Back Pain

[Chris142]

Add me to the list. I picked up a generator and twisted to put in into the bed of my truck back in 02-04.

I lived in terrible pain for a year thinking that it would go away.

I finally called a Chiropractor in my area. I went to him every wednesday for 2 months straight. I felt much better after the 1st session.

He also put me on a no Dairy and no chocolate diet. Says that there's a chemical in those 2 things that will increas back pain.

Now I go there once a month. I was doing very well untill I crashed on my atv which set me back a little.

I still hurt daily but I can deal with it. stretching really does help. I can be having a bad day and just working at my job as a mechanic will lessen the pain to almost non existant.

Riding my atv (and not crashing or jumping) will give me 2-3 completly pain free days.

 

[1sttruck]

Back problems often originate with a "deconditioning spiral of pain';

1. Back and stomach muscles get weak, accompanied by poor posture and poor flexibility.

2. Due to #1 a person tweaks their back.

3. Because their back hurts, the person doesn't stretch or try to strengthen their back.

4. Most chiropractors and doctors will try to treat symptoms, pain, but not address the cause.

5. Due to #3 the back gets more prone to additional injury.

6. Person tweaks their back again.

7. Go to #3.

I know, that is what happened to me by the time I was 30. A number of years ago I started 'working out', and after doing a lot of research figured out that a non-athelete only needs to do a few 'large compound lifts' with free weights to get into good shape. After starting slow and simple, and moving from machines to more complicated lifts with heavier free weights, I've managed to avoid back problems for years.

For the naysayers who don't think that deadlifts are one the most important exercises that you can do, you do them all them time anyway, lifting groceries, shoveling snow, putting the kids to bed, loading bags on concrete, building retaining walls, etc., so make sure you're conditioned for 'the rest of your life' :^)

Don't be stupid though, so figure out if you need strecthes and exercise, or maybe surgery.

 

[michaelc80]

Do your doctors tell you what the cause of the pain is? Muscle or a problem with the spine? Does the pain extend down your leg?

One of the many possibilities is a herniated disk in your back. I had several in my neck a few years ago and lost most of the use of my left arm until it I had surgery to correct them. I strongly agree with Jeffery-go to an orthopedic specialist and get it diagnosed. Having the surgery to correct it was the best thing I ever did.

Chiropractors have their place in the scheme of things, but they can’t help problems such as herniated disks by popping your back.

 

[mechtech]

A real good mattress will help a lot.
Drinking twice the water that you normally do, will help quite a bit, as well, for back pain.

 

[joatmon]

quote:

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Originally posted by Pablo:
Define latex bed, please.

---

A latex bed is a mattress with the core being 6 to 10 inches of solid latex rubber. Actually, most decent latex is made using the taladay process invented by Dunlap to make the latex workable and mold free. The advantages are that the latex will always return to its original shape and there is no need to turn them. They should last 30 years, and the latex core will not degrade, meaning that as it ages it sleeps as well as it did new.

The latex cores come in differenct thicknesses and different levels of firmness. The mattress covering and pillowtow are usually made of conventional materials. The Sealy Reflexion line is a best seller. The same basic mattress is sold under the Stearns & Foster name and by Bassett Furniture.

The mattress is sleep on is the Sealy Reflexion called the Laguna Beach with a 9.3" latex core and an ultra plush pillowtop with a 14.5" over-all height. I use the newer style low profile box spring and am happy with it. We also own a Stearns & Foster latex mattress and one made by Orders, a local mattress maker.

BTW, latex is not the same as the Tempur-pedic and other brand names with their the "space age" foam. I think they are OK, but feel the latex is more durable, offers more support and is longer lasting.

The web sites ccmattress.com and latexfoam.com have information that can start you on your way.

Good luck,

Jack

PS: For full disclosure purposes, I own stock in Tempur-pedic International Inc. (TPX).

 

[John K]

GM, Pablo, lubeoiler, 1sttruck, al et al - we should join a club or something. Good posts. I am now 64, and have had various degrees of back problems since I was 25. My back would go out for no apparent reason, as an engineer behind a desk, it would take me forever when I got up from the desk to be able to straighten out. Doctors treat the symptoms and chiropracters scare the **** out of me. Do a search on chiros and you find all sorts of info for chiros on making more money. Don't know how many people have told me to go to one, but I refuse. Know of one guy who was paralyzed, my bil went to one after getting rear ended, and he swears it make it worse, and he is definitely stooped necked now. My help came from reading a book called No More Aching Back, think it is out of print, but he described back excercises that stretch the muscles and strenghten the stomach muscles. Since reading this and doing the excercises daily, I have been free of back problems for the last 15 years or so. A catscan in 1985? showed I have bulging discs and degenerative arthritic discs, etc. Don't know how many of my friends have had back surgery and insisted I would need the same, but so far the stretching excercises are the ticket for me. Bed recommendations? It is too individual of a thing, you have to find what works for you.
Another thing that helped me, was to keep the wallet out of the back pocket. Just tilts your back enough to aggrevate things, esp when driving. Good luck.

 

[Razl]

I've had my share of back issues too. Last year was the worst. The pain came on gradually over a few days. I first thought it was a pulled muscle or spasm like in the past, but 800mg of Ibuprofen wasn't touching it. Then it got worse…a lot worse. My PCP sent me in for an MRI which reviled one herniated disc and one bulging disc. As a result, this caused my stenosis (narrowing of the spinal cord), thus the severe pain in my back and legs. I went to a Sports Orthopedic Surgeon who advised me to try Physical Therapy first.

It did get better in the course of two weeks, them bam! They pain shot right through me dropping me literally to the floor. I then went back to the Surgeon who scheduled me for a corticosteroid injections (epidural steroids) which baths the affected area with an strong anti-inflammatory medicine. I must admit, the two injections were excruciating but within a week, I was moving around well. It’s been slightly over a year and I feel great today. Injections are a funny thing, for some people one is all they need ever, while other need to go back every few months.

I also found, like many things in life, all PTs are not the same. While the young girls were fun to visit, I finally found this guy that just really new his stuff and was able to help me recover quickly. If I start to feel it coming back slightly, he is able to find the appropriate stretches and exercises that "nips it in the bud".

It's amazing what the medical world is able to do today, but back pain still remains a mystery. Do yourself a favor and learn as much as you can about the doctors and PTs in your area. The good ones tend to be very busy.

Good luck!

 

[John K]

I read an article once by a guy that had back pain and wasn't satisfied with what the drs, chiro, etc told him about it. He was determined to find something that worked. Over the course of a year or so he tried everything, pain management, acupuncture, massage, and I don't remember everything. In the end it got better, but he wasn't sure why. He found some asian woman that would walk all over his back and gave him great sex, said that did as much as anything. His conclusion......if it happened again he didn't know what he would do! I think this appeared in a medical journal, it was some time ago and I read it at the library while researching the subject......

 

[Rhymingmechanic]

If your Dr. has recommended it, by all means try a chiropractor. Try another if you're not satisfied with the first. I saw one for back pain and then a car accident from age 30-32, and he was helpful. They're not all the same, though, and all patients don't have the same results. The one I saw practiced the Gonstead method, and "cracked" pretty much everything from my neck down. I once saw a guy who only cracked my neck, and did a bunch of pumping my arms up and down to supposedly tell the condition of my internal organs. That did not inspire my confidence.

As others have said, stretch and exercise regularly, and get a good mattress.

Depending on the lay of the land there in North Alabama, you might also try yoga. That can be hit or miss, too, ranging from foofy-preachy to sensible and athletic. Ashtanga yoga is the most intense workout I've ever encountered. I don't do it regularly, so my muscles are always sore from exertion afterwards, but it fixes my back right up. A "gentle" or beginner's yoga class would be a good place to learn some useful stretches, at least. Be careful, though. A lot of people push themselves too much at first and end up hurt.

 

[MarkC]

My back is the one thing that has never hurt.
I used to get nasty headaches, the only cure I could find was either a hanful of Advil, or my wife standing on my back and digging her heel into the junction of my neck and shoulder.

 

[ex_MGB]

Get rid of the wallet in the back pants, never sit with one there.

Simple back exercises will cure 99% of back problems:

1. Knees bent stomach crunches - hold 15-20 seconds.
2. Hip rolls - hand flat on chest, roll both knees to one side and hold 20 seconds, then other side
3. Pull knees to chest - hold 60 seconds
4. Very important to stretch groin area - put one foot elevated on sturdy object around hip level with leg straight then lean over to touch foot.

Best, by far, exercise machine is a high quality elliptical machine. These strengthen the core with no impact. They also shape your body. Elliptical and stretching is all you need, stretches the back to straighten, builds up muscles to support lower back and promotes flexibility.

Also, sleep on side with large pillow between knees.

 

[Dave Hess]

Maybe you should ride your mountain bike less, im sure that causes some of your pain.....not including all the housework you wife makes you do

 

[frank2009]

i haven't had severe back pain for 20 or so years.

i attribute this to my practice of doing 15-20 hyperextensions on a hyper bench 2x a week and the same # of situps with a 45 lb. plate on my chest.

i guess everyones source of pain can be different so you've got to pay attention to your doctors advice