related risks for lumbar decompression surgical procedures

Good luck!! And keep us posted.

 

[Bert van den Berg]

Following with keen interest. How are you treating it?

For several months I was taking Diclofenac nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and Paracetemol. They only helped in a minor way and I got tired of taking drugs so stopped a week ago. The Diclofenac can be especially damaging.

Now using one asperin every four hours or so to take the edge off.

 

[Bert van den Berg]

I am currently (hopefully) working toward recovery from this. Severely herniated disk, two rounds of injections in (keeping a potential 3rd in reserve), just starting physical therapy.

I will say that the spinal (foraminal) injections took me from total disability to walking limited distances over 4 weeks. Now we wait to see if PT will be enough for a stable, full-function recovery, or if I am destined for surgery (likely due to the extent of the herniation. )

A lot of other folks chimed in with their experiences on my earlier thread so it may be worth a read: Questions: Dive-related risks for lumbar decompression surgical procedures

Good luck!! And keep us posted.

Thanks, I will have a read.

The specialist has scheduled an MRI to get a better idea of what the situation is over what the xray shows.

 

[mi000ke]

I have. (I've have had two herniated discs and currently a couple more candidates). I found that neutral buoyancy actually relieved a lot of the pain and still does. And in my case donning the gear before a dive and coming up the ladder after a dive did not worsen the pain. The one thing I still need to avoid is lifting a tank. I usually ask one of the DMs to put it on the bench so I can gear up while sitting down. On boats that have a seat at the stern I'll let them bring the gear to me. They will also help hoist it as I stand up. But again, once in the water I'm good to go.

Btw - spinal cortisone shots once or twice per year, a good stretching routine and using an elliptical have helped me to manage the pain. The first thing I do every morning is lie on my back on a heating pad and do various stretches for 30 minutes, followed by 60 minutes on the elliptical. I've actually be able to go almost two years without the cortisone.

The other good new, as you may have experienced, is that the bulge and the initial herniation are the worst. Once the disc herniates, usually it will eventually dry up and recede, relieving the pressure on your sciatic nerve.

Best of luck.

 

[ibj40]

Short story: Don’t give up!

Long story: I was a distance runner in junior high. Upon moving to high school, didn’t make the varsity team and quit.

Suffered a lower back injury in my mid 20’s, which didn’t require surgery but has been persistent ever since.

Fast forward to age 35, overweight and out of shape, went back to running. That and some circuit weight training and I was a competitive age group distance runner until around late 50’s.

Woke up one morning in a fetal position, went to my chiropractor and all he did was make it worse.

Headed to the ER, and following some really good drugs, went home to sleep it off.

Sciatica took my left leg to about 30% strength. Months of frustrating PT got me to 85%, excruciating return to running got me back to 95%.

The outside of my left foot and calf are still numb to this day, but I persist and stay confident and strong.

From a diving standpoint, I have done three things.

First, I moved from a 3mm to 5mm wet suit (BARE Velocity) in order to acquire more mechanical support to my lower back and left leg.

Second, I changed my weighting to move about 1/3 of my weight from my weight belt to trim pockets on my tank strap.

Third, I self admit my condition to the boat staff so that they know that I will be both handing up my weight belt and a weighted BCD.

As they said in Galaxy Quest, “Never Give Up; Never Surrender!”

 

[lowwall]

I've got mild to moderate sciatica pain caused by a herniated disc which was probably the result of years of rowing machine workouts. Thankfully the pain is not constant. It's triggered by being on my feet for long periods of time. Sitting or squatting alleviates the pain. I went through physical therapy which improved things and I still regularly do the McKenzie type pressups and standing flexions (such as seen here: McKenzie Exercises for Back Pain ). I've also switched from a rowing machine to a recumbent bike for indoor exercise.

Diving isn't a problem. In water, I don't have any issues which isn't a surprise since it's compression that causes my problem. I do try to minimize having to walk or climb with the tank and am careful not to jolt anything. If I can't get help, I at least make sure to use good lifting technique.

 

[Cdncoldwater]

I have sciatica as well due to degenerative disks, stenosis and possibly my osteoarthritis from back injuries while in the military. I dive mainly shore dives so I went to side mount early and tend to tank up at the water edge or in water with LP50s. When it's really bad I just don't dive. Being in the water I find very helpful as I'm weightless so I'm now looking at a wagon to haul my gear to the water if needed.

 

[Marie13]

I've mentioned many times I have sciatica, but I use that term as an easy shorthand. Mine is "false sciatica" aka piriformis syndrome. I do not have back or disc issues. With piriformis syndrome, the piriformis muscle gets inflamed and clamps down on the sciatic nerve, which passes through it. I have pain all the way down my left leg, foot sometimes gets a bit numb, etc. Hurts to fully stand upright pretty often. My doc said there's nothing they can do. Deep tissue massage really helps, but I've not been able to get one in a year due to covid. The heating pad and long hot baths do help some, as well as stretching and Biofreeze.

I often think the sciatica affects me more than my two iffy knees. Going SM full time has helped a ton. I sold all my single tank stuff. If I'm at the quarry, I'll roll my tanks down to the water in a cart. In fact, those collapsible rollings carts are a lifesaver for hauling groceries in, taking heavy trash out to the dumpster, etc. I refuse to carry something if I can roll it. If someone offers to help me with tanks, I take it.

I went with LP85s rather than HP100 as they're lighter. I use 50s for recreational stuff.