#12 had an accident

Brownout

Joined Jan 10, 2012
2,390
Once when I was on college, I got a day job unloading trucks. After 3 days, by back went out and I had to spend several days in bed. After that I decided to strengthen my back muscles to help prevent that from happening again. I don't remember what the exercise is called, but I would stand over my barbell with light weights installed, bend over and grab the bar, then straighten up, lifting the weights as I did so. This helped tremendously.

Of course, you don't need to do anything like this until you've completely recovered, and under the supervision of a doctor. Somebody mentioned walking in a swimming pool, using the resistance of water. That's a much more sane solution. I did that one other time to help out a bad back ache.
 

ronv

Joined Nov 12, 2008
3,770
I did mine in when I was a kid lifting weights. Went over the top and refused to let go until to late. I used to go out about twice a year to the point I could only drag my leg. Of course as it started to hurt I would start to bend over and the worse it would get. Fortunately (I guess) it is a muscle problem so muscle relaxers, pain killers and a hard floor always fixed it. Then one day it was starting to go and I went to the drug store to see if I could find something for it and an old pharmacist told me about Advil. He said one of the side effects was that it was a muscle relaxer. I got some and presto the pain went away. So for about the last 25 years when it starts to hurt I take a couple of Advil and haven't been to the doctor with it since. Now I take one before golf because golf seems to aggravate it. It was magic for me.
 

tcmtech

Joined Nov 4, 2013
2,867
Right now, it's more questions than answers and I need to quit sitting in a chair before the spasms need a heating pad.
When I was in college the second time for my EE degree is when I put my back out the worst and had to have a handicapped parking permit for three months.

Anyway one day I was working my way to class as slowly and painfully as usual when an older fellow who I saw in the halls asked me what happened.

I told him about it and about he muscle spasms that would almost make me pass out. I told him it like being stabbed.

He laughed and replied that he got stabbed many years ago during military duty and has put his back out a few time as well.

He said getting stabbed actually hurts less plus you have someone you can kill for having done it to you. :D

Back spasms have no one you can kill plus they keep coming as often as they want which makes them far worse. :mad:
 
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Kermit2

Joined Feb 5, 2010
4,159
It seems such injury is more common than it should be, as many here attest.

My best wishes to you for a speedy recovery. I know better than to pray for a cure. there is not one.


I have it in two places. One at the said lower back above the hips, and another between the shoulder blades. Blame that one on a rear end collosion at a traffic light.

I have had some luck with pain killers for the upper back problem, but nothing, and I do mean nothing decreases the pain from that lower back problem.

Hanging from a chin up bar dead weight style does seem to provide a temporary reprieve in my case.

Again, my best wishes for a speedy recovery.
 

Thread Starter

strantor

Joined Oct 3, 2010
6,875
You guys with back issues might try an inversion table. A guy I used to work with messed up his back trying to ride bulls as a teen, and had back problems for 20 years. He said his new girlfriend got him an inversion table and even though he thought it was ridiculous he used 20 min a day and eventually his back problem went away and stayed away. His story, not mine.
 

ErnieM

Joined Apr 24, 2011
8,415
If you ever have the chance to watch the remake of "The Prisoner" I suggest instead you tune your TV in between channels and contemplate that 10% of the snow you are seeing comes from the Big Bang.

Your time will be much better spent.

Godspeed to you #12.

My back surgery is in the works in a few weeks. No specific incident started this, though my neurosurgeon suggests it's a congenital defect in my case, weird in that it took nearly 6 decades to manifest. I've hooked up with the department head of an excellent hospital so I will be in good hands.

6 for 2 !!! 6 for 2 !!! 6 for 2 !!!
 

MrChips

Joined Oct 2, 2009
34,866
I also have been diagnosed with C5-C6 herniated disc which prevented me from working at a computer for more that 5 minutes. The likely cause was poor posture at the computer desk and keyboard. It took me six months of physio to correct.

Now that I know better, I have to sit in a proper ergonomic chair with my back against the back of the chair. No more leaning forward into the screen for me.

I can no longer ride a regular road racing bike but have to settle for one with a more upright position. With regular exercise the condition is now under control and almost pain free.
 

tcmtech

Joined Nov 4, 2013
2,867
You guys with back issues might try an inversion table.
Yep I just got one a few weeks ago and I love it! Definitely the best thing I have found for my lower back. :cool:

For me it hurt like a bugger though the first few times while the joints pulled open and reset themselves.

Wish I would have gotten one about 10 years ago.

Also if you got buy one don't go with the cheapest flimsiest POS you find. Get on rated for a person about 6 inches taller than yourself and 100 pounds heavier. The build quality and durability will make up for the few extra dollars you spend.
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
I went to see my good old doctor of 24 years yesterday. He said nasty things like, "surgery". I said, "No. Just help me get through this for a couple of months and see how much I heal by myself."

I think this is just an acute occurrence of a lifetime condition that I screwed up once. Not his fault. I've always been willing to pay a long weekend in bed with a heating pad and a week of soreness, but this, "horizontal with screaming" followed by, "knock me out for a week" seems unreasonable. If it happens again, I will trust my good, old, doc to send me to the best cutter in the land.

Meanwhile, an hour going to the store is followed by spasms that last 4 hours. Nothing I can't handle, but a sure sign this is going to take months to get over. If and when I can resume my nightly, one mile walks, and if this, "in-patient" situation does not ever happen again, I will consider that a acceptable level of recovery without surgery.
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
18,117
It's great that you're in control of your own healing and treatment. I wouldn't want to rush into a surgery either until I had exhausted whatever my body could do for itself.

My 2¢ of advice, though, is to be careful to get exercise of some kind, no matter what. Don't let the back problem become a whole-body problem. The worst thing for a human is idleness. Exercise stimulates circulation of not only blood but of the lymphatic system, which is passive. I try to run, swim or bike almost every day. (It's getting harder every year!) I've learned over the years that a little exercise can shorten colds, relieve stress, elevate mood, and all those other good things they talk about. It really works. Yoga is popular right now because it also delivers these benefits.

The challenge is to find something you can do, and that you want to do, and then turn it into a habit. It's very much a mental challenge. I can't say I ever really want to run, but when I do it regularly it's not nearly so hard to get going.

Keep moving!
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
Thanks, but not right now. Old doc just ordered me NOT to do my stretching exercises, NOT lift anything more than a gallon of milk, NOT hire a chiropractor, and come back in a week.

You can see from my post that my stated goal is to walk a mile without causing damage. It's real exercise and I like to do it. That's 2 major factors in any exercise program.

Right now, 4 hours of muscle spasms per day is my exercise limit. It's that bad.
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
Any meds such as muscle relaxers?
Loads! That's why I'm not doing math on AAC this week. :D
This is day 3 that the spasms are not continuous, 24 hours a day.

Just tonight, I found another person that talked to me while I was in the hospital, but I don't remember talking to him, or, for that matter, any of days 3 through 12. I don't even know how he found out I was in a hospital from 3000 miles away!

I just stopped to take another anti-spasm pill because I've been on AAC for over 30 minutes and the spasms are starting up again.

Bye for now.
 

Metalmann

Joined Dec 8, 2012
703
Loads! That's why I'm not doing math on AAC this week. :D
This is day 3 that the spasms are not continuous, 24 hours a day.

Just tonight, I found another person that talked to me while I was in the hospital, but I don't remember talking to him, or, for that matter, any of days 3 through 12. I don't even know how he found out I was in a hospital from 3000 miles away!

I just stopped to take another anti-spasm pill because I've been on AAC for over 30 minutes and the spasms are starting up again.

Bye for now.


Hope you get better soon, #12.
Glad you can still post.;)

I use Baclofen for cramping.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baclofen

Old spinal injuries never go away, but they, (Baclofen), help to cope.;)
 

THE_RB

Joined Feb 11, 2008
5,438
Loads! That's why I'm not doing math on AAC this week. :D
This is day 3 that the spasms are not continuous, 24 hours a day.
...
Massage and gentle stretching can do wonders for back spasm.

It is a closed loop feedback problem. The nerve is irritated, which makes your muscles clamp up, then they put pressure on the injury and nerve and cause more pain etc etc.

We deal with these feedback problems all the time in electronics but doctors are poor at handling it. (Hence the instant suggestion of "surgery").

You can break the feedback loop. Muscle relaxants can help, there are prescription relaxant pills and also more natural relaxant remedies less toxic like small doses of alcohol or pot, or even opiates (although opiates are getting toxic to the liver again).

The massage and stretching help loosen up the muscle so it doesn't pull as hard on the injury and doesn't irritate the nerve as much.

Those little things might sound "flakey" compared to the suggestion of surgery, but like all closed loop feedback problems a few small tweaks int he right places to lower the gain and reduce that pain signal can result in the whole system becoming stable again, instead of being locked up in spasm.

I've had back spasm bad twice from athletic injury, and once after a smashed vertebrae from a motorcycle accident. Don't let those a-holes start cutting you up. Massage, stretching, exercise etc can fix you up real good. And remeber your body heals much faster when in a calorie excess. lashings of chicken soup? ;)
 
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