back pain

[Guest]

anyone ever had a bad back? im only 21 so its quite annoying. the paint started yesturday and limited me to pretty much a vegetable. whent to the chyropracters today and iv trapped a nerve. have to go back twice a week for 3 weeks now and its not cheap.

luckely i can still model

all the best,

Richard

[John]

I was seeing a physiotherapist for back pain for quite sometime, touch wood (no pun intended) I've been ok since, put your feet up and watch some day time TV that will encourage you to get better quicker

[jspitza]

check your matress-it will make your life a lot easier. Also, don't stretch it as it might just be a tension knot. I'm not kidding when I say top get a message. At your age its probably just tension or a really bad matress. remember-I'm not a doctor but do play one on TV.....................

[Guest]

no its not a knot, its a trapped nerve which every time it gets caught causes a muscle spasm. very paintfull!

john as for relaxing, the chyropractor actually said walking will be good for it. strange lol. so for the next month i will be walking to work instead of driving.

Jeff, are you an actor then? what tv series do you play a doctor in?

Richard

[jspitza]

Ouch! A trapped nerve? Ok, take a few pints then:dancing1: No, its a saying in the states-a really bad joke that goes back to the 1970's really bad soap operas!

[Guest]

I did my back in lifting a machine at work once, damn dead weight of a thing and no proper hand holds. I lifted and my back didn't...was stuck in a chair in the staff room unable to do much more than grind my teeth.

One thing that took my mind off it was when the Bursar Spoke to me and said it was unfortunate timing as it was a week before half term!

I don't think there's ever a good time to have a debilitating back injury...I later got some exercises from the doctor photocopied on a couple of bits of A4, those helped but it made me feel like I was about 90 for a few weeks.

I hope you can get over it soon, because I know how painful back injuries can be.

[dynamite25]

I have had back pain every day for the last 7yrs 8 months some days worse than others and affects my whole body and I have been unable to work due to it,but I have a tens machine now to help cope with the pain but I am getting my own so I can return the one I got from the Hospital.

I also have trouble getting up and down from sitting plus I can only sit for half an hour at a time due to back pain and I have trouble walking which I can't do much of so I don't go out much any more,and I can't work on the layout as much as I would like to due to my back being the way it is so it takes me along time to get things done which is why I am only at where I am now which ain't much.

And I am only 28 and stopped working when I was 21.

[Guest]

im 21 now. that puts a dim prospect on things :S what is a tens machine?

[Guest]

Howdy RJ, guys,



Well I am currently off work for 2 buldging and 1 herniated disks as well as bone spurs, degenerative bone desease and pinched nerves in my neck and seeing a brain and spine neuosurgeon for the problem. This affects not only my neck but my mid to upper back. The dr has told me that I was a prime canidate for surgery but like I told him, "I may just be old fashioned, but I have this "thing" about paying someone to slit my throat".

I am currently going to the Dr's office 2 times a week for physical therapy and just recieved a bill yesterday for $7,846 which included 3 epidural spinal injections @ $1,800 each.

And after all is said and done, i know I will end up having the surgery despite my best efforts to steer clear of it.

A bad back/neck can make your life miserable by causing numbness, muscle spasms and "charlie-horses", hyper-sensitivity of extremities, headaches and even a terrible disposition lol....I know, I have/had all of the above in the last 8 weeks.

I have nothing against chiropractors, but you must be caredul when dealing with the spine, there are somethings that you cant just "massage" out.

Something that I have found that give abit of relief is 1600 mg. of ibuprofen .

Now I am not a doctor either, but i did stay in a holiday inn express once (thats a line from an american commercial supposedly explaining that if you stay in their hotels, you are really smart).

Have a good day and hope ya get to feeling better,

Greg

ps: ask your doctor about a "tens" unit, it has four electrodes that you place on the affected area and they deliver a small electrical current through the muscles and relieve the pain somewhat.

[jspitza]

Too funny, Greg. Actually since were on the subject I too have a chronic back injury. I used to clean homes for a living and I once was in a rush to get home and simply bent sideways to pick up a lamp. That was the injury. I now have to watch my posture-eat right to keep any weight off as this really causes pressure and perform regular ab specific routines to build up the areas soft spots. I too know the enormous differences between Chiropractors and actual doctors. Please see if you can swing a visit to a trained specialist-possible a orthopedic and get several proper evaluations and MRI Again, with your age there is LOTS that can be done to combat this problem as the body is still more resilient.

[Guest]

well to give the Chiropractors credit, he is a doctor (well he has a phd, not sure what in though :S ) the treatment is only 3 weeks long, so anything that troubles me after that or if this dosnt go away then i will go to the doctors.

i would have gone to the doctors today but knowing they would just refure me to a chiropracters anyway.

[dynamite25]

Hi richard have a read of this as it will tell you what a tens machine is and does.

TENS Machines for Pain Relief Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation - Patient UK

[Guest]

That TENS machine sounds a bit like a cattle prod or a police Tazer!

[Guest]

anyone ever had a bad back?

Yep mate sorry your suffering but unfortunatly your not by yourself I have been laid for close to 20 years sometimes I have to go back in the wheelchair the hardest thing is accepting the words "Thats the way you are now accept it and get on with life" but its still not easy

Just do what you can when you can then ask for help with what you can't do

But dont struggle and hurt your self more

[Guest]

I wouldn't start panicking yet, RJ. If you get a back problem you are not necessarily gonna be stuck with it for life (though judging by parlous state of the backs of the other contributors to this thread, you'd think it was non-recoverable).

My wife suffers periodically from pretty bad back pain. As someone else said, a good mattress is a wise investment and trying to maintain good general posture is important (watch out while your watching the telly) .

I'm sorry to hear that you other guys are suffering so badly - I wish you all well!