issues with sitting

anyone know of a way I can sit without so much pain? I am having problems sitting in church anymore. of course being in so much pain it is really hard to keep my mind on the sermon too. then it hurts to walk errrrrrrrrrrrrr waaaaaaa.

even thought about laying down on the pew lol

Be, what is it that hurts? I have trouble with sitting too, because one of my legs is messed up (nobody can figure out why) and it hurts if I can't put it up or just say the heck with it and lay down altogether. It hurts if I walk very long, too (long being a relative term - like 20 minutes anymore ).

If it's your leg, try wrapping it up with an Ace bandage, sometimes that helps me. Anything else, I don't have any really good ideas, sorry.

Love, Candy

it is my back. I wish I had the stats on how much per inch is placed on each thing for the back. it puts way too much pressure on me

Have you tried a Body PILLOW?...... I use to bring one to church with ME - I sat on it and then placed the rest of it behind my back.

haven't thought about that one. hmmmm might have to try that. I have to find something that takes this pressure off.

Another Thought -

You could always ask your doctor for one of those fanny cushions they give to their patients after they have hemorrhoid surgery - just a thought.

...... maybe combine the cushion and the pillow?

that is an idea for sure!

when it starts to hurt maybe you could then sit on the edge of the pew and lean on the pew in front of you with your arms to take some of the pressure off for a while....it works for me. in other words have you body at a 45 degree angle instead of straight up.

yeah I do that too. people just think I am praying lol. I had a really sharp quick burning pain in my hip this morning. I thought at first something had bitten me it was so bad. guess something hit one of the nerves in there. today I am having alot of pain walking and sitting.

LOL, reading this http://www.drbookspan.com/SittingHealthy.html it has a section titled "No strange rules". It seems to say use a lumbar roll and teaches you how to make one.

it is the hips that hurt so bad sitting. I can't stand anything touching my lower back. it hurts like crazy!

i use a cane when my back is really hurting to get up and down and also when sitting to take some of the stress off of my back

ah the good ole cane! mine has been working overtime lately.

hey, canes can be a good thing. I too use one when my back/hips gets very bad.

I switched churches to one with theatre seating in nice soft comfy red velvet with arm rests! ahhhh.....!

Hi BeBop,

I don't know what the pews are like in your church. At our church, we have pads in some of the pews, which helps, but some of our members still find them painful if they have health issues. We have a few members who bring special pads with them for their backs, or for their seats. You might try experimenting to see if there is a special kind of seat pad which would ease some of your discomfort. At home, I use a special seat pad which is designed for people with pain at the base of their spine; it has a channel down the middle, and extra padding down both sides. This seems to help my hips a lot and also aids my spine.

For me, it also helps to change position regularly. This may not be true for everyone, but if it is true for you also, you might get up and stretch when you need to do so. I'm sure the folks in your church will understand. We have folks in our church who do this as they require, for health reasons. They'll go stand at the back of the church for a little bit, and return to their seats again when they feel better. I've done this, too.

Thinking of you,
ErinBear

they are padded thank goodness. I have thought about some kind of pillow to take with me. good idea! thanks hon

((((bebop)))) I'm sorry you're having such pain. Have any of these suggestions helped? I'm curious about the seat pad ErinBear mentioned.

haven't tried it yet. if I can remember I might get me some kind of pillow tomorrow though. dang it people at my church though keep getting the seat I normally sit in so I have to keep looking for another one. I really need to call one of those scooter places too. I just can not walk any distance anymore without severe pain. I need a power chair! before next week lol but that won't happen. errrrrrr

You might try this... it works for me......

Getting a down "comforter"... and..I double it over... and use the "soft" comfort .... doubling it - you never hit "bottom"... when the down shifts... you could make yourself.. a mini- down... comfortor for church..to sit on...

The one I have is King size.. and is the white... then I put a Duet cover on it... when pain gets very bad.. I burrow... into that.. and it helps.. alot...because it is more "shiftable".. lol.. then a pillow...

not sure I made "sense"...

Ouch. Be sure you aren't making the situation worse by trying to feel better. Only your physical therapist or physiatrist can advise you truly.

When in proper posture, each vertebrae sits on the next and can withstand huge amounts of weight. It's when something isn't working right that we experience pain etc.
http://healthguide.howstuffworks.com...a-in-depth.htm

Sitting upon a pillow can easily cause more problems. A lumbar roll is generally what helps the problem, even though it hurts more or is uncomfortable to begin with.

Try taking a stiff ice pack to sit against at church. And the lumbar pillow.

Keeping the stomach muscles toned is key to increased strength in the back, and to keeping bones in place. Talk about tough! Also, for sciatica, keeping the hamstrings stretched is paramount for minimal pain. (The sciatic nerves are nearly the size of your thumb, around, in places and are really deep within the structure.

Use meditation and relaxation exercises to calm and de-stress. Muscle tension creates added pain no one wants.

Be careful with too soft a bed. It can exacerbate some problems. The feather/down comforters need to be covered with one of those fancy microbial covers. The price of having a down comforter cleaned is often as much as the purchase price, I've found. (Can't have down, can you imagine how long that would last with a retriever dog? )

Try a TENS unit...there are charts to help you with placement of the electrodes to circumvent your pain of the day.

Everyone is different, as I said, but my PT says the more "movement in pain" in trying to escape it makes things worse. Make sure your movement is therapeutic.