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Back Pain
Jeffrey
Veteran
I woke up with pretty bad back pain in my middle back. Any tips? I took an advil and am trying to have a straight back.
Thanks!
Thanks!
0
Comments
Seriously though...see a Doc if it doesn't go away. What did you
do yesterday? Do you think you hurt it?
In my case, it's been my observation that it goes away in a week or so no matter what I do or what specialist I see. In the meantime, heating pad and mild pain killers and taking it easy on the back relieve the discomfort a bit.
My grandfather was a doctor and he never trusted Osteopaths and Chiropractors so I would have to open my mind to this idea.
I randomly get back pain issues. I get sciatica on my left side and it's horrid. Exercises given to me by both a chiro and a yoga teacher (similar exercises) have helped a lot. Something as simple as hanging by your hands from an open door (make sure it won't swing closed!) can help quite a lot. Also so can laying on your back with your butt near the wall on a folded up blanket and your legs straight up on the wall. It's very relaxing and can take some of the pressure off your back, depending what is causing it.
That said, unless it is severe (and that varies by person) I don't see anyone for random back pain until it's been more than 3-4 days. I usually know what caused it and thus have an easier time managing it myself. Most of the time the doctor will tell you to take OTC pain meds and rest. Often times it's caused by sleeping wrong, twisting wrong when you didn't even know it, stepping funny or even sometimes a random virus. Back pain is one of the most common problems doctors see patients for, so (in my experience) it is best not to go immediately. A chiro could probably help right away. A doctor, not so much.
Then weight training exercise on your back - deadlift, bent over rows, weighted rowing machine, good mornings serve to strengthen the muscles, better posture and decrease twinges.
Cod liver oil and other supplements also help.
The old folk used to talk of back pain caused by a muscle knot - sometimes when the body is warm and sweating and there is a chilly wind, the muscle ceases in a section - the cure is a hot water bottle over the area for 15 minutes to warm it up and then a special knemassage to kneed the muscle out - after about 10 minutes of hard massage, there is a click and the pain is gone... or if you don't get it straight away, you may need to go for a few sessions - consult your local elder.
After years of lifting amplifiers and sleeping on floors in my 20s, my lower back has become very weak. Sciatica and I have a very intimate relationship, and opnly in the past couple years have I discovered the only remedy.
A few years ago I had it so bad that it literally took me two hours to crawl slowly and carefully to the bathroom-- which was only six feet away from my bed. One false move and I felt like I had gotten tasered (at least what I imagine it to feel like).
Sleeping on a heating pad does not help, sleeping in bed on your back, side, or stomach does not help. Sitting in a low chair makes it worse. Walking seems to help (or at least not make it worse), while remaining immobile actually worsens it.
[Disclaimer: I am not a physician, etc. but this comes from my own experience from sciatica...]
My solution for myself: sleep (or attempt to sleep) on the floor, ON the side that hurts. Lie there in a not-quite fetal position with a pillow folded up between the thighs so as to keep the thighs parted at roughly a 45 degree angle. If I take care of it as soon as I detect it flaring up, lying on the floor like that for six to eight hours works wonders. However, it also hurts like hell. But I've knocked it out every single time the past couple years it has flared up, whereas before it might go on for two to four weeks of me limping in pain.
The only way I discovered it was through desperation-- I tried everything else. I guess sleeping that way places some pressure elsewhere taking it off the inflammed nerve, giving it time to actually heal.
I've never gone to the doctor for it, even though I work in a hospital! Go figure!
I will tell you a funny story. I have had periodic lower back pain for many years now. I had to have kidney surgery in early June. Two weeks before the surgery I began having a major bout of back pain that was so bad that I feared being on the operating table and then unconscious on my back in bed after the surgery could result in a slipped disc. My chiropractor did x-rays to assure there was just "the usual", even though this particular episode of back pain was worse than usual. His prediction was that after surgery my back would be in bad shape, but that I was not in danger of slipping a disc. After I was fully awake from surgery I realized that my back felt fine...in fact better than it had in years...and has stayed that way for almost 2 months now. Ya never know.
Do a Google search for herniated disc, and check out some of the better medical sites (not the ones that are advertising something; use sites like webmd).
But the machine is a bench you lie back on and there is a part that you hold onto that forces you to do the real crunch with a flat back rather than spasm or flail to complete the repetition Basically no bouncing. Maybe for 4 weeks straight I was doing that. I might ask the employees of the gym next time I go if they have experience.
My analogy isn't that good so I have to explain it! Also my analogy is a strawman as I am just trying to illustrate rather than argue. Like the whiskers I am not super confident in the chiropractor. And there is considerable expense. If the chiropractor doesn't work I will lose the 100 dollars which I could have otherwise bought exciting things such as underwaer, a shirt, a timer, and a night light (just my most recent shopping).
This discussion is about back pain, not straw men.
If you don't want to go to a chiropractor, that's fine. I'm just telling you that when I walk out of a chiropractor's office, my back is always better.
Whatever you decide to do, I hope your back improves and you become pain free.
@vinlyn is it possible whatever your kidney problem was, was what was causing or at least contributing to your back pain? Interesting.
@Jeffrey it's good to try new things, too. The chiro I saw after my knee injury and surgery is also a sports medicine doctor. I didn't see him for adjustments. I saw him to evaluate my body structure and see if there was something going on that contributed to my knee injury because I have problems with my hip and my foot on the same side. He gave me exercises to do at home and a lot of information, which was very helpful. I never would have gotten the information, and the exercises, from the normal doctor or the PT department at the hospital. If it doesn't get better, it most certainly doesn't hurt to call and ask questions. You could also consider just going for a massage. Maybe for you it would be better to spend $50 on that than a doctor appointment.
Jeffrey's problem may be a very temporary thing, or some underlying problem. Particularly if it is an underlying problem, certain exercises could do just the opposite of what should be done.
I didn't mean to say Jeffrey should get exercises to do. Just that the information I got about my bone and joint structure was invaluable and based on that, I was able to get exercises that for my problem, were far more helpful in preventing future injuries than a normal doctor ever would have given. Not only did it help my knee recovery and in prevention but the hip and foot problems have greatly decreased as well, and all it took was 2 visits to the sports chiro. Well worth it!
Is mindful swimming possible? [lobsterian tendencies aroused] Qi ong and yoga for prevention is my choice. :thumbup: Hope you feel better . . .
I especially love the feeling of gliding through the water, supported and free. It's very soothing, as well as worthy exercise.
The wrong treatment could severely exacerbate the issue.