Back Care Tips

[pluckyduck]

Post 'em here!

I won't repeat my long post on my lower back woes. Suffice it to say, lower back, lots of pain.

Here's what I know to do:

Rest as much as possible. Take as few steps as possible. Ice first for 24 hours then, heat. Shock absorption on feet (sneakers) whenever walking is necessary.

Working at the computer kills my back when it is acting up. There's also nerve things going on because in addition to the lower back PAIN, my entire right side from the tips of my toes on my right foot to the tips of my fingers on my right hand is affected. (Typing at the computer, I can feel it in my toes, for example).

I really don't want to go to a chiropractor. I don't like going to doctors unless I am dying.

This happens to me a couple of times a year. If I rest, I snap back just fine. What concerns me more this time is:

1) I really care because I'm enjoying walking and this sucks!!!

2) Walking brought this on. If I am going to be walking more, this could start happening more frequently.

What are your tips for my preventing this from happening again???

Andrea

[jenninca]

Ummm, Andrea, I hate to tell you this, but my advice would be to go to a chiropractor.

I am completely with you in that I avoid doctors at all costs (I just went for the first time since 1997, and only because I had to have a physical for my job), but a chiropractor is somehow different to me. I went to one once a month for most of last school year. I had this weird thing going on with my neck where it "clicked" or cracked every time I turned it, and he managed to almost clear it up (I needed a few more visits, but I moved and have to wait till October 1 for new insurance to kick in so I can find a new one ).

I have also had knee problems for the past several years--I think it stems from dance lessons when I was growing up. But any time I sat for more than X amount of time, my knees would just start to burn and burn until I could hardly stand it. The chiropractor managed to fix that, too.

Both of my parents have had major success with chiropractors, too. My mother had major neck and head issues stemming from an incorrectly set up workstation, and her chiropractor is clearing it up. She hasn't had to go on medication or have surgery, as we're sure other doctors would have done.

My chiropractor had a poster of an iceberg in his office. On the part above the water, it said something about that being the part of a problem that a "regular" doctor would fix. Then there was an arrow pointing to the part under water, which said that that was the part that a chiropractor would deal with so it wouldn't come back!

Anyway, I really think it would be a good idea for you to be checked out by one!

Cindy

[hypotenuse]

Sit down duck, you're not going to like this.

There is a series of exercises that strengthen your back. Lot of it is simply stretches. Talk to your doctor about it. Maybe she can hook you up with a good physical therapist.

Thing is, back trouble doesn't get better on its on. You USE your back - almost constantly.

Suck it up duck. You're going to have to do situps.

{{{Andrea}}}

And while you're there, get your doc to supply you with some muscle relaxers for the next couple of days. Will loosen up your back and allow the knots to relax.

Lynne

[mrisch[$]]

Here is something that works well for me. Lay on your back and tuck your legs up to your chest and lock your arms behind your needs. Then rock back and forth gently with your butt and your back as the fulcrum. I have found that this strengthens and stretches.

[pluckyduck]

I like Michaels suggestion best. :thumbs:

Which is not to say that I don't appreciate and might not even follow the other advice.

It's going to be really hard to get me to a chiropractor. I hate doctor's appointments.

Thanks everybody!

If you've got more, keep 'em coming.

Andrea

[AuntieEmma[$]]

I've also found stretching to be the most helpful. A few minutes a day seems to have done the trick (knock on wood) in terms of prevention -- I used to have periodic lower back problems and haven't in quite a while.

Other stuff I've tried that I think has also helped:

Keeping pressure off my waist: Wearing stuff that's looser if I know I'm going to be eating a big meal, cutting snips in the waistband of pantyhose so the waist isn't so tight, getting jeans that are cut lower on the hips. (The pressure of things being tight around the waist presses into my back and causes problems.)

Avoiding high heels -- I love the way they look, but they're murder on my lower back. Also taking the insoles from old pairs of sneakers and putting them into dress shoes so the dress shoes have more padding.

Trying to adjust my exercise level to my body's signals -- aiming to do stuff that's in that range where it's high enough that I'm getting that endorphin-or-whatever-it-is good feeling, but low enough that's it below the point where I'm in any kind of pain. Starting very slow and only increasing (in terms of distance and/or speed) when my body got so used to what I was doing that it just went "ho-hum" and I wasn't getting that endorphin-or-whatever feeling any more, and by then the whole range had moved up so I could do more without being in pain.

Posture: I've always had terrible posture, and I'm trying to be a bit more aware of it, especially when sitting. You can see what this does to your back if you sit or stand with your butt tucked under and stomach pulled back, and then you relax and let your stomach fall forward and feel how that pulls your lower back out of alignment and puts pressure on the lower back. Also, I've found that a footrest (a book will do the trick) helps when my chair is high.

[sylvanb]

To add a few notes to the excellent suggestions already contributed:

Another trick is to put one foot on a low stool when you have to do standing work for a while. I suggested this to my husband who loves working at his lathe but hates the back pain, and it has helped.

Good posture is a big factor, and takes conscious effort as we, um, mature. I had to do some upper-back and shoulder exercises to bring myself back upright, but I can tell you, it takes 10 years off my apparent age to stand up tall.

About doctors etc: I sympathize with the wish to avoid them, but....until you know what is actually going on with your body, you can do all sorts of harm with the most benign of actions. Personal example (of course!) -- I was having awful pain in my back and down the side of one leg, and tried all the things that had worked in the past to no avail. Finally limped in to my doctor's, and he took about 15 seconds to say, "Your pelvis is a bit out of alignment and the leg muscles are all knotted up." I went to a physical therapist for about 3 months (twice then once a week) and the first treatments were agony as she kneaded and stretched the muscles, but it got to be quite a nice treat. Massage, mmmmmmm.... Also had some simple, lying-on-the-bed exercises to do at home, and if I ever feel a bit touchy, I resume them for a few days. (I hate doing exercises, but I hate pain even more).

More on doctors: I've had mixed experiences with chiropractors. Specifically, good in dealing with a crisis like a back spasm; terrible in dealing with a chronic condition.

I always choose a DO (Osteopath). They have the same qualifications as an MD, but are more oriented toward musculo-skeletal stuff, more open to alternative methods, more willing to work with the patient, and more willing to do hands-on -- mine has treated my tendonitis with his own two hands, and would have taken care of the back-leg problem if I hadn't asked for a referral to a PT.

Still more on doctors: If you hate going to the doctor, that's still more reason to have one that you get to know and are (relatively) comfortable with.

Sorry for this long long post, but maybe somewhere in there you will find something helpful. Take care of yourself!

[poseidon]

A few tips from someone who is very active yet has a bad back...

1. Bathe in Epsom salts. You can purchase this at the grocery store in what looks like a milk carton. Two cups in a warm bath will not only really soothe your muscles, but leave your skin silky smooth (the silky smooth part is just a pleasant side effect).

2. Stretch, stretch, stretch. Every morning I try to stretch out my back. I find that the day goes better and my back gives me less troubles if I do this. Especially do it before any exercise routine.

3. Do situps and crunches. In order to have your back set right normally, you really need good abdominal muscles. They will help hold your lower back in place and will keep you comfy (plus your stomach looks great). You don't have to have a six-pack of abs, but seriously doing the crunches and/or situps works wonders.

[pluckyduck]

Thanks, everybody!!

Just because I'm moving again, doesn't mean I'm completely pain free and doesn't mean I'm stupid enough to not realize that I've got to do better at preventing this from happening again, or happening as much at least.

Your advice, coupled with some web research coupled with common sense and what I know about my body has led me to the following conclusions.

1) My posture sucks. It was always bad and it has gotten worse over time. I naturally stick my pelvis outward. As I've gotten older, I've gotten much less concerned with concentrating on my posture...frankly, because I'm less concerned with being attractive to the opposite sex. When you're young and "hot" , you're more body aware. (Suck that tummy in! )

2) I have to strengthen my stomach muscles.


I don't want to, but I'm willing to do some work .... I guess that will help my posture, too. (I'm going to look for the most current advice on sit ups...seems to change every few years.)

I'm considering a chiropractor (Don has one he likes), but am pretty wary. I don't disapprove of chiropractors as a whole, but I think there are a lot who take advantage....

Anyway, thank you everybody!!!



Andrea

[murasaki]

First, let me point out that sit-ups really aren't much of an abdominal exercise, they're more for your hip flexors. To strengthen your upper abs, you need to do crunches. To strengthen your lower abs, you need to do leg lifts or flutter kicks.

One of the biggest mistakes that I think most people make when trying to develop a muscle group is ignoring the corresponding muscles. For example, see those guys that have the huge arms and shoulders? A lot of them also seem hunched over and their spines are curving forward--because they didn't work their back muscles when they were developing their big arms and chest.

To strengthen your stomach, you have to work on your lower back and vice versa, at the same time.

When I saw a physical therapist for the sciatic nerve in my thigh, she also gave me a lower-back strengthening exercise to do, because she thinks everyone should be doing it.

Lie on the floor on your stomach with your arms in front of you, elbows bent, forearms and hands flat on the floor. Lift up and straighten your arms, hold for three to five seconds, then bend elbows and come back down. She said to do 30 every day.

Good luck with taking care of your back!

--naomi