back pain solutions

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Jan 28 2007, 08:33 AM) [snapback]381939[/snapback]</div>

Hey Galaxee...
Rufaro has been a BAAAAADDDD dog and not communicating...saw your post about how everything takes 4x as long w/ a bird on your shoulder, and have been trying to post pic of said bird, to no avail. My dh & I hope you get this sorted--my dh knows all too well about a dw w/ chronic pain...My ortho specialist was "da bomb," but a) he has retired and B) he worked out of Northern Cal (though I hear he is now living in New Orleans or thereabouts, but no longer practicing--wouldn't you think they'd get good at it after practicing all those years...).

We, too--yup, considerably older than you two--have a tempurpedic, and it helps. So much so, that we ended up also getting one for the (now) 19 yo son, who has had back problems for some time...and we couldn't fool him with a phoney...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IsrAmeriPrius @ Jan 28 2007, 10:26 AM) [snapback]381975[/snapback]</div>

After/during my MePriOdysseyTherapy--approx 9k miles from late Oct to mid Dec--my back was BETTER...Sorry IAP...but those seats are GREAT for some of us (I am 5 ft tall and...not overweight...much).

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Jan 28 2007, 11:23 AM) [snapback]382000[/snapback]</div>

Ummm...hyo...I saw NO suggestion for DH to wear a girdle--that was DW! And I REALLY don't think we need to hear about you and high heels, thank you very much...TMI!


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bhaynnes @ Jan 29 2007, 08:49 AM) [snapback]382295[/snapback]</div>

I would love to get one as well, but also cannot afford/accomodate one. What DOES help...joining a health club with a swimming pool (for non-weight bearing exercise) and a Jacuzzi...and figuring out if there are any particular hours during which one is not inundated with others in search of same. In the small town in which I live, there is only one such club anywhere near...Gal...where you are, there MUST be more than one--even a YMCA or some such.

My basic problem is with my left ankle, which throws off my gait, which, in turn, wreaks havoc on my back. And dh is just an old fart, so his back is f**ked anyway...(BTW...out travelling air mattress ain't too bad for the short term either!)

I have tried chiropractic (yup, here in California, the land of fruit and nuts) and it has not helped me much. The 19yo insists on going at least 1x/week--says it helps but then goes again a few days later...and the chiro has told ME there isn't a lot he can do for the kid.

OTOH, the longest term relief I have gotten has been from massage--but you have to make sure they are licensed by some professional group or it really is pretty pointless.


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(HBO6 @ Jan 29 2007, 10:02 AM) [snapback]382337[/snapback]</div>

I was prescribed a TENS unit and got no relief. So far, the only improvement of any kind I've had for any length of time was a prescribed/custom orthotic. My OrthoSurg didn't want to do much in the way of steroid shots because he said they could, ultimately, blow out the tendons/whatever into which he could inject them for short term relief.


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(HBO6 @ Jan 29 2007, 10:17 AM) [snapback]382344[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Jan 29 2007, 10:26 AM) [snapback]382353[/snapback]</div>

I get the deer in the headlights thingy when people recommend accupuncture...but, who knows, I may be blowing off my real hope!

I apologize for my downers in this one...but, I gotta say, the Ortho guy who would NOT do the steroid shots on me has, overall, proven to be very reliable. I DO know that there are times when I am willing to try just about anything, because I can't cope anymore.

DH & I VERY MUCH hope that your DH and you get through this. We DO know it is a bitch. Hang in there guyz (and don't do the next drive home in one shot!!!!!).
rufaro et al

 

back pain can be a real problem to get over.

I had been seeing a chiropracter for quite a while- some relief but the pain would always return. I finally went for physical therapy at a practice that specialized in backs.

As it turned out, ONE exercise I was doing at the gym was causing the problem. One I stopped, the pain went away.

The back muscles and abdominal muscles have a very symbiotic relationship. Balance of strength is the key- any kind of surgery is last resort.....

good luck, I hope you can find the solution!

 

Acupuncture needles don't hurt. Well they don't hurt me anyway, and I haven't heard anyone else say they hurt - they're extremely thin. Your SO will be laying face down and won't even know when they're inserted.

My sessions were 75 per half hour, 225 total. Cheap for 6 years of relief.

Also, I read a book on chronic back pain - forgot the title sorry. The author's main premise is that people get back pain then avoid exercise, which only makes things worse. If the patient doesn't have a medical reason to avoid movement, then back pain sufferers should make a point of working/stretching gently through the pain and keeping mobility and strength up. Made sense in my situation, and it seems to help me to follow that advice. Good luck!

 

I'm concerned that it's, as you mentioned, the physical requirements of DH's employment which might be aggrivating this condition.

[sigh] Seems to me -- and I'm no expert, so I could well be wrong -- that the bending over the fender and reaching into the engine compartment, to mention only one scenario, is generally going to aggrivate the condition.

Personally, I've found myself waxing the car less than I used to 'cause it can hurt my back; it's probably lots worse the lower you have to go.

You know, it sounds like DH is clearly a wealth of information and tremendously talented...perhaps a move away from the shop floor (I know he's not going to like this probably) would be in order?

I mean, if he was in the position to (for example) educate other techs, instead of work on the cars himself...then, in a way, it would be like his experience would be available to lots more people than those whose cars he himself actually worked on.

Which means lots more people could benefit from what he knows than perhaps might be true otherwise.

I wish I had a better answer for you, Galaxee. But I do continue to believe that if we can modify our movements in some subtle but important ways, that can be another tool which can be used to manage the pain.

 

Hey Gal and DH--

Realism and reality are/can be a bitch.

What works for one might not work for another--but, yeah--I'd go for all the experience that can be found here. As for me--I am going for a massage and then a swim (i'd go the other way around, butwhere we live in butt-f**k CA doesn't work that way).

Can we all say UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE????

 

DO try a different chiropractor - ask around where you live for recommendations.

When I was having back problems in the mid-eighties, I went to a chiropractor near where I worked - it was expensive, and it didn't help, and the guy kept pushing nutritional supplements. I gave up.

I got so desperate at one point, I started calling chiropractors from the Yellow Pages on a Sunday morning - and one of them "Come into the office - if I don't get there before you, I'll be there within 5 minutes". She helped a LOT, and was literally only charging 25% of what the other guy was charging. (He charged 'by procedure', rather than ''by visit', so I'd get charged for four procedures in a visit where they used ice, heat, ultrasound and did an adjustment - my new chiropractor charged once for the same four treatments. When I finally had the results of the myelogram that showed a calcium deposit wrapped around my sciatic nerve, she wouldn't treat me with adjustments because it could cause further problems, and recommended surgery as the ONLY solution to the problem. I've gone to her periodically over the last 20 years.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Jan 31 2007, 03:46 PM) [snapback]383481[/snapback]</div>

Well, I hate to say it but this may be one of those, 'your body simply cannot take hunching over, working on a car for any length of time' situations...which means that, unfortunately, he may have to deal with not coming home filthy anymore. I know it sucks; I've got a few (smaller) things like this in my life which I've just had to come up with workarounds for. Can cost money and take time, but this layperson is beginning to fear that DH's back simply will not tolerate the physical nature of his current position.

Regarding the second concern, do you think there's some sort of continuing education program or like that where they might be willing to consider him for some sort of advanced training (despite any lack of certifications, etc.) because of his condition? Most companies try at least a little to hold onto an employee if they can; I'd make sure to explore all of those options. Perhaps there are other criteria which might qualify him? Again, he sounds incredibly talented and I can't see how his employer would just sort of say, "oh well, you can't bend over, so we're through with you..."

I'm sorry, Galaxee, but you may first have to deal with DH's lack of willingness to accept change for himself before confronting anything else. I know it's difficult to do the touchy-feely stuff when so much requires attention, but do try exploring what it is about his job (specifically, besides coming home filthy) he finds satisfying...he might be surprised to discover that lots of those feelings could be achieved in another way than what he's into right now.

[sigh] it is all life-changing stuff, to be sure, and it's not easy, but I've got an incredible amount of confidence in us as people...with half a chance, we're often able to rise to challenges we'd never think possible.

Finally, if you'll pardon me for saying, stuff like this can sometimes come between people...make sure to take time to reaffirm that it's *YOUR TEAM* which is the most important of all. After all, sometimes two pairs of shoulders can carry a load that one pair finds unbearable.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Feb 2 2007, 12:18 PM) [snapback]384441[/snapback]</div>

Do consider finding a really good chiropractor once you know exactly what is going on. See if anyone you know goes to one and can recommend them. Mine is a member of several professional organizations and sits on a board for workman's comp. She knows her stuff.

The physical therapist at Kaiser made me worse by giving me the wrong exercises. (To limber me up as if my piriformis was too tight.)

The Chiropractor determined right away that my piriformis was too limber and not strong enough. I Interesingly enough, I had asked the doctor exactly this and he had dismissed it.) Once she changed my exercises I saw improvement. She also suggested the MRI that showed I had two herniated discs, although not ruptured and not too bad. She adjusted her treatments accordingly and I got more better.

There did have to be some changes, which, your hubby may or may not be able to handle in his current position. (Yes, that was on purpose.)

If its' anything like what I've got there will be issues with bending and lifting over a certain weight. If he can't find a way to accomodate that, then you're looking at a shift in the lifelong career plan.

I'm a librarian. Books are heavy. What do I do? Well, I don't carry more than a few books at a time. If I have to, I get a cart with wheels. Wheels are a wonderful thing. If I need to work below my waist, I'll sit in a chair or even sit on the floor, but I won't bend over. I have student monitors do to some of the carrying, etc. but he probably doesn't have anything in the way of a lackey.

I haven't eliminated everything. I still need to carry the laundry basket to the garage and back. I don't pile it as high as I used to, but still. And there are at least two instances of bending over I cannot avoid. Washing the dog and washing my hair. Not at the same time.

After re-aggravating my back pain by being naughty, I.E. bending or heavy lifting, I'm learning to be good. I'm thinking first.

He's going to have to stop and think about what his movements are going to do to his back before he does them for a while.

(You might also try alternating heat and cold. People react differently. Cold might work for one and heat for another. If cold alone isn't helping, try some heat first, then cold.)

 

My wife & I both have damaged/degenerative disk issues / surgery, etc. First, empathy and prayers. Next, after all else failed, Three books by NY orthepedist Dr. John Sarno. For us, after all else failed, as a last resort, we read the books (numerous recomendations) and wish I could've gotten a hold of them years & years ago. Couldn't hurt. Best wishes.

 

i hear they're very high gauge needles. i have yet to come up with a way to bring this up to him

For what it's worth - a lot of folks who freak out over needles don't have a problem with acupuncture - depending on what it is about needles that freaks them out. Some folks (myself included) actually get the willies from the idea of the liquid flowing in or out through the needle - not the sharp pointy thing itself, and as such wouldn't be bothered so much by acupuncture therapy.

Just a thought. No way to know for sure without asking him...

-Ken

 

Hi Galaxee,

Keep remembering, this will all take time so try to focus on the long run.

I used to go for monthly massages due to the fact that I'm physically active with workouts and due to the fact that I had fractured my back. I don't know how often he'll be able to go but if it's not very frequent, I'm guessing the positive affects will be more a cumulative thing, as it was for me. I haven't been able to go for the past couple years due to lack of funds and it does make a difference.

Since you're probably a little tense from the whole ordeal, you should get one too!

 

I have a friend that had a pinched nerve and the pain was terrible. The doctor put her in traction for a while, and she is much better. She said it frightened her that after the traction thing the pain spread, but the doctor told her that it was spreading out because it was bunched up all in one area and that it would disappate which it finally did.

Most back problems they are founding out now are the result of injuries to the muscles and tendons. It they are out of alignment and stay out for a while, it will take some time for them to be rid of the pain once they go back into place.

My daughter had the same problem with a chiropractor who was pushing "his vitiamins" so she never went back to him again but tried a good doctor.

Hope this helps.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Mar 15 2007, 11:33 AM) [snapback]406098[/snapback]</div>

This is great news, galaxee!! My wife has gone to massage therapists for trigger point release for TMJ and her upper back & neck and has nothing but good things to say about it. After learning where her triggers are, I've been able to help her release them, thereby saving the 55 bucks the therapist charges.

Best of luck for DH having even less pain as time goes on.

Keep us posted!!

 

I'll keep my fingers crossed, when I'm not typing on PC, of course.