For the past few days, my back has really been killing me. I stopped working out to let it rest. However, today I started having terrible spasms and I've been stuck at home. Ice packs, jacuzzi, and icy-hot have been my friends. The pain is in the lower right portion of my back and it won't go away. I have an exam tomorrow and I can't even sit still to study. Anyone have some advice on pain relief (serious advice ).
I know the feeling. I was told to lay down flat on your back on a hard floor and to bend your knees where the heels of your feet will be close to your backside.....as if you were in position to do a sit-up. Lay there for 20 minutes if possible....its gonna really hurt like heck the first 10 minutes but it will work. You can also put a small pillow where the pain is if it will keep your back straight. It should work, it did for me. I really hope it helps you out.
I had a herniated disc and the symptoms were just as you described, for about 6 months. I finally decided to quit gutting it out and went to the doctor, he diagnosed it right away (then sent me to get an MRI to be sure). About 6 weeks of physical therapy later I was right as rain.
Good luck, Franchise2001. I didn't have the good results StupidMoniker had, but don't let that discourage you. The main thing is to get it checked out, which you're doing, and to keep doing the other stuff that you're doing already. The only other suggestion is mass quantities of precription pain medication. It helps when the pain is really bad. Valium is a good muscle relaxer and helps you to sleep, if you can get that. Hang in there. And don't get it operated on unless there is really no other alternative, if it turns out to be an operable condition. (I've been waiting all week to type "operable") I had a disc removed and have 2 titanium screws in my back. This was a few years back and it's still bothering me. I wouldn't go through that again if I had the option.
Chiropractor. Sit as little as possible. Lie down. As someone suggested, raising your knees helps to flatten out your lower back. Ice for 20 minutes--- don't ice for an hour-- then warm down for an hour.
Dude, I know about back pain. It could be a herniated disc like Hydra said or you could have torn that muscle. I did that back in January and my back is finally to a point where it doesn't bother me, but I still can feel some slight pain from time to time. I would try to see a chiropractor (I never had the time to go see one) and see if they can tell you for sure what is wrong. Only problem with chiropractors is that they want you to come in and see them every day. Try resting on a heating pad in the mean time and good luck.
DO NOT SEE A CHIROPRACTOR!!! THEY ARE THE DEVIL!!! Seriously, they can cause more harm than good. My sister had slipped disks and she went to a chiropractor, she ended up with ruptured disks and spinal fluid on her brain. I have slipped disks too. Do a lot of stretching. Focus on your hamstrings. Get some massages, your nerves can cause your muscles in become inflamed. See a REAL doctor.
I concur that Alieve is the best OTC drug you could take for your back. In fact, after my back surgery, I found myself taking Alieve instead of my prescription pain killers. Believe it or not, the best way to rest your back, is not necessarily by laying flat on your back with your knees bent up, but rather, lay on your side, with your knees bent with a pillow between them. I definitely wouldn't see a chiropractor before I saw a Dr. If you happen to have a ruptured or bulging disk, they can sometimes make the condition worse. Are you having any weird shooting pains in your legs, hips or ankles???
In most cases, I don't think a doc is going to prescribe you Valium for a bad back, because it is not a muscle relaxer. It's actually a benzo, which is a class of drugs prescribed for anxiety. Anyways, if you have a herniated disc, you would probably be feeling a shooting pain down your legs like Codell said. I've had a herniated disc for about the last 6 years, and that is the only place I ever have pain. After getting a round of epidural shots for a year, the pain is very minimal now. It sounds to me like you just pulled a muscle so I would take it easy for the next week or so.
Exactly. I had back surgery for a severely herniated disc last year. The first thing I'm glad my doc told me to do was get an MRI done. That showed how bad the herniation was. Don't go see anyone or take anything other than maybe ibuprofen or something until you see a doctor and/or get an MRI done. As a matter of fact, ask your doctor if it would be a good idea to get an MRI done if he doesn't mention it.
About to try laying on my back for 20 minutes.. I was really looking for short term help so I can sit in a 3 hour exam. The exam starts at 2:30, but the pain is still pretty bad. Yesterday, I alternated between ice packs(iced it for about 15-20 min at a time), hot baths, and then some icy hot. That was from like 6:30 to 12:30. Yes, 6 hours of alternating. I actually have a very good and knowledgable chiropractor. I was a gymnast and he literally saved my neck 2 or 3 times. He also has correctly diagnosed multiple injuries that I sustained where I needed attention from other doctors(Stress fractures, SLAP lesion). I'm going to see him early next week when I have time. One more thing, I hate medication! After my shoulder surgery in 2001, I switched to Aleve 3 days after the surgery. The hydrocodone made me have some crazy and evil hallucinations. Alright, I'm going to try the laying down flat on my back.
Harrisment, I'm very aware of just what Valium is. I have been told by more than one doctor that it is an excellent muscle relaxer. Like many medications, it has more uses than the ones commonly mentioned. Any of you heard of Darvocet, the pain medication? It's a form of Methadone... go figure. (I don't care for Darvocet, BTW, but some people swear by it) Valium is also great for getting to sleep when pain is keeping you awake. My surgeon prescribed it to me before I had my surgery. I don't take it now because you don't want to take the same thing over long periods due to dependence issues. That's not a problem when it's dealing with something short-term. Some doctors believe in prescribing the minimum meds for pain, etc., even if it means their patient is really suffering when a med or combination of meds would help tremendously. I think they let their patients suffer needlessly. And so do many doctors. Don't take something if you really don't need it, but if you do need help, insist on getting relief if it's available. Just my opinion. Think of a cancer patient who's in great pain and has a doctor afraid the patient might get addicted to opiates... when the patient is going to die in 6 months or a year, short of a miracle. Does it make any sense to go without a med that will ease their suffering because you're worried about addiction in that scenario? Of course not, but doctors do that every day. OK, I'll get off the soapbox.
Chiropractor = Firestone (see ima_'s car thread) Hey I went to Junior College for 2 years now I am a Doctor. Don't ever go to a Chiropractor. Valium IS good for a strained back.
Alright, I laid down... It stretched me out a bit, but the pain is still pretty bad. I iced it for 20 min and that usually makes me able to function for a good 30 minutes. I'm screwed for this exam. I had put off studying for yesterday because I had 2 other exams earlier this week. Damn you Murphy's Law!!!!
What kind of insurance do you have? You in school right? Go the school clinic if possible, that may get you a doctors excuse and a delay for your test. My school doc got me out of the draft, so that was cool.
I was nearly disabled from a very serious back injury. Chiropractors made it MUCH worse and doctors told me to buy a wheelchair because I'd probably end up in it. I had a LOT of different kinds of body work done from massage therapy to accupuncture and everything in between. It is a continuing problem for me but it is 1000 times better than it ever was and I never had a single invasive procedure or drug - including aspirin. Drop me an email if you'd like some recommendations. There is even a fellow BBS'er who is an accupuncturist.
I had a back injury about ten years ago, started as just pains in the back when doing a lot of bike riding ( 3+ hours in the hills around Austin) and trail running, then I got a sharp pain down one of my legs while I was lifting weights. This degenerated into my leg going numb a couple of times and I actually could not walk without intense pain. I got X-rays, MRI and they said I had a slightly herniated disc. IIRC they said 1/3 of Americans have this problem. All the physical therapists said the root of most folks problems is imbalance between left and right sides or some muscles being too strong versus the ones opposing the main motion, better posture, and strengthening the back/trunk muscles when possible. I got the back injury after being hit by a car, and my right leg (hit by car)was weaker than my left leg by a lot, and I was favoring my left leg in everything. After about six months the problem went away, but I gained about twenty pounds (145->165) because I couldn't do much. This is supposedly what happens to most people - it just goes away. It got better when I took NSAID ( anti inflammatories ) but not always. It still bothers me now and then, but never as bad as the original couple of times. edit: see the best orthopedic surgeon you can see for a diagnosis. Sometimes surgery is called for but it's actually rare, and from what I've seen, not worth the risk unless you get a couple of good orthpedic guys telling you otherwise.
