Anyone here deal with back pain???

Glass

FNG
Joined
Jan 13, 2020
Messages
13
Restorative yoga has been a life saver for my chronic back pain. I have gotten several other people with back issues to try it and they are blown away by how much it helps them.
 
Joined
Dec 20, 2019
Messages
36
I have degenerative disc disease, a fusion at C4/C5 and have herniated a few discs along the way. My typical therapy for it is weight lifting, core work, running, with stretching and yoga in the mix as well. That regime does pretty well for me, and keeps my flexril / Vitamin M consumption down except for breakout pain. That's usually caused by my own stupidity.
 

MattB

WKR
Joined
Sep 29, 2012
Messages
5,743
Haven't read much here, but a strong abdomen is key to a pain free back. Oftentimes the back hurts because the muscles opposing it are weak.
 

Hondo

WKR
Joined
Jan 2, 2020
Messages
380
I have had lower back issues for years, but this past December I was bedridden with severe Sciatica after putting up some hog fencing and was starting to think that my hunting days might be extremely limited if not over. The anti-inflammatory, muscle relaxer, ice pack and rest routine wasn't getting me anywhere so my Orthopedic buddy (shoulder practice only) suggested that I try out Airrosti treatment before going the MRI and likely injection or surgery route. I went in for my first visit on crutches in considerable pain and 3 visits later I was again functional and, in the process, learned more about stretching and strengthening my core to help prevent an onset than I had learned from all my past visits to Orthopedic & Physical Therapy professionals. The Airrosti doctor also introduced me to "The Stick" which I now own 2 of (1 for travel) and that I use daily.

As a result of my continued research, including this and similar threads on this forum, I am much more conscientious about my posture, lifting technique and diet than before. I am also working on shedding excess weight in addition to strengthening my core. I even bought my wife a yoga mat so I can use it without having to admit to owning one.

If you are suffering from back pain, persevere my brother. Like the old Winston Churchill quote, "If you are going through hell, keep going."
 

Chiro22

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Sep 10, 2018
Messages
154
Location
Montana
Chiropractor 2x/week, lots of core work, balance training and lots of stretching...also I try to stay away from inflammatory foods.
 

C.Oshlick

FNG
Joined
Feb 11, 2020
Messages
11
try doing yoga. You will realize quick how far out of shape you are. Increasing my flexibility and strength has made me feel better then I did prior to wrecking my bike last summer. I fractured my T3, T6 and T11 vertebrae in a motorcycle wreck in June. Especially early on stretching out really helped me feel better. Today I am working out regularly and training Brazilian Jiujitsu. I've never felt better
 
Joined
Sep 22, 2013
Messages
6,389
I agonized through severe back pain (5 motorcycle crashes) for decades before discovering inversion therapy and a Swing chair that constantly adjusts to keep your spine aligned. 90% of my grief went away immediately after and it is far less painful than chiro appts. I can carry more weight miles longer now. These two devices were life-changing for me.

swingchair_ii_executive_chair_p5_460x300.jpginversiontable.jpeg

.
 

Hoss1984

FNG
Joined
Feb 10, 2020
Messages
16
So I've had lower back issues in the past but have been seeing a chiropractor regularly and doing strengthening excercises for my back to reduce the chances of any issues while hunting.

I spent most of Monday and Tuesday doing maintenance on my truck and yesterday afternoon my lower back caught and went into major spasms. Immediatley went to the chiro and got on ice and ibupropen, but am sitting here now looking like the hunchback of ND trying to get it to let go. Meanwhile, the rear diff is drained and the cover is off, and I need to button things up from the belt change and still change oil and trans fluid. My plan was to leave this weekend but that is up in the air.

Does anyone have any tricks that might expedite the healing? Maybe a shot (whiskey included), stretch or something to move this along???
I would agree with all that mention exercising, it does the body wonders. And try rolling out your back with a foam roller. It has work for me.
 

thinhorn_AK

"DADDY"
Joined
Jul 2, 2016
Messages
11,218
Location
Alaska
Chiropractors and physical therapists did nothing for me but take my money for years. I didn't get any real improvement until I had been lifting weights for a while. Haven't had any issues for 5 years since. The bigger issue was weak core muscles.

this. I injured my back pretty bad back in 2011, it was most of 3 years to really recover from that. I’ve found that in addition to keeping strong in the gym, doing a daily regimen of kettlebell swings and Turkish get ups keeps my core very strong. I rarely tweak my back anymore and when I do it’s usually not too bad.
 

grossklw

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 24, 2017
Messages
236
Location
Wisconsin
Glad I didn't look at this thread earlier, good lord there is some terrible advice on here.

I'm an evidenced based physical therapist. I differ from a lot of my physical therapy buddies in the fact I do pretty much no manual therapy (I don't touch people), only exercise with an occasional manipulation if they meet certain criteria. I get them independent with a HEP and tell them to go home and live, I don't want them dependent on me or anybody else (terrible business model but it is the best practice). The truth is for a majority of back injuries if you essentially suck it up and get back to your normal routine your body will figure it out and the pain will settle down (I'm not talking long-term debilitating back pain, a simple acute flare in this example). No need to see a chiro, me, or an MD, just get back into your normal swing of things, whether that be work, exercise or whatever and the pain will likely short term increase followed by relief. Mind you if you're noticing a foot-drop and numbness in your balls, go the doc and get an MRI. Simple back pain without radicular symptoms rarely warrants an MRI.

I'm not anti-chiro either, I'm anti-chiro for maintenance. There is some quality evidence supporting short term relief for acute back pain with manipulations. "Subluxations" are a myth, they don't exist, our body is stronger than that to "go out of alignment" everytime we do something strenuous. Everyone here has processed an elk or a whitetail I would guess, have you ever looked at the number of ligaments along the backstrap between the spinal vertebra? Just think what of the force it would take for one of them to be ever so slightly out of place where only the skilled hands of manual practitioner can feel that it's out of alignment. An MRI can't pick it up, but a person can "feel" it? Hilarious...A lot of PT's aren't any better with their "hip rotations" or leg length descrepencies that likely don't exist either.

I do squats, DL's, turkish get-ups, kettlebell swings..etc with my patients. It's just graded, your 82 year old grandma seeing me likely won't be front squatting 300, but don't be suprised if we hop on the leg press. If I see someone for 5-6 weeks and don't get anywhere I send them to someone else, I can't imagine seeing the same person for years. How does that conversation go,"Hey I know we've been doing the same thing everyday for the past 9 months, but I think 2x/week for the next 3 years and we will really get you somewhere." EXERCISE IS KEY, but has others have said stress plays a roll as well. Best practitioner on the planet isn't going to get your back better if your wife is on hospice and you put your dog down last week. Our body's are complicated.
 

LostArra

WKR
Joined
May 9, 2013
Messages
3,653
Location
Oklahoma
As soon as man became bipedal sore backs, at least occasional, became universal.
Get your back strong with barbell exercises.
A sore strong back is preferable to a sore weak back.

I've had better luck with those dense foam rollers than any pill for the occasional tweak.
 
Joined
Apr 15, 2014
Messages
380
I hate to agree with this, because I hate lifting weights more than just about anything in the world, but I've found this to be very true...for me at least. I dealt with chronic shoulder and upper back pain for over a year, went to the chiro every week for a while to get some temporary relief, but it always came back just as bad as before. I started lifting and stretching and just overall excercising more and had a HUGE improvement in just a couple of weeks. I'm finding that all of my "chronic" aches and pains are lessoning and I have way more energy.

Took me until 40 to figure it out, but I'm committed at this point. I've lost 45 pounds in the last 3 months and have never felt better.
Could use weight bands. At 50 I'm not joining a gym or buying weights. The bands do help. Swimming is another great thing. For me it comes down to being active or exercising all the time. When I have a relapse start with chiropractor then a deep tissue massage.
 

BigGamer

FNG
Joined
May 13, 2020
Messages
89
Agree 100% agree with core workouts. I'm in a similar boat with recently rupturing a disk in my lower spine. Special stretching and very specific core workouts (YouTube) have been my savior so far. Just got to keep with it. And don't let up. I was pretty amazed at how quickly my lower back went to crap again if I became lazy with my active routine.
 
Joined
Mar 13, 2017
Messages
1,110
Location
Chico, California
Glad I didn't look at this thread earlier, good lord there is some terrible advice on here.

I'm an evidenced based physical therapist. I differ from a lot of my physical therapy buddies in the fact I do pretty much no manual therapy (I don't touch people), only exercise with an occasional manipulation if they meet certain criteria. I get them independent with a HEP and tell them to go home and live, I don't want them dependent on me or anybody else (terrible business model but it is the best practice). The truth is for a majority of back injuries if you essentially suck it up and get back to your normal routine your body will figure it out and the pain will settle down (I'm not talking long-term debilitating back pain, a simple acute flare in this example). No need to see a chiro, me, or an MD, just get back into your normal swing of things, whether that be work, exercise or whatever and the pain will likely short term increase followed by relief. Mind you if you're noticing a foot-drop and numbness in your balls, go the doc and get an MRI. Simple back pain without radicular symptoms rarely warrants an MRI.

I'm not anti-chiro either, I'm anti-chiro for maintenance. There is some quality evidence supporting short term relief for acute back pain with manipulations. "Subluxations" are a myth, they don't exist, our body is stronger than that to "go out of alignment" everytime we do something strenuous. Everyone here has processed an elk or a whitetail I would guess, have you ever looked at the number of ligaments along the backstrap between the spinal vertebra? Just think what of the force it would take for one of them to be ever so slightly out of place where only the skilled hands of manual practitioner can feel that it's out of alignment. An MRI can't pick it up, but a person can "feel" it? Hilarious...A lot of PT's aren't any better with their "hip rotations" or leg length descrepencies that likely don't exist either.

I do squats, DL's, turkish get-ups, kettlebell swings..etc with my patients. It's just graded, your 82 year old grandma seeing me likely won't be front squatting 300, but don't be suprised if we hop on the leg press. If I see someone for 5-6 weeks and don't get anywhere I send them to someone else, I can't imagine seeing the same person for years. How does that conversation go,"Hey I know we've been doing the same thing everyday for the past 9 months, but I think 2x/week for the next 3 years and we will really get you somewhere." EXERCISE IS KEY, but has others have said stress plays a roll as well. Best practitioner on the planet isn't going to get your back better if your wife is on hospice and you put your dog down last week. Our body's are complicated.


THIS THIS THIS

There is some terrible advice spread throughout the thread on previous responses. having had long time back pain and doing everything wrong, including a terrible addiction to hydrocodone, i have seen it all. Chiropractors are helpful but I truly believe much of my back problems were greatly increased due to much of what my chiropractors did early on. Stretching, core strength improvement, diet are key.
 

Clarence

WKR
Joined
Apr 7, 2018
Messages
571
It's been said quite a bit, but core strength, stretching and diet improvements for inflammation management have helped me a ton, I just had to make a few changes in my life. 10 minutes planking and stretching when I wake up have made such a large difference. I have watched so many friends and coworkers opt for surgery, before modifying their behavior and routine. It just seemed easier to try some stretching after talking to some PT friends. Pick the low hanging fruit first!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 

Dt55206

FNG
Joined
May 15, 2020
Messages
1
Chiropractors and physical therapists did nothing for me but take my money for years. I didn't get any real improvement until I had been lifting weights for a while. Haven't had any issues for 5 years since. The bigger issue was weak core muscles.
Chiropractors and physical therapists did nothing for me but take my money for years. I didn't get any real improvement until I had been lifting weights for a while. Haven't had any issues for 5 years since. The bigger issue was weak core muscles.
nailed it.
 
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