Sciatica helped by keto?

#1

Hello you knowledgeable and fabulous peeps :smiley:

I have the opportunity to persuade a dear friend that keto is for her. I want to tempt her by ticking all the boxes and this is one of them. She has sciatica and has had this/back pain for a number of years. She is on her feet a lot for work (runs a restaurant) and I can see how much it is hurting her. She has weight to lose but I wouldn’t say she is obese. She carries her weight around her middle so I am going to try and get her to get blood tests to see if she is veering towards T2D.

I need to do some research to find out more about it but just thought I would tap into some anecdotal evidence too.

Thanks.

#2

My sciatica, which has on and off affected me for many years, went away with Keto. HOwever, not until I was deep enough in ketosis (as aided by exogenous ketones which I know aren’t in good standing around here as a general rule but they made me feel better). I am on my feet all day, too (teacher) and it’s one of the GREATEST gifts of keto. Damn that hurts

(Randy) #3

I had it bad before I started keto. I also work on me feet, and played in a band where I had to start bringing a chair on stage so I could sit periodically. After about 1 month on keto, the sciatica was completely resolved. I’ve lost 100 lbs now. But after 1 month it was about 20. So I don’t think the lost weight was the main factor. I believe it was reduced inflammation because a lot of the other body aches and pains also resolved at that time.

(Mother of Puppies ) #4

I had it.

Never noticed it was gone post-Keto.

New NSV!! Thanks!!

(Liz ) #5

My father, 88, developed sciatica after a lifetime of no back pain. He’s had it daily for two years, maybe even longer. He tried chiropractic, exercises, pain medications, nothing worked for long. He’s been Keto for TWO WEEKS and the pain is gone.

(Lisa F) #6

So…not guaranteed - I’ve continued to have issues but it is because my sciatica is linked to a mechanical rather than weight issue…one leg is slightly shorter than the other which has led to a lot of back, hip and leg issues. What I would say however is that it would likely be worse if I was layering on inflammation from the SAD! I think it depends on why it’s happening and Keto can’t hurt.

(Allie) #7

Mine hasn’t been helped by keto sadly, but I have had amazing benefits from yoga, especially since I moved to more advanced poses that really stretch it out.

(ANNE ) #8

If the nerve pain that she has is related to the weight she is carrying on her midriff, . Losing the weight may be beneficial.
The anti inflammatory nature of the keto way of eating may also contribute, but it is hard to say. If she is taking any of the pre gabalin, or gabapentim pain meds, then they can seriously affect weight gain. So weaning off them and introducing keto may be a help.
I have nerve compression of my median (neck) nerve, and keto hasn’t added any benefits yet. Guess the weight of my head has remained constant. :wink: stopping the meds was the first step. But I did wean them down over a few months.

(Sheri Knauer) #9

I would say it depends on what is actually causing the sciatica pain. If its just inflammation, then yes since keto reduces inflammation. If it is caused by something like a small cyst, then perhaps not. My husband had sciatica like pain/symptoms and it was caused by a small cyst in his back that was compressing the nerve running down his leg. He had surgery last december to remove the cyst. If its from inflammation and or postural, then a combination of keto and chiropractic would be a great option.