sciatic nerve/hip/lower back pain
I have a not extremely painful but nagging pain on my lower left side... it feel really good when I stretch it out... I"m afraid I may be "injured" tho... yes, yes..I know... go to the doctor and find out for real... but UNTIL then...
I generally do cardio 7 days a week and strength training 2-3. I THINK it might have happened doing dead lifts. I may have gone too heavy and put some of the weight in my lower back. Do you think if I avoid doing deadlifts... or do them lighter the next couple of classes i'll likely be okay? (No pain when walking or doing cardio... only when standing still.. sitting or bending)
ouch! I used to get that on my right side -- started in my right butt cheek and shooting pain all the way down my leg to my heel 
don't laugh, but how I used to pop it back into place (whatever IT was LOL) was to raise the leg that hurt to the side, almost hip height, rest it on a chair or table, and then lean into it, like you're folding your side to the side of your leg if you get what I mean. really helped.
#3 on this site I find is good for sciatic pain:
http://www.halhigdon.com/15Ktraining/Stretch. htm
# 8 on this site will also help:
http://www.footworksmiami.com/Corporate/topte n.pdf
Good luck!
I learned that you have to listen to your body. If you think dead lifts are the problem, stop doing them. You need to strengthen your back and abs and it WILL help ease the pain but instead of doing anything like dead lifts where you bend forward at the waist, do back exercises where you lay on the floor. Like the one called the superman where you lay on your stomach with your arms and legs stretched out and alternately lift your left arm/right leg and right arm/left leg a few inches off the floor for a few seconds. Google superman exercise if this doesn't make sense.
Also if you are familiar with yoga, try a very gentle cobra pose. This helped me a lot easing tension in my back.
Another good yoga pose for strengthening the back is frog pose.
Also do sit-ups to strengthen your abs.
Do gentle strength and stretching 5 times a day, or any time you start to feel tension. Especially if you have a job where you are sitting down, take a break every hour and do the cobra pose. It really helps.
Be very gentle on yourself and you will see results pretty quickly. I realized very early that when you are trying to relieve back pain, don't you dare do anything that causes pain. If the exercise or stretch you are doing causes pain, back off, you are only going to hurt yourself more.
Also do gentle stretches. Back twists are very good at relieving pain but you have to be very careful not to overdo it. For instance a typical twist would have you lay on your back, bend your knees in to your chest and swing your bent legs over to the left and the right. That can hurt your back when you are already vulnerable so modify this way: Lay on your side with your knees bent. Put a pillow or two between your legs, as much as you need so your top leg is supported and your legs are hip-width apart. Now Keep your legs in place and slowly turn your upper body onto your back. If you can't twist enough to comfortably rest your whole upper back on the ground, support the side not touching with another pillow. Lay for a few seconds to however long feels comfortable, then repeat on the other side.
Once you have a reduction in pain and feel like going to the next level, try your dead lifts again with the lightest weight on the bar. Make it not about lifting the weight, but about feeling the right form. As you fold at the hips, pull your navel in to your spine to support your lower back. Keep your back straight. Do perfect form.
I took a body pump class even with my back injury...when they got to the dead lift-clean and press segment I would just lay down on the floor and do my supermans and stretches instead. After about 6 weeks I am now able to join the class with the dead lifts, on the lightest weight, and it feels great! :D
While you are healing you might also do lower impact exercise. If you're jogging, stop for a while until your core is strengthened.
OMG I so agree with angelhunter! I also have had the spinal cortizone shots but surgery isn't an option for me..
DO NOT DO DEAD LIFTS!!!!!!
One way to relieve some of the pain is to lie on the floo with your calves up on a chair and your thighs perpendicular to the floor...It helps remove the vertebraes pressure on the disks and nerves.
This is not an injury you can work through! I spent the better part of 2 years out of commission because I didn't let it heal propely...I was forced to take massive doses of prednazone for nearly 2 years which ballooned my wgt by more than 40 lbs!
Give your body a break and time to heal!
Generally sciatica and lower back pain comes from either misaligned vertebrae below the waist or a disc that is irritated in the same area... L4, L5, S1. I actually had this problem to the point that I could no longer walk back a few years ago.
Definitely stop the dead lifts until you isolate the problem. I would strongly recommend a chiropractor. It has done wonders for me. Also, stretching seemed to help. In particular, lying on my back and bringing one knee up to my chest, hold for about 10, then switch to the other knee.
