Back pain

[brenniesplace]

I have HMS, back pain with degenerative dic disease. degenerative disc disease. scoliosis and more. I call it the variety pack of back problems. I really feel for your son. I'm 52 and didn't have severe problems untill a couple years ago. Anyways I'll tell you what I found that helps with the back pain.
What I couldn't live with out: An electric mattress pad on my bed or an electric heat pad. Pillows, pillows, and more pillows. A tens unit (you can even find cheap off brands on e-bay to start off with), an item called Back Joy (an orthodic (butt) device advertised on TV to use will seated that has helped a lot. Good shoes or shoe orthodics. Pain Meds before bed. An inversion table has also helped before bed. A topical cream called Blue Emu and also a topical called Freeze it. I've just started using epson salts in my bath and it does seem to help. The bad thing about back pain is that if you over do it during the day it may not hurt at the time but it always catches up to nyou at night. Good Luck. I hope some of these help. Brennie
P.S. My Grandson is 13 and very double jointed, I keep watching for the HMS pain signs and praying he hasn't inherited this from me.

[C0tt0nC4ndy]

Hello all!

How is everyones aches and pains? My back is killing me and this heat really isnt helping! I tried going to the gym to lose weight because I am going on holiday to Greece and I wanted to look nice and ended up throwing my back out just doing mild excersize! My mum has invested in a thing called the Ab Circle Pro (dunno if anyone has heard of it?) but its fantastic and you don't have much pain afterward especially in your back! It's 3 minutes a day and its very gentle because it moves your whole body and strenghthens your core. My back is slowly getting better with physio and using this wonderful device and my physio said its fantastic and she has had other people with back pain who have used it to help them get better and you can get fit and stay in shape while doing it!

Just thought I would mention it to see if anyone else has tried it. also, does anyone know if the Wii Fit causes any back problems? My brother is getting one and I just want to make sure that before I try it, if it causes any back pain because at the moment that's the area of my body that is really sucking on me

Hope everyone else is enjoying the sunshine and coping well

much love to you because I feel like I've abandoned you and catching up is taking a while lol

If anyone else has any other things to help with back pain in this heat it would be very much appriciated!!

[Stone]

There's a Wii Fit thread here - might be worth a look

Stone

[iNeko]

I'm going through some back pain right now and it's really not fun at all. I have a very loose spine (I liken it to a wooden snake toy with no string through the middle) and things are always moving about, but this is the worst it has ever been. I can barely walk/feel my legs and it's horrible.

I'm a bit scare of asking my GP for stronger painkillers though as the ones I have no aren't working right I can't find any way of dealing with it is wedging a pillow under the small of my back and laying over it! Where's a rack when you need one, blimey!

Does anyone have a spare spine I could borrow? It needs to fit a 6ft tall (possibly taller as I have scoliosis), marfanoid guy and be quite sturdy. Exchange is possible, but unfortunately mine isn't in very good condition and is in several pieces!

[Spireite]

I do like the idea of a spine exchange. I could really do with a new one, this one is worn out, repeatedly patched up and still goes out all over the place, misbehaves too much daily and is far too noisy - crack crack crack click crack all day long. If you want adventure, have my spine. I'm looking for a nice new straight one which would fit a 5 foot sporty woman and is house trained, stays put in its place, and is quiet.

[Louise]

Hey

im almost in tears today, ive had almost a year of my L4 L5 disc slipping/bulging onto nerves. it never gots 100% but would ease a little then something silly like a cough and OUCH theres that sharp pain and seconds later im stuck and cant walk. Physio has signed me back to the doctor as physio not working so i went to see whats the next step only to be told that theres nothing else they can do, a surgeon wouldnt touch me apparently as im only 29, steroid injections would make it weaker? so she says to take pain medication for the forseable, although what they give me only kills the pain a tiny bit.
Im trying acupuncture soon but i camt believe they wont try anything else

[thalia]

Oh yeah, if anyone finds a spine exchange let me know, this one's just about had it. Or even if anyone can locate the button to switch off sensation, surely there must be one somewhere?

Louise, so sorry your GP has said there's no more they can do - I heard the same thing myself recently from the consultant at the pain clinic in reference to my lower back. It's such a shock to hear, isn't it? My first thought was 'wtf?' swiftly followed by "you're kidding ..... do you mean just you, or that no specialist can do any more ......aaaargh!" At least he was willing to try me on stronger pain killers - if I can just get up to an effective dose but still have brain function.....

In your case I'm also surprised they're not trying anything - pain clinic and/or prolotherapy spring to mind, but I guess there's reasons against them. Is there another doctor at your surgery you could see for a second opinion? You do have my sympathy, and I really hope the acupuncture helps.

[Louise]

aww thanks. il see how the accupuncture goes as my back seems to be calm at the moment, if no joy then il do some research myself and print of things to take in and ask to try. it did come as a shock, abit like someone just hit me with a brick lol, i was like" whaaaat? theres got to be other things to try????"
If we can control the pain part of it then i can carry on alot better. Ive got my 2 week inpatient appointment at stanmore in ict so maybe they can sort my doc out hehe

[JoSo]

AAw Louise I hope the acupuncture helps, I find auricular acupuncture (ear acupuncture) fantastic for my pain I've also found swimming much more effective than physio, do you have a TENS unit? thats also worth a go really helps a lot of people I know xx

[Sandy L]

Spine surgeons come in two basic flavors: orthopedists and neurosurgeons. Although I generally prefer the approach to low back problems taken by orthopedists, neurosurgeons sometimes do less invasive procedures, which might be just the thing for you. Particularly if you saw an orthopedist, try to get to a neurosurgeon.

[mrsc2b]

ooohh oohh me me!!! I've just been to Leeds to see my rheumy. I'm have another MRI with a view to seeing a neurosurgeon to see if they can partially remove my discs that are causing my hurrendous nerve pain.
I can walk for about 5 mins before my legs go numb and loose sensation in my left foot completely. After that another 5-10 before my back goes completely rendering me helpless and legless as they stop working properly. I got stuck at Tescos the other week and it took me 15 minutes to get to my car one step at a time.
nightmare.
Are you under a rheumatologist? Under the choose and book system you can go anywhere you like?!
Good luck, sending happy hugs
xx

[LumpyLimpy]

It was a physio about 4, 4.5 years ago who diagnosed me with the same problem as rosemary's son has in the back - my bottom 5 vertebrae are a dysfunctional little group and the top of the 5 does all the work - leading to loads of back pain. And something due to it causes one of my muscles to "pop" out of place.

The only way I can ease mine at times is to do one of my physio exercises that involved lying flat on the floor and almost stretching my back out to help get my lower vertebrae working again, but for a couple of hours after doing it it kills worse before it eases.


Glad to see a thread on back problems as it's where I really suffer! I know we can't ask about medications, but can we ask about tens machines settings? If so can anyone tell me if pulse or constant on a tens machine should help more?


Hope everyone's back behaves tomorrow!

[Louise]

hello all how are we doing?

my back is still no good. im trying core strengthening to see if things like that will help but its agony trying to do it. Its time to go back to the quacks and MAKE them do something or give me better drugs lol.

a weird thing ive found is that if i do my excersise then i walk, i feel either the disc moving or the vertibrae clicking. ive been told i might have 2 bulges in 1 disc and that the bulge is moving side to side. does this sound right? i dont understand why it would only do this after physical activity though.

x

[JoSo]

LumpyLimpy TENS settings are entirely individual, everyone I know prefers a different setting and I swing between a few of them some help on one day and not the next.. all I can suggest is keeping a note of your pain and what settings helped most each time. x

Louise - when you are walking about/running / standing you are putting pressure on your spine (the weight of your body is squishing down on its self) so the longer you are vertical the more pressure is exerted on your rubbish disks.. make sense? I would suggest finding some alternate exercises perhaps done in the swimming pool or laying down to help take the pressure off your spine while you exercise. x

[raewire]

Hi everyone,
I have a couple of quick questions re standing and back pain. I am a secondary teacher and at the school I work in my department insist that we teach standing up at all times. This means that I am stood up continuously for between 6&7 hours a day minimum and it is causing me horrendous back pain. So much so that at the minute I am signed off work due to a major whole-body flare up- I know some people have jobs where they stand a lot more and I'm not trying to complain, I just wondered if anyone had any strategies for coping with backpain when sitting isnt an option?
Secondly, now that I have a diagnosis, am I within my rights to ask my boss to let me alternate standing and sitting whilst teaching? I feel if I can do this my back pain will be more manageable. I am also aiming to start swimming to try and improve my muscle tone and to lose some weight (as I figure that will propable help too)
I have a TENS machine too and find that different settings work on different days but it is not practical to take in to work. In the past I've tended to rely on those stick-on heat patches and painkillers.