Back Problems

[Lugnutz]

My back hasn't been the greatest as of late and with all the heavy crap at work I have to deal with but you know it's going to be bad when it takes 10 minutes of cussing to get your shoes on.

I was ready to go to work when I tried to walk to the door to leave when I decided it was bad enough to call the boss and have them reschedule the jobs that were coming in Friday. I was planning on a final push for my Jeep next week but that will most likely not happen because of this.

I was going to go to the store for supplies after work because there is nothing here. Guess what didn't happen?

Hopefully in a day or two the pain will go away and life can continue. No money/no insurance equals home fixes at best. Friggin' lower back/left hip...............

I would like to find a different job that isn't so hard on the body but with all the kids getting the brainless work, what is there to do?

[DesDownunder]

From your description, I had a similar back-hip problem, two months ago, that stopped me from walking and climbing stairs was excruciating. I found that if I supported the back of my thigh just at the buttocks I could get up the stairs at work, so I wrapped a support bandage around the upper leg and was able use the stairs again. In three days something went click and the pain diminished. By weeks end, I was normal again. Well...my hip/back was anyway.

A month later, the boyfriend did something similar. He always wants what I have.

Anyway, his solution was to soak in a hot tub, but he took a month to recover.

These pains are obviously the result of our wicked ways and we should all stop not having sex.

I'm certain that real sex will cure everything. Now if we could just get the conservative religious right, to try enjoying sex...

[Cole Parker]

When I have immobilizing back pain, I take 800 mg of ibuprofen three or four times a day for several days. The stuff is a miracle drug. I also use a heating pad, sitting with it pressed against my back. Without it I can hardly move. With it, I can carefully get around.

But yes, you need time off work. You've got to let it heal.

Of course, my problems are muscular. If you have disc problems, I'm not sure how effective that would be. Perhaps you need to see a doctor or a chiropracter.

Good luck, Lug.

C

[Lugnutz]

My lil brother is great. He called earlier letting me know all of us were getting together tomorrow. I told him what was going on with my back and stuff. We chatted for a bit about things then rang off. A bit later who is knocking at my door? My lil brother with a care package of ibuprofen, a pack of medicated self stick heat pads, a pizza and most important, a pack of smokes. Now I don't need to hobble to the truck then to the store for them.

[Richard Norway]

I'm wondering if having back problems is a consequence of being a writer. It seems that most of the writers that I know have back pains.

Although with me I know that's not the case. I only started writing about 20 years ago, while I started having back problems almost 48 years ago. I had ruptured a disk in my lower back while teeing off at the second hole at Alondra Golf Course in Torrance, California when I was 19 years old. As I grew older, the back pains persisted and got worse. A doctor friend of mine explained it to me this way. He said your backbone (spine) is like a flag pole with three guy wires to keep it in place. These being the two muscles that run down either side of your spine and your stomach muscles in front. When any one of these gets flabby and not able to properly do its job, your backbone becomes unsupported. As in most people, we know which muscle gets flabby, right? The front one.

When I hit 50, I was 6'-0" at 220 pounds. I'm still 6'-0" but I'm now at a comfortable 178 pounds. Taking off the weight has realty helped reduce the number of times my disk would bulge pinching the nerve in my spinal column.

Oh, and a pack a day keeps everyone away.

[JamesSavik]

With me it's the knees- the right one in particular.

I had an ACL repair back in 1984 but it's the sort of thing that's never quite right again- or so it was with best available tech in 1984.

A few weeks ago at work, I stumbled off a ladder and "tweeked" it. It swelled up and hobbled me for days. It is still painful if I step on it wrong.

Sadly, none of us are 20 anymore- with the exception of Tim and Colin. I suggest that they enjoy it while it lasts and start counting backwards at 30.

[colinian]

I'm wondering if having back problems is a consequence of being a writer. It seems that most of the writers that I know have back pains.

Students would suffer from this problem except they have to get up about every 50 to 80 minutes to walk to a different class. So when I'm at home working at the computer I get up every hour and stretch, walk to the kitchen and get a glass of water, walk outside and maybe even around the block (weather permitting, recently) which helps exerise the body a bit and clear the mind a lot. I also do sitting and standing stretching exercises for a minute or so every 15 or 20 minutes. I do the same thing at work where I sit even more than when I'm at home writing. All of this helps a lot, and I've been able to avoid a sore back so far.

Colin

[Lugnutz]

Well, just got back from my first visit at the chiropracters. His probing then the x-rays comfiromed my question of the hip pain and the back were connected. Nothing really bad was found, so he commenced to making adjustments turning me every which way popping joints. This isn't going to be a quick fix but with some more excersize and streching it can be overcome. I got a cold pack from him I can keep in the freezer until it's needed.

I did keep him laughing and by chance, it was his Jeep in the parking lot so we chatted about that too. Hopefully I can work again and do the fun stuff, just need a bit of help. Old age ya know.

[The Pecman]

Oh, I just got finished with four film shoots in a row (music video, Funny or Die sketch, documentary interview, and video game commercial), and my back was so wiped out I was almost paralyzed. I went to the massage therapist and had him rub me the wrong way -- he said I had the most screwed-up back he'd encountered in two months. Apparently, my back muscles -- which are supposed to be pliable and spongy -- had turned into a solidified, overly-tense, solid mass, completely engulfed in spasm.

I'm almost recovered now, with the aid of ice packs, a heating pad, and a little more bed rest. But stress is no fun. In my case, it's aggravated by a pinch nerve near my sciatica (lower left gluteus maximus), and just radiates out from there. I do try careful exercise, but the stress of jobs, having to pick up and load lots of production equipment, and lean over in a chair for 12 hours a day is a recipe for disaster. Normally, I don't get 4 jobs in a row, but in this economy, I ain't gonna turn down work for nothin', including back pain. Thank god the thing didn't sieze up until after all the work was done...

[Lugnutz]

So what you're saying is I'm having sympathy pains? My back guy said the same thing about the muscles being tight.

[Cole Parker]

Tight muscles are exactly why you need ibuprofen.

C

[Camy]

Ha! You think you've got it bad. Let me tell you it's ju...

[Guest Dabeagle]

I discovered that my back and leg pain were two separate issues. The back came from two of my back bones bumping against one another and I had a series of three steroid shots which did wonders. The other was a pinched nerve and i have stretches and exercises to help with that. My upcoming trip to Europe and their GD cobblestones should put me back on my back again soon.

[Cole Parker]

Glad you at least have it in check now! Constant pain is a real bugger.

C

[Lugnutz]

The previous pain must have been a calm before the storm. This morning it really hurt so this must be the storm. Trying to walk or stand would hurt like a M/F'er. Got to my desk and chair and it eventually calmed down. Some Advil and the icepack on my back brougtht it back to a dull roar.

Feels like the movie "Grounghogs Day". In the eve around bedtime things wouldn't be great but decent. In the morning, back to square one.

[JamesSavik]

Yesterday I rented a tiller to cultivate my usual garden spot.

I didn't get my usual tiller. I got the 25 horse-power 36" monster. I'm not sure whether I worked it or it worked me.

I feel like I've been beaten.

It's a quiet day with aspirin and... no sudden movements. < WTH is the stupid human doing now???

[DesDownunder]

James, I'm thinking you might be better off hiring a team of hunky guys to do your cultivating. They can work in garden afterwards.

[Lugnutz]

After talking to a few people and looking on my own, most of my problems are self inflicted. Between my D.G.A.S. attitude the past couple of years, no real excersize aside from work, sitting at my desk for most of my non-working hours and lifting heavy things at work I know better to do different put me in the hell I currently reside.

Time to play catch up and see what I can salvage and hope things improve.

[Richard Norway]

Hey Luggie,

I think you're like most of us. We try, but sometimes we just do things wrong and are always trying to play catchup to salvage what we did wrong.

But it's important that when we realize something in our lives needs fixing, we go after it (My Bowflex is winking at me.). Okay, tomorrow I start.

[Lugnutz]

Did a lot of research and found that the sciatic nerve can cause all kinds of grief when a disc in the back has other ideas. Went to a different chiropracter today for preliminary tests and x-rays. This one is a lot more through than the first guy I seen. I go back tomorrow for the results and his recommendations. What led me to this one is they have a decompression table which resembles a midevil rack but modernised. It pulls your back into shape and lets the discs go back to their origonal form. It may take a couple visits to get things right, but this should work.

[DesDownunder]

My neck used to 'go out' quite often and the chiropractor would just manipulate it...cccraaack! and all was fixed until the next time.

However, the manipulation is now frowned upon as being dangerous, especially at my age where complications can be deadly.

So the alternative method was to massage the spinal area with what looked like a rotary sander. After four treatments and getting better each time, I was back to normal, and able to swivel my head again, much to the husbands delight.

As for the back/sciatic pain, I have discovered that I really have to make sure I have a chair at the computer desk, that supports my posture, and my posterior, or my lower back hurts like blazes. I tried several different chairs before I hit on the idea of using a sports-car seat fastened to an old chair swivel base. It was quite an engineering feat but I've had no back problems since using it. I also have a small foot stool that I use to vary my legs from straight to angled.

I used to be able to bend my legs and hang upside down from the banana tree, whilst holding onto the aforementioned husband in a way that made me forget about bananas.

[Lugnutz]

I wonder if I have a spare car seat laying around...............

[Gee Whillickers]

Talk about Karma. I wasn't following this thread too closely. I've been lucky enough to not have had any of the back problems described here, aside from some problems with my lower back that started when I was at work when I was seventeen. I was unloading 60 pound bags of fertilizer from a truck and bent and twisted wrong. My back was sore for a week, then gave me a few problems on and off for a while after that, but then resolved itself for decades.

Then, today, I suddenly started having a different problem. I was running, fairly sedately, on my treadmill and suddenly felt a weird pinching pain in my lower neck/upper back. It hurt like the dickens for a few seconds but then faded, so I finished my workout. But, as soon as I stopped I could feel it start to throb and hurt. I knew I was in for it and took a couple of ibuprofen. That was this morning. Now, late evening, I finally managed to sit down at my computer for a few minutes without being in terrible pain. I'm hoping a good night's sleep will help. This really sucks. So much for, "Boy, I'm glad I don't have those back problems everyone is talking about."

[Lugnutz]

Gee, if you have a ice pack or something similar, lay on your stomach and lay the pack across your back for about 10-15 minutes every couple of hours. It should do wonders. I got mine from the chiropracter. You can get more info by Googling it. Hopefully it's nothing serious other than you playing a me and screwing something up.

[Lugnutz]

Well, a few visits to the decompression table along with more adjustments and my back feels better than it has in a long time. I haven't been streched out in a week, just twisted and jumped on to get everything in place 3 times a week. I even put a mile on my bike, talk about a odd feeling. I haven't ridden that much in 30 years.