Wealden Times | WT230 | July 2021 | Education supplement inside

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My sciatica
was so bad, it
was a struggle
just to put
my socks and
shoes on…
Phil Parsons from Staplehurst
was struck with back pain and
sciatica at the age of 38. But this
wasn’t surprising given the stress
his body had suffered during his
very physical career.
His job as a freelance lighting technician
meant he was lifting heavy equipment and
stretching his body to its limit on a daily basis.
He often worked long and unsociable hours;
taking care of his back wasn’t always a priority.
However, when the shooting
sciatic pain in his leg began to impact
on his daily activities, Phil knew he needed
to take his health seriously. He explains:
“To begin with, the sciatic pain would
come and go, and it was manageable with
painkillers. But soon it became constant and
started to affect the way I moved. It felt like I
had a tight wire between my lower back and foot,
stopping me from bending and stretching.”
Soon, Phil found it increasingly
difficult to go about his usual daily activities:
James Pickering’s team is changing the lives of
slipped disc and sciatica sufferers with IDD Therapy
Phil’s strenuous job took a toll on his back, but IDD Therapy allowed him to continue working
“The pain began to impact on simple
things which I’d taken for granted, like
drying myself after a shower and putting
my socks and shoes on. Travelling to jobs
became more and more difficult too; getting
in and out of a car was a real struggle.
Worst of all, was the effect it had on
my family life: relationships at home were
strained. I was unable to keep up the pace
with my two young children, and my poor
wife had to put up with my moods; I felt low
and exhausted by the constant pain and the
last thing I wanted was to be around people.”
“As the programme progressed, the
changes were huge. I’ve been free of
sciatica for over a year now.”
Phil sought advice from his GP;
surgery was discussed, but with the risks
and waiting times, Phil knew this would
be his very last option. In the meantime,
he’d tried sports massage to ease the pain,
but this only gave him temporary relief.
Phil’s pain came to a head in Summer
2019. When a friend mentioned that they had
been treated successfully with IDD Therapy
- a specialist disc treatment - at Wealden
Osteopaths, Phil was keen to investigate. A
consultation with Clinical Director James
Pickering confirmed that IDD Therapy was the
best option. James says: “I referred Phil for an
MRI scan and it confirmed my thoughts that he
was suffering a disc bulge which was irritating
his sciatic nerve – IDD Therapy is our firstchoice
treatment for this type of disc-related
condition; it uses gentle pulling forces to relieve
pressure on the discs and surrounding nerves.”
Phil was hesitant initially:
“To be honest, I was a bit cynical about IDD
at first, but the pain was so bad I was willing
to try anything. James told me I needed to
commit to a series of treatments, but he assured
me that the result would be a significant
improvement in my pain and mobility. I
was also relieved to hear that I’d be able to
continue working during my treatment.”
Phil found the treatment relaxing and he
was encouraged by the results after each session:
“Initially, I noticed small improvements
in my pain and mobility after each session. As
the programme progressed, the changes were
huge. I was still suffering from a little bit of
sciatic pain - something I felt I might have to
live with - but James assured me
that my body would continue to
heal after treatment, now that IDD
had given it a kick start. He was
right: two weeks later, I woke up
with no sciatic pain whatsoever.
I’ve been free of sciatica for over a year now.
If I get the occasional tightness in
my back from working particularly strenuous
days at work, I can stretch my back out
using the exercises James has shown me.
I’m still astonished at the difference IDD
Therapy has made to my health and quality of
life. My children have got their active Dad back;
we now enjoy bike rides, camping and plenty of
outdoor activities as a family. Great news during
the first lockdown, when I was their teacher:
unsurprisingly, PE was their favourite subject!”
Don’t let back pain, neck pain or sciatica
put your life on hold. For a FREE 15
minute phone consultation with one of
our experts, call 01580 212833 or email
enquiries@wealdenosteopaths.co.uk