back pain

[MossRoad]

...


And how did the labor /contractions go? : :laughing:



JB.

They went fine for me. Not so good for her. 26hrs!

 

[AchingBack]

Unless I missed it in this thread, I didn't see the mention of ice. Especially during the first 24 hours after injury, ice will provide more relief than heat. Heat alone can actually make things worse, as it induces more swelling. Start with icing for twenty minutes, followed by heat, followed by icing. Always finish with ice. Do this every two hours or so. Lying flat on your back with legs elevated on a chair, and a small towell rolled up and placed beneath your neck, does wonders.

 

[Hakim]

I have had back pain, sometimes very severe, due to a malformed last vertebrae.

The best relief I obtain is from:

1) Chinese acupuncture and TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation). You can purchase a TENS machine for under $100, and use pads to direct the current where it helps the most.
Amazon.com: tens unit

2) Massage. A massage practitioner is good. I also own a G-5 massage machine. That tool is used by professional physical therapists, chiropractors and sports team trainers. It costs about $1,500 but is a miracle. (Google "G-5 massage".) Amazon has various models.

The handheld G5 is cheaper but the floor model works best. In 10 minutes you get the effect of a 60 minute physical hand-on massage. Amazon.com: g5 massager

I bought two G5's over the years off of Ebay for around $500 each. They are made by General Physiotherapy. The G5 machines are so rugged that they last for 40 and 50 years, even longer. I would look for a newer unit however. Anyone can perform the massage with a G5. It is not hard work, nor tiring, as with physical full body massage.

3) Daily walks. I walk 3-5 miles daily, either on a treadmill at a fitness center, or on the beach (I live 2 minutes from the ocean).

4) FAR infrared sauna. 15-20 minutes 3-4 times week.

5) I second what was said about hydration.

I consider all of the above as part of my overall fitness and health regimen.

As I have aged I have to more carefully calculate my activities, and be aware that some physical actions (ESPECIALLY snow shoveling ). carry great risk of my back "going out" and spending 5-8 days recovering.

 

[coffeeman]

Two Mondays ago, thru the day, I got quite a back pain; lower back. I guess it was a total of shoveling snow, falling down in snow at least 5 times while trimming tree limbs out of drive lane, breaking ice up from concrete walk, riding in rough Dodge pickup and plowing snow in an old 84 Blazer. Monday evening I couldn't walk to bathroom without help. Toughed it out till Tue morn and called doctor to go in. He said go to ER. Spent 2 days there and got all the good tests; MRI, CAT scan, X rays, blood work etc. They said all is OK. However, I still have a lot of pain. Things went good till last nite. While sleeping I moved the wrong way and what pain! I had a big set back. I could hardly walk again.

This morning I sent to Lowe's for one of those back support belts. Believe it or not, I got relief instantly. I have ventured out of house to test this belt out. The pain is there. However, when moving around I don't get those sharp deep pains. I am going to watch what I do, but I'm one of those guys who never learn.

Does anyone out there have some suggestions on ways to relieve pain. I think I just got a pulled muscle in lower right side. Funny though, the doctor never did tell me what happened; even after running the "good" tests. I never did get checked by a doctor that might be a muscle doctor. Go figure.

Cheers...Coffeeman

Follow up...The back support belt I got at Lowes worked. I couldn't hardly believe it. I put it on and the support allowed me to spend about 8 hours on the go. Don't get me wrong the pain is still there but it's consistent not volatile. Last nite I slept with the belt on. I was able to roll and change sleeping positions through the nite. The best part, I didn't need those super pain pills. I took the belt off for a couple hours before leaving my house this morn. I don't want to weaken good muscle too much. I was able to navagate around house easily being careful as I went. I put belt back on before venturing out on the street. I do realize I am lucky the belt seems to be working for me. Of course, different more complicated things may need to be done in others. This is just one story in the many out there. In addition, 36 hours of comfort isn't winning the battle. I'll know more in a week.

Thanks much to all out there who had time to offer tips. On thing; my pain was as bad as passing a kidney stone. This is a first time for me with this kind of back pain. I now understand how terrible such pain can be. I feel for all you out there who have to live with back pain.

Cheers....Coffeeman

 

[jbrine]

I have had back pain, sometimes very severe, due to a malformed last vertebrae.

The best relief I obtain is from:

1) Chinese acupuncture and TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation). You can purchase a TENS machine for under $100, and use pads to direct the current where it helps the most.
Amazon.com: tens unit

2) Massage. A massage practitioner is good. I also own a G-5 massage machine. That tool is used by professional physical therapists, chiropractors and sports team trainers. It costs about $1,500 but is a miracle. (Google "G-5 massage".) Amazon has various models.

The handheld G5 is cheaper but the floor model works best. In 10 minutes you get the effect of a 60 minute physical hand-on massage. Amazon.com: g5 massager

I bought two G5's over the years off of Ebay for around $500 each. They are made by General Physiotherapy. The G5 machines are so rugged that they last for 40 and 50 years, even longer. I would look for a newer unit however. Anyone can perform the massage with a G5. It is not hard work, nor tiring, as with physical full body massage.

3) Daily walks. I walk 3-5 miles daily, either on a treadmill at a fitness center, or on the beach (I live 2 minutes from the ocean).

4) FAR infrared sauna. 15-20 minutes 3-4 times week.

5) I second what was said about hydration.

I consider all of the above as part of my overall fitness and health regimen.

As I have aged I have to more carefully calculate my activities, and be aware that some physical actions (ESPECIALLY snow shoveling ). carry great risk of my back "going out" and spending 5-8 days recovering.

you and i have a very similar condition. i have an extra vertebrae, so all of my lower are a little malformed. i have had severe back pain off and on for most of my life, after age 12 or so...

I first hurt my back sledding in the snow, then football definitely did not help matters. After the last game I played sophomore year I could not lift my left leg more than an inch. It took 6 months of physical therapy to regain about 75% of the mobility of my leg.

I find the tens units to help a great deal when in pain. They seem to relax the muscles that are knotted up.

The best thing to do in my experience, is go to a chiropractor.

I have been to about a dozen chiropractors and therapists over the years, never finding a good one, till I met my wife and her mother worked for one in a nearby town.
So I went to see him. He did all kinds of tests, balance tests, range of motion tests, flexibility tests, it was about a two hour long exam! He did his own x-rays. I came back later that week. He sat down with me and asked if I knew of any unusual problems with my back. He brought out the x-rays and explained them to me. He was the first chiropractor I had been to that noticed my 'extra'ordinary condition.

Apparently I have to be adjusted a little different than most people. He said he had read about people with extra vertebrae in school but had never adjusted one. He went back to his books and told me he thought he could help me. Within about two weeks (4 visits) the pain was completely gone. The pain only returns when i do something stupid..! I seem to hit my head on a lot of stuff, so he fixes my neck nearly every time i see him too.

He also has a physical therapist on staff that I met with to get exercises to strengthen my core muscles, which has helped a great deal.

I go back for a checkup every 6 weeks or so. The last two years of my life have been 99% pain free. Plus my insurance pays for up to 10 visits a year so it doesn't cost me much.

This may seem like overkill, but i will do anything needed to keep from ending up like my mom. She has had a bad back since she was in a car accident when she was younger. It would repeatedly hurt in the same area. She would go to chiropractor long enough to get relief from pain, but her back would go out again and again, nearly always in the same spot. She developed Degenerative Disk Syndrome. She has had back surgery twice now, is in constant pain, and will be for the rest of her life. She is severely limited in what she can do, and she's only 54.

I do a lot of physical work, on a daily basis, and need my back to not only be pain free, but resistant to repeated injury, which can lead to much worse problems down the road. With the exercises, and an occasional checkup, I have been problem free for two years.

 

[zzvyb6]

I have 3 crushed discs and can tell you all about back pain. I still play hockey 2ce a week though. Here's my suggestions:

Change your wallet pocket to the other side. It will take a while to get used to it. The wallet causes your back to be twisted in a chair or car seat.

Get a better pair of shoes, I now wear only the mocs from Cabelas. They are tieless so I don't need to bend over to lace them up. Something with a softer rubber sole. Maybe a running shoe. Stay off the high heel boots. They make you feel taller but you're not fooling anybody.

Change your car seat position or better drive a different car. Some car seats are angled such that when you are square in the driver's seat, you are actually facing the right front of the vehicle. A truck bench seat is the best for support. A bucket seat with air bladders that are adjustable is good for a while, too.

Get in a hot tub. Rather than buy one, rent a motel room with one. Take your GF or wife along. They will help out a lot to stretch you out.

Hang from a door or inversion table. Have your partner pull on your legs while you hold onto something while lying on your stomach. Do it for 20 minutes.

If the pain is off to the side. the muscles on the side without pain are the problem. My Dr. explained that its like a pair of dual tires. When one goes flat, the other tire has to carry all the load and its the one that burns up.

By all means loose the belly. Go to Home Depot or Lowes and pick up a 40# bag of cement and carry it around the store while you shop. No difference between the cement and that extra gut you are feeding. Your back has to carry that load at a large offset. The bending moment from the beer gut is huge and responsible for a lot of back deformation.

The back brace works because its stretching your vertebrae apart. It will also help you diet because your stomach feels full.

Stay off the medicine if you can. It screws up your liver and your digestive system. That will cause other complications that are as bad as back pain.

 

[coffeeman]

I have 3 crushed discs and can tell you all about back pain. I still play hockey 2ce a week though. Here's my suggestions:

Change your wallet pocket to the other side. It will take a while to get used to it. The wallet causes your back to be twisted in a chair or car seat.

Get a better pair of shoes, I now wear only the mocs from Cabelas. They are tieless so I don't need to bend over to lace them up. Something with a softer rubber sole. Maybe a running shoe. Stay off the high heel boots. They make you feel taller but you're not fooling anybody.

Change your car seat position or better drive a different car. Some car seats are angled such that when you are square in the driver's seat, you are actually facing the right front of the vehicle. A truck bench seat is the best for support. A bucket seat with air bladders that are adjustable is good for a while, too.

Get in a hot tub. Rather than buy one, rent a motel room with one. Take your GF or wife along. They will help out a lot to stretch you out.

Hang from a door or inversion table. Have your partner pull on your legs while you hold onto something while lying on your stomach. Do it for 20 minutes.

If the pain is off to the side. the muscles on the side without pain are the problem. My Dr. explained that its like a pair of dual tires. When one goes flat, the other tire has to carry all the load and its the one that burns up.

By all means loose the belly. Go to Home Depot or Lowes and pick up a 40# bag of cement and carry it around the store while you shop. No difference between the cement and that extra gut you are feeding. Your back has to carry that load at a large offset. The bending moment from the beer gut is huge and responsible for a lot of back deformation.

The back brace works because its stretching your vertebrae apart. It will also help you diet because your stomach feels full.

Stay off the medicine if you can. It screws up your liver and your digestive system. That will cause other complications that are as bad as back pain.

Wow ...good points

In the few days leading up to my problem I moved my wallet into my shirt pocket. I keep my $$ in my front pocket and wallet is a day book. however I keep credits in book.

When I don't use my Exterra during good weather I use my enjoyable driving and riding 94 Caddy. Car seats make a big difference. I got one of those car seat covers that are made out of wooden balls; the ones taxi drivers use. That helped me in the Exterra.

I have a hot tub that just uses the heat from the hot water tank. It has water jets and I dont have to adjust and maintain water like a swimming pool. Saves time and power. The motel is a good idea though.

Good shoes are a must. I get to a point when gaining weight that my feet start to hurt. I have found that good old leather soled shoes absorb shock of walking far better in the long run than does rubber soled tenners; at least for me.

Just some other thoughts...Coffeeman

 

[George2615]

I also use Aleve and/or Advil. A nice soak in a hot tub works wonders too. But I think best of all is a back massage from a hot girl in a ******. I just can't get the wife to agree on that though.

 

[Thomas]

George
"Aleve or Advil I just can't get the wife to agree on that though."

 

[captaincrab55]

Last year I was taking Meds for back, neck and shoulder pain.. Med cost was about $15 per day.... My shoulder was like a tooth ache even after 3 of those wonder shots in a one year period... MRI didn't show anything that should cause the pain... I was ready to schedule exploratory surger last June, when I was forced to go on a Gluten Free diet.. Within 10 days of going Gluten Free, the pain eased.. Since going Gluten Free, 90% of the pain is gone... This may not bring relief to a large group of people with similar pain, but may help a few...

btw, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease... Doctor said there was a simple fix, just give up wheat, rye and barley....

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I had to have back surgery 2 years ago and boy was it an eye opener for me, I always thought I was invincible but all the years of doing the kind of work I do caught up to me, I had a disc herniate or rupture whatever you want to call it inward and it pinched my spinal column and I was flat of my back for about 5 weeks until they got it all figured out and was able to do surgery, it is an eye opener not to be able to put on your own pants or shoes or set down and get up off the toilet, very humbling. I was offered open back surgery and declined due to the rate of success verses failure, I was able to get in with a place that specialized in neck and back surgery and they did it all arthriscopically very small incision, crippled into the operating room 3 hrs later was able to stand upright and walk out something I was unable to do for over a month prior to this surgery, these people got me back going again, I was afraid after listening to several doctors that I would have to retire and give up the trade I loved, but fortunately my surgery was a success, as mentioned in an earlier post surgeon told me to walk a lot.

 

[2manyrocks]

.

By all means loose the belly. Go to Home Depot or Lowes and pick up a 40# bag of cement and carry it around the store while you shop. No difference between the cement and that extra gut you are feeding. Your back has to carry that load at a large offset. The bending moment from the beer gut is huge and responsible for a lot of back deformation.

Agree with the weight loss, but the cement bag therapy ....

 

[dmccarty]

Get the Bone Cracker ASAP.

Like Yesterday.

I first messed up my back putting tile up in the bathroom. I was straddling the tub. One leg in and one leg out. I reached behind me to far and too fast to lay some gunk on the wall and I felt and heard my back pop. I said this is going to hurt.

It did. :drool:

The pain ramped up over the following week. I was holding my right arm over my head which I learned later was a classic symptom of the injury. The wifey want me to go to her Chiropractor. I did not listen to her. A week after the injury I woke up in very bad pain and went to the Doc In A Box. The did Xrays, told me to take Tylonel/Motrin and said go to your Dr on Monday. I did not have a doctor so we started looking and found a nearby sport medicine doctor. Unfortunately Sunday night I felt good enough to take a shower.

I like HOT showers. Guess what? Heat at the wrong time and place can cause you more pain. The shower sent me to the ER at 0200. :confused2: Which was a waste of time since they did nothing.

I found out later that the injury causes swelling. The swelling then causes pain. Which causes more swelling. Which causes more pain. :confused2: This is what happened to me all week. The hot shower set the pain off again.

Eventually, a lifetime it seems, I get to the doctor who gives me pain killer, 800mg Motrin, muscle relaxer, and it seems like something else. All of which took away the pain but put me on the couch out of work for a week. My boss was talking about putting me on short term disability.

I made two mistakes. Well three. I waited too long going for treatment. I went to a MD. And I took a hot shower.

The delay in going to the bone cracker has left me with numbness in my finger tips. The injury caused pain down my right arm and into my fingers. I can over work my arm and have very bad muscle cramps which is due to the injury. I can't throw stuff anymore either. I threw a foot ball with my daughter a couple of week back and the pain almost put me on the ground. The muscles have changed in my shoulder.

A few months after this happened I was laying a retaining block wall to build up an area for our "barn". This was not good. This just made the back pain flare up. I could feel it ramping up and told the wifey to get me an appointment with her Bone Cracker ASAP.

I told her that if they could not help I would be back in the ER by the weekend. The DC took XRAYs and did some tests on a Friday. He told me they would review the results, go home and put ice on my back every seven minutes every hour for as many hours as I could, and come back on Monday. If the pain was bad take some Motrin. I gave him a look like he was out of his mind. :laughing: I was in pain and knew I would be in the ER soon. He saw the look, gave me his card, and said to call if the pain got worse......

I went home and did what he said. The ice pad reduce the pain and swelling. No ER for me. We started treatment and the fixed me up.

Basically with a few over the counter pills and an ice pad. The MDs had me drugged out of my mine and out of work. I could go to work with the DC. And I did.

Years later the back was in pretty good shape.....

And some idiot did not yield at a light and hit us which sent me back to the DC with a messed up neck..... :confused2:

Be careful with heat. It has its place in treatment. Eventually I was doing cold, heat, cold treatments. But heat up front can cause lots of pain. Cold is better.

With the car accident I have done accupuncture, cupping, and massage as well as the DC. They all have worked. And no drugs. No missed work from being ga ga at home from the MD's drugs. Those have their place for sure but you can get pain relieve from an ice pad.....

Go to the DC.

The TENS that Hakim talked about also works. Just be careful dialing in the power. That little 9 volt battery can really shock you. :confused2:

Later,
Dan

 

[955er]

Inversion table. Stretches you right out. It gets me up many days. I suggest the teeter hang-ups. Try one out at the store.

 

[archerm3]

Two Mondays ago, thru the day, I got quite a back pain; lower back. I guess it was a total of shoveling snow, falling down in snow at least 5 times while trimming tree limbs out of drive lane, breaking ice up from concrete walk, riding in rough Dodge pickup and plowing snow in an old 84 Blazer. Monday evening I couldn't walk to bathroom without help. Toughed it out till Tue morn and called doctor to go in. He said go to ER. Spent 2 days there and got all the good tests; MRI, CAT scan, X rays, blood work etc. They said all is OK. However, I still have a lot of pain. Things went good till last nite. While sleeping I moved the wrong way and what pain! I had a big set back. I could hardly walk again.

This morning I sent to Lowe's for one of those back support belts. Believe it or not, I got relief instantly. I have ventured out of house to test this belt out. The pain is there. However, when moving around I don't get those sharp deep pains. I am going to watch what I do, but I'm one of those guys who never learn.

Does anyone out there have some suggestions on ways to relieve pain. I think I just got a pulled muscle in lower right side. Funny though, the doctor never did tell me what happened; even after running the "good" tests. I never did get checked by a doctor that might be a muscle doctor. Go figure.

Cheers...Coffeeman

Sounds like a muscle spasm, you need painkillers and muscle relaxants.

 

[DocHeb]

Just a reminder to all:

There are multiple ways to obtain relief since there are multiple reasons for back pain, running the gamut from muscle strains to arthritis of the bone to degenerative disc disease to herniated discs to compression fractures to metastatic cancer to infections (even tuberculosis) of the spine.

The worrisome signs for significant reasons for back pain (lumbar or cervical):
1. Sudden onset of pain associated with a high-energy mechanism (fall from height, car crash, etc)
2. Midline pain (rather than the muscle pain along the sides of the spine) especially when associated with night sweats and fevers.
3. Motor weakness of the arms or legs.
4. Urinary or bowel incontinence
5. Numbness/pins and needles of your "privates"
6. Loss of ****** function.

The last three are associated with a condition called "Cauda Equina Syndrome", where a ruptured disc pushes on the lower sacral nerves. This is a true emergency, especially if the symptoms are associated with a sudden onset during a high-energy activity. These nerves can't take a joke and can be permanently damaged within hours. I have been asking about the CES symptoms in my back pain patients for 25 years. I saw my first case about 9 months ago when a newly-married schoolteacher was playing basketball with his students. He jumped high and "landed crooked". It caused severe pain, but he played for 5 more minutes because he didn't want to show his students he was hurt. He knew something was up as the pain got worse and he felt like he needed to urinate but "it wouldn't come out", and he also whispered to me that "'it' isn't working any more". He had his MRI within one hour and it showed a complete rupture of the L5 disc backwards into the spinal canal - and it was totally squishing the lower nerve roots. He was on the operating room table within three hours of the injury. The worst part of my day (and he and his sobbing wife's) was warning him that some of the symptoms may persist after the surgery - i.e. "it" might not ever work again.

Please have significant back pain evaluated by a medical physician at least once. Chiropractors can do wonders with muscle and bulging disc problems - not so much with metastatic prostate cancer or multiple myeloma. I would (and have personally) used a PM&R (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) doctor.

 

[Hakim]

Chris,

Wise advice indeed. Thanks for posting.

 

[dave1949]

Great advice DocHeb, but you are taking all the fun out of the rest of practicing w/o a licence

It's certainly helpful to point out that not all back pains are created equal and can be a lot more serious than a layperson could guess.
Dave.

 

[MossRoad]

Yes, very good advice indeed. Thanks.

 

[DocHeb]

I would also like to mention a saying that is often quoted in medicine: "When you hear hoofbeats, think of horses rather than zebras". That is to say, common things happen commonly, and rare things happen rarely. A unusual or uncommon diagnosis may take several visits to diagnose, but eventually a good physician will find it. Don't give up after one visit - let the doctor know the first plan hasn't worked and give him a second chance at making the rare diagnosis - rather than jumping from doctor-to-doctor. However, if it appears the doctor has given up, it is a good time to switch.