Back Ache!

[Earthcup]

Bed rest isn't an option right now but I was hoping I could find some simple tips on how to feel a little better.... :)

[Lavender]

What did you do to your back? :(

[Earthcup]

Honestly?

I unloaded the dishwasher wrong! :T

And that was on Monday......

Plus I've been packing to move. It doesn't hurt as long as I don't move! :D

[SagaDraco]

You need to excercise to strengthen the musculatre of your back. See a physical therapist, he wil properly diagnose you and give you an excercise plan. Other tips I can give are dont sit too much(alot of pressure on the back), stretch in the morning, drink more water(helps keep toxins out) and did i mention excercise?

[shnen]

you can try to just sit straight and do some simple stretches to loosen it up. dont start excercising till its better, or else yu could cause yourself more harm... :)

[Scarlettvixen]

I dont know about physical therapists in america, but here in australia they use a lot of water therapy
exercising in water - it takes the load of the muscle/joint
but allows movement to exercise and strenghten the area

personally i find hanging totally suspended in the water seems to allow it all to fall back into place where it belongs

when u see yr PT ask her for some tips of moving and lifting properly so u dont agrivate it any more

good luck
Scarlett

[shnen]

YES!! Swimming is an amazing way to get back into exercizing :)

[Sarevan]

I make a tea using these herbs in a LARGE pot so I can store some in the fridge

equal portions of catnip, mint, hops, and a few bags of regular tea I have even added chamomile and rosemary

It acts like a sedative and a muscle relaxer on me (I have spinal stenosis and am always in back pain and this helps me from taking my STRONG medications)

I would only try a small anount at first until YOU know how your body will react to it ALWAYS use caution when you dont know how it will effect YOU!!

OH if you use the hops ... don't leave it out overnight...the hops ferment even if you remove them and it will develope a "head" and be slightly alcoholic... (hops - what they make beer out of)
hmmmm maybe thats why I like that tea ;)

[kblackthorne]

Get thee to a professional.

As soon as you can afford/schedule it, anyway. Physical therapist, chiropractor, accupuncturist, I don't care. Just go. They can do a lot to make the hurt go away now, rather than slowly getting worse for weeks.

Personally, I used to swear by chiropractic. Last time, though, I was getting accupuncture for my CFS, and went in with my back out. She needled me, cupped me, rubbed in some oil, and sent me home. I didn't feel much better that day. But by the next, I was back to 100% normal! I've never experienced anything like it!


Until you can get professional help, take the above advice. You might also want to try hot/cold packing it when you can. (Before you go to sleep, if nothing else. Don't go to sleep with either hot or cold packs -- you can get hurt that way. But do try them for 1/2 hour or so before you go to sleep, while lying in bed.

Speaking of bed... you know how to lay, right? (On back with knees propped up & feet flat. {stick a pillow under the bend of your knees} Or if you can only sleep on your side, put a pillow between your knees to keep your back straight.

Sometimes when my back goes out, I spend one night sleeping on the floor. An entire night on the nice, firm (but padded by carpet) floor, with my back flat, sometimes encourages it to go back into place all by itself. Even when it doesn't I usually feel better in the morning.

You might also want to try to get a friend to rub linnament into your back, to help with the muscle spasming/fatigue. Tiger Balm, Woodlock Oil, Ben Gay, etc. are all available, or (when you're feeling better) you can make your own. They stink of camphor, but they help.

[Witchy Cowgirl]

My husband has frequent back aches and our family doc is pretty much useless. (Although she did refer him to a chiropractor. All those visits are now used up.) She says his aches and pains are just him gettin older....that's all. We are switchin doc's. Not just because of that but because he really wants to quit smokin and she doesn't believe in med's for that. The man has a 3 pack a day habit.....I think he'll need a little help.

I think in another thread on back ache I saw that someone had recommened Tiger Balm. I was thinking of gettin him some of that. Does anybody on this tread know anything about that stuff?

[Scarlettvixen]

Tigerbalm:
It stinks, it can cause topical allergic reactions in some people
it can burn like crazy when you put it on
and dont rub yr hands and get it in yr eyes!
other than that works great

[Old Witch]

Kenny used it once..........Don't know if it cured him or it was too dang horrilble for him to use again........I remember..he had surgery.........:eek: .....That wasn't a whole lot of help I know........ but the surgery was on his knee and the Tiger Balm had nothing to do with it....I'm shutting up now..........

[kblackthorne]

Tiger Balm...

I don't know all the active ingredients, but camphor's in there hence the "stink". (Actually -- though you'll find this hard to believe -- I know many people who LIKE the smell!)

One of its properties is "heat". It causes the area where it is applied to heat up, increasing blood circulation. Increased blood ciruclation does wonders to help healing: carries toxins away, brings nutrients for healing, etc.

It usually comes in a petrolium jelly base.

Wash you hands thuroughly after applying, and avoid touching your face or mucus membranes.

I have found it to be a wonderful help in most types of musculo-skeletal injuries. (Muscle, bone, tendon, ligament, etc.) I've also rubbed it on my chest for a cold, as the fumes seemed to help keep my breathing-passages clear.

[Celestite]

Saw your posts and thought I would let you in on my secret weapon which is Devil's Claw - a south american root but can be readily found in the health food shop.

I took it after a horrendous bout of backpain (lasting 3 years!) At the time I was on morphine and due for spinal surgery and really in a bad way. Then in a "meet a bloke down the pub" type scenario, I met someone who suggested Devil's Claw - believe me, I had nothing to lose!!

Two weeks later I was back at work - total miracle....and I never did have that spinal surgery!!

Cheers


Celestite

[Witchy Cowgirl]

The Devil's Claw certainly worked for you!

We tried the Tiger Balm. Me on my wrist and hubby on his wrist and forearm. Neither of us thought the smell was too bad; kinda a cinammon. And as far as the heat? That wasn't bad either. That is till I put on my wrist band, then it got fairly hot. (Took the wrist band off right away!) But it helped.

[Witchy Cowgirl]

I bought the Tiger Balm for Hubby's backaches and of course he didn't have one for like a week and a half after the purchase. Last night was the first, so I rubbed some into his back. This morning he told me it got pretty warm but did the trick.;)

[Skye]

Ice packs for 20 min.s every hour will help reduce any swelling, you could try it with tiger balm too. I wouldn't recomend heat, it may feel really good, but it will not help reduce and tissue swelling.

I, personally do not like the chiropractor, after being down on my back last week, my hubby took me to the chiropractor.
the first visit he took x-rays and did some electrod treatment, the next visit he did the electrods and an ajustment. After consulting amy regular physician yesterday, and having more x-rays, I found out I have a compression fracture in my spine.

Needless to say the chiropractor could have done me more harm than good.

[Arzhela]

I used to have a lot of back problems and had to go to a physical therapist for a while. Basically she told me to do stretches and gave me some excercises to strengthen my back to minimalize how much damage I could do to it :D

One excercise you can do that won't hurt you as long as you do it right is leg lifts. You do them by lying on your backwith your feet only a foot or so away from your butt, knees well bent. You want to then lift your feet off the ground, knees still bent...sort of just like you tilted your hips upwards and moved your legs in that bent position45 to 90 degrees or so upwards. So you should be in a position where you're on your back and your knees are bent with your feet off the ground. Now for the excercise part: extend one leg all the way up towards the ceiling, straight, and SLOWLY lower it down to where you can hold it and feel the effort it takes to hold it there. A good way of finding the right place for you to hold it is lower it down until your back has to arch to keep it up. Then go back to where your back doesn't have to arch, because if it's arching then you're overworking yourself. You should hold your leg there for about 10 seconds, then rest for 15 seconds, then repeat (five times, with resting in between, is a good place to start...it's important not to overwork yourself). Do it with both legs.
This will really strengthen your mid and lower back and help prevent back problems in the future.

A yoga position called Threading the Needle also works really well for me--stretches out the back a lot. It's a little too complicated to describe here, though :(
Good luck, and hope this helps:)!