Hurt my back

[Bimmerbill]

I hurt my back about 1.5 months ago. Usually, I'll over do something, or pick up something with poor form. After a couple days, I'm as good as new.

Not sure what I did this time. But the pain keeps coming back. Mostly I hurt it again when bent over, changing the babies diaper.

Its a wierd pain, kidney area of the small of my back, down thru my hip. Its a sharp pain, and fades once I am stationary. Its only on the right side now, but for a while it was both. It stiffens up when I sit. Hurts when I bend my head forward to get into my small car (I am tall).

Usually I get better fast. Wife is nagging me to go the docs, but I think the doc will just say take Advil and quit lifting stuff. Trouble is, my daughter is 2 and I'm always lifting her and bending over changing her diaper.

I guess I should call the doc and spend the $20 copay... Anyone had a similar issue? Am I just getting old?

 

[RunningBum]

Call the doc. Either something is wrong that they can fix, or they can recommend physical therapy. Maybe both. If Advil will fix it, then at least you know it's nothing serious.

I don't think I've had that specific problem, but I've had some back issues. The first hit when I was about 30, and must've carried my 2 yr old daughter too long walking up a long hill after a 4th of July show. It was totally locked up the next morning. And the wife (at the time) was out of the country, so I had to do it all on my own, and when she called I had to tell her all was fine--why bother her with something she couldn't do anything about. But once she was home it was -- here, she's yours for awhile.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

sounds like sciatica. an ice pack should reduce inflamation which will reduce pain. best not to let the pain get you down. gotta keep the body moving.

 

[haha]

I vote for spending the $20 and seeing the Doc.

ha

 

[simple girl]

I guess I should call the doc and spend the $20 copay... Anyone had a similar issue? Am I just getting old?

LOL, we are all getting old Don't accept that this is just something that you have to live with. Go see the doc, get a script for physical therapy. Learn some exercises you can do to heal your own back and also how to lift properly so that you are less likely to get injured again in the future. Get it taken care of now before you develop more tightness and bad postural patterns from ongoing pain. It really is amazing how much exercise (properly prescribed) can help with back pain - especially if you catch it early (it's more difficult to treat the more chronic the pain becomes).

 

[megacorp-firee]

Here is a link to a similar thread with a lot of discussion on back pain.
http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f38/back-problems-treating-advil-33348.html
Bottom line is get it looked at and start exercising to keep youself in shape.
questions: are you overweight, sedentary, no exercise, ... etc. Poor lifestyle contributes to this.
I would also go to Dr and check it out. I found out I have spinal stenosis. So I may eventually have to have the ortho surgeon cut into me. But so far so good. keeping it in check.

Good luck to you. I have spent the last 2 years trying to get back to normal. whatever that is.

 

[murg]

Bill, Best advice from someone who has had the same symtoms you have for years now? What SimpleGirl said... Strenghten those abdominals and you can live pain free for the most part.

 

[Bimmerbill]

Thanks. I did put on a few pounds over the winter, right in the gut. Plus I'm an IT guy so I spend a lot of time sitting in front of a PC. Boss is getting me a highback ergo chair so I can have it set up for me.

I figured it was a combo of being out of shape and the ol' gut. I'm 6'6" 250 so I could stand to lose a little weight...

Sciatica runs in the family. Grandfather on mothers side had it, as does my mom.

I'll call the doc and use some of those 550 hours of sick leave I have saved up!

 

[TromboneAl]

Here's the standard cycle, perhaps you can shorten it:

Bad back strain
Learn boring back exercises
Do boring exercises
Get bored with boring exercises, stop doing them
Bad back strain
Do boring exercises
Get bored with boring exercises, stop doing them
Bad back strain
Do boring exercises
Get bored with boring exercises, stop doing them
Bad back strain
Decide to get serious with boring exercises, stick with them

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

You've got the same thing I have. Strained my sacrum which is the joint between the spine and the pelvis. Feels sore from about an inch or so from the top of the butt cheek and around 4" in each direction. Usually from excessively bending over something according to my doc and I just spent a couple of days digging 2' holes in the ground to replace sprinkler heads which involved cutting and yanking up a lot of roots. Plus I installed a 75lb cooktop that I had to hold out at arms length for a while to settle it into the opening. Seems to have been a bad combination.

Pretty miserable. For a couple of days I couldnt even roll over in bed without excruciating pain.

He suggested hot water and heat pads and ibuprofen but gave me some vicodin and a muscle relaxer. I was unimpressed with my first experience with vicodin...ended up using the ibuprofen with half the dose of muscle relaxer (robaxin?) and that makes it feel pretty good.

He also said to keep using it and stretching it occasionally.

A standard drug store issue "Futuro" back brace when I was up and walking around also seems to help quite a bit.

He said 2-4 weeks for a full recovery and advised that I dont pick up any bathtubs. Not sure where that came from.

My co-pay was only $5, so send me $15 and we'll be even.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

One of these:

Amazon.com: Futuro Stabilizing Back Support, Large/X-Large: Health & Personal Care

 

[Achiever51]

Sounds like sciatica to me as well. Last year I had mild pain in my left hip on and off for several weeks until one night when I literally couldn't get out of bed without help...was unable to even lift my left foot high enough to put on my shoe. (Hurts now to even think about it!)

Tried all kinds of home remedies -- heat, ice, OTC pain relievers, back brace, etc. -- but the pain kept coming back, so I finally went to the doctor who diagnosed bulging lumbar discs that were pressing on the nerves causing the sciatica. Fast forward to six weeks of 3x a week physical therapy, including traction, and voila! no more pain. I still do my exercises regularly -- particularly those for abdominal core muscles -- and am very careful in how I lift and/or twist, but I feel like I dodged a major bullet.

Suggest you make that doctor appointment.....

 

[megacorp-firee]

Here's the standard cycle, perhaps you can shorten it:

Bad back strain
Learn boring back exercises
Do boring exercises
Get bored with boring exercises, stop doing them
Bad back strain
Do boring exercises
Get bored with boring exercises, stop doing them
Bad back strain
Do boring exercises
Get bored with boring exercises, stop doing them
Bad back strain
Decide to get serious with boring exercises, stick with them

What T-Al said ... you either stick to the exercises or you add a few cycles to the T-Al's list.
Good luck