How many of you deal with backpain?

[PA. Woodsman]

Went to a physical therapist tonight

Tonight was my first visit with a physical therapist who told me that I do have a ruptured disc which is pressing on a nerve which is causing the weakness and odd feelings in my left leg. Unlike the orthopedic doctor who had me lifting weights until the cows came home, this guy started me on ONE exercise-that's it. He said that this exercise is very important and has been proven to pull discs back into their proper place. Lie face down on the floor with your arms extended in front of you (not fully extended, though) and push up with your arms so that your upper body ONLY lifts off the floor-your arms will be straightened out and they do the work-don't pull-up with your back. Your waist and legs will be flat yet, but your upper torso will be curved. Hold this for about 5 seconds and lower your self back down flat-rest for a second or two and repeat exercise. He said that I'm to do this 200 everyday in segments, and it will help re-align the injured disc. We'll see!! :jester:

 

[lees trees]

your gonna be a expert in back-pain because you have to. when the chiropractor looked at my MRI he would not treat me. Sent me to the surgeon well I didn't wanna go there. Almost went I glad I didn't I got my own stretching and exercise doesn't take long and I feel so good I forget to do them and my old friend comes back. I read an article on "Endothil-CR" its for fixing hurt mussels so I go to GNC and get it I don't know if it works or placebo when my back flairs up I take one or two a day for 2 or 3 days at the moment this works.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Almost went I glad I didn't I got my own stretching and exercise doesn't take long and I feel so good I forget to do them and my old friend comes back.

I went to a PT and got a series of exercises that really helped. I have 2 problem disks in my lower back and I need to keep my lower abs tight, since the connect to the lower back muscles.

One mistake I was making was concentrating on the stretch alone, with no contraction movements in the routine. And here I was a body builder for 5 years and not doing a well rounded program.

 

[Bermie]

Dealing with it today! Self inflicted

Little put-put engine konked out going across the harbour this morning... (brain fart moment, I had not turned on the gas, 20 years on the water, you'd think I'd know better!:bang: ) Pulling and pulling on the starter cord, the ghost came back to haunt me, oww, my back! Trip to my physio and start doing those exercises again...you should never stop doing them once you've had back problems.
And I wanted to do the trees in may garden today:bang: :bang:

 

[70t351w]

I had a pain in my upper (shoulder blade area) that sent pain down my left arm. My left tricep muscle, chest and forearm muscles twitched and spazed-out for about four weeks. And if I sat still the pain was very bad. Now I dont have any strength at all in my left tricep.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Sounds like the Scapula area

I had a pain in my upper (shoulder blade area) that sent pain down my left arm. My left tricep muscle, chest and forearm muscles twitched and spazed-out for about four weeks. And if I sat still the pain was very bad. Now I dont have any strength at all in my left tricep.

That sounds like the Scapula area. A lot of things connect back there, and when that hurts it's very painful-I have that on occasion, too. I don't want to scare you, but not having any strength in your tricep isn't good; but I'm sure that it can be "restored" with the proper rehab exercises. I'd see a doctor and inquire about some strengthening exercises; you don't want to let that go. Good luck, I'm sure that you'll be fine.

 

[Bermie]

I had a pain in my upper (shoulder blade area) that sent pain down my left arm. My left tricep muscle, chest and forearm muscles twitched and spazed-out for about four weeks. And if I sat still the pain was very bad. Now I dont have any strength at all in my left tricep.

Ummm...and what have you done about it??
Your car or saw breaks down, you fix it, shouldn't you do the same for your body?

 

[Jumper]

My American relatives could not afford to see the doctor unless they were really ill. Shortly after moving to Canada my Uncle discovered he had major arterial blockages in both his legs and neck, and lymphoma. My aunt needed two cateract procedures. If they were still in the US he likely would be dead and she would be blind........the US has a great medical system so long as you have insurance or are rich. Those that are neither are SOL.

 

[gitrdun_climbr]

Physical/Sports massage the way to go

Sad but true Jumper.

First step into the first spar of the morning yesterday and what-do-ya-know, kickout...I was only one foot off the ground but a fine opportunity for the 'back-reaper' to pay me yet another visit!

About once a year or two since highschool sports I strain a tiny lower muscle attached to or travelling under the pelvis in my lower left back just next to the spine. At 34 the pain seems to linger more than the one or two days it used to but it does go away. PA Woodsman physical therapy/sports massage therapy is definitely the way to go. I barter with a really good one and unlike doctors at the hospital, he can root through the tissue and identify EXACTLY what is wrong...then IMMEDIATELY implement scar reduction, diet/exercise information, etc., all wrapped up into 30 minutes. With scar reduction he has 'healed' two tennis elbows, hip joint pain, lower back pain, finger pain! Scar tissue can be erroded away with heat/massage.

For those with hip pain, check the length of your legs!!! I was getting hip pain and within 30 seconds on the table he showed me how one of my legs was longer than the other and I needed a back adjustment. The longer leg was actually jamming and rolling in the top of my hip joint. His adjustment brought the length difference down from 1 full inch to 1/16th of an inch. Hip pain cleared in 48 hours!!!

Sorry so long
:monkey:

 

[Haywire Haywood]

There's a treatment for bulging/herniated disks that is newly approved as of August. My wife's boss has bad neck pain and they were going to operate on him through his throat to fuse 3 vertebrae and he was looking at a minimum of 6 weeks recovery time. This new surgery is much less invasive and you are released in under 24 hours. I don't have all the details but, they make a small 2" incision, trim the offending disks and then somehow seal the surface of the damaged disk to keep it from herniating again. Supposed to be a huge advance in back injury treatment.

My knees are going to be my downfall.. I hope they come up with something for them before I need them fixed.

Ian

 

[Soul Assassin]

Dealing with back pain

I'm unfortunately an expert in this arena.
Degenerative disk disease is very common even among people who lift heavy objects.......as we get older the cartilage between the disks gets worn down pinching nerves, muscles etc.

I've tweeked my back, instantly fallen to my knees and screamed in pain...then couldn't move for two weeks.....egad.

There are several ways to deal with it, I've never had surgery...and hope never to have it.
-Core strenghthening exercise...you strengthen the ab muscles and muscles in your lower abdomen and body so they take up the slack for your spine and your back becomes stronger.
-Yoga....start slowly...yoga is powerful medecine and if you jump in too fast you might never walk again...lol.
-Vitamin I or Ibuprofen....doesn't even touch the pain I get, but works for some.
-Chiropracter- I will never use one again, but some swear by them.
-Steroidal shot......this works like a charm...for five days (less if you have a screaming metabolism) then the pain is back in full force.
-Narcotics- Last resort to get over the hump....stop the pain so you can begin to heal. Not an option for me as I tend to eat them like candy...Lol.

Sorry about the spelling, I haven't fully awakened yet.

Good luck and stay safe.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Just an update

Just an update that I've faithfully been doing that "McKenzie" stretch 200 times a day that I mentioned in an earlier post and about 10 days ago I felt pain right on the disc itself for about a minute or so, and then my leg actually felt better and the pain on the disc left. We all believe that it actually was the disc pushing itself back into it's place; it sure hurt when it came out, so it makes sense that it would hurt a little when it pushed back in! I still have some Sciatica pain and feel not 100%, but there has been a big improvement, and it will take a long time to "calm" the Sciatic nerve down. But the exercise is working, and hopefully it'll continue to improve a little everyday. I don't need any painkillers at all, as opposed to when I was going to that Orthopedic doctor who damn-near tried to kill me with weightlifting! Keep looking for the right help and the right answer; good luck to you all!

 

[johnha]

.......the US has a great medical system so long as you have insurance or are rich. Those that are neither are SOL.

other data points:

http://tinyurl.com/24ctno

or

http://tinyurl.com/yvdv99

maybe there's a way to combine the best of both worlds? But politicians aren't the ones who should be doing it.

 

[OLD CHIPMONK]

First hurt my back in 1962 and the only thing that keeps me limber is working, bending, lifting & constant movement. Playing Golf tommorrow !

 

[livinalaska]

Brother I feel your pain!

There are a lot of great points in these replies. The ones that make the most sense include exercising your core and keeping limber. I stay away from NSAIDs because they cause way more problems than they solve. Also, the pound of fat on your belly equals 5 pounds pulling your low back forward. I know that we work in an active trade, however, keeping up on cardio and basic weight training will pay dividends in the end. I have disc degeneration and a bulged disc at L4/L5, however I haven't had pain that keeps me away from work for years. Also, I have an awesome chiropractor that I see about once a month. I'm 39 but plan to climb for a lot more years. Good luck!

 

[Haywire Haywood]

I stay away from NSAIDs because they cause way more problems than they solve.

I've heard that long term/high dosage use of Ibuprofen is bad for your liver or kidneys, I forget which.

Ian

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Finally got "released" from physical therapy!

Well, after 3 months of physical therapy to fix my ruptured L-5 disc, I was finally released this past Wednesday 11/7/07. I now still have to watch what I do and can reduce my exercises down from everyday to a couple of times a week. Thank God that I'm better; it took a lot of exercise and work, but it actually made me stronger for the long haul-and MAYBE a little smarter! :greenchainsaw:

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Just a bump!

Just wanted to bump this up so someone could find it! Still doing well with the healed disc! :greenchainsaw:

 

[Bigus Termitius]

Glad to here you are on the march.

I just got one of those ?shiatsu? massagers for Christmas.

Big helper already. Pays for itself everytime I sit down.

 

[hornett22]

i have muscle aches from a fight with a drunk in '94.

stretching makes a world of difference.my buddy has an inversion table and swears by it.i'm looking for one know.i think he said he bought his online from healthmark or something.

my dad was supposed to go under the knife years ago but he doesn't like surgery like me.went to a different doctor and was told he didn't need surgery.gave him some stretches to do and he's fine.