Back issues

[Uncle Joe]

Plan to fight! Dr. started me on a Medrol pack that I began today. I've read people have had good results so we'll see. Right now the pain is too much to exercise yet. I can walk, and frankly walking feels better than sitting. I just not dare put weight on my back. Hopping I get the pain down and can start strength building. As I think I mentioned, this came out of nowhere. Good thing I wasn't on the trail. Good information, everyone!

[Hummy585]

I can feel your pain, no pun intended. I've had the opportunity to live the life of an action figure, so I've had 8 reconstructive surgeries to repair broken, torn and/or detached components, free hardware included. As a result of a bad broadside vehicle wreck 25 years ago, I wound up with a bulging disc with some short fractures in the L4-L5. Over the years things have degenerated which I tolerated for many years, but about two years ago I REALLY had some bad nerve issues, bone contact along with the sciatica. Went to several specialists and they all came back with the dreaded fusion remedy. I tried the injections, nerve blocks and meds thing but it didn't work out for me. By dumb luck I wound up with a personal trainer at a MedX equipped gym and that program has really taken the edge off. Basically they are isolation machines which strap you in. My core and back are so much stronger, and by making some lifestyle changes, especially not sitting for long periods of time, I have bought myself time away from the surgeons knife. If you can find a trainer with the full MedX spine and cervical equipment, I highly recommend it. Its definitely buying me time...

[MuddyWaters]

Plan to fight! Dr. started me on a Medrol pack that I began today. I've read people have had good results so we'll see. Right now the pain is too much to exercise yet. I can walk, and frankly walking feels better than sitting. I just not dare put weight on my back. Hopping I get the pain down and can start strength building. As I think I mentioned, this came out of nowhere. Good thing I wasn't on the trail. Good information, everyone!

back, tooth abscess, kidney stone. All good reasons to have a few oxycodone and a lot of ibuprofen just in case.

[squeezebox]

When I first saw this thread I thought it was about how to find old copies of magazines.

[Uncle Joe]

When I first saw this thread I thought it was about how to find old copies of magazines.

Ha! I can see that. Sorry.

[Uncle Joe]

Well saw my regular doctor today. After some testing of my range of motion and such she doesn't believe my old disc is the issue. She's thinking I probably pulled the muscles and/or got out of alignment and that resulted in the pulling of the muscles. She wants me to keep on the steroid pack and the anti-inflams and to start stretching as soon as I feel I can. She wrote me a script for PT if I feel I need to start on that so I'll keep that in my pocket and see how the next couple of weeks go. Hoping to start the exercises soon. Thanks for all of the suggestions. I'm going to setup a pad in my room and try to make stretching and strengthening a part of my daily routine.

The bad news is with the new healthcare laws she will no longer be a primary care doctor. Rather, she's moving to urgent care. To be a primary she'd have to sit in an office from 9-5 and handle more paperwork which she doesn't want to do. Urgent care will give her more flexibility. I can understand that. She's a great doctor. I can still go see her for things like injuries and such but I'll have to find a new doc for regular prescriptions etc.

[Pedaling Fool]

Stretching is good, but I'd focus on strength training just as much if not more. I find it disconcerting that we lose muscle so quickly as we age (I'm 2-years older than you, so I got some perspective). Amounts of muscle loss vary, but none of the scenarios are good, it's the old adage: You don't use it, you lose it. So true, but you don't really feel it when you're young, but then one day it just hits you.

Weight training is the best way to use (not lose... or at least slow way down) muscle, connective tissues, bone. I do go heavy in my weight training, but I also focus on Range of Motion, despite having to go a little lighter when using large movement, i.e. ROM, I think it helps more in injury prevention... http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-c...motion-is-best


http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-li...s/bgp-20136508

Excerpt:
It is a simple fact. As we age we lose muscle and strength. There's even a medical term for this — sarcopenia. It's derived from the Greek words "sarcos" (flesh) and "penia" (lack of).
Estimates of how much muscle is lost with age vary from 8 percent to about 50 percent of our muscles. Men seem to lose muscle faster than women. Strength is lost more rapidly than muscle.
Why is this important? When muscles get smaller, they get much weaker. Loss of strength is consistent with loss of mobility and independence, and the need for institutional care.

[Uncle Joe]

I manage 4.7mi of walking today. First exercise of any sort since going down. The Medrol has worked pretty well. I think the walk helped loosen things up.

[4eyedbuzzard]

I manage 4.7mi of walking today. First exercise of any sort since going down. The Medrol has worked pretty well. I think the walk helped loosen things up.

My physical therapist always said that simply walking is perhaps the best all around therapy.

[Professor Paul]

I have chronic back pain and have been prescribed mild pain meds and regular PT (was frequent for a few months but now is only once a month). I do daily stretching and work on posture and all the little things. Collectively it all adds up to at least a slowing down of that inevitable degeneration that keeps on happening. I find that backpacking actually helps my back pain to a point, in two ways. First, it helps strengthen my core muscles. Second, I find the pack stabilizes my back and forces me to have better posture than I otherwise would. I especially like the lumbar support and how packs keep my shoulders square. If my pack weighs more than 35 pounds, though, then I find it very difficult to go much beyond 15 miles--always because my back--and I can't generally go for more than a few days at a time. But I strongly suspect that my decline would be hastened without the backpacking, and without the other stuff, I wouldn't be able to backpack. Basically, I'm at the point where I'm living in a cycle of taking/doing things to allow me to backpack, which turn helps with the back enough to keep my meds/PT at a much less intensive level than they would otherwise be. Since my cardiologist wants me hiking as much as possible, too, I feel like I'm doing myself a real medical service every time I hit the trail.

[chknfngrs]

I keep my hamstrings loose, stretch often. If swimming is an option, do that.

[Uncle Joe]

I did see my regular doctor. She doesn't think my bad disc is the culprit so much as I likely pulled something and my back is probably out of alignment. I'm doing stretches every other day and I'm back to walking at least. Once the insecure feeling goes away I'll start carrying a pack again and work my weight up to backpacking. Hoping that is soon but certainly don't want to rush it. I'm traveling this weekend so I'm hoping to at least get some time in on the hotel treadmill.

[chknfngrs]

Stay strong!

[burk]

Same issues L-4 L5 plus a double of others compressed. Docs loaded me up with all kinds of pills. Did not even like the idea of being cut on. Tried a inversion board and lots of walk-in and bikeing. 12 years later completed 5 marathons and multi other bike and runs. No more pills. Every now and then it flairs up. But that's to be expected I a mechanic and on concrete plus getting in title places. I will swear the inversion board helped the most.

[rocketsocks]

Just wanna say jump into a Brookstone store if ya have one near ya and try out the rap-around shiatsu massager w/heat, freaking thing is awesome, I want one!

[squeezebox]

I still can't get over that you're not talking about how to get old magazines.

[Uncle Joe]

Managed to get about 4.5mi in on the BMT. The back is coming along nicely. I do have a pain on the left side under the ribs that's concerning but hoping it works its way out.

https://youtu.be/1yn4exlOMwI