When your back goes out on you

Ice for 15 - 20 minutes then remove it. Ice as frequently as possible but no longer than 20 min. per time as it may make you more stiff. The pain is caused by an inflammatory response to the injury so decreasing the inflammation will help with the pain.

Maintaining a healthy back has 3 components to it. 1. Good flexibility of the hip musculature ( hamstrings, hip flexors, quads, and piriformis ). 2. Good core strength and most importantly 3. Using proper body mechanics and sitting postures. You can be as strong as an ox and as flexible as a gymnast but if you do not bend sit correctly you will end up with episodes of back pain.

Going to the primary care physician for back pain is the second most common reason for a MD visit behind the common cold/flu. The reason is poor body mechanics/sitting postures. People think of using proper body mechanics when lifting heavy objects but ignore them at all other times. In addition people state I used my knees. Although bending your knees is an important component to bending correctly it is not the only thing. I can bend my knees while bending over and still hunch/round my lower back. The key is to maintain your same "flat" back position while bending. This is achieved by bending at your hips. The easiest way to understand this without seeing it in person is that you have to stick your butt out as your knees are bending. Pretend as if you are trying to sit as far back in a chair that is not actually there. You cannot exaggerate sticking your butt out to far. Practice in a mirror and make sure that your low back is not rounding. The closer to the ground you need to get the more your knees bend and the farther your butt needs to stick out.

Sitting postures: The best way to sit is by having the height of your knees below your hips. This allows you to more easily sit in an upright posture. Take breaks if seated for prolonged periods of time.

Back pain is not caused by a one time incident. It is a slow irritation of the soft tissue structures in the low back over years of bending/sitting improperly that one day catch up to you. My best analogy when explaining this to patients is have you ever tried bending a credit card to break it into 2 pieces. It doesn't break the first couple times you bend it. You have to bend it back and forth MANY times before it breaks in 2 pieces. This is how the soft tissue in your low back responds.

In closing, Think of bending correctly at all times, while brushing your teeth, picking something off the floor, getting things out of your dryer, washing machine, dishwasher, etc.. You cannot always bend perfectly. When putting on undergarments, shoes, socks and pants you unfortunately need to round your back. The key is to reduce the number of times you bend/sit incorrectly to a minimum.

Those back supports only work well if you use them as a reminder to bend correctly.

Good luck in your recovery and I hope you are not suffering from any radicular symptoms.

Dan

 

go to relax the back or a similiar store and ask for a foam back roller

its a large plastic tube 1 - 3 ft long, looks like packing material or styrofoam

http://www.relaxtheback.com/exercise-and-therapy-foam-rollers-product-6374106

lay the tube on the a solid floor then lay on it belly up, put it right around your waist then just lay there for a few minutes and then you can move the position a little but lay at a single position for several minutes

some positions hurt but its great for stretching your back

btw I think Ice may be better than heat

 

PT 328 is right on the mark. As an auto mechanic/ tournament golfer my back is ALWAYS close to breaking down. It's the constant use and abuse of the back that causes the problem. Just standing all day puts a lot of stress on your spine and musculature. If you spend some time on core strength and flexibility it can make a big difference on how your back performs and it will help prevent a lot of injuries.

Once my back gets to the point of failure, the only recourse for me is rest. Not lying around on my back doing nothing, but not twisting and bending very much. I try and stay upright as much as I can and just generally take it a bit easy for a few days. Ice does help with the pain and ibuprofen helps ease the tightness and pain.

You just overdid it a couple of days and your back is rebelling. A bit of active rest and you should be good as new. If you do a bit of training for your back, you can probably prevent future injury. Although, sometimes the back just has a mind of it's own.

good luck

 

Ice, Ice, Baby
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go fall of a ****in ladder again and you ll forget all about your back.
ps. on a serious note, maybe an adjustment is in order ? chiropractor..

 

Always whining about something aren't we?



Seriously, I'd 2nd what "chest humps" above said, see a Chiro now!

 

LOL LOL LOL

 

My back went out the other day.

It came home at 3 in the morning with two hookers and a fifth of whiskey.

 

Peter + common Sense= never gonna happen

 

Be very carefullllllllllll

 

I wouldn't ice anything for more than 15 minutes at a maximum 10 minutes is a decent amount of time. If you slow the blood flow, you're impacting the healing process.

 

Back pain is the worst. I say ice it and try to stretch it by bending backwards. Some times I get in the pool and get the pressure off and it snaps back into place. It is still a little sore but then it goes away. Good luck with it and don't lift anything yet.

 

You think tomorrow's going to be ugly - scroll up to post 5. Hope it eases!

 

Even since my wreck I'll have mornings where I can barely move my neck. I'll alternate heat and ice. I'll also sit in the hot tub a while but ice it after.

 

15 minutes should be tolerable but at that point the blood will be slowing. If you wait for the spot to sting, the blood flow has been severely affected.

 

Peter I hate to tell you but there is no L-6. It is L-5 S-1.

 

I think I found the problem...
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do it !!!!! have melonie shoot them with the 357 at close range, then post pics...