I tweaked my back a little last night while welding my engine cart together (which turned out awesome, by the way).

It hurt today, but was feeling better tonight so I went back out to the garage to rebuild a 3 ton jack.

Well, suddenly I realized that my back really hurt.

And now I can only limp around like an old man. I had to have my wife take my boots off for me.

I am going to bed. This blows!

Zach

Man that sucks, hang in there. I have a chronic back problem; bulging disc L3-L4, L4-L5, L5-S1. My back 'goes out' once every 12-18 months.

I try to exercise to keep my core strong (which is the best thing to do) and.

Get to a Dr. (Don't say your fine, go!) and have them give you Flexeril for spasms and Darvicet for pain.

Use ice!

T

Get yourself one of these.
Back fixer

Absolutely the best thing I have ever purchased. Before using one my wife found me on the floor shaking unable to move from lower back pain - the first time I was cutting open a cardboard box and my back just "let go" and I crawled from the garage into the house, I couldn't reach the phone so I just laid on the floor and hoped I would pass out or just die (my wife came home 3 hours later.) The next year I just collapsed and my left leg went into agonizing spasms. Both times required paramedics to come get me and haul me off the ER where they filled me with enough morphine (I think 100CC) to make me not care about anything.
After I got the "back fixer" I have had NO back problems (about 3 years now.) I use it every day and I do stupid things like pick up heavy crap and I pick up my 2 year old son every day several times.
Steve.

That back fixer looks like a great idea, but what is that black & white plastic thing?

Dude,
I've had a bad back since '92. Seen 4 different chiropractors, all with slightly different techniques. Thrown my back out so bad I couldn't crawl to the can to take a leak. I know how you feel.

One chiropractic therapy stood far above the rest.
He suggested Yoga and something called a McKenzie extensions and movements.
It literally saved my life. Some do Pilates and the McKenzie extensions too.

the book
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...nce&s=books

the "How to"
http://www.easyvigour.net.nz/fitness/h_MckenzieExt.htm

take care of that thing. Advil works great if you don't want to take the opiate route. =)

Sounds like you have a trigger point in your back, its likely your prognosis is good if you follow the suggestions posted.
I on the other hand just worked for 2 years in pain and damaged my tendons , ligaments along with the mussel tissue, nerves etc in my back. Theres no fix for that but it did get me into 914s so its a good thing, not a bad thing!

Really!!
I urge you to listen to your body and don't screw around get on top of the problem now...

That sucks man No bowling for you on Sun? Dont piss off the back any more, that is the money button in medicine. I hope you feel better.

If it's your lower back it might be a leg / buttock muscle problem. My lower back used to ache constantly and would spasm and lock. Through chiropractics and my own initiative I discovered that my leg muscles and butt mudcles (sorry, don't know what they're called) had some good knotts in them that had been there a while. After defined stretches everything let loose. If I get pain now I do the stretches and it all goes away. Oh yeah, don't forget the ice and heat!

goolge "egoscue" its an chiropractic exercise rutine. You have to find a guy in your area to give you the exercises, but it is an abosulut god send.


I've screwed up my back twice and my only regret was not doing the egoscue the first time.

Awesome.

Good luck

Great information! I had the crawling not able to piss experience too. Man that was the worst. I'm going to look into some of the suggestions. Keep them coming!

I feel your pain dude. I have a curved spine and Harrington Rod in my back about a foot long. The curve in my spine was causing my diapham to misform. Without the surgury I would eventually not be able to take a breath. Had it done when I was 17. After my surgury I was in a body cast for 10 months. I"ll be 50 this month. Every day I get up and put my shoes on and hit the groundone foot at a time. I live in constant pain. Some days I can't believe I'm still up right. Because I'm fused I have very little back left that moves. What's left is wearing out. This summer I set up and climb ladders and walk on roofs all day. The money was awesome but I don't think I'll make it to retirement age doing it. Nothing I can do about it but live with it. Take care of your back. You'll be sorry if you don't.

Go see a doctor.

After four bad discs and one back operation, I highly recommend seeing a doctor. I've had a bad back since high school (many, many years ago) and it has just gotten worse. You only have one back, treat it with respect.

I still see my MD and my chiropractor when needed.

"Cheap & Easy"


Get yourself a set of Alum. Crutches - set them full up to under your arms.

Take them in the Shower [they should have Rubber Feet].

Let musculature warm up - 2to3 minutes.

Put Crutches under arms - slowly bend knees & let yourself down .

As 'back stretch' begins - move slowly as things out of place need time to
move back into place.

Close eyes - visualize the 'dull spots' - this is where the disc has rotated.

Slowly do a 'snake dance' with spine to bring the 'dull spots' back into alignment.


Do this regularly & you'll be out of back problems in general.

Most all back problems begin in the lower pelvic region - and force the out of alignment up to the weakest area of the spine.

Hurt my back 35 years ago working in a warehouse. Lifted a bale of grocery backs and blacked out from the pain. Took me away in an ambulance. Since then I have done excercises to strengthen abdominal muscles, sides and lower back muscles. Leg lifts to strengthen quads on upper legs. Haven't had any trouble in 25 years. (Knock wood). Keep all those torso muscles strong and it will help a great deal. You have to work at it. Inactive cures DON'T WORK.

Hopefully it's just muscular. Sounds like you're stuck in that pain-spasm cycle and have to break it (the cycle, that is...).

You could try some over-the-counter pain meds, heat, cold, massage to break that spasm.

I had really bad sciatic pain and chronic lower back muscle spasms in high school. I was 17 and limping around like an old man for months. Multiple chiropractic treatments couldn't break the cycle.

What finally broke it was 45 minutes on a stationary bike (wind trainer). Muscles relaxed, pain relieved, and so on..

If that doesn't work, get yourself to a doctor. Good luck...

I just had a Microdiscectomy 6 weeks ago after having lower back pain for over a year and bad sciatica since January. Early days but much better so far.
Basically it's an operation to cut off the disc protrusion that is trapping the nerve.

I have had 2 back surgury. I have nerve damage (10%) loss of feeling in my legs. Get to a Doctor and follow thier advice. All of the advice posted here is good. Do Not wait. Go directly to the doctor, do not pass go, do not collect $200 ( more like pay) is my best advice. My problem was between L5 and S1 the first time. Then the scar tissue dislodged and fell between L5 and S1. Not fun. Good luck and take care of yourself.

I'll be happy to root from the sidelines. Party is Sunday then?

Zach

Doc appointment at 11:15, and my darling wife stayed home to take care of me today too. Hopefully by lunch I will be on the mend. I do feel better then last night, but not by much. I might buy that back thing that was linked up above.

This still blows.

Zach

Ouch!
I hope it's just muscular. After you are on the mend get into a good program of core strength. A strong core is good way to prevent back injury.
I am one of the physical fitness coordinators for my Fire Dept. Back injuries are the #1 preventable disability that knocks down firefighters.

Hang in there!

Nate is right. My Dad had tons of back problems (from too much heavy lifting and not enough core muscles when he was younger). My brothers and I life a lot and now he does all of the core strength training we do. He hasn't had any problems since he's started.

Good luck.

same thing I had a year ago. If you are tall and north of 180 lbs it does not help!

My solution was physical therapy for 2 weeks and I stretch every day 1st thing when I wake up. Part of the fun of growing old. Havent had a problem since.

John

Back from the Doc.

He thinks it is all just muscular. The entire left side of my back is spasming, and the lower right hand side is as well. I turned down the percoset, and am taking horse pill sized ibuprofine (800 mg each) and generic Flexeril.

He also gave me some stretches to do starting tomrrow afternoon or Saturday, depending.

I have recently put on about 15 pounds since August, and have not been gyming nearly as much as I was before I started grad school. Imagine that, once I stoeed running a 5K every other day, and stopped biking 40 to 60 miles a weekend, I started putting on a ton of weight... So, I need to drop weight back under 200, and get my core back into shape again.

The Doc says I should be fun to watch at work for the first couple days I am on the flexeril. Weeeeeee.

Zach

Aw man, percocet is fun and has a good street value! We could have financed your project...er, makes you constipated, good choice

I was guessing it was a spasm due to strain. We see a lot of that in the clinic, but back pain is nothing to fool around with and I am glad you went to the doc. He gave you the same thing we give all our patients: horse advil, and stretches (flexeril is nice, too)
I am betting that our marathon under my car 2 days before probably didnt help and may have catalyzed this. You know how you always hurt most 2 days after heavy lifting? Yup. I was sore.
Yes, you or Erin should have gotten the E-vite about it being Sun.

Before you buy the back thing, try a pillow. Lay on your back, and put a pillow in your lumbar area.

Also, try laying on your side and putting a pillow between your knees...

I sleep with four pillows these day to mitigate back pain.

All this stretching, exercising, yoga crap is a bunch of BS. What you really need are some good opiate pain killers and alcohol.


And a nice clean floor to puke on after you pass out.

MedlinePlus Drug Information: Ibuprofen
People who take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) (other than aspirin) such as ibuprofen may have a higher risk of having a heart attack ...



My spine is wreckage - so btdt - .

The Flexi is fine - do NOT drink ANY Alcohol - you will Torch your Kidinies
and Liver. We recently buried a friend, Sherri Brechia - 40 - light weight meds with Wine.

Ibuprofen - skip it.

Anything that asks you if you've previous Liver / Kidney problems - is doing so because it severely 'taxes' them - ie - causes damage.

This is also used as the 'disclaimer' in court cases.

Kidney / Liver do not regenerate / repair - you just lose function and carry more toxicity in your blood stream.

Ask your MD for a script for:

LOVAZA > 1 x 4 daily.

It's pharmaceutical grade Omega 3 oils - which your system requires in huge amounts - and is not available thru 'normal diets'.

Your Heart requires this as not to 'tear' since aging 'drys out' the Heart Muscle - as does booze / meat diets / white sugar / coffee.

The Heart uptakes oils and nutrients via blood contact - as it doesn't have veins flowing thru it - so you need to carry the Omega 3 oils in your blood stream.

Stroke: Omega 3 oils again. The vascular system shrinks & hardens from
booze / coffee / meat diets / white sugars - then as pressure increases you pop a small vein & lose half your speech.

With the regular LOVAZA use you'll reduce your chance of stroke / heart attack by 95% - as stated in American Stroke Association lit.

LOVAZA, formerly OMACOR, is Rx grade & 3 times the strength of over the counter Omega 3:

EPA 465mg
DHA 375mg

use these figures as your baseline per gel cap dose.


Your spine stays in place vi muscles on either side being in 'balance' - you stretch one and the now stronger other yanks a disc, pinching a nerve - then the discs above it begin to rotate to take up some of the slack.

Get the crutches as I stated earlier - just do the basic alignments to let the musculature mend evenly.

That other device sounds good - try it later, for now just do the basic straight line stretch & keep your back straight while lifting.


Get yourself a $25.00 hand held electric massager at your local Pharmacy - lying down - slam it up into an armpit - leave the 'Heat' off.

This will keep your 'fluid cycle' running for faster repairs - and remove 'stress' - and enable 'motion' for musculature to 'move' discs around while the back is 'unloaded' of weight.

When you lie down to sleep - everything shuts down - which leaves 'bruised chemistry' in place as the 'fluid cycle' - active during activity - virtually shuts down. MD's always say - get active asap - ? this is why - so repair codes & fluids are delivered and cleared etc.

Using an electric massager 'tricks' the fluid cycle into staying on while 'at rest' - I sleep with my rig running all night - have for years -
just leave the 'Heat' thing OFF. Usually under an armpit does the trick - sometimes the side of the neck. I'm an instrumentalist so I do my Hand Joints regularly & use Glucosamine Chondroiten & Nutri Tech 'Phyto Green' mixed in Westsoy Plain Enriched Soymilk - 1 heaping coffee scooper to 1.5 glasses into blender for 20 sec. : www.all-one.com > 'phyto green' > get the 'going green' product disclosure & read it > free @ 1-800-235-5727.

Aging is about losing - loss of nutrients leads to loss of fuel for micro mechanisms that repair us.

Do the above as stated from here out > you'll be around for the Stem Cell Regenerative Medicine that is on the horizon..... but later for that.

Wow I cant even begin to pick that all apart. You have some misinformation scattered around just regarding basic physiology and the rest, just wow. What qualifications do you have to be giving medical advice? Not trying to sound trite, but telling people to not do some things and to do others is dangerous if you do not have the credential to back it up. Dont take ibuprophen because it ruins your kidneys? That is reckless advise that is based on ill information. Your understanding about acute back spasms is off as well. Just, WOW


Zach,
I think you should get some fresh 80W-90 and have Erin massage it into your back muscles. Let the dark forces heal you and make you stronger

Aw man, percocet is fun and has a good street value! We could have financed your project...er, makes you constipated, good choice biggrin.gif


Wow blink.gif I cant even begin to pick that all apart. You have some misinformation scattered around just regarding basic physiology and the rest, just wow. What qualifications do you have to be giving medical advice? Not trying to sound trite, but telling people to not do some things and to do others is dangerous if you do not have the credential to back it up. Dont take ibuprophen because it ruins your kidneys? That is reckless advise that is based on ill information. Your understanding about acute back spasms is off as well. Just, WOW blink.gif



Spine injuries since 6 years old, active - Neurologists / Air Force Neurologists / MRI's / Nutritionists / real life - 'hands on' experience, real reseaerch, lack of flippant attitude toward Medicine & I refrain from 'Wow' disclaimer statements of :

"I cant even begin to pick that all apart."


Obviously, as there isn't much there - n'est ce Pas ?

What was covered ?

Omega 3 Oil requirements -

No Alcohol usage with Meds -

Basic stretching method -

Replacement of lost Nutrients & source
for the Finest -

Advice of 'skip it' - for Ibu - posted below a 'Warning' pulled from Medline Plus -


Reckless advice - ill informed ?


"Zach,
I think you should get some fresh 80W-90 and have Erin massage it into your back muscles. Let the dark forces heal you and make you stronger wink.gif"


Glad you feel qualified, but you are still a 'student', as we all are.

I am not here to argue with you. Are YOU the neurologist? Having back problems for life does not qualify you or anyone to advise people medically about there issues. Just like being crazy does not allow you to counsel people that are crazy. Your posted statement from medline about NSAIDs is a freakish over generalization. Your kidneys and liver detox your body so anything that will either over work them or screw with the cytochrome P450 system of the liver should be taken under consideration, even though the possibility of an issue is very small. They still warm about rhabdomyolysis when taking statins even though you have a freakishly low chance of having it occur. It is CYA medicine and is the way things are now a days.
WE are not all medical students. If you think this is easy I challenge you to get an actual medical degree and then to give medical advise. I have experience actually treating people and working with qualified physicians, and yet my advise was to still go see a licensed physician as I know that I know a lot but not everything and it would be reckless for ME to be giving out medical advice without having finished my training.
Omega-3 fatty acids are the basis for prostaglandins (among other things)...prostaglandins are the basis for pain and their production is the target of NSAIDs (cyclooxygenase). Prostaglandins have many effects to CAUSE pain and actually work to sensitize spinal neurons. I could go on, but I feel it is not worth it.
Your advise on how to stretch is dangerous as well. If one of those crutches slipped one could irreversibly damage their back. That is a forced active stretch, not recommended by any practicing physician I know. Passive stretches using supports such as a chair and allowing one to stop at any given time without having to strain to recover to a resting position as the standard of care.
Liver and kidneys DO heal after damage. Do you wish me to cite a myriad of conditions to prove this? Cirrhosis, irreversible scarring of the kidney due to chronic (long term) damage from something take a long time to occur in most cases and use of NSAIDs for a short time will not cause irreversible damage.

I am not intending to hate on you. This is a subject that is personal to me. Your advise, although obviously well intentioned, is not qualified and if followed could cause serious harm. Your information on many of your points is incomplete at best. Welcome to our forum, I bid you peace, but please reconsider posting any medical related advice. I believe our major differences in the future will be few and far between. I say this because you are new here and even though I completely disagree with your advice giving related to medical matters, I wish you to stay and be part of our forum.

Sorry Zach. I can definitely sympathize. I have an on going spasm issue and can say that Flexeril is probably the best non-invasive (no side effects) med I have taken yet. I keep a supply for when the "twitch" begins. My dad has had 3 back operations which kinda scares me about my future

Yeah Sorry to hear that but rejoice in the fact that it's not a mechanical problem like most of the people on this post are saying they have. I have some bad disks in my lower back and have found that you have to find out where and how your back has problems to customize a treatment that will help you. I have a colleague who has the same disks ruptured in his back as I do but his are ruptured in the front and mine are ruptured in the back. I had my chiropractor telling me to use one of those exercise balls to do situps that would hyperextend my back which turned out to be very bad for me because they were mechanically working the weak parts of my back. I stopped doing them after a year and a half and my back pain went away. Regular situps don't hurt. I can do those without putting stress on the weak parts of my back. My colleage on the other hand hurts from sitting too long and probably could benefit from hyperextending with the exercise ball. Since it's just sounds like some muscle spasms from overuse in your case, consider yourself lucky. Do the core exercises to keep everything strong, drop some weight and you'll probably be fine. Aren't you expecting? Good luck dropping weight. My son's 14 months and there is little time for good diet or exercise.I'm up twenty lbs since before he was born.

"The Heart uptakes oils and nutrients via blood contact - as it doesn't have veins flowing thru it - so you need to carry the Omega 3 oils in your blood stream."


Wrong! The heart has an extensive blood supply to absorb nutrients and oxygen and other than a few cell layers does not get nutrients via blood contact.

my back has gone out 3 or 4 times over the past 4 years - i recently had two events back to back - i have been grounded each time for 7 to 10 days - even an xray did not reveal the specific problem - but my spine ain't pristine.

anyway - i heard a radio show recently and this back expert suggested that in most cases surgery does not result in a higher percentage of benefit over chiropratic or other remedies. he also suggested to live thru it versus rest until it subsides. he also said that he himself get an episode once a year.

i can tell you that i could no way continue thru it - i had to rest - cause i could barely get from the kitchen to my bedroom.

i am good to go now - hoping no fture episodes - but who knows - i am carrying about 20-30 extra pounds - got to lose weight - eat less twinkees : )