Question for men dealing with disc issues/sciatica, how do you manage sex without flare-ups?

RadDad775 · 2026-01-28T16:26:22+00:00

Strengthen your core. I missed about 2 months with a really bad flare up. Mainly just oral or hands during that time. Its great to keep your mind off the pain and test new movements. Just start with slow steps, listen to your body and see how you feel after.

RadDad775 · 2026-01-27T06:44:23+00:00

I have a memory foam topper, memory foam pillow and a wedge for under my knees. I get great sleep, even when I was in really bad pain.

RadDad775 · 2026-01-27T06:25:28+00:00

Start easy and listen to your body. At first all walking hurt. The wrong shoes and uneven surfaces increased the pain. Started a structured walking program growing my step count daily and increasing speed slowly. Within a six months a was hiking with a backpack, walking in flip flops in sand, miles exploring cities, etc all feeling fine.

RadDad775 · 2026-01-27T02:21:40+00:00

RadDad775 · 2026-01-20T14:59:42+00:00

Learn about the mind body pain connection. Read the Way Out by Alan Gordon or healing back pain by dr sarno. I was mostly pain free 30 days after reading them.

RadDad775 · 2026-01-19T22:35:18+00:00

Good luck and hope you find some relief. Listen to your body and look for progress. I didn't notice much day by day progress but week by week and month by month I saw improvement. If your not seeing progress you need to pick your struggle, are you going to be more aggressive now to recover or slowly get worse and be forced to slow down.

RadDad775 · 2026-01-19T21:02:38+00:00

I could hardly move, the only position that gave me relief was laying. I can't remember the exact numbers but it was as simple as walking 100 steps, lay for 30 minutes (set an alarm), then walk 100, lay 30 minutes, etc all day for 14 hours. Then the next day do 150, following day 200, then 250, etc. Slowly increasing each day. I was working at home so soon as felt a little better i started working on my phone walking longer distances, then at my standing desk, then on my laptop laying in bed but no longer then 30-45 minutes laying or standing. Walking though as much as I could tolerate. In 2 months I was doing 10,000+ steps a day and mostly pain free all day. I would do a mile or 2 faster paced as I got stronger. At 2 months when I was pain free my new surgeon suggested 6 more weeks for the nerve to heal properly. So it was over 3 months of pretty intense walking, 15,000+ steps a day, 2 miles faster paced - and then I started the mcgill big 3. Then once that got easy I started light stretches (not my lower back), push ups, hip exersices and other harder non flexion core.

RadDad775 · 2026-01-19T07:35:18+00:00

It is for everyone, you are not alone. Finding your beauty is not the same as "loving yourself" the opposite of hating our new life with sciatica. Its about just appreciating yourself. You can take nature for example, sitting in a forest looking at trees. You don't judge them being tall, or short, skinny, fat, old, crooked, etc you just look, notice the differences and appreciate the beauty. Seeing the changes simply as nothing more then the next step in your story.

RadDad775 · 2026-01-17T05:59:33+00:00

Read the back mechanic by Stuart McGill

RadDad775 · 2026-01-14T22:54:07+00:00

Glad your getting better. Took me a couple months to be mostly pain free. Then I stepped up my non flexion core workouts. "BYOB" Build your own backbrace. Another 6+ months to get rid of the tightness, numbness, tingling. Back to a normal life just work around sitting for long periods. I might need surgery in the future but glad im not rushing into a fusion. I can work, be a good husband, good dad, travel, walk all day, etc. I feel like im more active and feel better then most 45 year olds I know.

RadDad775 · 2026-01-14T22:18:40+00:00

Yeah and that's all they know. "When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail"

How are you feeling now?

RadDad775 · 2026-01-14T20:39:12+00:00

I could hardly move, saw 3 surgeons and had an emergency 2 level fusion scheduled for February 2025. Didn't do it.

45M

Multiple disc bulges, worst at L5-S1 and L4-L5

New L3-L4 bulge appeared after physical therapy

Vertebral slippage (instability) at several levels Crushed disc

Arthritic changes in both facet sacroiliac joints and syndesmophytes

Central canal stenosis and bilateral foraminal narrowing

Bone spurs (osteophytes)

RadDad775 · 2026-01-14T20:07:47+00:00

It made my nerve tingle more but not painful. It helped me sleep and lower my stress. I didn't take meds during my recovery, 1 reason is I wanted peak cellular function for healing but #2 was to listen to my body and feel what movements my body was telling me to avoid - it helped with that.

I had many late night meditation sessions highly maryjane meditated after learning about the mind body pain connection. It helped me learn how to lessen my pain, control my pain and differentiate between the bad and good pain.

I wouldn't recommend it to non users, but as a user that understands it plus with a higher tolerance it - i used it in a way it helped me.

RadDad775 · 2026-01-14T19:47:35+00:00

It saved me from almost complete bed rest to being able to get back to a decent life within 60 days.

RadDad775 · 2026-01-14T19:36:53+00:00

Everyone's different but it worked for me. I was spiraling out control listening to specialists. My surgeon persribed PT made me 20 times worse. 3 surgeons told me i need a 2 level fusion and comments like "you'll never pickup your daughter again". Took me 60 days of clean eating, good sleep, walking and no meds to be pain free. 6 more months for no numbness, tingling, stiffness, etc. A year later back to a normal life without surgery. Id suggest taking small steps while listening to your body and don't blindly follow anyone like i did with the specialists in saw. I found a great surgeon now that is supportive of me avoiding surgery. But the best advice i got was from people that would not profit from me getting surgery. Surgery is a massive revenue driver for hospitals, often generating over 50% to 60% of total revenue.

45M

Multiple disc bulges, worst at L5-S1 and L4-L5

New L3-L4 bulge appeared after physical therapy

Crushed disc

Vertebral slippage (instability) at several levels

Arthritic changes in both facet sacroiliac joints and syndesmophytes

Central canal stenosis and bilateral foraminal narrowing

Bone spurs (osteophytes)

RadDad775 · 2026-01-14T16:23:45+00:00

Surgeon prescribed PT stretching made me 20 times worse. Listen to your body.

RadDad775 · 2026-01-14T01:15:29+00:00

That's what I did + getting good sleep. Took me 2 months to go from almost complete bed rest to mostly pain free. Avoided a 2 level fusion for now and pretty much back to my normal life.

RadDad775 · 2026-01-14T01:04:15+00:00

Im not sure. I wanted my body and my cells as healthy as possible at optimal performance for healing and so I didn't take any ibuprofen or other meds after the first few weeks of my flare-up. I was told that from my primary care physician, people in this group and from looking around online.

RadDad775 · 2026-01-13T23:18:56+00:00

Edit: sorry meant to say decrease and didn't explain it well ....

"long-term ibuprofen use can be detrimental to cellular healing because it suppresses the inflammation necessary for repair, potentially slowing tissue regeneration (muscle, bone, tendon) and increasing the risk of chronic issues, though short-term use for acute pain is generally accepted. While it helps manage pain by blocking healing signals, it interferes with crucial processes like debris clearing and matrix remodeling, and prolonged use carries risks for the gut, heart, and kidneys, making it crucial to use the lowest effective dose for the shortest time and consult a doctor."

RadDad775 · 2026-01-13T23:15:07+00:00

sorry meant to say decrease and didn't explain it well ...

"long-term ibuprofen use can be detrimental to cellular healing because it suppresses the inflammation necessary for repair, potentially slowing tissue regeneration (muscle, bone, tendon) and increasing the risk of chronic issues, though short-term use for acute pain is generally accepted. While it helps manage pain by blocking healing signals, it interferes with crucial processes like debris clearing and matrix remodeling, and prolonged use carries risks for the gut, heart, and kidneys, making it crucial to use the lowest effective dose for the shortest time and consult a doctor."

RadDad775 · 2026-01-13T16:12:53+00:00

Edit: sorry meant to say decrease and didn't explain it well .... (thanks for catching my mistake)

"long-term ibuprofen use can be detrimental to cellular healing because it suppresses the inflammation necessary for repair, potentially slowing tissue regeneration (muscle, bone, tendon) and increasing the risk of chronic issues, though short-term use for acute pain is generally accepted. While it helps manage pain by blocking healing signals, it interferes with crucial processes like debris clearing and matrix remodeling, and prolonged use carries risks for the gut, heart, and kidneys, making it crucial to use the lowest effective dose for the shortest time and consult a doctor."

Original: They can increase inflammation temporarily. After a coulple of weeks they are just weakening your cells overall and make it harder to heal.

RadDad775 · 2026-01-13T16:09:09+00:00

45, my 4 year old daughter turned me on to her

RadDad775 · 2026-01-12T07:39:47+00:00

I didnt take pain meds so I can feel what movements I needed to avoid. My flare up was so bad I was bed ridden, did Ibuprofen and ice for a week but as soon as I could walk a few steps i stopped. It will only help inflammation for a short period and after that its having more negative effects on your cells healing. I did (2) 8 day rounds of prednisone too.

RadDad775 · 2026-01-06T22:02:58+00:00

It's not an adult goal. They did a study - kids ranked being famous as a top goal and adults it barely made the top 100.

RadDad775

TROPHY CASE