Arrrrg My Back !

[gregers]

Spend most of my life being beaten up by a two year old

- 2 scratched eyeballs
- 3 nosebleeds (he seems to know some karate killer finger jab!)
- 1 broken back !

i too understand the constant beatings of a young child,my youngest now 6 jumped on the bed like a bullet from a gun and headbutted me and broke my nose,i was crying and lots of tears comming down my face and he and the wife were in tears laughing thier socks off.

i suffer from a bad back muscle spasms etc and the wife did not belive me what my dr had said 'he recommended me to play more golf'
apparently it is better to try and work it ff rather then going to bed and resting which makes it worse???in my case anyway.

 

[Softus]

Similar experiences to Thermo.

Through a combination of bad beds, bad habits, bad lifting technique, bad sofas, and stupid acts of bravado, I gaily ignored decades of warning pains until one day a disc went bluuurrrgh. Pain the like of which I never want to feel again. Lost feeling in toes; phantom pain in hamstring; borderline bladder control; all of the commonplace L4/L5 prolapsed disc symptoms.

Then came physio, pain killers, research, physio, traction, seminars on the spine, chiropractic consultant, physio, and mobility exercises. And after two months I was able to walk 100m without stopping.

Then I took up Tae Kwon Do, and got full mobility and strength back within 12 months, but it was immensely hard work.

I still occasionally do something stupidly twisty and put a facet joint in a stuck position. I now know how to avoid it, and also how to undo it, but I suspect this of being a congenital weakness that is the condition I stupidly ignored for years.

My physio's description meant the most - muscle tissue is particularly stupid, because having usefully spasmed to protect other tissue (e.g. nerve bundles) from damage, it gets starved of blood supply. And it responds to being starved by doing guess what? Uh-huh - spasming.

This is why the right combination of pain killers, sleep, and mobilising exercises are the key to resolving back injuries. Pain killers allow sleep; sleep allows relaxation; relaxed muscles allow more blood supply; exercise stimulates blood flow, healing, and lymph release.

Heat, or cold, or alternating between the two, also help calm down spasmed muscles. A bag of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel is both cold enough and anatomically supportive.

The other miracle trick (for some people) is to use a TENS machine. Getting pregnant is optional of course, but a TENS is brilliant at fooling the nervous system into thinking that the pain is coming from somewhere else. I wore mine day and night for about a month.

The best advice? Don't injure your back in the first place. I now have a weakness that will never go away, and is just waiting to strike, and I can't get critical injury insurance for anything back related.

IMHO, given that we're "told" that most UK males will injure their backs during their working life, it's criminal that we're not all required to pass an exam on the spinal column before being allowed to leave school. S*d algebra and trigonometry; b*gger the English grammar lessons; all of that is worthless if you can't think straight because of back pain. Frankly, albeit somewhat crudely, I'd rather force a 10lb foetus out of my non-existent hoo-hah than re-experience disc pressure on a nerve bundle.

 

[sooey]

Steve, if you think that you've got pain now, wait until you are on your hands and knees crawling to the toilet. The wife starts laughing, the kids start laughing and although you really dont want to, you start laughing too. Then you will know the real pain of having done your back in!

That brings back memories.....had to get a cab home from work, couldn't even walk from the cab to the front door. Family hanging out the front window screaming with laughter didn't help.

 

[masona]

Steve, if you think that you've got pain now, wait until you are on your hands and knees crawling to the toilet. The wife starts laughing, the kids start laughing and although you really dont want to, you start laughing too. Then you will know the real pain of having done your back in!

That brings back memories.....had to get a cab home from work, couldn't even walk from the cab to the front door. Family hanging out the front window screaming with laughter didn't help.

My 2 boys were young when I've got stuck on my sofa and was yelling like hell when trying to get up, the only way to get up was to lower myself to the floor, was my 2 boys laughing, nope they just turned the TV up louder to drown out my painful yelling

 

[JohnD]

I have had very good results from Osteopathy.

Preferably maintein the treatment at intervals to prevent a recurrence (the thing that you think caused your bad back was almost certainly the Last Straw possibly on top of years of abuse)

Your osteo, physio or other should be able to recommend some exercise for strength and flexibility and tips on how to prevent a recurrence.

 

[Homesafe]

the majority of back pain stem's from glutoid and lower back muscles being stiff and the flexed/streched beyond there range,

and ofcourse wrong lifting techniques

to much specs

i found chiropractor's a great help.

 

[securespark]

1) Have YOU done your back - and how - and how long did it last ?
2) Any suggestions on whether I should see an osteo, a chiropractor, a physio or just keep popping pain-killers until it gets better !

Have just aggravated my lower back today. VERY painful.

I'm not taking painkillers as I like to know when it's hurting, but I will be seeing Mrs Secure's osteo ASAP.

 

[Homesafe]

for my back strain/injury i first saw a physio who gave me some exercises,but it didn't make much difference,

so i was recommended a chiroprcter
he then told me that what the physio was doing was the opposite exercise to what i needed .

his method did help sort my back out tho.

i think they do feet aswell

 

[Alison556]

I like how men with a bad back are told to play more golf but if a woman busts her back, she's told to vaccuum!!!!

I've got a bad back through years of nursing (in the days when nurses actually had to lift patients) and heaving ruddy great patients about then years in the ambulance service heaving ruddy big patients about that were strapped to a ruddy heavy trolley.

However, my most recent back injury occurred in November last year when I sneezed...............................something went "pop" and it's been agony ever since, just level with the bottom of my shoulder blade. It even hurts to touch and if I'm going to sneeze, I'm having to very quickly get myself into some kiind of supportive position to try and not wrench it again. Been to the doc twice and got prescribed co-codamol which does naff all for it really.

My lower back problem I was sent to the physio attached to the hospital. Without ever even looking or touching my back, he gave me these stupid exercises to do - bend backwards as far as you can. Bent backwards, wrenched my back, fell on the floor and decided he was an idiot that didn't know what the hell he was talking about. I could hardly walk after it the pain was so bad. Oh yeah, and sit on a hard chair - how's that meant to help when the pain is in the lower back, down to the cocyx and sitting on a hard chair makes yer bum sore!

 

[sooey]

I always find a tightly rolled up towel supporting your lower back helps when sitting. eg when driving, especially on long journeys.

 

[WDIK]

Similar experiences to Thermo.

Through a combination of bad beds, bad habits, bad lifting technique, bad sofas, and stupid acts of bravado, I gaily ignored decades of warning pains until one day a disc went bluuurrrgh. Pain the like of which I never want to feel again. Lost feeling in toes; phantom pain in hamstring; borderline bladder control; all of the commonplace L4/L5 prolapsed disc symptoms.

Then came physio, pain killers, research, physio, traction, seminars on the spine, chiropractic consultant, physio, and mobility exercises. And after two months I was able to walk 100m without stopping.

Then I took up Tae Kwon Do, and got full mobility and strength back within 12 months, but it was immensely hard work.

I still occasionally do something stupidly twisty and put a facet joint in a stuck position. I now know how to avoid it, and also how to undo it, but I suspect this of being a congenital weakness that is the condition I stupidly ignored for years.

My physio's description meant the most - muscle tissue is particularly stupid, because having usefully spasmed to protect other tissue (e.g. nerve bundles) from damage, it gets starved of blood supply. And it responds to being starved by doing guess what? Uh-huh - spasming.

This is why the right combination of pain killers, sleep, and mobilising exercises are the key to resolving back injuries. Pain killers allow sleep; sleep allows relaxation; relaxed muscles allow more blood supply; exercise stimulates blood flow, healing, and lymph release.

Heat, or cold, or alternating between the two, also help calm down spasmed muscles. A bag of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel is both cold enough and anatomically supportive.

The other miracle trick (for some people) is to use a TENS machine. Getting pregnant is optional of course, but a TENS is brilliant at fooling the nervous system into thinking that the pain is coming from somewhere else. I wore mine day and night for about a month.

The best advice? Don't injure your back in the first place. I now have a weakness that will never go away, and is just waiting to strike, and I can't get critical injury insurance for anything back related.

IMHO, given that we're "told" that most UK males will injure their backs during their working life, it's criminal that we're not all required to pass an exam on the spinal column before being allowed to leave school. S*d algebra and trigonometry; b*gger the English grammar lessons; all of that is worthless if you can't think straight because of back pain. Frankly, albeit somewhat crudely, I'd rather force a 10lb foetus out of my non-existent hoo-hah than re-experience disc pressure on a nerve bundle.

having been in the 80's green carded as disabled, yes i know the pain.

softus is so on the button here.

frankly you cant spend senough on a good bed.

ours cost 1500.


support and stability is very important.

braces ie a weight belt, and supports, such as neoprene wrap rounds do help.

bottom line is, dont do the things that will hurt your back, stop and think first.

 

[robertito]

Some years ago I slipped something in my lower spine and I had continual moderate pain. Visibly the spine was a little crooked. The doctor gave me painkillers but did nothing about the underlying problem. So I saw a chiropractor and he took X-rays etc. Then in one examination while I was lying face down he suddenly leapt at my spine and pulled it straight - no warning, so I didn't tense up.
No problems since then, so I would seriously recommend a chiropractor.

 

[maltaron]

Some years ago my wife had hand problems and after various efforts by the NHS was told to live with it. The local coalman sent her to a man who sorted his back. Now what this persons description was I do not know, but allthough his treatment hurt, it worked. I think he was like an osteopath but concentrated in releasing muscle spasm and trapped nerves. He sorted out the wifes problem and my bad back. We used to go for an MOT every month and the main thing he checked was the pelvic alignment, and once you know of it its surprising how many people are "lopsided" and this is a major cause of back trouble. Unfortunately he died and to date I have not found a replacement. However, to update treatments, I recently had a strained back and the doctor gave me a booklet which recommends pain killers and carry on as normal. He also prescribed Voltaren gel which helped.

 

[noseall]

and the main thing he checked was the pelvic alignment

i regularly check the wife's.

 

[wreckedit]

Pain killer (1) and anti-inflammatory (2) drugs do different things. You should use (2) to accelerate the healing process. Things like paracetamol do nothing in that way. The side effect of (2) is that it kills pain, unfortunate for those of you who like it. I have had so much pain in my life that I just mix up what I've got in the cabinet and hope for the best.

P.S How do you do the quotes in the white boxes?