Bad back.....again!

[Rickyy]

I injured my back about 4 years ago by lifting something far too heavy by myself. I was in pain for about two weeks after this and every so often I get bad pain in my lower back. I have this pain now, I've been to the doctor again and once again I've been given medication and told it will get better.

He described it today as " A joint in my back that should be rigid has excessive play and is causing muscular problems". Not sure if this makes any sense to anyone, but before I go to a private Chiropractor is there anything I can do in the mean time to aid recovery. Avoiding strenuous activity isn't an option as its part of my job unfortunately.

Also, on the left side of my lower back, where the pain is mostly coming from, I can feel a lump under the skin, which moves about when I apply pressure to it. It feels fairly solid, but has a gritty feel when it moves. Any ideas?

[NorthDave]

I dont know about your case (and I am most definitely not a chiropractor) but my bad back goes when I stretch my legs properly. Ham strings and quads seem to make a massive difference and since I have stopped cycling as much and started running I hardly ever feel it.

I didn't like the chiropractor much, it seemed like he was on a pre-defined route to milk me for as much cash as possible. In his words - "don't run" - started running and it has been fine since.

Might be worth a try?

[rog007]

I'd seek out a specialist NHS GP http://www.nhs.uk/servicedirectories/Pages/Service...

In the meantime, I'd stay mobile and watch my posture at the desk, driving and watching the 'lympics. Good luck!

[E38Ross]

OP - where are you based? I'm a chiropractor

[Rickyy]

South Wales, too far away from you it seems! Wouldn't happen to know of one down this neck of the woods you could recommend?

[E38Ross]

Rickyy said:

South Wales, too far away from you it seems! Wouldn't happen to know of one down this neck of the woods you could recommend?

How far from Caerphilly are you? I know a few around South Wales as I studied there.

[Halb]

PH connection network.

[Rickyy]

E38Ross said:

Rickyy said:

South Wales, too far away from you it seems! Wouldn't happen to know of one down this neck of the woods you could recommend?

How far from Caerphilly are you? I know a few around South Wales as I studied there.

About 40 minutes, but I often work in Cardiff, would be willing to travel if they come recommended!

[jules_s]

If you have muscular problems IME you would seriously benefit more from a physiotherapist as opposed to a chiropractor.

A physio will also be in a far better position to advise you whether to visit chiropractor; as quite frankly it sounds to me (again IMO/IME) your GP is clutching at straws at best.

[E38Ross]

Rickyy said:

E38Ross said:

Rickyy said:

South Wales, too far away from you it seems! Wouldn't happen to know of one down this neck of the woods you could recommend?

How far from Caerphilly are you? I know a few around South Wales as I studied there.

About 40 minutes, but I often work in Cardiff, would be willing to travel if they come recommended!

Sent you an email mate.

[rog007]

Having some lower back problems of my own at the moment (too much tug o' war!), I was interested in what chiropractors could do for me but spotted 'chiropractic treatment is seen as a complimentary treatment, which means that it is not usually available on the NHS' so you may have to pay yourself.

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1098.aspx?CategoryID=6...

And then I spotted that the BMJ published an article 8 weeks ago 'Should we abandon cervical spine manipulation for mechanical neck pain? Yes'

http://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e3679

which The Daily Mail picked up on and said 'Neck ‘cracking’ and manipulations carried out by chiropractors could trigger ‘catastrophic’ health problems such as strokes', which must be a little worrying?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2156179/...

[Stu R]

Get a referral to someone who knows what they're talking about or push for a more thorough assessment. When it comes to back injury GPs aren't much more use than simply being your first point of contact. I'd also avoid chiropractors like the plague until you actually know what's going on yourself.

Have you had any scans done? Does your GP know it's through a lifting injury? The first thing I'd want to know is what state the discs are in, any herniation etc. I promise you don't want to ignore it - I did and I'm sat here with 4 knackered discs and a cacophony of lumbar and thoracic problems as a result at 29 years old.

[Rickyy]

Thanks Ross, Rog and Jules.

Stu R said:

Get a referral to someone who knows what they're talking about or push for a more thorough assessment. When it comes to back injury GPs aren't much more use than simply being your first point of contact. I'd also avoid chiropractors like the plague until you actually know what's going on yourself.

Have you had any scans done? Does your GP know it's through a lifting injury? The first thing I'd want to know is what state the discs are in, any herniation etc. I promise you don't want to ignore it - I did and I'm sat here with 4 knackered discs and a cacophony of lumbar and thoracic problems as a result at 29 years old.

This is what I'm worried about, I'm 24 and have been like this for the last 3 years. My concern is that it seems to triggered by light work. I can lift and carry heavy things fine (been very careful to keep my back straight and bend my legs) but it was triggered by bending slightly to saw something.

Who do I speak to to push for a further asessment (sp?)?

Thanks everyone for the advice so far.

[E38Ross]

jules_s said:

If you have muscular problems IME you would seriously benefit more from a physiotherapist as opposed to a chiropractor.

i strongly disagree with this (but i would )

why? because we're taught a LOT about muscular problems, every bit as much as physios. if your problem is caused by light lifting etc, that's nothing unusual. most (not all, but certainly most) muscle strains/tweaks etc whatever you'd like to call them are a case of "the last straw that broke the camels back" where you repeatedly load the muscle well within its normal tolerance/ability, but don't give it long enough to recover between repeated loads and eventually it fails.

think of it this way....with one finger nail scratch your opposite arm a little. no harm done. scratch it constantly for an hour, and it hurts. the same applies to most tissues in the body....irritate them enough and they'll fail.

so what should you do about it? rehabilitation. any person who says "stop doing what the cause is", generally, should be shot. if it's something you can easily stop fair enough. but the majority of the time it's not. a sports person isn't going to stop the sport even if you tell them. what you should be offered is SPECIFIC, tailored exercises to strengthen whatever is weak to help it cope with the demands YOU put upon them.

physio? they are NO better qualified than a decent chiropractor. many "old school" chiropractors practice ways in which i strongly disagree with...."give you an adjustment/crack your back, and you're fine"....it's bullst. this is what people most commonly thing of when they think of a chiropractor. it's a crying shame because more modern chiropractors are very, very good and there is plenty of evidence from very good RCT's.

[dreamer75]

Personally I would try to get the GP to refer you to a specialist to diagnose the problem, before having the treatment.

I had back pain, self-treated via an osteopath who told me it defo wasn't a disc issue. After a year or so of it getting worse, spasm'ing, leaving me in agony, I got referred for scans etc., and it was exactly that - a disc issue. Physio with Pilates improved things, but have now had 2 operations (discectomy and fusion) to fix it.

Simply cracking the joint or stretching the muscles wasn't going to help the fact the disc splurged itself, and the bones rubbed holes on each other !

Having said that I'm a firm believer in Pilates for strengthening the various muscles that should be supporting you (in your core). Mine were horrendously weak, and tbh no matter how much work I did on them, I couldn't strengthen them much. Until after the fusion and now they're strengthening up nicely

[petemurphy]

pilates is the only thing that has worked for me and ive tried everything..

[E38Ross]

dreamer75 said:

Simply cracking the joint or stretching the muscles wasn't going to help the fact the disc splurged itself, and the bones rubbed holes on each other !

depends on what type of disc herniation it was, and whether the disc outer shell (annulus fibrosis) was in tact or not; but "cracking your back" can actually be beneficial for various reasons. it's not going to cure a disc herniation, but it can certainly help in many cases (again, depending on the type of herniation and location) and when accompanied with various exercises the benefits can be huge.

[LordGrover]

petemurphy said:

pilates is the only thing that has worked for me and ive tried everything..

Dunno about pilates, but weight training sorted me out after decades of bad backs (and dodgy chiropractors).

Pleased to see above that some chiropractors/osteopaths are better than those I've had 'treat' me though.

[Stu R]

Rickyy said:

Thanks Ross, Rog and Jules.

Stu R said:

Get a referral to someone who knows what they're talking about or push for a more thorough assessment. When it comes to back injury GPs aren't much more use than simply being your first point of contact. I'd also avoid chiropractors like the plague until you actually know what's going on yourself.

Have you had any scans done? Does your GP know it's through a lifting injury? The first thing I'd want to know is what state the discs are in, any herniation etc. I promise you don't want to ignore it - I did and I'm sat here with 4 knackered discs and a cacophony of lumbar and thoracic problems as a result at 29 years old.

This is what I'm worried about, I'm 24 and have been like this for the last 3 years. My concern is that it seems to triggered by light work. I can lift and carry heavy things fine (been very careful to keep my back straight and bend my legs) but it was triggered by bending slightly to saw something.

Who do I speak to to push for a further asessment (sp?)?

Thanks everyone for the advice so far.

Your GP. It really depends on what the their assessment is so far and what you've been prescribed. If it's just thrown in the 'general aches and pains' category and you've been bunged some painkillers, it's probably worth getting either a second opinion or going back to your GP and explaining your concerns because it's been reoccurring for 4 years, and due to the physical nature of your work etc and that you're not getting any relief - chances are you'll get referral to a specialist anyway, but if not don't be afraid to suggest that's what you want.

I certainly wouldn't seek any treatments until the cause has been fully diagnosed, but you do need to address pain management too if you're not getting any relief from what you've been prescribed, or if OTC meds offer less relief than required. Treating the symptoms alone is a very NHS approach to back pain unfortunately.

[dreamer75]

E38Ross said:

depends on what type of disc herniation it was, and whether the disc outer shell (annulus fibrosis) was in tact or not; but "cracking your back" can actually be beneficial for various reasons. it's not going to cure a disc herniation, but it can certainly help in many cases (again, depending on the type of herniation and location) and when accompanied with various exercises the benefits can be huge.

Indeed, and they were, but they couldn't cure the underlying issue. My physio uses a combination of different techniques including the "cracking" (or clunking!), manipulation, exercises, needles, k tape etc. But ultimately there was no disc left, and the bones were sitting on each other. Knowing what was going on underneath helped tailor the treatment, until finally surgery was the only option, and now I'm on the road to (hopefully) a full recovery..