Oh my aching back...

[HarryWeezer]

We've a lot of old farts in here like me, and I hope some of you idiots can offer some back pain advice.

I hope Gray's doing better but I'm hurting. I've had a herniated disc, lower back, for years and it doesn't bother me unless I do one particular thing, and that is to bend over to one side while squatting on the floor. Three or four years ago I put a tile floor down for my daughter, and I was weeks getting over it. I'm now redoing a bathroom and removing an old tile floor so with my previous experience, I spent only several hours at it Sunday thinking that wouldn't bother me too much. I was wrong.

It's getting up in the AM. The pain is almost unbearable - the wife has to tie my shoes. After a couple of hours, it calms down and I'm fine. But getting up to pee at  3 a.m. or so is absolute torture. I'm going to pick up a walker today to help me with that.

If you search online you find tons of people with this morning back pain problem and tons of advice. Nobody mentions wearing a back brace to bed - anybody got experience with that? I hate to buy one if it doesn't help. Others find relief by stacking pillows in various locations.

Any advice? Thanks!!

[GaberialX]

Laying on my side helps me out sometimes as long as my head is lined up with my shoulders and not causing any bends, other then that when im really hurting i use my recliner cause in that position im ususally pretty well off

[PHUCKITMAN]

HEY HARRY I HAVE LOWER BACK ISSUES MYSELF AND I FALL ASLEEP WITH A PILLOW UNDER MY KNEES WHEN I LAY ON MY BACK. BY BENDING YOUR KNEES IT TAKES THE STRAIN OFF THE LOWER BACK. WHEN I SLEEP ON MY SIDE THE PILLOW THEN GOES BETWEEN MY KNEES TO KEEP MY HIPS FROM ROLLING AND PULLING ON BACK MUSCLES. I ALSO HAVE A HABIT OF FALLING ASLEEP WITH A ICE PACK ON THE AREA THAT IS USUALLY TIGHT FROM A LONG DAY. AS FAR A BACK BRACE NEVER TRIED IT NOR HAD A DR RECOMMEND IT AS OF YET. BUT THE PILLOW LOCATION WAS RECOMMENDED BY BOTH A DR AND A CHIROPRACTOR PLUS SOME ALEVE DOES WONDERS I HAVE FOUND. GOOD LUCK TO YOU MY BROTHER

[Nutcutter]

Well I have put up with it for 10 years, and the best advice is dont do what makes it hurt  (Sometimes easier said than done).

I have meds so strong you take 'em and can watch TV pain free for hours. Then you realize the TV was never even turned on  Needless to say I dont take them anymore because living as a zombie is not much of an alternative.

 

I know what you mean about literally rolling yourself off the side off the bed to get up in the middle of the night, every night. I guess what helps me is a very firm bed, definitely not one that sinks down in the middle, sometimes I sleep on the floor, no pillows or anything just flat on my back.

 

Otherwise its mind over matter, I just pretend its not there. It never really goes away but sometimes you get to forget about it. Thats one of the reasons I like gaming, if you concentrate on something else hard enough you get that little "vacation" from hurting and feeling miserable.

[HarryWeezer]

Thanks all. I know I've got some muscle relaxants around here someplace and will try that tonight, and the pillow idea. It's tough to admit to yourself that you can't do shit anymore.

[Gomer Pyle]

I used to have pain in my lower back for years,  I was unloading equipment for a ZZ Top concert and the two guys helping me walked to the back of the simi truck without telling the guy lowering refrigerator size speaker onto my head that they were leaving, felt like someone stabbed me in the back when i got that puppy to the ground.

 

Any way for what is worth and many trips to the doctor and chiropractor I have come up some remedies that have helped me be pretty much pain free with only a few flair ups. 

 

First of all use anti-inflamatories which you can buy over the counter basicly what the doctor would prescribe to you anyway.   OTC  include Ibuprofen which is good the first couple of days since they are mostly for pain and have some anti-flamation properties.  However after that use Aleve which is almost pure antinflamatory with very little pain killer. ALEVE is AKA a prescrpition drug called NAPOXIN.  If you up the dossage by twice as much it is prescription strength however i do not recomend doing so unless a doctor tells you to.  Now be careful using these two drugs they are both NSAIDS and can cause internal bleeding if taken on an empty stomach so use milk and food with them and do not take them together, space them out over 24 hrs before switching. 

 

Next use hot and cold compresses to relive swelling and get the blood flowing into the area to carry away the inflamation.  I use a really hot bath and then slap an Ice pack on the affected area after that while lying in bed.

 

Finally you can buy an OTC stimulator which is very simular if not identical to the ones chiropractors use during treatment. It will give immediate relief and help in breaking up the muscle spasms for long term relief. You should also stretch as much as possible while in the hot shower to help realign the vertibra, personally my wife presses with the flat of her palms together with each one of her hands on each side of my spine using a firm downwards and upwards motion at the same time on my affected area and it puts them back into place ( only works on upper not lower back ) and there again I showed her how to do it from so many trips to the chiropractor, do so at your own risk, i've never had a problem with it but i cannot advise it since i am not a doctor.

 

Here is a link to the medical  TENS and STIM website where I bought mine, I think I paid $79.00 and it works great. It looks like they may have some for even less than that now.

 

http://www.medicalproductsonline.org/

 

 

Hope this helps you and Grey as well as any other young and not so young geezers such as myself to find relief from back pain.

 

 

 

[PHUCKITMAN]

OH ALMOST FORGOT MY FAVORITE REMEDY SINCE I DONT BUY THEM MUCH THESE DAYS DUE TO LOW CASH FLOW IN THE HOUSEHOLD BUT "THERACARE HEAT WRAPS" WORK GREAT FOR LOWER BACK PAIN WITH ALL DAY HEAT OMG THEY WORK GREAT

[Dark Asylumn]

I can vouch for the tens unit. I have to fire mine up a few times a year. on a side note since I have been sitting in the hot tub every night. I have not had any back pain  hmmmmmm

[HarryWeezer]

P-Man I picked up those exact heat wraps this noon - thanks.

Gomer, thanks for all that advice - really appreciate you taking the time. I definitely want to get one of those stimulators - this problem is only going to get worse as I get older. Went to the web site and I don't know squat about these devices. Is there one in particular that you would recommend?

 

[KTWEST]

Hellow sgt

 

I have moved freight for 35 years and I know the fear of the dreaded mattress.... I made a switch to a memory foam type and being very sceptical of all the hype I had know idea what I was instore for. Now switching from a very expensive Simmons pillow top mattress to a "rubber" Tempur Pedic type made me nervous. Very stiff feeling a first and a lousy night sleep the first night but no pain in the morning, Hmmm this is wierd. Second night was better and the rest is history. Im 55 years old and I never thougth it would do any good. Give it a try. Ive had it for about a month and "never" slep better and no more insane back pain. I also do a little steching before I hit the sack.   

[Mazout]

J'Ai eu Travail de accident au J'Ai et le même Problème Vous au  (32 ans Tout pourris ) Je Ne Supporte Pas MAIS la ceinture dorsale corser l' ONU lun tien Qui . sans dos me Bloqué .

J'Ai eu Travail des Nations Unies au accident et J'Ai le same Problème Vous au  (32 ans , Tout pourri ) , je-ne- Supporte Pas Arrière la ceinture , MAIS UNE bloque corser Qui Vous dos lun. sans moi.

[Sonovabich]

Can we have posts in English please, or a translation at least.

[pwrcrzy52]

 I can say the tens machine works ihave herniated disc also did mine while putting in a fire hydrant. I've tried a lot of things Ice on the floor, shots,tens invertion table ,chiropactor,the ice and tens seem to work for me. I also go to the chiropator once a month for a adjustment. 

[Sonovabich]

I tried that tens machine once, it gave me the worst nights backache i ever experienced, it was probably me not working it right but it put me off using it forever, i'm on tablets now called Pregabalin, they kill the nerves off in the back, originally for epileptics, only drawback is a side effect that makes you gain weight and it's true i go to gym regular but my weight ain't coming down at all.

 

[HarryWeezer]

Thanks all. A little better this AM. Pillows helped, as did the Aleve. Just have to take it easy I guess.

As to matresses, strange that some folks with back pain say a firm mattress helps, others go with layers of foam. Unless I reinjure my back which is what I did last Sunday, the foam works for me - two, 2-inch layers on our mattress.

Merci Mazout mais moi ne pensent pas qu'une ceinture dorsale va aider pendant la nuit. (Th

anks Mazout but I don't think a dorsal belt is going to help during the night.)

[Sonovabich]

A hard mattress is crap, i had all the orthopedic ones and they were too hard, now i got a memory foam mattress and i could not live without it now, it cost a lot of money but at least when i get out of bed in the morning i can move, with the other hard mattress i could barely walk down the street to pick up my newspaper, if you can afford memory foam i say go for it you wont regret it.

[loaderXI]

Dam we are old fucks ......Face it .....Everything mentioned is the only way to relief so try some nd see what works.....I can say that ur bed will make a difference ....So be certian u have a mattress that allows u a good night rest.....To soft or to hard find one that is best for u....And if ur back is as bad as mine u will want to keep it close to the floor so its easier to roll out of then climb out of... lmao

 

Alieve works for me sometimes everything else med wise they can keep...Life is to short to be in a cloud nd pain lets u know to do it different or stop doing it....So at my age (body wise) hehe pain is a good thing...Lets me know enough is enough

 

P.S Dont try the 2 brunettes nd a bimbo either

 

All the Best

loADER

[StanG]

Had ruptured disc in my back for 2 yrs , could not feel 3 of my toes and could not sit for more then 3 mintues at a time . then i friend told me about the product called opc -3 in about a month i was pain free . been like that for about 3 yrs now i take it everyday , you can get some info on it at www.marketamerica.com/fitwell  . just type it in the search box opc-3 and theres a video and other info there to ckeck out too.hope this help any questions just xfire me or pm me

[Gomer Pyle]

SgtHarryWeezer

P-Man I picked up those exact heat wraps this noon - thanks.

Gomer, thanks for all that advice - really appreciate you taking the time. I definitely want to get one of those stimulators - this problem is only going to get worse as I get older. Went to the web site and I don't know squat about these devices. Is there one in particular that you would recommend?

 

In a perfect world you want both the TENS and STIM combo, preferably the most powerful,   TENS is for short term relief and is short bursts of electrical pulses that help deaden the nerve that give immediate relief but won't last very long.  STIM on other hand actually causes the muscle to contract in different patterns to allow blood flow and break of the muscle spasm, this will work better for long term relief. 

 

If you can afford the more exspensive unit then I would go with this one which is a combo  TENS/STIM  .......    $89.00

 

http://www.medicalproductsonline.org/mpprphthtemu.html

 

 

Or this one ......  $ 75.00

 

http://www.medicalproductsonline.org/twditemustun1.html

 

 

If you don't want to spend that much then i would opt for the one with just STIM vesus TENS, personal preference of course -     STIM only ..........     $ 69.00

 

http://www.medicalproductsonline.org/mpprphthmust.html

 

I look at it as a long term investment that if it saves me just one trip to the doctor or Chiropractor then the unit has paid for itself ....  by the way they come with some electrode pads you may wish to order a couple more for when the others wear out to save the cost of shipping later on.

 

Good luck and hope you feel better.

[NightmareXI]

loader>XI<

Dam we are old fucks ......Face it .....Everything mentioned is the only way to relief so try some nd see what works.....I can say that ur bed will make a difference ....So be certian u have a mattress that allows u a good night rest.....To soft or to hard find one that is best for u....And if ur back is as bad as mine u will want to keep it close to the floor so its easier to roll out of then climb out of... lmao

 

Alieve works for me sometimes everything else med wise they can keep...Life is to short to be in a cloud nd pain lets u know to do it different or stop doing it....So at my age (body wise) hehe pain is a good thing...Lets me know enough is enough

 

P.S Dont try the 2 brunettes nd a bimbo either

 

All the Best

loADER

 I have to agree with loader....we are old LOL

 

he is right that the bed will make the difference....

 

issues with my back for 17 years now....

working as a truck driver for 21 years ...unloading heavy stuff all the time or just driving all day long LOL

 

the only thing that really helped me was buying a waterbed

did this a few years ago and it was really nice to sleep well again and recover while sleeping