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oh my aching back

Boone

*Supporting Member*
833
96
N.E. O-H-I-O
Anybody have back problems? I haven't been on here in some time because I have been having issues with my lower back. It's kinda been bothering me since last fall. I have been active my whole life so I thought it was muscular and would just go away. My doc finally sent me for an mri after PT didn't work. Turns out I have a herneated disc in my lumbar region.:smiley_boos: Looks like the best option is to get it fixed. I just know I can't go on like this. It hurts!
 

Schu72

Well-Known Member
3,864
113
Streetsboro
I have a hernited L5/S1. Luckily it behaves for the most part. I hope surgery is a long way off for me. I know TOO many people who have orthopedic surgery and end up worse off. Have you tried inversion therapy? I have a table at home that I use when it starts to flare up. One of my co-worker got me to try it.
 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
56,739
274
North Carolina
I would try a lot of differant avenues before surgery, haven't heard many good results from that process..... Good luck hope something helps with the pain beside meds.....
 

Boone

*Supporting Member*
833
96
N.E. O-H-I-O
I was doing better with pt until they threw in more core stuff now it is out of whack again. I can't sit in a chair comfortably for long no matter what I take and I feel like I have a screwdriver poking me about an inch deep. I have heard the surgery for what I have is outpatient and short, but I don't know what to do......
 

rgecko23

*Supporting Member*
7,466
0
Massillon, Ohio
what I do is, I stand up a couple times a day and stretch backwards. It has helped me a ton. Just that little bit of stretching has changed my back pain.
 

Huckleberry Finn

Senior Member
15,973
135
what I do is, I stand up a couple times a day and stretch backwards. It has helped me a ton. Just that little bit of stretching has changed my back pain.

Sitting in a chair, cross one leg across the bent leg, hold onto that leg, lean forward, and pull...stretches your low back well
 

rgecko23

*Supporting Member*
7,466
0
Massillon, Ohio
your right it does, but really doesnt help for the people who are always in that position. You want to stretch backwards to get that forward sitting stiffness out.
 

rgecko23

*Supporting Member*
7,466
0
Massillon, Ohio
When I said "You're right it does", I meant it as I just tried it and am surprised how much of a good stretch it is. That felt good to get some compression off the lower back
 

RedCloud

Super Moderator
Super Mod
17,381
193
North Central Ohio
Herniated S1-L5 with a tear as well. Also have a herniated T-8,T-9 and another in my neck. Can't remember without looking on the report what the cervical number was.

For my S1-L5 I had shots last of them was back in October where I had a series of 3 shots (below,at the site, and above the pain) and have had little problems out of it since. I am about due for another round here soon since they say they should last from 3-6 months.

Pain management told me the LAST thing they want to do is surgery because it might make the pain worse and also limit my movement so that's why they went with the shots. The first was an epidural and did nothing, second was a facet joint injection right at the site of pain that did nothing, this last time they sandwiched the pain area by going above, below and at the site of the pain. Worked just fine going that route.

Did the PT and chiropractor 3x a week for months right after I got my back injury and did help a little but not much. The PT seemed to make it worse when I did my core as well so the second round of PT they did in the pool. Worked but not for long. At the Chiropractor they did E-stem, decompression table as well as ultra violet light therapy and adjustments. The only thing that worked for me was the 3 site Facet joint injections. I take no pain meds and work a job where I have to carry a #85 ladder off and on all day long. No real issues but I do still have the ache and discomfort from driving for too long at a time but thats more muscular then anything else. Just have to be careful and watch what I'm doing and realize my back will NEVER be the same as it was before the accident.
 
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Huckleberry Finn

Senior Member
15,973
135
When I said "You're right it does", I meant it as I just tried it and am surprised how much of a good stretch it is. That felt good to get some compression off the lower back

:smiley_coolpeace:

Another really good one if you have the time is to lay on your stomach and let everything relax for about 10 minutes and then push up with just your arms, letting everything get pushed back into place. It's part of trying to get the pain close to your spine where "it" can heal.
 
Boone,
Sorry to hear about your back problems.
I too have had back problems, but usually between the shoulder blades. If I keep up with a few upper body exercises and use my inversion table once a week, I stay in pretty good shape.

Several years ago, I used to have some lower back problems...real low, like below my spine. Amazingly enough, after I divorced my first wife, things seemed to clear up and the pain went away. :smiley_blink:

Bowhunter57
 

Boone

*Supporting Member*
833
96
N.E. O-H-I-O
what I do is, I stand up a couple times a day and stretch backwards. It has helped me a ton. Just that little bit of stretching has changed my back pain.

Pt had me doing this and it helps to an extent because the herniation is pressing on my spinal cord.
 

Boone

*Supporting Member*
833
96
N.E. O-H-I-O
:smiley_coolpeace:

Another really good one if you have the time is to lay on your stomach and let everything relax for about 10 minutes and then push up with just your arms, letting everything get pushed back into place. It's part of trying to get the pain close to your spine where "it" can heal.

This helps too. Its funny cuz I just got off the floor before reading this.
 

Boone

*Supporting Member*
833
96
N.E. O-H-I-O
Herniated S1-L5 with a tear as well. Also have a herniated T-8,T-9 and another in my neck. Can't remember without looking on the report what the cervical number was.

For my S1-L5 I had shots last of them was back in October where I had a series of 3 shots (below,at the site, and above the pain) and have had little problems out of it since. I am about due for another round here soon since they say they should last from 3-6 months.

Pain management told me the LAST thing they want to do is surgery because it might make the pain worse and also limit my movement so that's why they went with the shots. The first was an epidural and did nothing, second was a facet joint injection right at the site of pain that did nothing, this last time they sandwiched the pain area by going above, below and at the site of the pain. Worked just fine going that route.

Did the PT and chiropractor 3x a week for months right after I got my back injury and did help a little but not much. The PT seemed to make it worse when I did my core as well so the second round of PT they did in the pool. Worked but not for long. At the Chiropractor they did E-stem, decompression table as well as ultra violet light therapy and adjustments. The only thing that worked for me was the 3 site Facet joint injections. I take no pain meds and work a job where I have to carry a #85 ladder off and on all day long. No real issues but I do still have the ache and discomfort from driving for too long at a time but thats more muscular then anything else. Just have to be careful and watch what I'm doing and realize my back will NEVER be the same as it was before the accident.

Glad its working for you! I haven't heard many success stories with the shots, but everybody is different, that's for sure.
 

RedCloud

Super Moderator
Super Mod
17,381
193
North Central Ohio
Glad its working for you! I haven't heard many success stories with the shots, but everybody is different, that's for sure.

It's working for now but for how long ? Nobody really knows and the next thing is narcotic pain meds or surgery so this is no more then a band-aid for the time being. As you said, different things work for different people. Hope your back issue gets better man. No worse pain then a lower back pain or a tooth nerve pain IMO.
 

epe

Senior Member
6,113
93
Lancaster
I have lower back problems.. It went out in me last summer when I bent over to pick up a sock... I do forward stretches while standing up. It seems to help..
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
Mine bothers me all the time and I'm only 29. When I'm 49, I'll be crippled! :smiley_blackeye:

Same here. I don't know what I'm going to do when I get to be that age...

what I do is, I stand up a couple times a day and stretch backwards. It has helped me a ton. Just that little bit of stretching has changed my back pain.

I think this is my biggest problem. I spend so much time sitting at my desk and sitting in my truck every day that I think it's throwing me out of alignment. Good suggestion on standing up from time to time.

:smiley_coolpeace:

Another really good one if you have the time is to lay on your stomach and let everything relax for about 10 minutes and then push up with just your arms, letting everything get pushed back into place. It's part of trying to get the pain close to your spine where "it" can heal.

I have found that this stretch here works wonders. I like to do it in stages... First lay flat on my stomach with my arms at my sides and let everything relax, then come up on my elbows and let everything relax, then finally press myself up on my hands and lock my elbows straight.