Back Pain

[Fedup]

This has probably been asked before but I thought I would ask anyway. A few years ago I pulled muscles in my back and done something to a disc or two during a seizure and every so often it lets me know its still there. But tonight I cannot get up of the armchair, I am up now but cannot sit down.

Has anybody got any suggestions apart from surgery PLEASE.

 

[George__]

chiropractor appointment?

 

[Nakamova]

If it's a sharp lower back pain (near the kidneys), see your doc.
If the pain is so severe and persistent that you can't sleep or move at all, see your doc. If the pain shoots down your leg, or has caused any numbness, see your doc.

Try alternating cold packs and heating pads/hot water bottle. (Use a towel between the packs and your skin). If the area feels swollen, start with the cold pack, for about 20 minutes. Then wait an hour and try the heat for about 20 minutes.

Take a muscle relaxant if you have one handy. In a pinch, whiskey will do. Or anything for inflammation, like ibuprofen or aleve. Make sure you are getting enough fluids in general. If you have a magnesium supplement handy that might help as well.

For next time: Stock up on heat patches and/or a TENS device (see http://www.cvs.com/shop/health-medi...rt-relief-tens-back-pain-therapy-skuid-961282) at your local pharmacy.

Hope this helps, back pain sucks.

 

[Fedup]

Nakamova

Thanks for the advice Nakamova.

 

[valeriedl]

I had back problems for around 10 years. It kept getting worse and worse through the years. There were a good many times that I went to the ER on a stretcher in an ambulance because I literally couldn't more.

If I moved the wrong way I'd have severe pain in my back and it would shoot down my leg sometimes clear to my toes. I'd gone to several different drs in the area and had x-rays, CAT scans and MRIs but "There was nothing wrong" they all told me.

I tried pain pills and muscle relaxers but they really didn't do anything except make me fall asleep. I tried steroid injections but the steroids made me have seizures. I went to physical therapy and that didn't do much. I did see a chiropractor which helped some. The pain would stop for a few days but then start acting back up again.

When a new dr who dealt with back problems came to town I went to see him. He did an x-ray in the office he told me that I had two herniated discs. They were so bad that they were almost bone on bone with no cartilage in between. The discs were practically rubbing up against each other crushing the nerves. He told me that he didn't understand why none of the other drs saw this because it takes years to get this bad, it isn't something that just happened overnight.

He suggested all of the other types of things that I had already tried but he told me that the only thing that was really going to help me was to have surgery and have screws put in my back. He told me several times that people very rarely have seizures during surgery but if I were to while they were working on my spine I could become paralyzed. My back was hurting so bad though I was probably not going to be able to walk in the near future so I decided to have the surgery.

I had the surgery a year ago and really haven't had any problems since. The only real time it will bother me is if I'm sitting for a long time, especially if it's on a chair with no padding. If I'm sitting or laying in an awkward way my leg and foot may start to get numb. But once I start moving around then it's fine.

The only place on my back that will hurt, but nothing even close to what it was like before, is where they took the bone graft from. The only time it will usually act up is when there are changes in the weather. Right now since it's been getting really cold to not so cold (if that's a good way to describe it?) it's been hurting. My brother's girlfriend who is a nurse said that is a normal thing that can happen and not really anything to worry about.

I do have a big scar going down my back but I can deal with that since I can move again.

 

[masterjen]

My suggestion: Moist heat. If you have someone with you, get yourself in a comfortable position (often fetal position, head and knees on the floor or close to it) and have your friend/partner change very warm (but not burning hot) wet towels every few minutes over the painful areas. You want to prevent muscles from "locking up" which can happen with a sore back when you are tensing up. While the towels are there, slowly move around your hips, waist, legs, arms and neck (doing only what you can tolerate, of course). If you are alone, doing the same thing with a heating pad works - just not as well as the moist heat.

 

[skyfire322]

Heat and a TENS device. When I injured my back at work, I had to go to physical therapy. They gave me a TENS unit, and that made a HUGE difference.

 

[valeriedl]

My husband has back problems, we really aren't sure what's wrong other than it hurts sometimes. He's never gone to get it actually checked out.

This weekend he pulled a muscle, or something, while shoveling snow. His back was hurting really bad. He had seen something on tv made by Icy Hot called - Smart Relief Tens Therapy.

It's a small vibrator/pulsator that you stick on your back. You can adjust the settings on it to how fast and strong you want it to go. It stays on for 30 minutes then you have to turn it on again after that. It's so it won't be going the whole time you are wearing it because you may not want it to.

It's helped him a lot over the last few days. During the day when he's got it going it has eased up the pain quite a bit. But at night after he's slept for a few hours his back had tensed back up. When he put it back on this morning it eased up the pain again.

We bought it here in the US at a CVS (a pharmacy), but it's probably available in a Wal Mart or place like that. I'm not sure if you can get it over seas but you can look into it or see on the internet.

 

[Fedup]

valeriedl

Thanks for the tips, I will look them up. It appears I have a Disc and pulled muscles out. I have an A4 page of exercises to do.

 

[Nakamova]

Be careful with the exercises -- work your way up slowly, don't overdo.

 

[Fedup]

Nakamova

Thanks my friend, it felt worse coming home yesterday than going. Then this morning Seizure so no exercises today.

 

[MAB]

.

He suggested all of the other types of things that I had already tried but he told me that the only thing that was really going to help me was to have surgery and have screws put in my back. He told me several times that people very rarely have seizures during surgery but if I were to while they were working on my spine I could become paralyzed. My back was hurting so bad though I was probably not going to be able to walk in the near future so I decided to have the surgery..

I have a question. I'm sure you have said in the past but I have a bad memory. What kind of seizures do you have and why did he say you might be paralyzed? Was it because you might move?

I had a 16 hour back surgery, 3 1/2 years ago, fused from the S1 to the T5, and although we didn't know it at the time, I had been having seizures for almost one year to the day. The anesthesiologist was already worried because I had a stroke 1 year before and have breathing problems. He would have freaked out if he had known I was also having seizures.

 

[valeriedl]

I have a question. I'm sure you have said in the past but I have a bad memory. What kind of seizures do you have and why did he say you might be paralyzed? Was it because you might move?

I had a 16 hour back surgery, 3 1/2 years ago, fused from the S1 to the T5, and although we didn't know it at the time, I had been having seizures for almost one year to the day. The anesthesiologist was already worried because I had a stroke 1 year before and have breathing problems. He would have freaked out if he had known I was also having seizures.

I have simple and complex partials but I do have a grand mal once or twice a year.

My dr said that if I were to have a seizure during the operation and move around they could cut or do something to my spine that might leave me paralyzed. He said it's very rare for people to have seizures while under anesthesia because you are so relaxed, but it still can happen.

 

[valeriedl]

Thanks for the tips, I will look them up. It appears I have a Disc and pulled muscles out. I have an A4 page of exercises to do.

Some things that you want to make sure you do is watch how you bend to pick things up off the floor. Don't actually bend strait over, because it pulls the muscles in your spine, but keep your back strait and squat to get it. Squat even when you are putting the toilet seat up or down do this, just a little bit of a bend can hurt and cause problems.

All the drs told me to sleep on my back. Defiantly do not sleep on your stomach. Sleeping on your side is ok but not as good as sleeping on your back.

I slept with a pillow under my knees at night, a smaller one not a great big one. This helped a little bit with stretching out the muscles in a good way and I wasn't quite as sore in the morning when I got up, it was still sore though. I don't know if it's something that would work for you or not? It also helped me stay on my back because when you fall asleep you don't know which way you are bending or turning.

One of the best ways to make sure you stay on your back all night is to have your pet sleep on top of you. My cat is a pretty big boy and when he gets on me at night I can't move at all! LOL

 

[lindsayschu2]

I had a hit from behind accident and knocked several vertebrae permanently out of position (retrolisthesis) as well as messing up a bunch of other things. I have a book called the Trigger Point Therapy Workbook--it basically shows you, "if it hurts here, start looking HERE for pinpoint muscle spasms" (since where it hurts is often not where the problem is sourced). This book is my bible for musculoskelatal pain. I have a theracane, tennis balls, and even use a pencil eraser to get at some of them when they act up. I confess when I'm at home I'm often working at something--there isn't much I can't solve anymore, including almost every headache except migraines. I highly recommend it--I haven't gone the surgery route (my odds of success weren't great anyway with four levels out of whack). It is now my go-to book for getting older

 

[Nakamova]

Sorry to hear about the seizures this morning Liam. I hope you can get some of the over-the-counter things (the heat pack or TENS device) to give you some relief and make it easier for you to get comfortable enough to sleep.

 

[Fedup]

valeriedl

Thanks for the advice Valeriedl I am trying to follow some simple rules like you suggested. Mind you I must admit I did forget and tried to pick up some heavy curtains which did not help.

The idea about the pillow I am going to try tonight I hope it works for me. I am getting it hard to sleep on my back or my side. But I was getting there until the seizure this morning.

 

[Fedup]

lindsayschu2

Thanks I am going to look up that book.

 

[Fedup]

Nakamova

ThanksNakamova My wife got me a few things including bio freeze which I hope will do the trick.