I must have lifted something wrong a couple weeks ago and have done something to the lower left of my back. Once I'm up I'm OK if I'm not doing anything physical. I tried to roll a cylinder cart on wheels and it was crippling as soon as I tried to pull it towards myself. Getting out of bed is a real struggle too if I move the wrong way. Was thinking about getting a deep tissue massage over going to a chiropractor. Too many stories of chiropractors making it worse. Curious what others would recommend?
I’ve had nagging back issues from my teenage years. A good chiropractor can help. Some are hacks. First step once you’re feeling better will be core exercises. That made a huge difference for me. I can tell when I’m slacking on them as I can create aches and pains easier. A massage can help muscle stuff but in my experience something as painful as you’re dealing with won’t be remedied like that. Best pain relief combo is an Advil and a Tylenol. Rachel has a background in sports medicine and she introduced me to that. Man it sure helps. Left and if it’s lower can also be related to the sciatic nerve.
Suffered for years with a bad back. My wife’s boss insisted I try her chiropractor. I’ve had some minor reoccurrences but nothing debilitating like I used to get. A lot of it was posture related. Massage therapy helps but the chiro seemed to be the fix.
From what I have been told by medical types. If you are injured a deep tissue massage can make things worse. A trip to an orthopedic specialist if possible.
Ibuprofen (Advil) with a muscle relaxant helps.
Have had severe lower back problems for 25 years. First, I went to a good chiropractor for about 10 years. They got me fixed up every time I went in, but had to keep going a couple of times/week. Finally, I heard about a local back specialist who just refuses to do surgery unless it is a life or death issue. He is really big into physical therapy for the back. Went to him, and he got me started at a physical therapy clinic. They not only had me do exercises, but showed me how to do them at home to keep my core strong. I only have to go for physical therapy about once every 3 or 4 years. I get a refresher while there so I can do the therapy at home. The Dr. told me that many chiropractors are good, but they do not give you the routines you need to do at home, so, you have to keep going to them for adjustments. good luck. Jeff
Join a gym. Working out helps a lot.
I will add to the good chiropractor chorus. Mine uses an impactor rather than manipulation. First time I saw the impactor I thought "what good can that little thing do"? But it worked and got me straightened up again.
I go to a chiro when needed, found a good one that doesn't jump up on a pickle bucket and preach the gospel of chiropractic healing. Get my adjustment, he says "I'm here day after tomorrow if its not better" Ed
Back in Fall of 2017 I rotated a sacroiliac joint, a lower back pain that was constant misery. Unlike a pulled muscle, which typically goes away after some days of taking it easy, this just didn't stop. Found a Chiropractor who gave me the proper adjustment to the joint over a number of weeks to settle it back in place and the pain was gone. Aside from medical problems, like cancer, slipped or deteriorated disks or such, if it's not a pulled muscle then lower back pain is typically a skeletal problem requiring someone who specializes in bone/joint alignment, at least that's my experience
Find a reputable physical therapist. If it's a muscle problem they will give you muscle therapy and exercises to strengthen that area. I blew a disc in '88 and had corrective surgery. I've had a handful of aggravations since then that a visit to P/T will help tremendously. If you do end up needing surgery don't be afraid of it, I've experienced great relief and would do it again in a heartbeat.
Never been to a chiropractor, I just don't trust it. A good physical therapist might help. Never had more then a few days of bad back though, so I just take it easy take some pain killers if it's real bad. The one thing to do though is keep moving, laying in bed is the worst thing you can do, but just take it easy on it and most minor back issues fix themselves. Since I missed up my shoulder 8 years ago though my whole shoulders/arms/neck has been pretty screwed and no amount of physio or visits to orthopedic surgeon, or neurosurgeon has been able to pinpoint why or find a solution. Posture is big though, and just having physio check it and correct it can help if yours is bad.
I agree with Steve. See your GP and get a referral to a good PT outfit. They can perform miracles. Keep an open mind about their practices, such as yoga, dry needling, massage and their silly exercises. I thought I would never move again after my back locked up for no reason. Took a couple months of continuing improvement to get back to normal or better than normal. Some people like chiropractors. I have no experience with them. I’ll take a PT with a DR, before their last name before a Chiro.
Thinking about going to a place that does chiropractic, massage and physio to see what they recommend but maybe a referral from my Dr. would be the best first step.
Good luck and best wishes Welder Dave. Hope you get feeling better, soon. Keep us posted.
Just wanted to add, you don't have to see a chiro, a DO (osteopath) will also do adjustments. They adjust a little differently, same result, you'll feel better. Ed
I think it's more a muscle issue but I like the Dr. I see so will get a recommendation from her. The shingles around my eye was bad enough and now this. At least it's not constant pain but if I move the wrong way it is excruciating!
On my 13th birthday I climbed (and fell down) a 30 or so foot hill, into a creekbed full of big rocks, that proceeded to mess me up pretty bad, from then on I've dealt with back issues for years. May or may not be a coincidence. I went to a chiro probably 20 years ago and they ran an x-ray and did some adjustment and I was on what seems to be the chiro subscription plan (meaning go once a week for the rest of my life) and while the xray showed I am a bit crooked (fixed with a 1/4inch heel lift) I didn't want to go all the time. The heel lift works wonders for me. Stretching is better. You can look up various stretches online that you wouldn't think would help and they really, really do. Some stretches are very simple (like stand against a wall and do snow angel motions) and some are a bit tougher (lay on the floor, pull your knees to your chest, or one knee to your chest and push that knee to the floor on the opposite side). A great one I've found for my lower back is to lay on your stomach, with your hands kind of chest level and do a pushup without your feet and legs involved, kind of pushing your pelvis into the floor. Or laying with your knees tucked up under you and kind of crawling forward with your hands without moving forward at all... I could go on. Sometimes a shot of the ol' juice helps (steroids) but I'm also keen on Advil. I've got what I think is at least one cracked rib right now and Advil is much better than a Motrin 800, for some reason. I also have an inversion table and it's not bad every once in a while and they aren't as expensive as they seem.
Key word is 'Good' Chiro, quack my wife went to and said I needed to try actually made mine worse. Trip to Orthopedic Doc found more than one issue and several back conditions over the years with bad to seriously poor judgement medical services on back did not help. Low back surgery 2015, neck surgery 2017, back injury 1977, misc sprains, muscle pulls and idiocy damage since and between.
Or you all of you folks can end up like me, and eventually have this done.
Mine Probably should have been done that way Weeks in traction bed corset for several years L4 self fused to S1 no fixing it and is offline Doc said arthritis has developed too far to do anything intensive in that area Neck got two Mobi-C implants at C5/6 and C6/7 as degenerative disc had pretty well Destroyed those Still have a bad disc C4/5 but insurance will only cover two. Also have a torn Sacrum Iliac (SI)joint Steady throb I tend to ignore until reaches the screaming stage and have to stop awhile. Insurance will not pay to fix that, Labeled it “Experimental”. Deal with dull throb to ache most all the time from many locations, just another unpleasant aspect to deal with daily.
My brother has a rod in his back from his neck to his hips.
You might be developing a condition called O.L.D. I have a friend that broke his back in an accident, and he said you know it's going to be a bad day when you can't put your socks on. Any time I hurt myself, my Dr always starts with You know you're not 20 anymore. I find a lot of people with arthritus in their backs these days
He and my older brother likely have the same Airport issue, metal detectors go off regardless what they peel off. He has a few pounds of structural steel as TS does in roughly same spot, but has jacks and plates holding the open spot open where they removed discs and a destroyed vertebrae.
Been satisfactorily destroying parts and pieces since I was three, would like a COMPLETE Do-over but that is more costly overall.
Hard to get OEM parts. Aftermarket never fits right. My brother carries a card in his wallet
So too my brother!! I am ALMOST there with iron deposits.
One thing I have slowed progression, Drinking LOADS of water, hands and other joints Not quite so angry. Can still enjoy a beer or three once in awhile. Thanks Nige
My ortho Doc back in Central Florida was an outcast among his peers since his first therapy choice for back problems was exercise instead of profitable surgery. He was the primary consultant for Nautilus exercise equipment that started 35 years ago. He prescribed massage along with exercises on specific machines, it really helped.
I went to my Dr. who also thinks it's muscle related or possibly radiculopathy (pinched nerve). I have an appt. tomorrow with a physical therapist to do an assessment. I also got a request for an X-ray if it's required after the assessment.
Dave, I would suggest that you should get a lumbar spinal X-Ray either way. I was diagnosed with a condition known as lumbar spondylosis (lower spinal wear & tear basically) in my 30's that the cause was clear on an LS X-Ray. My lowest vertebrae was misalgined with my pelvis by about 4mm IIRC. Thinking back I had a fall as a kid about 10ft or thereabouts landing bang on my coccyx on a pile of broken bricks. The docs reckon that's probably what kicked it off. My latest medical exam in August noted - DESVIACIÓN DEL EJE DE LA COLUMNA HACIA LA IZQUIERDA (deviation of the spinal column axis to the left), the same thing found 30+ years ago. I can pop my back doing the weirdest things. Most recent 3 yrs or so ago was as simple as turning away from the bathroom sink after brushing my teeth. even that long ago I can remember the pain like it was yesterday. It went off with a crack like a rifle shot or so it seemed, and felt like someone had sunk a fcukoff big knife in up to the hilt just above my pelvis. it usually takes me at least a week to get back to anything like nomal after an event like that. I don't like taking painkillers for it either because as I keep telling my doctor when he tries to push them "the levels of pain I have are what tells me when to stop".
Twisting while lifting a heavy object has caused me grief over the years. Three or four years ago it was so bad I couldn't dress myself or even roll over in bed - that time I was really scared.
I can only share a story that happened to one of my best friends. For years (15+) he had trouble with his neck/ upper back. legs would fall sleep, arm would be sore. Of course it started mild and got worse over time. He went to the chiropractor alot. (they never took xrays) This will be important later. the last year he was going 2-3 times a week. Finally the shooting pains in his arm and legs got unbearable. Plus he was having motor control problems and weakness in his right hand. He went to the ER on thanksgiving day 3 years ago. Just by luck there was one of the top spinal DR from Idaho hanging around the hospital. After some tests and an MRI, the Doc would not let him go home. Was afraid if he wacked his head he would injure the spinal cord. They did surgery on his neck the next morning. I wish I had a picture of the MRI. His disk was gone and vertebrae was so jacked up it looked like an elephant standing on a fire hose. The doc couldn't believe he walked in under his own power. 3 years later he is a totally different guy. A simple x ray somewhere along the way would have shown how bad his vertebrae alignment was.
when i was young, the old guys would tell me " that's too heavy- use a hoist or picker or we'll get some help" and i would say "nah, i can do this" and they would say "you'll bugger up your back". well, as usual they were right, but i wouldn't take their word for it and now i'm paying the price. another classic case of where 'youth is wasted on the young'
Rolling over in bed was debilitating if I moved the wrong way and getting out of bed was close to it pain wise. Putting socks on, forget it. At least I can now get up from sitting without the severe pain and thankfully it's getting better. I went to a Physio Therapist to have an assessment and I basically sprained my back. Physio therapist said it's unlikely it would show up on an X-ray. He had me lay on a heating pad for 10 minutes or so and then do some basic back exercises. I can feel it but didn't get the severe pain I had been experienced. It's weird that I can do 95% of movements fine but one wrong move gives excruciating pain. I thought great now the severe pain won't show up... He had me lay on my stomach during the assessment and when I got about half way up on my knee's it got really bad. I laid back down and rolled on my side so I could swing my legs over the side of table and get up that way. I'm going back on Friday and I think he's going to use some other techniques to help speed the recovery. Nice to know what's wrong. Thanks for all the input. I think I made the right choice for treatment. Years ago when I broke my ankle I also had severe back pain that the Dr. basically dismissed. She should have had her medical license taken away. I asked if I could get a Tylenol or something for my back and she said sure. 15 minutes later I'm getting up to sit in a wheel chair to get it myself and the Dr. comes back and asks where I'm going. Stay right here where I told you! I never did get anything for my back. She spent more time asking me if I learned my lesson and lecturing me about what a terrible thing motorcycles/dirt bikes are. She was the same way with a kid that was about 12 that got a fairly minor injury. Aren't Dr's. supposed to treat you and not judge how you were injured? Years later I got an X-ray for something else and that Dr. noticed I had signs of a slight fracture in my back from a previous injury. Not completely through the bone but evidence of a crack.
I told our two new apprentices to wrap a strap and let the crane work if it weighed over 20 pounds. I told them you can virtually alway rig a crane or a come along to do the heavy lifting instead of using your back. Also told them stop buying cheap boots...good boots save your feet which save your back down the road
Agree 100%. When I was about 20 I use to lift my snowmobile into the back of the truck myself and wouldn't flinch at lifting 200-250 into back of truck or trailer on a regular basis. Now i'm a bit wiser and lazier and try to avoid the really heavy lifts, although I still find myself lifting 100-150lbs the rare time, but i'm also really careful when I do it. Part of it is because I can't even dream of lifting what I use to but also because when I do get back pain it sure lasts a lot longer. I threw my back out really bad as a teenager could barely walk, next morning never know anything happened. Now if I do something wrong it's usually a few days at least before it goes away and know as I get older it will only get worse.
X-ray will only reveal a bone problem if it exists, I guess they need to rule that out first because it's always the first step but it doesn't turn up anything unless there is a bone problem. An MRI will show the problem if it involves nerve damage, I had to insist my doctor prescribe it when I had a problem in my neck. That revealed another blown disc that was undetected by the x-ray. If it's a muscle problem P/T will fix it. When I hurt my lower back I saw a chiropractor for 6 months. I felt good walking out of his office but two hours later I was in pain again. I've learned a lot about my injury since then. In my case surgery was the only answer and it was a tremendous success. The chiropractor gave me temporary relief but did not address the cause. If you aren't experiencing lasting relief it could be time to try alternative treatment, and P/T could be the answer instead of surgery.
I'm biased, because my brother is a chiropractor (now retired) and he has kept me going when all else failed. Like doctors, dentists, lawyers, the key as always is finding a good one you get along with. In my 40 plus years of abusing my body for pay I have observed that I almost never hurt myself on the job, but I push myself beyond reasonable limits and the pain will find me later. Nige's story of an injury while brushing his teeth matches what a DO told me was most common in working men, push yourself beyond your limits on the job, then get out of bed all stiff and cold, bend over the bathroom sink to brush your teeth and "Pop!" My last episode that literally put me on the floor for three days happened as I had my foot up on the bed to put my socks on in the morning... slight twist to the left and stretch down... CRAP!. Did the same exact thing a month later in the hotel room in Portland the morning we were flying out to ConExpo! Alcohol and a chiropractic chain called "The Joint" got me through the show. YMMV
You never I never thought about it that way. Makes perfect sense. Problem is that usually when you first get out of bed at stupid o'clock you're never awake enough to think that you need to be easing into things. You're more concerned with doing the necessary stuff to get you out of the door and face whatever the day is gonna throw at you.
I'm following this thread. I've had flare ups forever. Doctor offers no help. He sent me off for physical therapy. There they teach exercises that do help, and use electrical shock to pulse muscles. Last trip to PT they burned me pretty bad with the electrodes. It took a LONG time to heal. A therapist explained it (in my case) as "The spine is an electrical conduit carrying millions of nerves from brain to every other part of the body. Nerves pass through notches in the vertebrae to reach their end. Young people have puffy cushioning donuts or tire tubes cushioning between vertebrae. With age, these discs loose their buoyancy, allowing the vertebrae to settle, pinching these nerves." She explained that the laser surgery where they remove bone in the offending vertebrae is the fix, but they don't do that as a first effort at a fix. I go years, then have a severe flare up, usually triggered by some unusual movement.
The PT said a lot of old school chiropractors want their patients to keep coming back for regular treatments whether they need it or not. Newer chiropractors often work in conjunction with massage therapists and other forms of treatment. PT's try to solve the problem so you don't have to keep coming for regular appointments. They give you specific exercises you can do at home so you only have to come back if you have a problem.
Absolutely, I remember doing a head slap when I was told this, and since my front weighs more than my back these days, I always support myself with one hand on the counter before bending over the sink. Of course that also may be a holdover from my drinking/hangover days of decades ago!
Went to a BAD Chiro long ago, No xrays, No MRI, just snap crackle pop and like to have crippled me, tried to convince me he could make it better but I went to a REAL doc and he stated he liked to have crippled me. Long story short my back is so screwed up at L4 S1 as to require surgery they cannot do as been too long ago and Uncle Arthritis has come for a Permanent visit where they cannot undo what was botched long ago. Been referred to a Laser surgeon, He backed up Hands up like I was robbing him, his comment; "Not Going in There" so I must be pretty well screwed. If lucky I get 4-5 hours of somewhat Sleep, after that ache gets so bad have to get up and walk it off. Wife asked if I was getting up just to Pee(Prostate) where I explained if awakened by anything and get up I have to go. No Prostate issues, just lower back is a Royal Screwed up Mess.
I can only imagine what it's like having a permanent bad back. My back is getting better every day but I can see why some people pass out from back pain. My dad did but his case was a little different. He was blown out of a 4 engine bomber and a piece of the turret ring was lodged in his (broken) back. He passed out when his parachute opened. Came to and was worried he was going to land on a picket fence. Missed the fence but a German farmer hit him in the face with the back of a shovel. Said that didn't hurt too much because his back was in so much pain.
I always said physical therapy was based on what my mother always did when I was a kid: "KEEP BAWLIN' I'LL GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO CRY ABOUT!" If physical therapy causes enough pain, you forget about your original pain!
Can attest to BOTH here.
I have used Victory Chiropractic, I believe they have locations everywhere across the US. I know that the majority of my fellow field mechanics have a great diet of processed/ on the go food, and love exercise after a long day of turning wrenches. Plus it never fells we lift thing in a twisty jerky fashion with are knees lock. Not to mention jumping down of machines to compacting our spines and always lifting alittle more than we should. Look into a good reputable chiropractor and try to stretch from morning to night. Lots of water, and vitamin E seems to help with the joints. I hope it gets better for you.
The physio appears to be helping and I can move without getting the feeling like my back is locked in a vice.
we have a “wellness program” for a slight discount on the health insurance costs at work. They do a brief physical and blood work at the beginning of the year then spend the rest of the year telling you you are fat and need to diet and exercise. Her favorite spiel is we need to walk for 30 minutes each day. I don’t think she quite understands our jobs and what they entail.
According to my phone I walked 5.8 miles yesterday during the course of the working day. Would that count towards the 30 minutes..?
My daughter got me one of those watches that tracks your activity, on most days I've got 10,000 steps in by a little after lunch! I've wondered what that equates to in miles.
4-5 miles I believe.
My average a day is +-2 miles a day, and most of my time is spent behind a desk.
2500 steps/mile if you have an average stride length apparently.
She doesn’t understand that we walk that much in a day. Even though I usually do my work in one bay during the day I am all over due to providing technical assistance to my coworkers, trips to parts department, tool room, my stationary boxes, wash rack, etc
I’ve been lucky in the back pain department. 20 years ago I hit a ditch with an old sled of mine at 50 mph and ended up with a compression fracture in he middle of my back. I was stuck on a couch for 2 weeks before I could get up and move around much. I had severe pain at the fracture area and also pain down in my lower back. I went to a specialist and he said the lower pain was caused by a previous injury that got realigned when I hit the ditch. I remember as a kid falling off a balestack backwards from about 12 feet up and landing flat on my back. I always had some problems after that with lower back pain . By 2 years after the accident with therapy and healing time I have been mostly back pain free. I have found that it’s important to get extra calcium to keep your bones strong. The therapist also showed me how to keep leg muscles stretched to take stress off my lower back. Another thing I find that works wonders to loosen up a tight back is a good hard quad ride down a twisty trail in the pines.
Thats great
They definitely have no clue how active we really are. I have offered for them to spend a day or two with me, never had any takers though...lol
Avg stride is 28-32" about 3/4 meter, unless REALLY short legged.
My walk among our ranch outbuildings 200 to 300 feet, the operative word is walk. I could use the UTV instead of walking but I won't do that, I walk. Ashamed to admit I do use the Mule when checking fences but I have to carry fence repair stuff with me. When younger I would bike about 5 miles a day 5 days a week, great low impact exercise.
Me, I'm lazy. Today I split wood. Every muscle in my upper body is sore. I'm now at a pile 25' diameter heaped 5.5' high. I don't know how many cords that translates to. I confess to even more laziness; blocks just plain too big to lift, I used machinery to place them on the splitter. My hiking today was limited to running out of diesel fuel in the old farm tractor. Yes, I knew it was low. The sun was going down, I reasoned I'd fill it in daylight. I hiked for a head lamp. I hiked for two cans. I hiked to the pump & back. I hiked for 1-1/8" wrench to open the loader frame, allowing me to open the hood. My 1961 tractor was built in England, so I need both SAE & Metric wrenches. A few trips to gather correct wrenches. I probably logged less than half mile after the work day should have been done. Yes it's Sunday, my day of rest.
Good boots are a must, for sure. It only took me 15 years to figure that out....and concrete is just awesome....lol
Good Lord that is tough!
My problem was that CT scans, bone scans and x-rays don't show what's inside the bones. They all looked normal and I think the Dr's. figured it was a muscle problem. The pain was worse than anyone could imagine, 2 1/2 hours to roll out of bed and get on my feet. Only after an ER Dr. did a more extensive blood test that showed the levels of calcium in my blood to be off the chart did I know what was wrong. Multiple Myeloma had attacked by back and caused compression fractures. It's a type of bone marrow cancer. Had a vertebroplasty procedure to repair 5 of the fractures in my vertebrae and just heard today the specialist wants to do another procedure to repair the other 5. It uses a special bone cement to repair the fractures and makes like an internal cast for the vertebrae. It's like a miracle cure and apparently stronger than healthy bones. I'm all in if it helps as much as the 1st procedure. Doesn't take long and they kind of sedate you so it doesn't hurt but is almost instant relief from pain. Good thing I never went to a chiropractor or I might be totally handicapped.
Welcome to HEF, racheberry !
I think you just need to find a good massage therapist. Or go to the doctor, they know exactly what to do in this situation. Massage for back pain, that's what really helps.
Hey Welder Dave, new around these parts, was going to private message you since I didn't want this to seem like a seem like a junk-mail message. I’ve been dealing with back issues for the last 10 years now, finally got 3 discs disassembled and rebuilt a few years ago. While coming back from surgery I found a program called DDPY (you may have seen it around, if not check it out on youtube or their site), its a hybrid type of yoga that really helps you restore your body. I wen’t from crawling around job-sites with a cane and jumping into an excavator I called my “oversized wheelchair”. To better than I’ve been most if my life doing more than I was able to do presurgery and then some. I wouldnt’ve been caught dead doing anything called yoga before, while there’s no way to know for sure I think I could have avoided back surgery had I found DDPY before hand. Realize I’m new around here and it might be a little strange of an idea but if you got back or body issues its definitely worth a look.
after re-occurring lower back spasms and pulling the same muscles on the same side from light lifting and twisting at the same time, my wife finally convinced me to start doing a form of sit-up/stretch, as well as a couple other stretches. so far it seems to be helping other than the first few days when it just ached all over from the unaccustomed stretching. at least i'm off the pain meds. now i just need a cure for the damaged/arthritic shoulder. i ain't as flexible and rubbery as i used to be . i've even heard of 'cowboy' yoga from an old team-roper friend of mine
That's weird. You have to open the message in the above post and my response follows it.
Lots of good advice here. I'll add, get yourself a good foam roller and a yoga pad. Separating those vertebrae is basically what a chiropractor does for you, but maintaining by roiling them out yourself as often as possible really helps. I also hang from a pull up bar and wiggle my hips until I get a couple of pops. If your back is in active spasm, all you can really do is alternating ice and heat and Motrin Platinum or the Kirkland brand generic. If you can walk, literally walk it off, there's nothing worse for it than lying in bed. I have an inversion table but it never really worked for me, I can not get my tendons to release when I'm upside down, I can see how they'd work for some people though.
It really depends on what is causing the pain. A chiropractor would have destroyed my back. Ibuprofen no matter how strong wouldn't have helped much with the pain I was in. I'm still taking Dilauded and Gabapentin but my back is doing a lot better. There are very good exercises for back pain too. I need to talk with my Dr. about the best exercises for my situation but need to hold off until after I have the 2nd vertebroplasty procedure in early August. Then I get the stem cell transplant right after that. Not needing the pain meds would be so nice. Laying down helps relieve the pain in my case and I can get a good nights sleep. The specialist has to be really careful when doing the procedure so he doesn't glue the vertebrae to the discs. The 1st procedure I had relief almost right away so am hoping with the other fractures repaired, I'll be rid of the constant ache in my back.
Obviously, don't do exercise without approval from your doctor. I suffered periodically for years. My doctor is a real "Tough it out, or change your lifestyle" kind of guy. His advice was "Get a new bed." "I did." "Learn to live with it." I might go a year or more with only morning stiffness, then a flare up that might take months to stop hurting. Doctor finally sent me to physical therapy. Pretty lady explained: "Your discs separate vertebrae. When you are young they are full of fluid & there is plenty of space between bones. As you age, the discs lose their volume. Nerves leave the spinal cord through notches in vertebrae. They can be pinched between bones. You'll need to build muscle to support the spine." Physical therapy taught a series of exercises to strengthen muscles surrounding the spine. It really helps.
That explains why I was in so much pain and also take Gabapentin for nerve pain. Might have did a little too much on the weekend as my back was a little sore today. Not real bad though. It's hard when you want to get things done. I have an idea what not to attempt. Don't want to set myself back after making great progress.
You might have to refrain from doing heavy lifting or any activities that might strain your back. Find a massage therapist rather than a chiropractor, they know how to handle your back pain problems.
I don't lift anything heavy and try to take it real easy on my back. Message may be a good option after the Vertebroplasty and bone marrow transplant in August. I'll see what my Dr. And the specialist recommend.
While parts of that are true-a ride through a MRI will tell the story of herniated discs and a severe joint misalignment issue. And no amount of conservative therapy is going to correct it, in some cases may make it worse. Until a facilitator experiences severe back pain only then will they understand it. A good analogy is {Walk A Mile In My Shoes}.
I'm with Truck Shop. Until you know why your back hurts, and get some good advise at to proper therapy, self diagnoses isn't good. In my case it's discs having lost some volume letting the vertebrae settle. Nerves exit the spine through notches each side of the vertebrae. Sometimes they get pinched & are painful quite a while. Therapy for me is exercise, & better posture, especially when being pounded, horse, snowmobile, dirt bike, boat flying over waves, I need to keep my spine vertical to enable the cushions to do their job. Other people have different problems only a medical expert can advise you.
Knew why mine hurt All the Time as dislocated it in 1977, damage to last disc above Sacrum, pinched nerves phantom pains would come and go, ALL validated by MRI at Back Surgeons inspection. He managed a repair but short lived where started losing contact feeling again in R Leg over last two years, have a bad SI (Sacrum Iliac) joint that was likely damaged SAME TIME as first injury, cannot get that fixed too much Arthritis now. I Deal with it, still manage to tick it off occasionally where my LAST recent episode did not fare it any better. Life does not stop for aches and pains, get professional reviews and determine strategy from there.
The Dr's. think my back pain may be more from my kidneys and drinking more fluids like Gatorade or tonic water will help. Yesterday morning was about the worst my back has ached. I won't say pain because nothing compares to before I was diagnosed and had compression fractures in my vertebrae. My hips all around my back was like it was in knots. I'm laying in bed not wanting to move because that could make it worse. Thankfully it got better after I got out of bed. I'm not usually very thirsty and find it difficult to drink the large amounts my Dr. wants. My appetite varies quite a bit too. Some days I can barely eat anything and have real trouble swallowing, other days my appetite is almost normal. I think it's just part of the recovery process but gets really frustrating sometimes.
try cranberry juice if you can drink beer it’s good for kidney function as well
Not a beer drinker but don't know if any alcohol is good when I'm taking a bunch of meds including the Revlimid.
I’ve been fighting my pain after 2 surgeries.. I go to a “pill mill” every other month where they take 75.00 from me, take my weight and a 2 minute “exam” that consists of, on a scale from 1 to 10, how’s your pain..and I walk out with a fist full of prescriptions that , if I wanted to, could trade for a new truck.!! I finally got fed up with that nonsense and demanded something b done.. They scheduled me for a nerve oblasion.. basically burn the nerves.. that was 6 months ago and I’m doing good !!
Biggest problem is finding the correct neurologist, one that takes you and problem serious. Second biggest is getting insurance company to stop playing a game. In many cases the damage is furthered by jumping through all the hoops before they will agree surgery is necessary. But if one has a doctor that has guts he can cut through insurance barriers by taking a case before state insurance board.
There are many causes of back pain which may include but not be limited to kidney stones, gall stones, bone issues, neurological causes, muscular, neuromuscular and possible combinations of any of these. Generally the first stop should be a caring, qualified, compassionate GP who will do a thorough physical examination, possibly some labs and some good lumbar X-rays. Based on the results possibly additional diagnostic studies. Formulate a plan that the individual agrees with. Despite increased definition of imaging and many other diagnostics it still requires the expertise of an individual. Unfortunately today's health care is controlled by insurance companies and physicians could be employed by the insurance company or a managed care organization(MCO). Their main goal is to ration care and provide returns for their investors. Todays medical patient needs to try to educate themselves to the best of their ability rather than just trust the health care system to take care of them. Just an example: 25 years ago returning to my home town my wife had gall stones (symptoms were immediate onset of excruciating back pain while sleeping). About 4 hours after the laparoscopic procedure I was in her room wearing street clothes. A young nurse walked into her room with a syringe and attempted to give her an injection. I ask the nurse what it was and what it was for. She replied "it's for her headache" I ask my wife if she had a headache she said no. I ask the nurse to hold the injection and she insisted she give it. A mild argument ensued and left the room quite mad. About 30 minutes later another nurse came in and I inquired about the incident and the injection. She told us "it was for someone in another room". Always ask questions my friends. By the way, the syringe was loaded with Demerol. My wife is allergic to Demerol.
You do have to really pay attention to what's going on. When I was in the hospital (not the cancer institute) I was supposed to be woken up (if I was sleeping) and given a shot of the pain med. Hydromorphone (synthetic morphine about 8 times stronger than morphine) every 2 hours. I got one shot at about 10pm and another shot about 12pm. Nothing else all night long. I was in such pain I couldn't move and couldn't reach the call button that was behind me on the opposite side of the bed. I was curled up in the fetal position as that seemed to not cause even more pain. My partner came to see me in the morning and I told her I never got my meds despite it being clearly written on my chart to give the shot every 2 hours regardless if I was sleeping or not. Not known to me at the time, she went to the charge nurse to see what's going on. My partner has worked in healthcare for 40 years so knows exactly what's going on. At first the charge nurse said they were short staffed so my partner asked a few pertinent questions to which the charge nurse admitted it wasn't a staffing problem and they had the full compliment of nurses on duty that night. When the nurse in question was asked why she didn't give my shots, she said she looked in the door and it appeared I was sleeping. She did not check on me at all. When asked why I wasn't given the shots, despite it clearly being written on my chart to give them, she had basically the same answer that I appeared to be sleeping (and she was lazy). I was crying in pain and couldn't really talk or yell out for help. I'm so glad my partner came and made a complaint. She said not giving my meds was abuse! The nurse was given a 2 day suspension without pay. I didn't know about the suspension until after I came out of the hospital. My partner didn't tell me because she didn't want me to say anything to anyone.
Not only abuse but neglect. The orders should have been followed to the letter. Nursing board should have been notified. I would suspect it was not a isolated case. Demonstrates character and lack of dedication to patient care. Also anytime narcotics are withheld one must suspect the individual is keeping it. The new Rx dispensing systems if managed properly can eliminate theft of product unless the patient did not receive it.
That’s probably because whatever you were supposed to be getting for pain she was either using herself or selling lol. When I had my laminectomy after the surgery I was in so much pain I was curled in a fetal position as you were and was told to straighten out and I was crying in pain and couldn’t. Then they had to call another doctor as it was night time to finally prescribe me some dilauded so I could move a little. I realize the prescription offenders but to keep me in that much pain because of other peoples carelessness and addictions is overwhelming. I hope to not have my lower back fused just because of the terrible pain in the aftermath of surgery lol. Had to have T12 to L 3 rodded but am now experiencing surgical arthritis and lower back just keeps getting worse according to my most recent MRI. Fell off a ladder and blew a disc in my spinal cord and had temporary paralysis from my stomach down lol
I think the nurse was just being lazy. Dilauded is a brand of Hydromorphone. I was taking 2 12mg long acting twice a day and getting 2mg fast acting booster shots of it every 2 hours. I might have messed up the times. If I recall I should have had about 12 shots in total and only got 2. It's hard to think about how much pain I was in.
When mine went south was fall from a truck[Deja Vu} blew out L5 to Sacrum and could not feel waste down for couple weeks due to swelling. Put me in Traction NO SURGERY, until could feel feet then off to rehab and back to shop. Had me on Morphine for close to month and half, weened me off that to Demerol where that stopped working at 5mg stepped to 10 then 15 then 25 and I told Doc, no more. Body had built natural resistance to any form of opioid even the synthetics. 2015 had lower back surgery, helped for awhile but too old and the development of Stenosis has made its presence known.