....seem to be gone. For close to ten years I have been plagued with lower back pain and sciatica. I would go through periods of time when I would wake up in the morning and have to get on the floor and do a series of stretches before I could walk. Usually going about the day's activities would reduce it to manageable. Working on things at bench top or counter top level, in the shop or in the kitchen, would soon have my lower back feeling lame, not acutely painful, just lame. A few years ago, I went through some physical therapy (which was a wasted of time) and finally had a radio frequency ablation done on a couple of nerves. That helped, but I was told it would only last for 6 months or a year and I'd have to get it done again. I trided a series of stretches before bed every night that seemed to help a lot, but still far from perfect. I would get that shooting, sciatica pain, sometimes all the way to the bottom of my ankle, the lower back pain and lameness were reduced, but never really went away.
About a month ago, my wife said, "How do you feel about getting a new bed?" Well, we just got a new mattress and box springs about 3 years ago and i thought they were ridiculously expensive, but the girl works seven days most weeks, between her regular job and side gigs such as consulting and developmental stuff, so if she wants a new bed, who am I to say no? It turns out the bed she wants is this two-sided arrangement, with separate remote controls, one for her side and one for mine, and you can adjust the head and foot up and down, any way you like, as well as adjust lumbar support, has vibratory massage functions, and the mattresses are very firm. It doesn't stop there. The bed actually has sensors built in that monitor your pulse, respiration, air quality in the room, and other markers and feed it all, via your home wifi, into a server somewhere that uses AI to determine when you're asleep and whether you're in light sleep, REM sleep, or deep sleep. If you start snoring, it will prop you up a bit, or jiggle you slightly until you stop. It also will respond to sleep apnea episodes. Every morning, you get an email that rates the quality of sleep you had and gives you some "sleep coaching" to help you improve it.
I have been sleeping better and feel much more rested since we got this bed a few weeks ago. Then it occurred to me: I have had no lower back pain and no sciatica now in probably 10 days or 2 weeks. Completely gone, not even the little twinges down the side of my leg during the day. I'm not struggling with lower back lameness after working at benchtop level for a few hours now. I am impressed.
My mattresses here at the cabin were a couple of throw a ways from the jailhouse. I taped them with visqueen and have chicken crate topper on it. Works for me.
Have a neighbor friend with the same story. He says he is not 100% sure of the relief. I was floored when he told me they bought two beds with adjustable frames for $18k. YMBKM. I think he got the fancy air mattress brand. Ain’t no way in hell I would be spending that kind of money on a freaking mattress.
Have a neighbor friend with the same story. He says he is not 100% sure of the relief. I was floored when he told me they bought two beds with adjustable frames for $18k. YMBKM. I think he got the fancy air mattress brand. Ain’t no way in hell I would be spending that kind of money on a freaking mattress.
I'm not sure what this one cost, but I know it wasn't $1800. My wife bought it. She asked me if I wanted the sound-system package. I said, "How much is that?" Another $1500.... No. I think this was 5 or 6 grand, all delivered and set up.
....seem to be gone. For close to ten years I have been plagued with lower back pain and sciatica. I would go through periods of time when I would wake up in the morning and have to get on the floor and do a series of stretches before I could walk. Usually going about the day's activities would reduce it to manageable. Working on things at bench top or counter top level, in the shop or in the kitchen, would soon have my lower back feeling lame, not acutely painful, just lame. A few years ago, I went through some physical therapy (which was a wasted of time) and finally had a radio frequency ablation done on a couple of nerves. That helped, but I was told it would only last for 6 months or a year and I'd have to get it done again. I trided a series of stretches before bed every night that seemed to help a lot, but still far from perfect. I would get that shooting, sciatica pain, sometimes all the way to the bottom of my ankle, the lower back pain and lameness were reduced, but never really went away.
About a month ago, my wife said, "How do you feel about getting a new bed?" Well, we just got a new mattress and box springs about 3 years ago and i thought they were ridiculously expensive, but the girl works seven days most weeks, between her regular job and side gigs such as consulting and developmental stuff, so if she wants a new bed, who am I to say no? It turns out the bed she wants is this two-sided arrangement, with separate remote controls, one for her side and one for mine, and you can adjust the head and foot up and down, any way you like, as well as adjust lumbar support, has vibratory massage functions, and the mattresses are very firm. It doesn't stop there. The bed actually has sensors built in that monitor your pulse, respiration, air quality in the room, and other markers and feed it all, via your home wifi, into a server somewhere that uses AI to determine when you're asleep and whether you're in light sleep, REM sleep, or deep sleep. If you start snoring, it will prop you up a bit, or jiggle you slightly until you stop. It also will respond to sleep apnea episodes. Every morning, you get an email that rates the quality of sleep you had and gives you some "sleep coaching" to help you improve it.
I have been sleeping better and feel much more rested since we got this bed a few weeks ago. Then it occurred to me: I have had no lower back pain and no sciatica now in probably 10 days or 2 weeks. Completely gone, not even the little twinges down the side of my leg during the day. I'm not struggling with lower back lameness after working at benchtop level for a few hours now. I am impressed.
Our bed has crap, a sinkhole in the middle. My wife wanted to buy a Select Comfort with our income tax refund. I thought it was ridiculous, but figured I'd let her go ahead. Drove 8 miles to a stores we could pick one out $2200. Around 2009.
I hate traveling anymore, the mattresses suck. Even in nice places. This mattress is showing wear, when it needs replaced one just like it will be bought.
There are a lot of different mattress styles, there might be some I'd like even more. But we like ours too much to gamble on something different.
PS. The individual settings are no joke. My with is around 60-70. I run around 95. Out of 100.
I’m adding this to my morning coffee routine as I struggle with low back pain also. Lack of developed muscle in the area can cause havoc when things get out of balance.
You spend 1/4 to 1/3 of your life in your bed. Get whatever you need that keeps you from hurting. Not having back pain is worth whatever it costs. My wife and I were both hurting I was going to a chiropractor weekly. Bought a midrange sleep number and now neither of us have back pain.
Sleep Number, with the adjustable base. In bed is the only place I'm pain free these days since my ruptured disc. I'm a side sleeper, and my setting is 50. Back sleepers use 75 or so. If I'm just not comfortable some night for whatever reason, I can bump it up or drop it by 10 and it's like having a whole different bed. We sleep with the head raised about two inches - makes for much better breathing. We don't have all the sensing and reporting gizmos; they came out after we bought this one.
We started with one of their lower models. Liked it so much we upgraded and put the original in the guest room. During our whole-house reno, we had to take our bed apart and move it out of the room. In the process, one cell somehow got a puncture. Sleep Number sent a replacement immediately, no questions asked. That's the only problem we've had in something like 20 years now.
I've had some back problems (4 herniated discs each fixed by a one cortisone shot) but I've never had sciatica). I have the problem of every once in a while that I can't stand straight up without severe pain. I'm 80 and my 51 year Son has the same problem occasionally. He went to a back specialist the last time he had this problem and was referred him to a physical therapist.
It turns out that his problem (and mine) is caused by tight tendons in the hip/back. If you have this problem there are some simple stretching exercises you can do daily to keep these tendons stretched out. I can't describe them in writing so do a Google search for them.
If you've already got the pain the quick fix is to put your shoulders/head back and force yourself to stand up straight. It will hurt but after you get straight up start walking (keeping your shoulders/head back) and the pain will go away. It make take a few days for the tendons to heal completely heal so take it easy at first. Usually back problems are caused by weak back muscles that can't keep your back straight so exercise your back as much as you can.
You can also get an inexpensive TENS unit that stimulates your muscles. Mine is Prospera brand, and can use either two or four adhesive pads and several stimulation profiles. I can set it anywhere from a faint tickle to taser (almost) and can use the pads several times before they don't stick well enough. Replacement pads are cheap.
You can also get an inexpensive TENS unit that stimulates your muscles. Mine is Prospera brand, and can use either two or four adhesive pads and several stimulation profiles. I can set it anywhere from a faint tickle to taser (almost) and can use the pads several times before they don't stick well enough. Replacement pads are cheap.
My wife bought one of those off Amazon. I was skeptical at first but they do really work well.
What does the electrical stimulation do for you? Curious, as I am seriously down in my back right now. Pulled a muscle about 8-9 days ago and it's rough. Seeing my PT guy early next week.
A few extra hours of sleep a night will most likely add a few years to your life and improve your quality of life greatly. Sleep is everything imo.
2 extra hours sleeping per day/night for 20 years adds up to roughly 2 extra years spent sleeping so the few years you gain, you waste sleeping. I sleep maybe 5 hrs a day if I’m lucky, not by choice though. If stress is a killer I’m a deadman….laffin’
Electrical stimulation at my back quack (chiropractor) seems to ease the tightness in lower back muscles, but needs to be set pretty high. Honestly a new adjustable bed was a game changer for me, and an inversion rack works wonders when it gets bad.
A few extra hours of sleep a night will most likely add a few years to your life and improve your quality of life greatly. Sleep is everything imo.
2 extra hours sleeping per day/night for 20 years adds up to roughly 2 extra years spent sleeping so the few years you gain, you waste sleeping. I sleep maybe 5 hrs a day if I’m lucky, not by choice though. If stress is a killer I’m a deadman….laffin’
A TENS unit force the muscles to "fire" and thus exercises them at the fiber level. It feels like a cross between a tickle and a massage. Startling at first, and can hurt if you set it too high. Start low.
The poor man's inversion is simply hanging from your hands and doing slow, gentle hip twists by criss-crossing your legs. This stretches your spine and takes pressure off your discs and any compressed nerves. Try it a few seconds at a time and work up. Quit if anything hurts or you suddenly feel dizzy. I use my garage door rails and a stepstool.
A TENS unit force the muscles to "fire" and thus exercises them at the fiber level. It feels like a cross between a tickle and a massage. Startling at first, and can hurt if you set it too high. Start low.
The poor man's inversion is simply hanging from your hands and doing slow, gentle hip twists by criss-crossing your legs. This stretches your spine and takes pressure off your discs and any compressed nerves. Try it a few seconds at a time and work up. Quit if anything hurts or you suddenly feel dizzy. I use my garage door rails and a stepstool.
When I hang from the inversion rack I let my arms straight down and twist at the waist side to side, maybe 10-20 seconds then go up right, then repeat maybe 3-4 times. Help A LOT
Inversion racks can be dangerous for anyone with high blood pressure. Blood rushing to your head can cause a stroke, I'm told. Hanging upright from your hands is safer.
I have used one form or another of most of the methods mentioned here for dealing with the pain. Most helped some, some helped a lot. In particular, stretches/exercises that tended to straighten out the lower spine and/or stretch and loosen up the primasformas muscles, also TENS applied to the primasformis (not sure of that spelling.) I think I could have gotten along okay, but none of them really completely eliminated the pain all day, every day, like this bed has. Of course, we hit a certain age where, as soon as everything seems good, we wonder what the next problem will be.
A few extra hours of sleep a night will most likely add a few years to your life and improve your quality of life greatly. Sleep is everything imo.
2 extra hours sleeping per day/night for 20 years adds up to roughly 2 extra years spent sleeping so the few years you gain, you waste sleeping. I sleep maybe 5 hrs a day if I’m lucky, not by choice though. If stress is a killer I’m a deadman….laffin’
I get up and get working before 345am these days. I think I have slept to my alarm 3x since May. This fall I am going to try to sleep from 10pm to 6am. Sleep hasn’t been a priority for me but I am going to try.
CRA 1948, all that pain in South Carolina and it's still better than living in New York huh? As for me, I'm in pain since Saturday. About 37 yrs. ago I fell off a ladder about 10' . I fell on my back and of course there were some boulders that hit right in the middle of may back. About 20 yrs. later, the chiropractor did an ex ray. He starts asking when did I get in a car accident or something... It dawned on me that it was when I fell on the rocks in 1986... It is always a bit sore there, but Saturday morning it hurt really bad, and it hurts pretty bad right now. I am not sure what to do about it . The chiropractor said it is arthiritis in my back ... I hate that sore feeling and now it is turning into sharp pain. If it does not go away I am in for a miserable life.
I'm not going to get a bed that sends any information about me to a server somewhere and then let's "AI" determine when I need the settings on my bed changed.