Originally Posted by
spessx
I've got a 2 year story with sciatica and lumbar spine problems. I'll spare you the long story and give you a place to start:
1. Ice, Ibuprofen, Hot baths and time off the bike are a great place for immediate relief.
2. See a doc. Get X rays and MRI's. Properly diagnosing a lumbar spine problem can be near impossible even WITH an MRI. Don't let your doc try to do it without.
3. Work with a physical therapist. In my experience, Chiro's do very little. PT's do the same things but also seek to strengthen muscles to correct the problem.
Likely, PT is going to be your best bet to get back on the bike and avoid future issues.
Good luck!
-s
Of course this is not always the case. I was in PT when I had my problem, the forced stretching made the problem worse. The injury was not ready to be strengthened. PT's do not do the same thing as Chiro's, and to say one is better then the other is wrong. It really depends on the injury and the state of that injury. However ice in perhaps the best therapy in most case's. The key with Ciro is finding a good one. Ive seen far too many of the keep ya coming back variety.