Back Pain -- How to deal with it?

[flamesdyehard]

I am experiencing lower back pain, it's very painful and it has been affecting me for around 3 months now. It gets very stiff and sore, and it seems nothing makes it feel better. Does anyone have suggestions?

[Peanut]

Massage. Chiropractor. Physiotherpaist. Robaxacet. Any combination of the above would be my suggestion.

Oh, and yoga. Yoga can be really helpful for a bad back.

[getbak]

Have you seen a chiropractor? It made a world of difference for me.

[Buzzard]

[Nage Waza]

Ignore the rest...go see a foot doctor and confirm if you need orthotics. If the feet are off, the rest of the body is off. This should be the first thing you do. If the chiropractor did not advise this, then they are not being professional.

[ResAlien]

This may sound simple and dumb, but my father swears by it. Stop keeping your wallet in your back pocket, move it to the front or your jacket. Remove the stuff from your back pockets, and it may really help. He claims his back pain is gone now, and he's had back issues for 40+ years.

[JFK]

My boss could hardly sit down because his back was so bad, he ended up missing a lot of work. Since then, he's been getting that treatment (I don't know the name) where they stick needles all over your body, hitting different nerves.

He swears by it, and he's looking a hell of a lot better too. If you never knew him you'd never know he had back problems.

[Jedi Ninja]

This is one of those things where it's 90% preventative medicine. You need to invest in exercise -- abs/back/"core" and walking/running. Just be careful about some of the ab and back exercises out there.

[Calgaryborn]

Start wearing a boot with a bit of a heel.

[Swarly]

Originally Posted by Jedi Ninja

This is one of those things where it's 90% preventative medicine. You need to invest in exercise -- abs/back/"core" and walking/running. Just be careful about some of the ab and back exercises out there.

right, the important thing is to lift heavy weights with a quick twisting/jerking motion.

[FireFly]

Originally Posted by JFK

My boss could hardly sit down because his back was so bad, he ended up missing a lot of work. Since then, he's been getting that treatment (I don't know the name) where they stick needles all over your body, hitting different nerves.

He swears by it, and he's looking a hell of a lot better too. If you never knew him you'd never know he had back problems.

Acupuncture.


fotze is right though. Might be the kidneys.

[Huntingwhale]

[flip]

I think I must be the only person who doesn't use weed for medical purposes at all.

I know lots of posts (and not just in this thread) are jokes and stuff but I never smoke pot to cure what ails me. I get high because it makes tv, movies and video games funnier/cooler, makes music sound awesome and makes food taste incredible. In other words I don't use it to fix anything that is wrong, I use it to make everyday things more interesting.

[wooohooo]

I had the worst back problems last year. During finals my back would hurt so much I would sit in another position so my back was better but my neck would start hurting. Worst 2-3 weeks in my life. It lasted a good couple months. The trick what I do now is the obvious, try for good posture. But I'm a sloucher and when I do my back muscles are a little cramped so I try to stretch it out a bit.

The ones I really like are... lie on your face on the ground and try to lift your head and legs up. Hold it for a couple seconds and repeat. After about 4-5 of those, I go on my knees (doggy style) and lean back while trying to reach forward.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by flip

I think I must be the only person who doesn't use weed for medical purposes at all.

I know lots of posts (and not just in this thread) are jokes and stuff but I never smoke pot to cure what ails me. I get high because it makes tv, movies and video games funnier/cooler, makes music sound awesome and makes food taste incredible. In other words I don't use it to fix anything that is wrong, I use it to make everyday things more interesting.

But the truth is, it can be very, very helpful. Especially with back pain.

[flamesdyehard]

Originally Posted by fotze

Weren't you the peeing red guy? Could be another kidney infection, I think I've read that lower back pain can be caused by kidney trouble.

Q: How can we tell the difference between a muscle strain in the back and the pain that is caused by a kidney infection?

A: Pain stemming from a kidney infection typically is in the area of the back where the kidneys lie, located to the sides of the spine, just above the hips. Kidney related pain often presents as tenderness in this area. Direct injury or trauma to the back, over the area where the kidneys are located, can cause direct injury to the kidneys themselves, and that is why getting struck in this area is commonly referred to as a "kidney punch."

Kidney infection pain usually comes from the organ itself but often appears as back pain. Kidney pain is also quite tricky because it can radiate to many different parts of the body. It is also acute in origin, meaning that it usually has a very rapid onset, and typically does not last any longer than the infection in the kidneys will last. Kidney infection pain goes away with the healing of a kidney infection, or passing of a kidney stone. Back pain from trauma to the back, however, usually does not go away this quickly.

You do remember when I was peeing red. That was from a game of road hockey (getting smoked by a ball) I went to the doc that night.

I am getting spasms in back now, it's not fun.

[Komskies]

Stretch your hamstrings every day, multiple times. Your back problems will be gone in a week or two.

[ricosuave]

accupuncture worked wonders for me

[Titan]

Not to say any of the other posters are wrong but they are components of the big pictures. It is important to be diagnosed properly. A chiropractor specializes in back pain and is also able to identify if other causes may be responsible, such as kidney or if it is related to posture, strain or whatever. A good chiro will also refer to other practitioners such as physio, massage or acupuncture and if necessary a medical doctor. Be cautious with things that just mask the pain and do not address the cause (weed, robaxacet). Stretching and strengthening should be a major part of your treatment regime. Posture should be a big part of your preventative maintenance. Finally, ice is the answer not heat. your muscles hurt because they are inflamed. Some docs prescribe anti-inflammatories and then tell you to put heat on. A bit counter intuitive? It feels good but does not help the problem.

I don't want to get into a debate about chiro so I won't come back here but I do know I go to an optometrist when my eyes are bothering me and a dentist when my teeth are the problem. Why would you not go to a back pain expert when your back hurts? I am not anti-MD as they have many positive inputs, obviously, but they just don't know as much about back pain. I wouldn't put Iggy on defence to kill a 5 on 3 either. It is just not what he does best.

Full disclosure:
As others may recall my wife is a chiro and works in a multi-disciplinary clinic at MRU that incorporates chiro, massage, athletic therapy, physio, acupuncture and medical doctors.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by flip

I know lots of posts (and not just in this thread) are jokes and stuff but I never smoke pot to cure what ails me. I get high because it makes tv, movies and video games funnier/cooler, makes music sound awesome and makes food taste incredible. In other words I don't use it to fix anything that is wrong, I use it to make everyday things more interesting.

So what you saying is that you take it to cure the ails of your bad taste in tv, movies, video games, music and food?