Back Pain

[tom27111]

Anyone else suffer with problems in their back?

 

I'm in absolute agony, yet again.

 

To be fair, I can sneeze the wrong way and pop a disc.

 

Pretty sure I've got a herniated disc at the base of my spine again, which then leads to sciatica, usually on the right side.

 

But this time, it also feels like I've pulled the muscles on both sides of my spine, almost all the way up to my shoulder blades.

 

It hurts just to put any pressure on them, like a constant cramp.

 

I'm pretty used to it and should be better in a week or so.

 

Unfortunately, I've got to keep working as I had last week off!

 

I should really do some core exercises. 

[Izzy]

11 minutes ago, tom27111 said:

I should really do some core exercises. 

I suffered for years with a bad lower back due to improper lifting as a youth working in retail (no proper training!)

 

I saw numerous chiropractors but nothing worked and then about 10 years ago someone suggested I do Pilates/Yoga.

 

Once I got past being the only bloke in a class full of middle aged women, it's become a game changer for me. 

 

I'm nearly 50 now but can still hold the 'plank' for nearly 5 minutes and I never have any back issue now.

 

I go to classes twice a week and manage my work around it because it's that important to me.

 

Would highly recommend.

[tom27111]

10 minutes ago, Izzy said:

I suffered for years with a bad lower back due to improper lifting as a youth working in retail (no proper training!)

 

I saw numerous chiropractors but nothing worked and then about 10 years ago someone suggested I do Pilates/Yoga.

 

Once I got past being the only bloke in a class full of middle aged women, it's become a game changer for me. 

 

I'm nearly 50 now but can still hold the 'plank' for nearly 5 minutes and I never have any back issue now.

 

I go to classes twice a week and manage my work around it because it's that important to me.

 

Would highly recommend.

You've mentioned that before.

 

Might search for some stuff on YouTube to do at home.

 

My back is never 100% and I'd say about a third of the time, I'm in quite bad pain. But I've just got used to it.

 

I'm walking like I've shat myself at the minute, honestly can't stand up straight, I'm hunched over.

 

Stepped out the back of my van earlier, about a 2 foot drop, and my legs buckled, nearly went down completely!

 

I'm reluctant to go back to the doctor as they'd like to operate on me. I'm not really keen on the idea of that to be honest. 

 

There's a fine line between making it better and ending up in a wheelchair with spinal surgery.

[Daggers]

28 minutes ago, Izzy said:

 

Once I got past being the only bloke in a class full of middle aged women, …

So, just to be clear about this hell - leotards? Cost per session?

[urban.spaceman]

Busted mine in a car crash about 13 years ago and it’s never been the same since. Sometimes it’s fine, just uncomfortable to sit down, then other times I can barely even walk. 
 

Few years ago my doctor told me that most of his patients with bad backs tend to be ‘off’ for about 6 or 7 weeks then go back to being fine again, and I’ve noticed that it tends to be about right for me too.
 

What seems to work for me is ibuprofen 400mg and plenty of water. 2 200mg don’t work at all for some reason. It has to be 1 400mg or my back won’t play. 
 

Lying down flat on my back on the floor tends to help, plus using weights to excercise it a bit.

 

Hope yours gets better

[FoyleFox]

Yoga would be excellent for core strengthening. I would say with a dodgy back that a class might be a good idea to get started.

There's lots of stretching and twisting that could aggravate it. A good instructor will ask if anyone has any back or other issues and manage what you do accordingly. 

 

[RonnieTodger]

Can definitely sympathise with this. I’m 28 and have been really struggling with back pain since just before covid and have slipped a disc several times. 
 

I did it again in Aug last year and decided it was enough and did a 3 month programme with an osteopath. It has definitely helped and he gave me a schedule of stretches/exercises to do every day. 
 

I’ve been for MRIs, done basic physio stuff, but the osteopath and exercises have been the best for me. 
 

My back is still far from perfect and I’m much more sensible in the gym, but it still hasn’t “gone” since then. 
 

I’m tempted to try yoga. 

Edited 23 November 2022 by RonnieTodger

[ozleicester]

Chiropractors have been life savers for me... there have been times where i could barely walk in.. but almost strolled out.

I call my current Chiro, a thug... he's 6 foot 3 and must weigh 110kgs...he litterally assaults me, takes all of 7-8 minutes, but levels me up and makes walking a breeze. Ive seen dozens in different locations, some work a little, some a lot... this guy i will driver for an hour each way, coz, "he's worth it"  

[CosbehFox]

As 6ft 3 lad, mine often goes ‘off’ - Yoga has done wonders for me and I’m not the agile of people 

[Rob1742]

Suffered really badly, remember being unable to walk for a week.

 

Then I got told to improve my core muscles and it was a game changer.

 

So I get a twinge, or I can feel pain from standing too long and I just do:

 

15 superman’s without weight

15 bent leg raise each leg

50 hip raise

15 bent leg raise each leg

15 superman’s without weights

 

I do it all in that order and maybe have to do it once a week, mainly on a Monday after standing up too long at the weekend. 
 

If it feels I will struggle, like if I have been lifting or twisting etc I might need to do those exercises for maybe five days on the bounce.

 

But from spending a week off work and being unable to get out of bed, to spasms etc, then I just have to do this regime and I am sorted really is a great result for me. 

[Lako42]

People in this country don't tend to do anything to help their own posture / back health 

 

 

I was really struggling with pain in the left side of my back / shoulder blade. I started doing 5 minute of stretches and neck movements as the 1st thing i do after I wake up and it's much better. 

 

 

In Vietnam you see very old people out in the street everywhere doing daily stretching and body movement and they are incredibly flexible / mobile way into old age. 

[The boy Linacre]

Just realised that 30years of running and age hasn't helped or made me the most flexible when I go mental to celebrate a City goal

Been meaning to go to a Pilots or Yoga class or combination of both since the beginning of Covid, but am biting the bullet and going to go along for my first session in a couple of weeks, fitness is good for my age BUT flexibility certainly isn't, hope they are the answer or certainly an improvement.

[Tommy G]

Make sure you aren't overweight

[grobyfox1990]

Posture is a big part of it if you sit at a desk all day. Get up every 15 minutes to stretch. Otherwise look to strengthen your back at the gym or via yoga or pilates, i go to yoga twice a week (most weeks) and am often the only male there, which is a good side benefit...

[Monk]

9 hours ago, ozleicester said:

Chiropractors have been life savers for me... there have been times where i could barely walk in.. but almost strolled out.

I call my current Chiro, a thug... he's 6 foot 3 and must weigh 110kgs...he litterally assaults me, takes all of 7-8 minutes, but levels me up and makes walking a breeze. Ive seen dozens in different locations, some work a little, some a lot... this guy i will driver for an hour each way, coz, "he's worth it"  

Same here - had chemo about 5 years ago and 8 months in bed totally messed my back up. Took about 6 months of exercise and chiro appointments to properly sort me out but he was amazing at getting my back sorted out.

[Trav Le Bleu]

16 hours ago, tom27111 said:

Anyone else suffer with problems in their back?

 

I'm in absolute agony, yet again.

 

To be fair, I can sneeze the wrong way and pop a disc.

 

Pretty sure I've got a herniated disc at the base of my spine again, which then leads to sciatica, usually on the right side.

 

But this time, it also feels like I've pulled the muscles on both sides of my spine, almost all the way up to my shoulder blades.

 

It hurts just to put any pressure on them, like a constant cramp.

 

I'm pretty used to it and should be better in a week or so.

 

Unfortunately, I've got to keep working as I had last week off!

 

I should really do some core exercises. 

It's the job mate. I have terrible sciatica which I entirely blame on heavy mailbags.

Edited 24 November 2022 by Trav Le Bleu

[Ric Flair]

Swimming and yoga are very effective and I often do neither and then get very despondent when my back goes, which happens a few times a year and costs me several hundred quid down the chiropractors. Prat

[HighPeakFox]

7 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

Swimming and yoga are very effective and I often do neither and then get very despondent when my back goes, which happens a few times a year and costs me several hundred quid down the chiropractors. Prat

Bit harsh on your chiro there, Ric  

[bmt]

What do people think of Osteopaths? I went to see one briefly due to my bad back which I have regularly injured due to being so inflexible it leads to poor form in the gym (particularly while squatting), but never followed up on it. He noted my poor posture due to the way I stood on the ground, but didn't know if I believed that that may be a contributing cause or not and then moved house so didn't carry on.

 

Will definitely be following some of the advice in this thread. Currently I just manage my back by a stretching regime I do whenever I exercise, or if it is particularly stiff when not exercising.

[RoboFox]

I have a degenerating disc in my lower back and will likely spread to others as I get older. Probably a combination of genetics and a weightlifting injury which I aggravated through my 20s (I did a shit load of Bodypump with terrible lifting technique, clearly)

 

There’s no cure outside of expensive spinal fusion so it’s just managing it. 

 

Prolonged activity will cause it to seize up which is very painful. It doesn’t help that I sit down all day and I’m a slouch. Sometimes it barely hurts, sometimes it’s pretty unbearable… But it’s just “there” and I’ve learned to ignore it most of the time.

I tried a chiropractor and didn’t like it at all. Felt almost cult-like and a lot of what they said sounded like nonsense. It’s an “alternative medicine” that sits in that grey area of recognised treatment, holistic therapy and pseudoscience and I thought my money could be better used elsewhere IMO. Glad to hear others have had good results.

 

I recommend a physiotherapist. Regular stretching mainly to try and separate the discs and loosen the tendons around the spine, but he also manipulates it and “stretches” me on a weird S&M rack which is super sexy and feels great.

 

Regular exercise is the key (swimming is excellent also 15 minute core exercises on YouTube) but I’ve really lapsed on recently and it’s becoming a problem again. Not being lazy and overweight is a good start, which is my issue at the moment. Gonna give yoga / Pilates a go, though. New year’s resolution.

 

Edited 25 November 2022 by RoboFox

[Smudge]

On 23/11/2022 at 17:17, tom27111 said:

Anyone else suffer with problems in their back?

 

I'm in absolute agony, yet again.

 

To be fair, I can sneeze the wrong way and pop a disc.

 

Pretty sure I've got a herniated disc at the base of my spine again, which then leads to sciatica, usually on the right side.

 

But this time, it also feels like I've pulled the muscles on both sides of my spine, almost all the way up to my shoulder blades.

 

It hurts just to put any pressure on them, like a constant cramp.

 

I'm pretty used to it and should be better in a week or so.

 

Unfortunately, I've got to keep working as I had last week off!

 

I should really do some core exercises. 

Unless you know the extent of your injury you are guessing.

I had severe spine pain from 1967 until I got it fixed in 1998. 

I was working as a site engineer on the M6 at Spaghetti Junction when I hurt myself pulling scaffold tubes out of mud. We used them as batter (slope) profiles. 

After years of trying all manner of treatments, I eventually went to see a neurosurgeon who had me take an MRI and determined that I needed a discectomy which he did but was not successful. I then had a second operation in 1998 using titanium cages which separated the vertibrae (spine fusion) and I have never had that pain since.

So, if you want advice from a long suffering person, seek the best neurological advice as early as you can and get it fixed rather than try and treat it yourself.

[polarbear]

See a physio, back problems can be caused by bad hips or hamstrings passing the load onto your back

[tom27111]

On 24/11/2022 at 10:08, grobyfox1990 said:

Posture is a big part of it if you sit at a desk all day. Get up every 15 minutes to stretch. Otherwise look to strengthen your back at the gym or via yoga or pilates, i go to yoga twice a week (most weeks) and am often the only male there, which is a good side benefit...

 

On 23/11/2022 at 22:35, Izzy said:

I suffered for years with a bad lower back due to improper lifting as a youth working in retail (no proper training!)

 

I saw numerous chiropractors but nothing worked and then about 10 years ago someone suggested I do Pilates/Yoga.

 

Once I got past being the only bloke in a class full of middle aged women, it's become a game changer for me. 

 

I'm nearly 50 now but can still hold the 'plank' for nearly 5 minutes and I never have any back issue now.

 

I go to classes twice a week and manage my work around it because it's that important to me.

 

Would highly recommend.

 

You pair remind remind me of Will Ferrell in Wedding Crashers.

 

He goes to funerals to pick up women.

 

You do it at yoga classes.

 

"Chazz is really clearing up" 

 

 

[tom27111]

Mines been easing up slightly the last day or 2.

 

Obviously the disc is still damaged, but the cramp feeling in the muscles up my spine has gone.

 

With family circumstances in the last week, I looked after my 18 month old nephew the other day and think I might have pulled muscles picking him up, which made the pain excruciating. 

 

Thankfully, the sciatica hasn't even kicked in that much. 

 

Been lying on the floor to rest the disc and it's doing the trick.

 

I genuinely have just learnt to live with it though, it's normal to me. Even though it's agony to put the clutch down to change gears when I'm driving 

 

I'll give it a few more days, then start to exercise and try to strengthen my core. 

 

I'm glad I'm not the only person who is completely unflexible by the looks of some replies on this thread.

 

I can't even touch my toes. I get halfway down my shins...the family think its hilarious. 

 

I'm not even overweight! Bit of a beer belly, but I'm in pretty good shape for a 43 year old. (Well, I tell myself that, I'm not as slender as @Izzy though) 

 

I'm going to get myself down the doctors and get some advice.

[grobyfox1990]

16 minutes ago, tom27111 said:

 

 

You pair remind remind me of Will Ferrell in Wedding Crashers.

 

He goes to funerals to pick up women.

 

You do it at yoga classes.

 

"Chazz is really clearing up" 

 

 

Lol maybe not so much me at this mornings class. Had to run out to throw up in the gym toilets after drinking too much whisky last night