Reply to: Bad Back

[dang65]

Yesterday afternoon I was getting up from my armchair. About 25% of the way to an upright position I sneezed, and my back locked up

About a week before our first kid was born, I was putting finishing touches to our new kitchen and one of the very last jobs was to line the washing machine up in its place. No idea what I did, but I managed to do something exactly wrong because my back completely locked up. I was only about 23 at the time, but it was like I was an old man on his last legs. I ended up spending about two days solid laid out on the sofa while my 9-mths-preggers missus did all the running around.

Of course, she's never mentioned it once in all the years since then. Well, unless the day has a "y" in it, that is.

[EternalOptimist]

I must admit I used to think people with bad backs were pulling a fast one, in order to get signed off sick, etc.

Until last year that was. Half a day hardly able to move convinced me :-)

I remember all those idiots, when I was young, saying 'dont pick it up like that, you'll regret it when you are older'

yeah, like I am ever going to be a decrepid old f@rt like you


<cough>

[bobhope]

I must admit I used to think people with bad backs were pulling a fast one, in order to get signed off sick, etc.

Until last year that was. Half a day hardly able to move convinced me :-)

[northernrampage]

I have a lot of back issues (cracked disc probs, fluid round hips, knotted shoulders etc).

With me, I should do exercises all the time to correct imbalances (I don't, and it comes back).

I sneezed and did a disc in year before last... only things that work (and most people have said this on here):

-- go to a decent physio, ideally a sports one, as they are used to treating loads of injuries (if someone just hooks you up to the electric mains system don't go back, they're generally tulip and will have you coming back for 10 sessions that aren't needed)
-- if you can't get one via recommendation have a look online for a clinic that says it treats sports people
-- don't start doing hot/cold until they have advised you, depending on what you may have done they do different things (think warm is for muscle, ice for other stuff)
-- lean backwards if you sneeze, I do it all the time now, yes you look like a muppet but it stops you pulling your back again
-- a physio should give you exercises to strengthen your back, make sure you do them

Things that really bugger your back up are sitting down for too long (taxi drivers get bad backs, and office workers) as it puts pressure on your discs, lying on the sofa etc, as well as lifting incorrectly, bad posture. I didn't engage my glute muscles properly which caused me hip probs.... if you see someone good they may help you sort stuff like that out. You shouldn't have to go back for weeks on end, it's usually the exercises that help if you do them regularly.

[NickFitz]

Now I'm the king of the swingers
Oh, the jungle VIP
I've reached the top and had to stop
And that's what botherin' me
I wanna be a man, mancub
And stroll right into town
And be just like the other men
I'm tired of monkeyin' around!

I remember the first time I saw Disney's rendition of The Jungle Book: it was a Saturday afternoon in the Sixties when it first came out, when our Great Uncle George, of blessed memory, had accepted the burden of keeping myself and my siblings entertained while my parents did something or other

"Four legs good, two legs bad!"

I never got around to reading Animal Farm until I was in my late twenties

I knew and thought I understood all the cultural references thereto, but I hadn't actually read the book. As with all of Orwell's novels, I wept at the end - but in a good way

[RichardCranium]

Oh dear. What a lot of assumptions everyone has made.

Dear Furryfaced-One,

I'm sorry, but you've been mixing with a bunch of bipeds for too long and started thinking you're one of them.

Spend a night curled up in a pile of leaves, then a morning swinging in your tyre.

Once you are nicely relaxed, a couple of hours swinging between the branches with allow gravity to make the weight of your legs sort your back out.

Now I'm the king of the swingers
Oh, the jungle VIP
I've reached the top and had to stop
And that's what botherin' me
I wanna be a man, mancub
And stroll right into town
And be just like the other men
I'm tired of monkeyin' around!

Oh, oobee doo
I wanna be like you
I wanna walk like you
Talk like you, too
You'll see it's true
An ape like me
Can learn to be human too.

You!
I wanna be like you
I wanna talk like you
Walk like you, too
You'll see it's true
Someone like me
Can learn to be
Like someone like me
Can learn to be
Like someone like you
Can learn to be
Like someone like me!

"Four legs good, two legs bad!"

[shaunbhoy]

Oh! That's what I always do with mine. Can having a hot shower/bath really do any damage?

You have showers sg? Blimey, thought you were that scrawny you had to run around to get wet!!

[norrahe]

Oh! That's what I always do with mine. Can having a hot shower/bath really do any damage?

It all depends on what you have done to your back, whether it's nerve, tissue, muscle, disc etc.....

So the application of cold or hot in the wrong situation could make things worse or cause injury.

[sasguru]

Bad advice - the type of injury determines whether you should use hot treatment or cold. Until that's determined, be careful.

Oh! That's what I always do with mine. Can having a hot shower/bath really do any damage?

[norrahe]

Bad advice - the type of injury determines whether you should use hot treatment or cold. Until that's determined, be careful.

Definitely WHS

Mr Norr has had back problems and his physio has recommended cold, not hot.

Consult an expert before you do some damage.

[Platypus]

Should go in a couple of days, aided by lots of hot baths and some of that gel for muscular aches stuff from the chemists.
To avoid in the future, do your stretching exercises before and after long coding sessions.

Bad advice - the type of injury determines whether you should use hot treatment or cold. Until that's determined, be careful.

[NotAllThere]

Medical doses of Ibuprofen, that's 800mg 3x a day - do take with food. I find washing them down with half a bottle of a decent wine quite effective.

Get 6-12 sessions of physio. At the end, they should tell you some exercises to perform that will help prevent it happening again.

[Andy2]

Buy a back support belt from boots. It keeps your back straight
It helped me a lot with the pain.

[Olly]

Had the same sort of thing happen a fair few times to me too...actually right now in a lot of pain.
Ok, solution
To relief the pain, drugs, maybe one of those heat patches, voltoron gel doesn't seem to do much, deep heat does.

Then........exercise.....walking, then walking with big swingy steps, then stairs two at a time...eventually freed up enough to go on a rowing machine.

In short space of time base of back is strong again, no pain etc. butttttttt...bad news is, once it happens once, next time it seems to happen more easily and so on....then you get to stage, without out exercise, and living a sedentary seated/laying lifestyle the pain always returns

..summary - rowing machine

[norrahe]

Make sure to take Ibuprofen regularly (as per the pack) while the pain and stiffness is still a problem.

Go to your doc and get referred to a physio (osteopaths as pointed out will give you a quick fix but not long term).

Ensure that said doc does not do what GPs normally do and pack you off with some horrendously strong painkillers.


I'd recommend pilates classes as well.