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Anyone who has suffered from sciatica knows how debilitating it can be. Shooting pains from your lower back down to your buttocks, legs, and even your feet, make it impossible to carry on with regular day-to-day activities.

I have always had back pain and, on one occasion, I put my back out while moving and ended up in the hospital. The pain was astronomical and I needed two paramedics and an ambulance to get me there from my living room floor. The emergency staff kept me overnight, pumped full of Demerol, and sent me home with a friend. I was armed with prescriptions for anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants and Gravol and spent the next three days on the couch, literally. The doctor mumbled something about my sciatic nerve and told me to take it easy.

After a few days, with the help of the drugs, I could walk. It was a mystery to me how a few Advil could help so much when I was certain a piece of my spine had rearranged itself. I followed up with physiotherapy, including stretches, hot towels and deep vibration. All of this helped, but my back seemed to be permanently weaker, needing constant babying. Every time my back began that familiar ache, I had to really take it easy. I had an ongoing affair with physiotherapy and exercises to do at home.

This went on for years and I just accepted that I had a "bad back." One day, I mentioned it casually to my new family physician . She asked me if I crossed my legs a lot. She explained that the nerves get pinched and cause that horrible "crunchy" feeling. I hadn't given it much thought, but agreed to stop crossing my legs. THIS WAS VERY DIFFICULT. I hadn't realized how often I sat down, automatically crossing one leg over the other, or how many hours I spent surfing the Internet, writing, reading, or eating like this. At one point, I strapped a belt around my thighs to keep from crossing them. It was a hard habit to break and I still have to correct myself constantly.

That was four years ago. I am here to tell you that her advice was the best thing to happen to me. My back pain ceased within days and has hardly bothered me since. Occasionally, I find myself cross-legged and am too lazy or comfortable or whatever to correct myself. After a week of this behavior, I inevitably find myself in pain and virtually useless.

There are all kinds of treatments available, and I am sure some of them are quite necessary. I would, however, strongly urge sufferers to practice this simple exercise regularly before spending a fortune on physical therapy or surgery. I am not a doctor, nor even in the health profession, so I can not guarantee results. I am, however, enjoying my life and my back and would be happy if my advice could ease the discomfort of just one person. Uncross those legs!

Learn more about this author, Tracy Fenner.
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