Posted By Mor Raphael
It is highly unlikely that the chair is the cause of his sciatica taking into account his rather active sporting life. However it could be exacerbating his symptoms.

Have you considered seeking consent from him via the oc health dept to contact his specialist for a medical report?

You could give the specialist a brief description of his job and activities then ask the following questions.

What is his current diagnosois and treatment?
Is there any planned medical intervention?
Should his employer carry out any reasonable modifications to his working environment?

Posted By Phillipe
Thanks

Whilst I am not dismissive about his problems, I do concur that if he has a herniated disc and it is causing compression on his nerve ending, the posture he adopts whilst at work would certainly contribute towards the pain.

Posted By Steve Conway
Phillipe,

I've suffered from sciatica on and off for around 17 years following a herniated disc which was operated on I would offer the following advice for managing the situation.

Someone with sciatica usually has a pretty good idea what aggravates it.

Sitting increases the pressure on the discs considerably and if the individual has a disc which is pushing on a nerve this pressure will increase considerably with sitting. This pressure can be reduced by using a chair with a base which can tilt forward. Maintaining the natural curves in the back is important however if the chairs lumbar support is not adjustable, pressure from the back rest may make matters worse.

This website provides some good background reading -
http://www.spine-health....cs/cd/overview/ov01.html

I recommend the following book by Robin McKenzie "Treat your own back" to anyone suffering from sciatica.

Steve

Posted By crazykong
As I am currently suffering from Sciatica, I currently feel quite qualified to comment on this subject.

The important thing to remember about Sciatica is that it is a symptom of another problem, and not a condition in itself.

The cause is often (and sometimes wrongly) associated with lumber disc problem. There are a number of other causes that should be investigated along with disc analysis. Tight hamstrings, piriformis syndrome, cauda equina syndrome and spinal stenosis being some of the root causes.

In terms of a problem it can be very painful, disabling, and often slow to shift. Each case is generally different which doesn't help. Essential problem diagnosis of the patient is key the successful recovery, but even with an MRI scan and the usgae of the best medical brains, it still can be impossible to diagnose to root cause. Therefore to concur it is a disc problem, is a mistake.

For the record a good, posture supporting chair is helpful to an employee, as is a supportive recovery program as it does take an awful long time for the nerve root that has been irritated to fully heal.

As another poster has stated, the McKenzie book is a great book and although it doesn't deal with all Sciatica causes, it does promote a pro healthy back approach to life, which can only be a good thing.