sciatica/lower back troubles
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analbirth
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Had bad back for 32 years, go see Geoff Hale he's an Osteopath at Palm Beach, 13th ave. on the hwy. also got rooms bundle road, I've been seeing him on & off for 15 yrs knows his stuff, gets rid of my sciatica usually 1 treatment ph. 55766469. And your right the goldy has been pumping AB
once you've had black you'll never go back!!!
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Beeline2.0
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Burnwater
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Just about every one of us over the age of 35 has some form of back problem. It almost goes without saying that a good daily stretching regimine is a necessity. Before I stretch however I apply a "bed buddy" to my lower back to pre-warm the muscles. You can purchase one for $10.00 at most drug stores or at places like Bed Bath & Beyond(it's in the beyond dept.) Or you can make one by taking a cotton athletic sock and filling it about 3/4 with Basmati rice (other varieties will not work or last as well) and tying a knot in the end. Heat it in the microwave for 2 minutes and you will have a moist heating device that holds its heat longer than any non-electrical device I've ever had. I even use it as a sort of heated lumbar support as I drive to the surf. Try it, you'll like it.
tread lightly, lean forward, leave a clean trail.
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pblsurfboy
- Grom (25 or less posts to site)
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See my post above under the other "back problems" section. BTW: I am now 58 yrs. old, broke my back when I was 21.....4 story fall.....compression fracture at L1 with a bruised spinal cord....decompressive laminectomy performed....no fusion....found out the other day that my spine had fused together on its own.
Best thing I ever did was get back in the water.....hydro therapy, you know......when I did my first real scary crash and burn in the water and survived it without hurting myself more I stopped doing all those land sports....bicycling, xc skiing, etc.....and started surfing every morning....still get in over 300 mornings a year.
Also consider the good old hot tub.....hot water works wonders for loosening the muscles.
If you have problems like bulging discs, sciatica, damaged vertebrae, etc, please DO see your physician......if it's just the old ache and pain due to weak core muscles then exercise and massage and hot water should help.
I use all of the above incorporated with ab exercises.
RON
Best thing I ever did was get back in the water.....hydro therapy, you know......when I did my first real scary crash and burn in the water and survived it without hurting myself more I stopped doing all those land sports....bicycling, xc skiing, etc.....and started surfing every morning....still get in over 300 mornings a year.
Also consider the good old hot tub.....hot water works wonders for loosening the muscles.
If you have problems like bulging discs, sciatica, damaged vertebrae, etc, please DO see your physician......if it's just the old ache and pain due to weak core muscles then exercise and massage and hot water should help.
I use all of the above incorporated with ab exercises.
RON
My sister'sband: The California Girls
www.thecaliforniagirls.bizland.com
www.thecaliforniagirls.bizland.com
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SFKneelo
Top from Captn's 'Spoon' thread
I have three compressed disks and a herniated L4/L5. I get along OK with the compressed disks, but the herniated disk dogs me.
It's a perpetual management issue. Good days are great!
There can be a single event that may send it into a spin, but it's usually a downward spiral...
As the back gets worse, the rest of the core begins to weaken and not engage... which puts more stress on the injury.
It gets tight, then painful at the location. If it's not managed at that stage, it will become acute.
Like McKnee was saying, no movement. Down. Going nowhere for days.
I finally got one cortizone shot, which was a good band-aid.
I haven't explored too far outside the following:
- tactical doses of Ibuprofen
- maintain neutral spine
- make sure my core is engaged and taking the pressure off the spine. If not, slowly work on stretching/strengthening. There's all sorts of both exercises available.
- For the latter, a Swiss ball, a series of bands, a Bosu, medicine ball, hand weights
It's a pretty vanilla approach. I've definitely slipped and paid for it in the past... it's not fool-proof! A few moments in the acute phase is an in-your-face wake-up call.
BTW, I just brought the Bosu back in for another use... for the torn bicep tendon, I flip it upside down and feign duck-diving and getting up.
Those devices are great for range-of-motion activities and working small muscles as well as big ones.
I've heard of great results with acupuncture and similar approaches... would love to hear more
Edit: BillL... McKnee mentioned 'Palmer Method.' Insights? What does the Good Doctor say?
I have three compressed disks and a herniated L4/L5. I get along OK with the compressed disks, but the herniated disk dogs me.
It's a perpetual management issue. Good days are great!
There can be a single event that may send it into a spin, but it's usually a downward spiral...
As the back gets worse, the rest of the core begins to weaken and not engage... which puts more stress on the injury.
It gets tight, then painful at the location. If it's not managed at that stage, it will become acute.
Like McKnee was saying, no movement. Down. Going nowhere for days.
I finally got one cortizone shot, which was a good band-aid.
I haven't explored too far outside the following:
- tactical doses of Ibuprofen
- maintain neutral spine
- make sure my core is engaged and taking the pressure off the spine. If not, slowly work on stretching/strengthening. There's all sorts of both exercises available.
- For the latter, a Swiss ball, a series of bands, a Bosu, medicine ball, hand weights
It's a pretty vanilla approach. I've definitely slipped and paid for it in the past... it's not fool-proof! A few moments in the acute phase is an in-your-face wake-up call.
BTW, I just brought the Bosu back in for another use... for the torn bicep tendon, I flip it upside down and feign duck-diving and getting up.
Those devices are great for range-of-motion activities and working small muscles as well as big ones.
I've heard of great results with acupuncture and similar approaches... would love to hear more
Edit: BillL... McKnee mentioned 'Palmer Method.' Insights? What does the Good Doctor say?
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K-man
- Legend (Contribution King!)
- Posts: 1461
- Joined: Sun Apr 11, 2004 12:35 pm
- Location: north of san francisco
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Summer of 85 had a serious work accident.Destroyed L5-4-3 {lumbar }
Docs performed a laminectomy,with harrington rods to keep the back stable,they were later removed.
Almost 2yrs of rehab.Anyways,after 6 months of physical theraphy I learned the''right'' way to sit,bend and lift objects.Meaning when I do these things I Automatically tighten my core,and use my legs which takes the pressure off the back area... :wink:It's become second nature,no thought invoved. Bending from the waist/ back is the killer.
Still have good range of movement,touch my toes,almost get the palms flat on the ground.
Still have residual pain...no biggie though,Don't need drugs,as I have a high tolerance to pain
A good physical therapist worth their salt will understand what I'm saying.
What I do is surf.... :lol: as much as possible,meaning when there's waves.Hasn't slowed me down.....yet.... :lol:
Hopefully this post may inspire others to find another way to deal with bum backs.Been there,done that.
cheers
Docs performed a laminectomy,with harrington rods to keep the back stable,they were later removed.
Almost 2yrs of rehab.Anyways,after 6 months of physical theraphy I learned the''right'' way to sit,bend and lift objects.Meaning when I do these things I Automatically tighten my core,and use my legs which takes the pressure off the back area... :wink:It's become second nature,no thought invoved. Bending from the waist/ back is the killer.
Still have good range of movement,touch my toes,almost get the palms flat on the ground.
Still have residual pain...no biggie though,Don't need drugs,as I have a high tolerance to pain
A good physical therapist worth their salt will understand what I'm saying.
What I do is surf.... :lol: as much as possible,meaning when there's waves.Hasn't slowed me down.....yet.... :lol:
Hopefully this post may inspire others to find another way to deal with bum backs.Been there,done that.
cheers
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Smokin Rock
- Legend (Contribution King!)
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- Location: downtown Kapaau
hey Mcknee,
i'm a CT tech and that report is not great but "degenerative disc disease" or degenerative changes at multiple levels can be a way of saying you're getting older or it can be more severe. almost every patient over 45 who gets a lumbar CT gets that result.
you need more info than that and you need someone who can interpret that info to it's utmost. i see all the time reports sent to doctors who take what can be routine info like DDD and blow it out of proportion and likewise take really important info and not know what to do with it.
CT is great for lot's of things but MRI would be much more helpful it sounds for assessing the discs and nerve tissue. in a nutshell i would'nt even consider surgery before i had a MRI. i also would'nt trust a GP's assessment of the situation based on a CT report.
the surgery can work. it also can make things worse. a bit of a crap shoot
. plan B is go to a orthopedic surgeon who specializes in spine work and get a MRI. get a copy of the MRI and take it to another ortho guy and see what he says. try to gingerly assess whether a particular ortho employs multiple avenues of care or if he (or she) simply goes for the knife straight off. surgeons tend to always think surgery for a cure and thats not always the best approach.
sorry all my advice entails spending more money
funny how the world works that way
i'm a CT tech and that report is not great but "degenerative disc disease" or degenerative changes at multiple levels can be a way of saying you're getting older or it can be more severe. almost every patient over 45 who gets a lumbar CT gets that result.
you need more info than that and you need someone who can interpret that info to it's utmost. i see all the time reports sent to doctors who take what can be routine info like DDD and blow it out of proportion and likewise take really important info and not know what to do with it.
CT is great for lot's of things but MRI would be much more helpful it sounds for assessing the discs and nerve tissue. in a nutshell i would'nt even consider surgery before i had a MRI. i also would'nt trust a GP's assessment of the situation based on a CT report.
the surgery can work. it also can make things worse. a bit of a crap shoot
. plan B is go to a orthopedic surgeon who specializes in spine work and get a MRI. get a copy of the MRI and take it to another ortho guy and see what he says. try to gingerly assess whether a particular ortho employs multiple avenues of care or if he (or she) simply goes for the knife straight off. surgeons tend to always think surgery for a cure and thats not always the best approach.sorry all my advice entails spending more money
funny how the world works that way
"This sucks more than anything that has ever sucked before." Butt-head
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SFKneelo
On the patient side... SR gets a BINGO! Right down to my degenerative self...
Besides the surgery/no-surgery, there's again the cortizone shots that one Dr. was very keen to deliver multiple times... as I said above, I did once and got temporary relief.
The only add to this is that, surgery or not, rehab via physical therapy is a certainty, or at least should be.
Shop around on PTs as well. Ask each Dr. who they work with. Ask everyone that has similar issues. Talk to those PTs with the 411 in hand.
Communicate early on with the PT that your goal is kneeboarding. That helped tailor a plan that, like K is saying, taught me to maintain a neutral spine throughout the ranges of motion.
For my issue, flexion is bad and flexioin/rotation even worse.
In addition to keeping a neutral position, the PT also focused me on balancing muscle groups... like K is saying with core strength.
For example, a challenge is keeping my hamstrings limber, as well as my haunches/hips. That tends me towards bad posture.
Hope you see better days, McK... you will!
Keep us posted!
Besides the surgery/no-surgery, there's again the cortizone shots that one Dr. was very keen to deliver multiple times... as I said above, I did once and got temporary relief.
The only add to this is that, surgery or not, rehab via physical therapy is a certainty, or at least should be.
Shop around on PTs as well. Ask each Dr. who they work with. Ask everyone that has similar issues. Talk to those PTs with the 411 in hand.
Communicate early on with the PT that your goal is kneeboarding. That helped tailor a plan that, like K is saying, taught me to maintain a neutral spine throughout the ranges of motion.
For my issue, flexion is bad and flexioin/rotation even worse.
In addition to keeping a neutral position, the PT also focused me on balancing muscle groups... like K is saying with core strength.
For example, a challenge is keeping my hamstrings limber, as well as my haunches/hips. That tends me towards bad posture.
Hope you see better days, McK... you will!
Keep us posted!
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feralmick
- Ripper (more than 100 posts)
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- Location: gympie, qld.
Had a similar diagnosis to you 33 years ago.
Back then my focus was on work, partying, later paying a mortgage and raising a family.
Used to work til i`d almost dropped, get into the painkillers(and get hooked), work some more, then flat on my back for a month. Then repeat the cycle over & over.
Borrowed a video on backs from the library-showed exactly what was happening to my back from the inside. Had been seeing chiro`s and physio`s without much success so the pattern continued.
The worst thing i could `ve done was take pain killers-only masked the real cause of pain.
In the end i`d lost virtually all core strength, could barely walk 50 yards a day. Bone on bone where my bottom disc used to be.
Got on a pension, saw Commonwealth Rehabilitation Services (CRS) who gave me 4 free visits to an osteopath.
By this time i`d worked out that my hip was causing all my problems, which was confirmed by my doctor and osteopath. The osteo unlocked my hip and gave me some stretching/strengthening excercises. I`d finally got a proper diagnosis and good advice which i`ve followed.
That was 8 years ago.
My life now revolves around my back, (specific)daily stretches and excercises before i do anything else. On my feet for a few hours most days, no stretches-laid up.
Since then i`ve had liver cancer, skin cancer and thyroid cancer. Still walking around and looking after my back daily.
What i want is secondry to what i need. Forced myself to be content working a few hours a week, no fancy house, surf once or twice a week on average and a casual lifestyle.
Back then my focus was on work, partying, later paying a mortgage and raising a family.
Used to work til i`d almost dropped, get into the painkillers(and get hooked), work some more, then flat on my back for a month. Then repeat the cycle over & over.
Borrowed a video on backs from the library-showed exactly what was happening to my back from the inside. Had been seeing chiro`s and physio`s without much success so the pattern continued.
The worst thing i could `ve done was take pain killers-only masked the real cause of pain.
In the end i`d lost virtually all core strength, could barely walk 50 yards a day. Bone on bone where my bottom disc used to be.
Got on a pension, saw Commonwealth Rehabilitation Services (CRS) who gave me 4 free visits to an osteopath.
By this time i`d worked out that my hip was causing all my problems, which was confirmed by my doctor and osteopath. The osteo unlocked my hip and gave me some stretching/strengthening excercises. I`d finally got a proper diagnosis and good advice which i`ve followed.
That was 8 years ago.
My life now revolves around my back, (specific)daily stretches and excercises before i do anything else. On my feet for a few hours most days, no stretches-laid up.
Since then i`ve had liver cancer, skin cancer and thyroid cancer. Still walking around and looking after my back daily.
What i want is secondry to what i need. Forced myself to be content working a few hours a week, no fancy house, surf once or twice a week on average and a casual lifestyle.
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K-man
- Legend (Contribution King!)
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Tough stuff to go thru... :shock: In my case there was no option about surgery.It was straight to emergency.In your case If the surgery is good for 10 yrs,that sounds like a path to go.Of course it's not my body,and easy to say go for it..Surgeons have a way of lowering expectations,and it's what I was told.You won't be doing tree work any more..and surfing!!!,Well it's 29 yrs later,and turned out way better than what I was told.10 yrs of relief sound a hell of a lot better than what you're putting up with now.Good luck!
cheers
cheers