Help! Just Put My Back Out
Discussion
Calling on all back experts! I have a long history of back problems. Unfortunately I have just put my back out. I tried lying on the floor to sort it, but it took me about five minutes to get up off the floor. I cannot stand up straight, so sitting down is the least painful thing to do. I need to get this sorted immediately, so was wondering what advice people could offer. I used an osteopath last year. I was wondering whether I should see a chiropractor or physiotherapist instead. All advice will be greatly received as I am in total despair.
It hasn't started spasming yet, thank God. It is just incredibly painful if I move and very stiff. It is the lower back that is affected.
It hasn't started spasming yet, thank God. It is just incredibly painful if I move and very stiff. It is the lower back that is affected.
All started Saturday lunch time when out in the car and my friend broke very sharply. Only doing about twenty mph but sufficient to throw me forward and set sciatic nerve off.
Started to spasm in evening, mildly, with pain concentrated on left hand lower back. Last night turned mattress on my bed as it appeared to be better (totally stupid thing to do). Was feeling stiff, but not too bad within an hour.
Just bent down now and that is when it went.
Am devasted as I am photographer and was about to start race season this week (running) after long illness.
Have used neurofen and alcohol (small amount) in past to help me relax. Will take it easy and try to keep mobile as that is advice given by osteopaths in past.
Started to spasm in evening, mildly, with pain concentrated on left hand lower back. Last night turned mattress on my bed as it appeared to be better (totally stupid thing to do). Was feeling stiff, but not too bad within an hour.
Just bent down now and that is when it went.
Am devasted as I am photographer and was about to start race season this week (running) after long illness.
Have used neurofen and alcohol (small amount) in past to help me relax. Will take it easy and try to keep mobile as that is advice given by osteopaths in past.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Thanks Lois! Have been doing exercises for a number of years now and have enjoyed relatively few problems in the past two years.
Friend is coming around in a minute. I will get her to get Ibrobrufen as I know that once it goes into spasm it will be unbearable.
Find a local physio, theres one near me who I get to work on my shoulders and upper back since my left shoulder tends to get tense.
If you have a history of back problems it might be worth arranging something where you go to your physio every month or two regularly, just to have all the muscles worked into their correct positions
If you have a history of back problems it might be worth arranging something where you go to your physio every month or two regularly, just to have all the muscles worked into their correct positions
My missus found the osteopaths to be very useful when she had sciatica during her pregnancy. But they are pricy, hers were 40 quid a shot and she was lucky that some of that was paid by her company healthcare.
Also we found that if I massaged her right butt cheek, where the sciatic nerve is, that gave her some temporary relief. It was temporary in her case cos the baby was resting on the sciatic nerve but might be more permanant in your case (i'm guessing you're not pregnant.) You do have to dig in quite hard tho and follow the nerve down as it where.
Good luck in your running, I am coming back to it also after 6 months off. I have found that it's easier to regain fitness (after being fit) than it is when you are first getting fit.
Also we found that if I massaged her right butt cheek, where the sciatic nerve is, that gave her some temporary relief. It was temporary in her case cos the baby was resting on the sciatic nerve but might be more permanant in your case (i'm guessing you're not pregnant.) You do have to dig in quite hard tho and follow the nerve down as it where.
Good luck in your running, I am coming back to it also after 6 months off. I have found that it's easier to regain fitness (after being fit) than it is when you are first getting fit.
puggit said:
Depends on the injury! If it's just a sprain then keeping moving (small movements) is good for it
I often sprain my back and moving along with ibuprofen is best - alcohol also helps if there's no ibuprofen, but can increase the injury if you then move too fast!
If there is any inflammation of the disk then the movement will make it worse & cause spasms etc. Hardest bit is knowing what the cause is. Either way, Ibuprofen will reduce pain and inflammation. My surgeon recommended cycling Ibuprofen with paracetamol every 2 hours.
EmmaP - try to get to a pro, I've found chiro's to be really useful and helped identify the actual cause (took an MRI scan to find it though) and then a suitable plan to manage it in the longer term.
Above all, hope it gets better soon, there is little that is so debilitating (sp??)
Have you ever got to the bottom of the cause of your lower back weakness?
I know you're a gym bod, have you over developed your ABS and possibly weakened your obliques in the process? That happened to me and I had lower back problems. Since I saw a physio and strengthened them my lower back has been trouble free.
And get your legs measured... Lower back problems can often be exacerbated by odd length legs.
I know you're a gym bod, have you over developed your ABS and possibly weakened your obliques in the process? That happened to me and I had lower back problems. Since I saw a physio and strengthened them my lower back has been trouble free.
And get your legs measured... Lower back problems can often be exacerbated by odd length legs.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Sorry to hear that Emma..
Ibuprofen is a great painkiller, but its also a pretty good anti inflamatory; when I threw my back out a few years ago I was advised to take a course of Ibu. IIRC, I was on the big pink horse tranquilizer sized jobbies, 2 or 3 a day for a few days. The cummulative effect eased the pain, but I was also advised to take it easy as I'd not notice the pain so would be vulnerable to damaging it more.
The thing which finally sorted it out for good, I kept on tweaking it periodically when climbing, flying or surfing, (well, actually when falling off, crashing and half drowning), was acupuncture. My old GP just down the road from you in Loughborough used to do it and after half a dozen sessions, problem solved. I'm still suspicious about the block of herbs he put on one of the needles and lit..
You have my sympathy Emma P, been there, done that!
My back pain just crept up on me and got worse and worse. I was sailing at a World Championships last year, and although I was fine sailing (in hindsight not the best thing I could have done) I could only walk for about 200yds at a time afterwards, huge sciatic pain in my right leg. I'd been seeing a Physio (expensive and of no use) and an Osteopath (cheaper and gave some releif).
I had an MRI done privatly (very good value at £190, let me know if you want the details) and ended up taking it to my NHS consultant at the time. By this time things had started to get better, however NHS consultant took one look at it and got me in for a discectomy THE NEXT DAY. This was in October, and although I need to build up core strength and it's still a bit sore first thing in the morning (core relaxes when asleep) I am 1000% better and carry on as if nothing had happened. I am 31.
KEY MESSAGE...if you possibly can, get an MRI done and get it looked at. It was without doubt the best £190 I ever spent. My prolapse was (and I quote the consultant) "the biggest one I have ever seen" and I was a hair's breadth away from losing mobility and also control of lots of rather important bodily functions. It must have been a good one for the NHS to do a next-day op!
If I'd waited for an NHS scan it could have been months later and anything could have happened...I was a damned lucky bloke!
Good luck with it all, ibuprofen is good but also anti inflams like Diclozip are good too.
My back pain just crept up on me and got worse and worse. I was sailing at a World Championships last year, and although I was fine sailing (in hindsight not the best thing I could have done) I could only walk for about 200yds at a time afterwards, huge sciatic pain in my right leg. I'd been seeing a Physio (expensive and of no use) and an Osteopath (cheaper and gave some releif).
I had an MRI done privatly (very good value at £190, let me know if you want the details) and ended up taking it to my NHS consultant at the time. By this time things had started to get better, however NHS consultant took one look at it and got me in for a discectomy THE NEXT DAY. This was in October, and although I need to build up core strength and it's still a bit sore first thing in the morning (core relaxes when asleep) I am 1000% better and carry on as if nothing had happened. I am 31.
KEY MESSAGE...if you possibly can, get an MRI done and get it looked at. It was without doubt the best £190 I ever spent. My prolapse was (and I quote the consultant) "the biggest one I have ever seen" and I was a hair's breadth away from losing mobility and also control of lots of rather important bodily functions. It must have been a good one for the NHS to do a next-day op!
If I'd waited for an NHS scan it could have been months later and anything could have happened...I was a damned lucky bloke!
Good luck with it all, ibuprofen is good but also anti inflams like Diclozip are good too.
EmmaP said:
Calling on all back experts! I have a long history of back problems. Unfortunately I have just put my back out. I tried lying on the floor to sort it, but it took me about five minutes to get up off the floor. I cannot stand up straight, so sitting down is the least painful thing to do. I need to get this sorted immediately, so was wondering what advice people could offer. I used an osteopath last year. I was wondering whether I should see a chiropractor or physiotherapist instead. All advice will be greatly received as I am in total despair.
It hasn't started spasming yet, thank God. It is just incredibly painful if I move and very stiff. It is the lower back that is affected.
Hi Emma,
I sympathise with your position. I have had a long history of back problems (I'm 6' 5"
and I have found that in fact an Osteopath was better than a Chiropractor. I put my lower spine out a few weeks ago (I fell down the stairs at 7.30am rushing to open the door for the postman!) and I am only now starting to get better. I see you are in Nottingham, I live in Leicester but was sent to Nottingham for an MRI scan on my lower spine. It was a private company located inside the City hospital on Hucknall road. They are called Lister InHealth, the number is: 0115 962 8090. They can do a full MRI scan which will reveal the extent of the current damage, and also reveal any old damage and areas of potential fragility in the future. It was worth it in my case (£350) because I now know that I have multiple injuries which haven't properly healed, as opposed to a single major one.
A good Osteopath will give you some neck exercises which you can perform to give your spine a bit more posture. Painkillers will only mask the pain (obviously!) so if you don't sort it out now you'll just as likely get it again in the future - only worse.
Failing that, just go to the off-licence and get a week's supply of Carlsberg Export - that should take the pain away...
Garrett
BliarOut said:
Since I saw a physio and strengthened them my lower back has been trouble free.
I agree, getting balanced core strength (how wanky does that sound) can really help, my dad has been doing as much as the pain allows after a serious biking accident & his recovery has been a fair bit faster than expected.
Ouch, feeling for you.
Do you know what kind of injury you have? Ie, is it joints or muscular etc. If anything is swollen, then put and ice pack on it at hourly intervals to control the swelling and the pain.
If it's purely a joint thing then I believe heat cream helps, although this doesn't work for me.
Oh and BTW, I go to a chiropractor every two or three months as a 'maintennance programme' - have far fewer problems now. £30 a time though.
Do you know what kind of injury you have? Ie, is it joints or muscular etc. If anything is swollen, then put and ice pack on it at hourly intervals to control the swelling and the pain.
If it's purely a joint thing then I believe heat cream helps, although this doesn't work for me.
Oh and BTW, I go to a chiropractor every two or three months as a 'maintennance programme' - have far fewer problems now. £30 a time though.
I've had weird back problems for almost a year now.
Two of the best things I've found is lots of heat and getting your resting or sleeping position right.
I use one of them microwave grain bags and stick it where it will stay. It's bloody hot but that heat REALLY relaxes the lower back. I guess a hot water bottle might work well too, yet when it gets cool it needs removing so it doesn't soak heat back out!
My chiropractor also gave me some chinese heat pad things. Like Tiger balm but also with muscle nutrients and stuff, whack one of them on when you go to bed and the next day the area is much better, though they smell a bit wiffy!
As for sleep, just make sure everything is ok, but I'm sure if you've been suffering before that will all be in order
Good luck!
Dave
edit: as above, if it's swollen then maybe heat isn't the answer? But cooling muscles with ice and leaving the skin cool and perhaps damp isn't best either, so I'm not sure what is best for swelling... I too used a chiropractor several times and he did wonders and gave good advice relating to my specific problem, and I went from there, so maybe a good first step...
>> Edited by Mr Whippy on Monday 24th April 13:55
Two of the best things I've found is lots of heat and getting your resting or sleeping position right.
I use one of them microwave grain bags and stick it where it will stay. It's bloody hot but that heat REALLY relaxes the lower back. I guess a hot water bottle might work well too, yet when it gets cool it needs removing so it doesn't soak heat back out!
My chiropractor also gave me some chinese heat pad things. Like Tiger balm but also with muscle nutrients and stuff, whack one of them on when you go to bed and the next day the area is much better, though they smell a bit wiffy!
As for sleep, just make sure everything is ok, but I'm sure if you've been suffering before that will all be in order
Good luck!
Dave
edit: as above, if it's swollen then maybe heat isn't the answer? But cooling muscles with ice and leaving the skin cool and perhaps damp isn't best either, so I'm not sure what is best for swelling... I too used a chiropractor several times and he did wonders and gave good advice relating to my specific problem, and I went from there, so maybe a good first step...
>> Edited by Mr Whippy on Monday 24th April 13:55
BliarOut said:
Have you ever got to the bottom of the cause of your lower back weakness?
I know you're a gym bod, have you over developed your ABS and possibly weakened your obliques in the process? That happened to me and I had lower back problems. Since I saw a physio and strengthened them my lower back has been trouble free.
And get your legs measured... Lower back problems can often be exacerbated by odd length legs.
I have been working very hard on developing cast iron strong abs in recent years. My PT noted that despite good core stability (had been working on this for past seven months) that my lower back was very weak. He had worked out a great programme to rectify this but I have been away from the gym for the past six weeks, so have not been able to put it into practice.
I have never really got to the bottom of the problem. It all started when I was eight doing PE at school. Was forced, inspite of my protests, to do something that I knew was stupid. Have always hated PE teachers since (with exception of my friend's mum). Six years ago the problem was with the sciatic nerve causing spasming on a daily basis. I lived with this for about two and a half years, then went to the physio at my gym and started to do a programme of leg strengthening exercises and also lower back stretches. This did the trick and I was pain free until twelve months ago when I put my back out. This was done by bending down but was triggered by driving.
Hard-Drive said:
KEY MESSAGE...if you possibly can, get an MRI done and get it looked at...
Good luck with it all, ibuprofen is good but also anti inflams like Diclozip are good too.
I shall definitely invest in this as I am devastated as I was looking forward to running season. Spent five months of past year off through illness and injury.
Am taking Ibrobrufen and friend has just got the 400mg ones for me.
I am seeing a physio in an hour for some acupuncture and have booked in tomorrow with an osteopath that did some great work with me some years back.
Thank you to everyone for your advice and good wishes.
Emma
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