Back Pain ! anybody else ?

[ashbee03]

hello ! so yes, i am overweight. i have always had problems with lower back pain/sciatic nerve(sp?). although, i have put on more and more weight which i am trying to lose but my back is seriously slowing me down ! it has gotten worse. i have a crooked disc but i can't sit straight with my legs straight or else it feels like my lower back is going to break/explode. lol. when i m walking or standing it is fine. only when i am sitting a certain way or bending a certain way. it almost takes the breath right outta me. and when i workout, i don't feel it until i sit down. and when mother nature brings me my gift, it is ten times worse, not only is it sore, it is constantly a dull ache. i don't know what to do ! i hate taking medicine. i'd rather do the natural. i've tried epsom salts, did nohing for the actual problem but did relieve the ache from my "gift". taken ibuprofen, nothing. anybody else with back problems have any ideas ? any tips ? share 'em here.

[MYPUGGIES]

I've had back pain for most of my life. Mostly lower back pain and sciatic too. The only thing that helped me was seeing a Chiropracter that uses the electric shock pads (sorry, can't thing of the name at the moment) after a couple of weeks of that treatment and some adjustments... my back started to get better. Have you tried useing a cold pack too? Don't use heat for this kind of back pain because it makes the inflamation much worse. My chiropractor said to lay down with a pillow under you knees and place a cold pack under your lower back (a good sized one) and lay there for about 20 minutes. Another thing I do is before I even get out of bed in the morning.. I place my feet on the floor while still sitting on the side of the bed and bend all the way over and try to touch your feet. If you can.. relax your lower back while doing this and you'll hear a few pops from your lower back. This isn't dangerous because you're flexing in the right direction and not forcing anything. This works even better if you do this again 2 hours after you've taken an anti-inflamatory med (ibupropen, tylenol or asprin). Another exercise the chiropracter told me to do was, while you're laying on your back on the floor, pull your knees up to your chest as far as they can go and lay there like that for about a minute... then release and repeat. This works best also after taking your inflamatory med. I truely hope at least one of these things helps you. I know how miserable a person can be when your back is in so much pain. I hightly suggest seeing a chiropractor. Once they get the pain to go away.. you'll walk away with a whole bunch of knowledge on exercises that will help you and things you can do to save yourself from getting so bad again. Good luck!!

Audra, Myla, Miko and Tank

[diesels.mom]

I have bad back pain as well - my doctor has done tests and doesn't know what's been causing it. I've been a dancer since I was 3 so one would think my back muscles wouldn't be the problem but who knows? If you find a way to fix your back pain let me know. I've tried exercise for my back muscles, hot packs, cold packs, ibuprofen, etc. with no luck. The only thing that helps sometimes is to lie on a flat surface (like the floor) with my legs up at a 90 degree angle.

[ashbee03]

thank you ! i am going to try this. a cool pack before bed as i read and then when i wake up i am going o stretch like mentioned. i am excited to see if this works. because i can deal with many things but back pain is the worst ! i am a wimp when it comes to a sore back. i am going to look into a chiropractor. dependson the funds. altho i think with if you NEED one it's free. not sure tho. thanks so much. anybody else can learn from that too if they have the same issues.

[diesels.mom]

thank you ! i am going to try this. a cool pack before bed as i read and then when i wake up i am going o stretch like mentioned. i am excited to see if this works. because i can deal with many things but back pain is the worst ! i am a wimp when it comes to a sore back. i am going to look into a chiropractor. dependson the funds. altho i think with if you NEED one it's free. not sure tho. thanks so much. anybody else can learn from that too if they have the same issues.

If you have any sort of health benefits through your job it's probably at least 60-80% covered. I know I'm 80% covered for a chiropractor. Massage therapy can also help with back pain is probably partially covered (I'm 80% covered for this too)

[jstpugginalong]

I'm so sorry you all suffer from back pain! I have 2 herniated discs in my lower back and degenerative disc disease so I'm ver familiar with the pain you're talking about and I've tried just about everything but surgery and the one and only thing that really and truly helped me was accupuncture!!! I wish I could afford it now because I would definately be going as needed for the wonderful relief it gave me! Another thing you might try is getting one of those donut pillows to sit on when you're in a chair- they are made for hemmroid sufferers but they also take the pressure off of your spine when sitting and can help relieve some of your pain ( ;

[DixiesMom]

30+ years lower back pain vet here:

1) At least twice a day hang onto something very sturdy and solid (like the kitchen sink) with both hands and SLOWLY squat down as low as your knees will allow - this helps pull and stretch the lower back muscles (achieves much the same result as when the docs want you to lay on your back and raise your knees to your chest but as I am overweight too I find this squatting method works better, plus the gravity helps. I will kind of 'hang there' and as the muscles stretch I lower my bottom more and more - it really feels good. Then I pull myself up straight SLOWLY and then stand as straight and tall as my spine will allow. Then exhale slowly (still holding onto the sink) while everything settles. Hopefully you'll feel relief.

2) Heat and Ice ... I sleep on a heating pad nightly... I even found one that doesn't kick off after 2 hours... and can definitely feel the difference when I don't. Ice whenever you're just relaxing in a recliner or on the sofa.

3) Sounds crazy but accupuncture helped me many times. It could be mental or placebo as some people claim but whatever works is good, right?

4) I wouldn't recommend it on a regular daily basis but when I do take ibuprofen I take about 1000mg at a time (5x200mg) ... and 3 extra strength tylenol; anything less doesn't seem to make a difference. But when I take it - it works better than any prescription pain pill. I repeat though - don't do this daily or you'll add liver problems to your back issue.

5) I STOPPED taking muscle relaxers years ago. A doc explained the 'pain' is actually from the muscles around the pinched nerve reacting; if you take relaxers it only relaxes those getting blood flow so you are essentially decreasing the support those muscles are giving when the nerve is pinched. His analogy was the pinched nerve was like having an unconscious worker on an assembly line and the pain was the rest of the workers grumbling from having to pick up the slack. Taking muscle relaxers was like giving the rest of the workers shots of tequila. They stop grumbling but the whole line goes down. Seems a little simple but made sense to me and I stopped going from having to crawl on my hands and knees to a more manageable and functioning back pain.

6) Never lay flat on your back in bed, on the floor, anywhere. Always keep your knees supported with a pillow if you're laying on your back and your shins supported if you're laying on your stomach. If you sleep on your side place a small pillow between your knees.

7) If you sit at a desk for long periods of time, find something to keep raise your feet up off the floor and make yourself NOT sit for long periods of time in between. Take a break at least every 1/2 hour for a few minutes to stand, stretch, squat, something.

8) If you stand for long periods of time, and if possible, get a small 'something' to prop one foot so you're not standing flat on the floor w/both feet. Takes the pressure off the lower back.

9) Low heels.

10) If your budget allows a nice massage with hot stone therapy to help you relax. At least - it helps me - as I carry all of my stress in my back.

11) If your back feels weak because of a spasm or pinched nerve, keep a cane or even a walker handy. Especially when getting up from a chair or bed. You don't want to put anymore stress than necessary on it when it's at it's worst.

12) Chiropracters... been there, tried that... didn't have as much success. I'd feel good for a few mins but w/in the hour all the pain returned and I was just several $$$ lighter. I love how it felt, the popping, release of pressure, etc., but it didn't seem to offer any long term progress for me.


13) My headboard has rails (instead of solid) - when I'm repositioning myself in bed I use those to support myself rather than struggling around in bed. Less pressure on my lower back.

Best to you - I know what you're going through.