Back pain!!

[GSUdawg521]

I hate being a semi-regular in this thread

I hurt my back Saturday before last in what I can only pinpoint as extreme couch-potatoing. Pretty embarassing, but yeah I think sitting in a bad position for several straight hours is what did it. Last week was ups and downs, where I over-exerted myself one night and made it worse, then tried to take it easy the rest of the week. Then I think I did a little too much this past Sunday and was back to a lot of pain

Yesterday when I came home from work, I stretched for a while and was feeling the best yet for the rest of the night. Back to shit this morning though. Must've slept in a bad position or something. Fucking sucks.

[laura22]

Originally Posted by GSUdawg521

I hate being a semi-regular in this thread

I hurt my back Saturday before last in what I can only pinpoint as extreme couch-potatoing. Pretty embarassing, but yeah I think sitting in a bad position for several straight hours is what did it. Last week was ups and downs, where I over-exerted myself one night and made it worse, then tried to take it easy the rest of the week. Then I think I did a little too much this past Sunday and was back to a lot of pain

Yesterday when I came home from work, I stretched for a while and was feeling the best yet for the rest of the night. Back to shit this morning though. Must've slept in a bad position or something. Fucking sucks.

posture is so so important, especially for people that have long commutes or a desk job. you have to continuously remind yourself to sit up straight instead of slouching, but eventually it will become second nature. you can buy a lumbar pillow for driving to help sit up straight

try stretching it when you wake up every morning and before bed. lots of cat/cows stretches

[GSUdawg521]

Originally Posted by laura22

posture is so so important, especially for people that have long commutes or a desk job. you have to continuously remind yourself to sit up straight instead of slouching, but eventually it will become second nature. you can buy a lumbar pillow for driving to help sit up straight

try stretching it when you wake up every morning and before bed. lots of cat/cows stretches

at work, I tend to revert to laid back in my chair and over to my right side (mouse side), but I know I feel better when I sit up straight.

Cat/cow stretches are my favorite when I have back pain. I know I should do it more when I don't have pain

And thank god for the heated seats in my car.

[Ascf33]

I feel like I have a third newborn child named back pain. Good lord. No one ever tells you about the backpain that comes with having kids.

[mr. testaverde]

Originally Posted by laura22

posture is so so important, especially for people that have long commutes or a desk job.

this. the company i worked for prior to my current one had those desks that raised/lowered so you could stand up if you wanted. i was a BIG fan of those, i found myself standing most of the day, cause sitting is just not good for you. wish my current company would invest in them, but that's probably not going to happen

[GSUdawg521]

Originally Posted by mr. testaverde

this. the company i worked for prior to my current one had those desks that raised/lowered so you could stand up if you wanted. i was a BIG fan of those, i found myself standing most of the day, cause sitting is just not good for you. wish my current company would invest in them, but that's probably not going to happen

I would love that right now. Today especially I'm having to stand up every 30 minutes to an hour to loosen up.

[WidespreadMule3]

Has anyone tried foam rolling for back pain?

In my last job I was active a lot, then when I took my current position I sit at a desk for 8-9 hours a day. I started having some pretty bad low back pain from sitting for some long. For a while I was only doing some stretching but I started incorporating foam rolling and it's made a huge difference.

It's important to not foam roll the lower back but when you start looking at the body as one giant piece of connected muscle groups you can parts of your legs that offer help to your lower back. Its weird how sometimes tight hamstrings can make your lower back tight or how tight pecs can lead to tight traps and tight lats.

Anyway, my issues are probably nowhere near the severity of a lot of people's in here but just wanted to throw it out there. They make different hardnesses of foam rollers. If the hollow core is too intense, they have some solid core (more like actual foam) that are much less intense. I have one of each and use the hollow on off days from the gym and the solid core for recovery.

[OK_Ant]

Had me some upper and lower back pain last year for a couple of months. Just another reason why 2016 stunk.

[defcon]

I have spinal stenosis, in addition to bone shards from my coccyx improperly healing that are an issue. The total cost in surgical procedures to repair both are in the high five digit range. My insurance calls for a $3,000 deductible, then 75% of expenses, meaning I'd be paying about $25,000 out of pocket for this. I have been doctor shopping to find someone who will just DO IT first and let me pay them my share later, so far, no luck. Doctors do not fuck around nowadays, its all about the money. I did find one (the first one I saw) who said that she would perform the surgery first only if exigent circumstances called for it. She advised me to just live with it until I can't anymore. I'm not going to destroy my liver and guts with NSAIDS and I'm not going to take pain pills, so that's what I'm doing.

I do find that inversion therapy helps, as does cryotherapy followed by heat therapy. I go once every couple of weeks, and to the chiropractor monthly.

There's a small but very real risk I could be paralyzed. If it shuts out the pain, I'm all for it. Rainy days are the worst.

[fridge112887]

Originally Posted by defcon

I have spinal stenosis, in addition to bone shards from my coccyx improperly healing that are an issue. The total cost in surgical procedures to repair both are in the high five digit range. My insurance calls for a $3,000 deductible, then 75% of expenses, meaning I'd be paying about $25,000 out of pocket for this. I have been doctor shopping to find someone who will just DO IT first and let me pay them my share later, so far, no luck. Doctors do not fuck around nowadays, its all about the money. I did find one (the first one I saw) who said that she would perform the surgery first only if exigent circumstances called for it. She advised me to just live with it until I can't anymore. I'm not going to destroy my liver and guts with NSAIDS and I'm not going to take pain pills, so that's what I'm doing.

I do find that inversion therapy helps, as does cryotherapy followed by heat therapy. I go once every couple of weeks, and to the chiropractor monthly.

There's a small but very real risk I could be paralyzed. If it shuts out the pain, I'm all for it. Rainy days are the worst.

This bums me out to read. Cold/snowy/rainy days are my worst days as well. Unfortunately here in this piss bucket state of Illinois, we have six months of that weather. During my short vacations to Arizona, Nevada, and Florida I have zero pain but as soon as I'm back.....

[fridge112887]

Scheduled an appointment for a current MRI Tuesday and an appointment with the surgeon on Thursday to discuss my options for my herniated and torn discs. Fortunately for me the pain is centrally located in my back (as opposed to sciatic nerve pain down my leg(s)) so I would imagine the surgery/recovery wouldn't be too bad. There are a few lifestyle tweaks I can make so depending on the news I receive, I may just avoid surgery.

[Climb2safety]

I think bad posture contributing to long term back pain is a myth.

Sure, we call get a little sore from time to time or sleep the wrong way but when standing up hurts or you can't bend over or swing a golf club that's not from slouching all day.

[M. Steng]

Originally Posted by fridge112887

Scheduled an appointment for a current MRI Tuesday and an appointment with the surgeon on Thursday to discuss my options for my herniated and torn discs. Fortunately for me the pain is centrally located in my back (as opposed to sciatic nerve pain down my leg(s)) so I would imagine the surgery/recovery wouldn't be too bad. There are a few lifestyle tweaks I can make so depending on the news I receive, I may just avoid surgery.

Best of luck, man. Having been through it twice before I know it's always a nerve-racking appointment to attend.

If you've never seen this surgeon before, I'd offer a word of caution. Some surgeons I've encountered really push toward surgery so that they can score a nice payday. No matter what this doctor says, I'd get a second opinion. When I was pondering which surgery to get on my severely herniated L5/S1 in October 2015, it was the second opinion which convinced me to opt for the fusion surgery. Hearing it from two people really does make such a big difference with this kind of major decision.

Luckily, as you said, your pain isn't too severe. The sciatica is the absolute worst. It's hard to truly describe it to somebody who hasn't experienced it, but those who have experienced know what an absolute living hell it can be. At my worst, I couldn't get out of bed, at all. I was pissing into a jar for two weeks right before my surgery and had to take an ambulance for the ride to the hospital pre-op due to the pain I had even trying to get up out of bed for a practice run downstairs the day before.

[fridge112887]

Originally Posted by M. Steng

Best of luck, man. Having been through it twice before I know it's always a nerve-racking appointment to attend.

If you've never seen this surgeon before, I'd offer a word of caution. Some surgeons I've encountered really push toward surgery so that they can score a nice payday. No matter what this doctor says, I'd get a second opinion. When I was pondering which surgery to get on my severely herniated L5/S1 in October 2015, it was the second opinion which convinced me to opt for the fusion surgery. Hearing it from two people really does make such a big difference with this kind of major decision.

Luckily, as you said, your pain isn't too severe. The sciatica is the absolute worst. It's hard to truly describe it to somebody who hasn't experienced it, but those who have experienced know what an absolute living hell it can be. At my worst, I couldn't get out of bed, at all. I was pissing into a jar for two weeks right before my surgery and had to take an ambulance for the ride to the hospital pre-op due to the pain I had even trying to get up out of bed for a practice run downstairs the day before.

I've been toying with scheduling the appointment for a few weeks and decided it's best to at least hear what he has to say. I can always walk away from the appointment and continue to make strides at improving my condition. This surgeon is the partner of the surgeon that operated on my uncle's back - he came highly recommended. I've also researched him online and read nothing but positive. Who knows, he might tell me I'm not a surgery candidate and my only hope is a cortisone shot (which I will not go through with). I'm sorry to hear about your situation. I believe I've read you're doing much better now, correct? This sounds absolutely ridiculous, but part of me believes a lot of my pain stems from the fact that the gym I work out at is freezing cold (this is also where the injury occurred). When I've worked out at other gyms I have little to no pain - seeking a different facility is in the cards.

[defcon]

Originally Posted by fridge112887

This bums me out to read. Cold/snowy/rainy days are my worst days as well. Unfortunately here in this piss bucket state of Illinois, we have six months of that weather. During my short vacations to Arizona, Nevada, and Florida I have zero pain but as soon as I'm back.....

When I moved from NY to SC, I was only having minor back pain. I was in a car accident in 2013, and since then, it's been terrible. Luckily, we've had mostly warm weather this winter. We had single digits a couple of weeks ago. The hell with that. I'll move to Puerto Rico!

Originally Posted by Climb2safety

I think bad posture contributing to long term back pain is a myth.

Sure, we call get a little sore from time to time or sleep the wrong way but when standing up hurts or you can't bend over or swing a golf club that's not from slouching all day.

I have two desks at work. One is sort of a community desk I share with other people for sitting down briefly, and the other, the desk I actually work at the majority of the day, is a standing desk. There is a chair, if you care to use it, but my company is huge on movement and standing because of having to pay higher worker's comp premiums due to claims related to carpal tunnel, etc.

Long term back pain? Maybe it's a myth. Short term back pain? Definitely not a myth. I know when I've slouched for too long, and I pay for it dearly, my pre-existing, persistent, moderate back pain is aggravated by it. I have to make a conscious effort to maintain proper posture when sitting. Now I appreciate that torture rack typing chair we had in school to learn proper typing.

[GSUdawg521]

Man, I was doing pretty good again last night when I got home and laid down for a while. Was standing at the kitchen sink about to make dinner when my dog walked over to her bowls. I took one step to my right towards the end of the counter to look and see if she had water, and I pulled whatever muscle had been the one hurting the past few days, and I was stopped in my tracks. Fucked up the rest of my night.

Decided to sleep on the sofa because it's firmer than our bed, and I think that helped. I woke up okay, but as I was getting ready for work I slowly stiffened up more. I think I'm better than I was 24 hours ago, but this sucks. I hate that I try to take it easy and recover, and then such a stupid little movement like that can set me back so much. Makes you scared to do anything!

[M. Steng]

Originally Posted by fridge112887

I've been toying with scheduling the appointment for a few weeks and decided it's best to at least hear what he has to say. I can always walk away from the appointment and continue to make strides at improving my condition. This surgeon is the partner of the surgeon that operated on my uncle's back - he came highly recommended. I've also researched him online and read nothing but positive. Who knows, he might tell me I'm not a surgery candidate and my only hope is a cortisone shot (which I will not go through with). I'm sorry to hear about your situation. I believe I've read you're doing much better now, correct? This sounds absolutely ridiculous, but part of me believes a lot of my pain stems from the fact that the gym I work out at is freezing cold (this is also where the injury occurred). When I've worked out at other gyms I have little to no pain - seeking a different facility is in the cards.

Yes, I am, thanks for asking. The months leading up to the surgery were truly some of the worst as far as experiencing daily pain as I've ever had. Luckily the surgery seems a success thus far. I've been slacking on my exercise since my wedding last October so I think my lower-back muscles are slightly weaker, which is leading to some soreness/stiffness in the surgery area. But other than that I am worlds better than I was.

Best of luck with the appointment!

[GSUdawg521]

God this sucks. I did good yesterday after sofa day, and stayed well all evening. I expected to be a little stiff when I woke up, but today started out as the best day yet.

Then just doing some work today, not too much sitting or too much standing, I started stiffening up. Went to lunch and it kept getting worse. As soon as we got back to the office, I was super locked up. The pain I've had for a few days on my lower left side is now on my upper right side of my back. I thought I was gonna pass out. Sat at my desk with the heating pad for a while, then when it subsided a little I did some stretching on the floor. It's better, but this is insane how it shifts around like this. Feels entirely muscular at this point.

[fridge112887]

For those of you that have had a microdiscectomy, how long was your recovery process? How long before you were able to lift heavier objects? Within the last month I did something to cause somewhat of a stinging pain down my left hip that travels through my glute (which I don't feel) and into my left calf muscle (which I do feel but it's nothing too major). I cannot hinge at my hip and pick anything up without pain.

Edit: my primary physician gave me muscle relaxers (per my request) but they haven't done much to ease the pain.

[junior94]

Originally Posted by fridge112887

For those of you that have had a microdiscectomy, how long was your recovery process? How long before you were able to lift heavier objects? Within the last month I did something to cause somewhat of a stinging pain down my left hip that travels through my glute (which I don't feel) and into my left calf muscle (which I do feel but it's nothing too major). I cannot hinge at my hip and pick anything up without pain.

Edit: my primary physician gave me muscle relaxers (per my request) but they haven't done much to ease the pain.

you don't have any tingling and/or numbness along that area, do you? because that's possibly indicative of a whole other worse problem.

I mean at this point I've been on the prescription pain meds for my back and bad shoulder for a long time, I do also get scripts for muscle relaxers from the same doc but honestly the most they do really is make me drowsy. I doubt I could ever take them during the day (particularly when I have to work), I mostly just use them in the mix as a sleep aid.

[junior94]

Originally Posted by laura22

posture is so so important, especially for people that have long commutes or a desk job. you have to continuously remind yourself to sit up straight instead of slouching, but eventually it will become second nature. you can buy a lumbar pillow for driving to help sit up straight

The ironic -- and often frustrating and disappointing -- fact here is, studies have been done showing the TRUE proper way to sit in a chair (esp long term) is basically so that a triangle forms right behind your back. That the area between the high part of your back that the chair back comes in contact to all the way down to your butt, that's the wider part of the triangle, and the back and seat of your chair are the other two-thirds (so basically your whole upper body looks like forward slash button on a keyboard). That for the lowest risk of ongoing back troubles, this is the safest way to do it, but since companies THINK that that LOOKS like you're just being LAZY, but as is too common in America we let faltered perceptions overrule actual fact, so doing it is very much frowned upon.

Sitting like this is FAR better than even sitting up very straight with your back totally against the back of the chair (obviously nevermind the whole hunched over forward thing).

okay, sorry rant over

VIDEO PROOF https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7tgopXlXxQ

[M. Steng]

Originally Posted by fridge112887

For those of you that have had a microdiscectomy, how long was your recovery process? How long before you were able to lift heavier objects? Within the last month I did something to cause somewhat of a stinging pain down my left hip that travels through my glute (which I don't feel) and into my left calf muscle (which I do feel but it's nothing too major). I cannot hinge at my hip and pick anything up without pain.

Edit: my primary physician gave me muscle relaxers (per my request) but they haven't done much to ease the pain.

I had my first back operation, a discectomy, when I was 19. I injured it training for college football in January and was operated on in mid-March. I rested for 1-2 weeks and then started an aggressive PT regimen.

By the time August rolled around I was back to 100% and ready for training camp. It definitely took some time to get back into football shape, but that's because I was fairly limited as far as running/sprinting for the first few months of recovery. But I played the next two seasons with no back problems whatsoever.

A discectomy really is an easy operation. My scar from that operation is like 1/4" in height and it's centered right on my spine. I think the operation took maybe 2 hours and the relief is immediate. I went home that same day. Now, the fusion I underwent in November of 2015, that was a whole different animal.

EDIT: I should note, to your original question, that lifting was changed for me after that. I haven't squatted since, and I'm always super cautious about my form. Luckily I was young so the operation didn't impact me too much, I was still able to bench in the 400's by the time my senior season rolled around, I was still able to do modified and light deadlifts and hang cleans. But I was still limited in some respects.

[fridge112887]

Originally Posted by M. Steng

I had my first back operation, a discectomy, when I was 19. I injured it training for college football in January and was operated on in mid-March. I rested for 1-2 weeks and then started an aggressive PT regimen.

By the time August rolled around I was back to 100% and ready for training camp. It definitely took some time to get back into football shape, but that's because I was fairly limited as far as running/sprinting for the first few months of recovery. But I played the next two seasons with no back problems whatsoever.

A discectomy really is an easy operation. My scar from that operation is like 1/4" in height and it's centered right on my spine. I think the operation took maybe 2 hours and the relief is immediate. I went home that same day. Now, the fusion I underwent in November of 2015, that was a whole different animal.

EDIT: I should note, to your original question, that lifting was changed for me after that. I haven't squatted since, and I'm always super cautious about my form. Luckily I was young so the operation didn't impact me too much, I was still able to bench in the 400's by the time my senior season rolled around, I was still able to do modified and light deadlifts and hang cleans. But I was still limited in some respects.

Was this by choice?

[Tiduwho]

Every day I'm in pain as a result of sitting, due to a deformed L4 vertebrae. I just deal with it pretty much. I have to twist and turn my hips at night to find juust the right position so there isn't a pinching pain. I need a good chair that allows the base of my back to be properly supported. The stereotypical "good posture" sitting up straight absolutely destroys the base of my spine, because all of my upper bodyweight hinges and is put onto that one spot. Thus, I sit back as far as I can in my chair, and that helps tremendously. Slouching also greatly helps to avoid backpain.

I've been trying to strengthen my back a bit lately, but I really need to try lower impact exercises. I can't do much floorwork other than basic crunches without paying for it later that night. Really sucks. I am 180, down from a high of 199, but basically all of the weight I do have is around my midsection. Drinking is just not good to me. And my lower back pays for it.

[M. Steng]

Originally Posted by fridge112887

Was this by choice?

Half and half. I asked if squatting was out of the question since it's an important exercise for football training. My surgeon told me, you can do whatever you want as long as you feel good, but if you want to never see me again then you shouldn't do any squats.

Turns out I saw him again 6 years later, so I could have squatted anyways!

Squats vary overrated anyways. More harm than good comes out of them from my experience.

[M. Steng]

Really hate to be bumping this thread today.

About a week and a half ago my right hip and groin started absolutely killing me for basically no reason. I was stretching it like crazy, walking, icing, etc., couldn't find any relief. After a few days, that pain subsided, but simultaneously I started getting some tingling/numbness in my right big toe. Since about Saturday or Sunday, the bottom of my foot has been numb almost constantly.

I saw my orthopedic neurosurgeon yesterday and got some pretty shitty news. The pain I experienced in my hip and groin and the numbness/tingling in my foot are all indicative that I have a problem with the disc at the level immediately above where I'm fused.

I'm going for an MRI today and we'll have a better idea of how severe I've herniated the disc at L4-L5. Apparently I'm simply genetically predisposed to these sorts of issues. I suppose in a slight stroke of luck, I'm not in any real pain (more just mild discomfort at this point), so it may be able to self-correct after PT. But even then, there's still the risk of it failing to reabsorb and/or re-herniating at a later date. Having that constant anxiety and stress about my back is just something I don't want to live with. I could always opt for a discectomy, which would probably buy me another 5-10 years pain-free with a modified exercise and lifestyle approach. But the fear is, even after that, that it will fail and then I'll need another fusion, which would fucking destroy me. It's only been three years since my fusion, my surgeon said I'm in like 3-5% of people who have what's sometimes referred to as "Adjacent Segment Disease", or, as he so eloquently put it, "Shitty Back Disorder"

So, yeah, not to bring everyone down but that's what I'm dealing with

[UCFish]

That sucks man I am sorry.

I got a stand up desk at work which I feel has really helped me a bit....My back has not gone "out" in about a year and a half but I am always in fear.

[DMBstandUP1984]

Originally Posted by UCFish

That sucks man I am sorry.

I got a stand up desk at work which I feel has really helped me a bit....My back has not gone "out" in about a year and a half but I am always in fear.

I asked for a stand up desk but I need a doctors note ...my yearly checkup is in September I'm just going to ask my doctor to write me one up.

[M. Steng]

Originally Posted by UCFish

That sucks man I am sorry.

I got a stand up desk at work which I feel has really helped me a bit....My back has not gone "out" in about a year and a half but I am always in fear.

Originally Posted by DMBstandUP1984

I asked for a stand up desk but I need a doctors note ...my yearly checkup is in September I'm just going to ask my doctor to write me one up.

Yeah, I have an adjustable sit/stand platform on my desk which is nice. But I'm not sure these issues have anything really to do with my sitting for too long or anything like that. My surgeon said in so many words that, no matter how careful I was, how much/little exercise I did, that this was almost guaranteed to happen again. Which is so discouraging because I've been so good about watching what I do. It's tough because I did feel 100% back to normal so I've been doing yardwork, working out, golfing, etc., I'm just wondering whether being SO active post-fusion maybe exacerbated things a little bit. Who knows though. MRI will tell us what's up by tomorrow hopefully.

[scrock25]

Funny this thread popped up right now.

Mine just went out yesterday, can’t stand straight.