Has anyone used an inversion table for sciatica or lower back pain?

[shoepolish]

Because I've just ordered one.
The pain in my leg is starting to ruin my life and I'll try anything.
I've read up a lot on inversion therapy and have only come across good things about using inversion tables and how it reduces pain...great hope it works for me! But if they are so good why don't all osteopaths/chiropractors/physios use them?

I don't have sciatica myself so no proper advice my mum has it though. I did a bit of googling for her and found that caffine make a it worse and a magnesium supplement can help. Also vitamin c is good. Particularly from lime juice. My mums cut down her caffeine started the suppliment and has the juice of 1 lime everyday and she says it's really helped.
I hope that may be of some use to you

I haven't heard of it but I am in the same boat with my sciatica so I'm marking my place.

I am getting really down about my leg actually. It is genuinely limiting my life so much.

What's causing your sciatica? Have you tried simple stretching exercises and physio?

Can't comment on inversion table but fingers crossed it works for you. My sciatica is "early days" (at twenty fucking six) but these things really helped:-

• High density back support for car from Halfords. Can do long journeys will relative ease now where as I was in agony before. Also be aware of how you sit in the car; I was sitting really quite far forward because my hamstrings were tight which wasn't helping either.
• Cylindrical pillow for small of back for my office chair. Really notice the difference when I don't have this, by 3pm I'm in real discomfort without it.
• Weekly sess with a personal trainer to work my core and help with hamstring stretches. You can do those on your own by lying on your back and looping a belt around your foot and pulling back but I'm mentally weak and need the motivation.
• Pilates. Hated it but helped with core strength and made me way more aware of my piss poor posture which is a major contributing factor.

I'm going to take on board that caffeine thing, I'm a massive coffee fiend and had been completely unaware of any link.

Thanks for the replies. I did something to my lower back which was horrendous pain but that was ok after a few weeks then it went to my leg and it's been awful. I probably need an x Ray on my back to see what the problem is but I can't wait any longer.
I've seen physios and while it eases the pain for a while I need something to get rid of it. Once I can move properly in definitely going to start Pilates or similar and work on my core. Also I need to get my feet looked at my feet have very flat arches so my feet roll in and my knees lock out which may be the cause. But I need this sciatic nerve untapped!!
Everything I've read about inversion tables seems to be positive and saw my physio on Monday and he thought it was a good idea too as it will stretch the spine and untrap the nerve...hopefully! It should be arriving between Thursday and Saturday this week so I'll post how it goes and if it helps.
I just can't help wondering if it's as good as it's meant to be why doesn't everyone that has back pain use it?

You need to head over to 'the back thread', i'll link it in a mo. Full of 'experts', by which I mean lots of us who have chronic back pain, sciatica etc.

Not tried inversion therapy myself, but have heard some mixed thoughts about it. Maybe someone on the back thread will have tried it, also we can give you lots of other advice/support in managing the pain/navigation of the NHS routes available/fighting your corner.

Sciatica can be caused be a number of things, often disc/stenosis related. You need to figure out what is causing the sciatic pain before you can find out how to 'un trap it'.

Oh, meant to finish before posting - in order to find out what's going on you need an MRI.

In the mean time, talk to your GP about painkillers that help with sciatic/nerve pain - gabapentin/pregabalin/amytripyline, they take time to build up in the system and can have some unpleasant side effects such as extreme tiredness, but that tends to wear off after a couple of weeks and are normally excellent at managing the nerve pain.

Also, keep an eye out for 'red flag' symptoms of caudia equina, which is a medical emergency - 'saddle area' true numbness, bowel or bladder problems, whole leg numbness, foot droop. If you have those symptoms, it's an A&E trip.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/2295612-The-Back-Pain-Emporium-is-Open-For-Business-Browsers-Welcome-Thread-7

Can I emphasise that cauda equina is urgent. 999 if you can't get straight into a&e.

wolfie absolutely yes. I'll link the NHS site for symptoms and <a class="break-all" href="//info.www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Slipped-disc/Pages/Symptoms.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">scroll down to read about CES

Thanks I'll go to the back thread the table has arrived and is assembled so hopefully something good will come of it.

How did you get on with your table? I've just bought one and its arriving today!