Hi @melc65. I’m so sorry to hear about your hiccup in the return to full action with biking, walking and kayaking after your operations and knee surgery! Those are some of my favorites too…except the kayaking. I admit, my one fear is water! I like to be near it but not over or in it! LOL. Frankly the thought of 3 mm of plastic between me and certain death has my feet planted on the shore! 😂 I digress…

I can sure appreciate your frustration, with after all the effort it took to recover from knee surgery, that now you’re faced with sciatic back pain. It’s agonizing and impacts everything you do! I experienced some sciatic issues for a while after having a year of mostly physical inactivity recovering from medical drama. PT helped me immensely by increasing my core strength which took the onus off the back muscles to hold me up. The other thing that helped was to have sessions with my massage therapist. Her zeroing in on the areas most affected really eased the pressure on the sciatic nerve. Just tossing that out there for you to visit with a licensed massage therapist as an adjunct to your PT.

By the way, welcome to Connect! I hope you take time to peruse the site. There are 70+ support groups with tons of discussions veering off in every direction. But we’re all here to offer support, information, or hope to each other. So don’t hesitate to pop into any conversation!

It’s ok to have a pity party when you’re feeling crumby! Just don’t be the last guest to leave that party! LOL. You obviously have a positive attitude and that’s already propelling your forward with seeking out a fix as opposed to just sitting on the couch whining! So I wish you well with your PT today and hope it starts you on the new path to recovery.
What brought you to Mayo Connect?

Hi @melc65 - I will echo @loribmt comments about the benefits of PT. I recently finished many months of chemotherapy and additional recovery time for blood cancer treatments. I struggled to exercise regularly during these treatments due to complications after chemotherapy each time.

I was finally excited and ready to ramp up my walking and strength training routines a few months ago and was quickly sidelined by sciatica which felt like my leg was going to fall off the pain was so intense. It was difficult to stand or walk for any length of time due to the severe pain. After X-ray and other scans to ensure no other issues, my doctor referred me to PT.

I am amazed at how quickly the exercises for core and lower body strengthening have helped. I was given exercise bands to increase strength and am impressed at how well they work (compared to my light free weights that I was trying to use). Just wanted to add positive comment for the potential benefits of PT since I was initially not sure if it would help.
Wishing you a good recovery and return to an active lifestyle.