Back Pain

[MericoX]

What is good for lower back pain? I am barely able to sit here on the computer tonight but back hurts so much. I dont know if it's a tweaked muscle (this time)?

I'm having some problems with my hip and lower back.... I just need to be able to get through this weekend (agility trial) any suggestions???

 

[SisMorphine]

Oooh hip and lower back! Welcome to my world! I am VERY experienced in this. LOL!

Was there a specific fall or other event that may have spurned this?

 

[MericoX]

Nope. No falls, no injuries.

 

[MafiaPrincess]

Smudgie can share his chiro with you

 

[SisMorphine]

Slept wrong? Picked something up you shouldn't have?

 

[bubbatd]

Make sure its not your kidneys !!! If not , I've always had a bad back and slept many a night on a hard wood floor . Best find out what is causing it . You may need and alignment or muscle relaxers . Don't fool with it !

 

[Renee750il]

Kidney pain was my first thought, too. Or, when are you due for your next period?

A heating pad is your friend

 

[lizzybeth727]

My mom recently discovered Wild Yam Root to help her lower back pain. Apparently it's an anti inflamitory, it comes in pills you can find online or in health food stores. Mom has lots of side effects with any meds she takes (she can't take tylenol or asparin at all, and can only take ibuprophen in small doses with a full meal), so she's all for these herbal remedies.

 

[noludoru]

I sympathize... I was having HORRIBLE lower back pain last month. I hadn't done anything to it, but very hot showers and a heating pad helped.

 

[Giny]

Ouch Mer, sounds painful!

I've had two episodes in my life where I hurt my lower back, though mine was due to lifting something the wrong way. The only thing that helped was taking it easy, just laying down on my back, using a heating pad plus taking ibuprofen.

But I also agree with others in making sure it's not something else, like your kidneys.

Hope you're feeling better soon!

 

[Chewbecca]

if it's not your kidneys, then find yourself a chiropractor.
I swear by mine.

 

[SisMorphine]

If it is back/hip it sounds more sciatic and less kidney. Basically you have to get your lower back in line again and not pinching that nerve. If you can't get to a good chiropractor then I have a few exercises you can do which might help to re-allign your back. I've been a back pain sufferer for 8.5 years now, to the point where I had a period of 4 months straight where I couldn't walk, and since then I have had bouts of hours, or days, where I get "stuck" in different positions. It is the most PAINFUL thing to live with, and it's all because I tried to brush it off WAAAAAY back when it was just a sciatic problem, and ended up completely messing up all of the muscles in my lower back and hip, and in turn ruining my spine. I have slowly been working on fixing the muscles, which I can, but most of the damage to my spine is permanent. DON'T BE DUMB! Get it fixed asap and if that means that you have to miss the trial this weekend then miss it. I don't want anyone to have to live through the pain I have.

ETA: If you do go to a chiropractor don't get frustrated if the first one doesn't work out. I went to three, with three VERY different techniques and only one worked. ALSO I found that physical therapy in addition to the chiro was key. The chiro works on the spine, while the PT works on the muscles to hold that adjustment in place!

 

[Barb04]

I never had success with chiropractors. Only orthopedics have helped. See if you have a sports medicine orthopedic by you. They will take an xray to check out your back before prescribing medication and/or physical therapy.

 

[cockers2]

I have degenerative disc disease and it affects the lower back, hip and down the leg. Sciatic nerve does the same. I have used a chiropractor for years, along with muscle relaxors, aspirin, tylenol etc. I also alternated hot and cold packs. I finally went to a specialist that gave me a steroid epidural in the area that is a problem. I am now doing all the things I shouldn't be doing again :hail:

 

[release the hounds]

There's a lot of things that you can do that will probably work.

Myself, I try to find the most conservative treatment possible to do the job, if and when those fail, i'll think about drugs and surgery.

But you can't rule out ovarian cysts, kindey problems etc on your own. If it was kidney it would probably be pretty sharp and givig yourself a little punch near the kidneys would send you thru the roof, not always, but a lot of times. You also might notice changes in urination, but not always. Best to have a professional check. A chiro can check for that, or at least a good one will.

But a chiropractor, PT etc will probably be able to help. Alignment can cause things out of the blue to happen. If you have a rotated or misaligned ilium lets say. You probably will get along just fine for a long time and not know anything is "wrong". Then one day it just starts to hurt and you don't know why because you didn't "hurt" it recently.

Your body is set up to operate a certain way, form is function so to speak. When you lose that form, you lose function. If a pelvic bone or vertebra is out of alignment your body has to compensate for that loss of motion and misalignment. Just like a car tire that is out of alignment and causes the tire to wear faster, misalignments in your joints cause them to wear faster too. Damaging the joint and irritating soft tissues around it. And if nerves are irritated then the pain can follow wherever that nerve travels to. If it happens to be your large sciatic nerve it can travel from your low back to your big toe.

If a chiropractor or PT don't seem to help, steriod injections are an option, but then again those also promote disc degeneration. Kind of ironic that the thing they use to get rid of pain in the case of DJD actually promotes DJD aka Degenerative Joint (or disc) Disease. There's a reason you can only get 3 injections in a year and they don't always work either. But when the other stuff hasn't worked, it is what is left and has helped people.

Last would be any surgery if it was so bad that I couldn't live with the pain anymore. Because for every person that goes thru surgery and is fine there is one that is the same or worse after all cutting and healing and rehab and time off their feet within 3 years, so that odds aren't exactly that great there either.

But most cases can be taken care of with a good Chiro or PT and exercise. A good chiro will give exercise too. And regular movement and "alignment" type exercises are a good idea to do once you are better at least a few times a week to keep everything strong and in line.

 

[adojrts]

I agree, you need to found out WHY first, before any treatment can be effective.

All the above described treatments can and are very good, but it depends on what is wrong and where.

I have had serious back problems for 33 years, mainly L5 the result of a horse falling on me.
All of it has been done (treatments) at one time or another, but no surgery.
Keeping my weight down and keeping my back strong with lots of walking and exercise has always been the best treatment for it.

When my back pitches a fit, I have to sleep in a chair (can't lay flat or on my side, let alone get down that far or up again later lol). And when it is bad, I can't pick up my feet more than about 1/4 inch off the ground, so I shuffle when I walk, but walk I do, no matter how much it hurts. Walking helps for me, but that is me. When my back goes, thankfully it only does that once every 3-5 yrs and it lasts typically for a year or more, with extra treatment including hospital stays and chiropractic it does get better again.
You have to find out why and where, then find the best possible treatment for that works and that can take some trial and error, as each problem and patient is different.

Good luck, btw don't screw around with your back...............