View Full Version : Lower Back Woe
Ok, I guess I will have to ask.
I have an appointment w/ Dr today.
I bruised my tailbone pretty good in the Tohickon Gorge a couple day short of a month ago. I have done this once or twice before and the pain goes away after about a week or two tops. This time its been hanging around.
Question: I can do all the things I had been doing however I feel this most obviously when I am sitting, bending and climbing steps. I am not in excursiating pain but its bothersome.
Do I just persivere and wait till the pain goes away or is there another way to get this better. I have a week hike in april coming next year a buch of weekend routes before that. I dont know if the grin and bear it out road is the one I want to take on this.:-?
shelterbuilder
10-23-2007, 07:03
You need to ask your doctor when you see him today. I did much the same thing years ago in 6th grade - slipped on the ice, fall down, go boom! I didn't think that much about it right then, but I was ultimately in so much pain that I had to take classes standing up for about 2 weeks. I still have trouble with it every so often, and it's a pain in the ^ss to be sitting watching TV and realize that I have to stand up and walk around because my legs are starting to go numb!
Talk to the doc!! Anything involving your spine is nothing to fool around with.
If I were you, I'd be very careful about accepting invasive treatment. I've had good--though slow--results from anti-inflamtories, exercise, and chiropractic care. But I'm a skeptic about medical care. A sports-oriented caregiver will probably be more helpful to you than a painkiller/surgery-oriented caregiver.
Good luck!
Thanks Marta, thats exactly how I feel.
nitewalker
10-23-2007, 07:23
You need to ask your doctor when you see him today. I did much the same thing years ago in 6th grade - slipped on the ice, fall down, go boom! I didn't think that much about it right then, but I was ultimately in so much pain that I had to take classes standing up for about 2 weeks. I still have trouble with it every so often, and it's a pain in the ^ss to be sitting watching TV and realize that I have to stand up and walk around because my legs are starting to go numb!
Talk to the doc!! Anything involving your spine is nothing to fool around with.
:confused: the 6th grade and it still bothers you. hell when i was in the 6th grade i could fall off the empire state building and get up and walk away. if it still bothers you i would say its not from the 6th grade accident but more to do with the fact that it still bothers you because of it being old age.:eek:
peace out, nitewalker
shelterbuilder
10-23-2007, 07:47
:confused: the 6th grade and it still bothers you. hell when i was in the 6th grade i could fall off the empire state building and get up and walk away. if it still bothers you i would say its not from the 6th grade accident but more to do with the fact that it still bothers you because of it being old age.:eek:
peace out, nitewalker
Yeah - I've been old since the 6th grade!:eek: The problem has been sporadic, but on-going since then. My docs have said that it was just the way that I landed. I've fallen out of trees, I've fallen climbing, I taken tumbles from dogsleds and not gotten seriously hurt (alright, the broken leg from the dogsled was a fluke), but the 6th grade playground fall keeps coming back to haunt me. Go figure!:confused:
nitewalker
10-23-2007, 08:06
i suppose your rite. its your body. i have an old shoulder injury from a car accident that pops up every now and then[not hiking]. it only strains when i put stress outward from the shoulder joint. like a side lateral raise, ouch......
Cookerhiker
10-23-2007, 08:51
This may or may not be relevant to your situation but last year when I was diagnosed with a herniated disk, I started this thread (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14922)where I talked about a new treatment technology, adminstered by a chiropractor, which helped me. You may find some insight and experience from those who weighed in.
Try stretching out. I busted my trailbone a few years ago falling on crutches. Once I was able, I would sit on my knees and lean forward.....kinda an upright fetal position and stretch forward......helped a bit
oldfivetango
10-23-2007, 09:48
If I were you, I'd be very careful about accepting invasive treatment. I've had good--though slow--results from anti-inflamtories, exercise, and chiropractic care. But I'm a skeptic about medical care. A sports-oriented caregiver will probably be more helpful to you than a painkiller/surgery-oriented caregiver.
Good luck!
Depends on what you have wrong with you......it's a case by case
basis.I have SUFFERED with debilitating back pain for over a decade.
Tried chiropractic,it helped a little.Bought a good massage chair and
stopped paying the bone cracker $75 for 5 minutes of his time.
Tried therapy,it helped some but in the end I made up my own exercise
routine which helped but did not cure me as the tissues are always there
lurking to "flare-up" like a smoldering forrest fire and cause a paralyzing
back spasm like the one I had in February 05....been sleeping in a chair
ever since.For road trips which I do avoid like the plague I carry a portable
hammock.Hammocks rock!
As for the surgury-I would like to have it but my neurosurgeon refused
to operate because I did not have numbness or pain shooting down a leg.
I interpreted that to mean in 25 words or less"You have not really suffered
enough for the insurance company to pay me my horrific fee for the surgury."Yeah,I know the ambulance chasers have tied a huge insurance
payment around his neck too.
Made a practice training hike two weeks ago with my full winter pack of
about 45 pounds and was doing good until the wife broke her arm and
we had to spend hours and hours sitting in hospital emergency and doctors
offices on their awful furniture but things are slowly getting back together.
As for meds,I had a really wild allergic reaction to Relafen and responded
to Mobic ok but it is all really liver killing poison.You need a healthy liver if
you expect to live long in good health.Read the labels,they are awful!
And the back injection I had lasted for about a month.It is a steroid and
my understanding is that it weakens the bones so being a person of limited
understanding I personally think that weakening the bones is not really a
great idea if old Tango wants a fusion or something later.I would really not
relish having a loose screw down there.
If any of you medical types have a suggestion I would really appreciate a
PM.
Thanks,
Oldfivetango
I'm sorry about your back problems, OFT. They sound much worse than what Hiker7s is having now, which is why he probably shouldn't throw the nuclear weapons (surgery, etc.) at it. He can probably still HELP HIMSELF with the aid of a good exercise routine, and maybe an adjustment or five. A good sports doctor or chiropractor can help him figure out the best approach. It'll probably take time, but he'll end up better off for it, with little risk of making things worse.
I have been trying to stretch it and trying to work it out. The thing is, I really dont know how bad it is as I dont trust myself to tell me. I am told I have a high level of pain reaction. Case in point, I "popped" my leg one time on a 4 day trek coming up a short bermed up area crossing a creek. I didnt think anthing of it except for the (am I hurt moment-...well, its gone, i think its ok...) initial feeling.
2 days later (and then what I felt was just a little soreness but it was swelled up a little) after 16 miles, I was convinced to go to the emerg room on the way home (i was driving).
turns out I had a hairline fracture of my lower left leg.
This is really why I am going, it hurts but "I think" it can be worked out over time....but then I am thinking will I do more damage waiting to see what really is the deal.
........and its a hoot where I did this too, the place youve been over so much the rock should have your foot prints on them. They seem to be the ones that get you the most. I guess thats a good thing if it has to happen, I mean, if it was de-mobilizing, I know that area like the back of my hand. Instead of being in unfamiliar backcountry
oldfivetango
10-23-2007, 14:32
Sounds like you have another hairline fracture to me.Is it the cocyx?
I think that is the medical term for the "tailybone".I wonder why we
lost our tails anyway since we all have one.
Oldfivetango
Sounds like you have another hairline fracture to me.Is it the cocyx?
I think that is the medical term for the "tailybone".I wonder why we
lost our tails anyway since we all have one.
Oldfivetango
Well been to the Doc's office. :-? Yep, broke coccyx.:( He (again) referenced my lack of real pain due to my high level of pain threshold which is partially related to my ingorance:cool: of what I dont want to be true....ok whatever.
SO, I have to lay low. he told me to just take it easy. I asked If I could just walk, he said "not briskly".. all the things I do, same thing...any level of intensity will affect it.:-? So what he is asking me to do is nothing. LOL he even said If I was getting "it", not to be the locomotive, if you get my drift. LOL....;)
shelterbuilder
10-25-2007, 06:52
Well been to the Doc's office. :-? Yep, broke coccyx.:( He (again) referenced my lack of real pain due to my high level of pain threshold which is partially related to my ingorance:cool: of what I dont want to be true....ok whatever.
SO, I have to lay low. he told me to just take it easy. I asked If I could just walk, he said "not briskly".. all the things I do, same thing...any level of intensity will affect it.:-? So what he is asking me to do is nothing. LOL he even said If I was getting "it", not to be the locomotive, if you get my drift. LOL....;)
Just lay low for a while - you don't have to turn into a couch potato, but just take it easy for a few weeks. (Instead of those 4 MPH power-walks, just poke along at 1 or 2 MPH!) The trail will still be there after you're healed up. :)
nitewalker
10-25-2007, 07:06
milk and exercise... big bones and bigger lungs...your body becomes a stagnant pool of water , with out moving that water it becomes a breeding ground for all that becomes bad.....just one way to look at it..
after you heel your injury you should go take some ballet lessons so you become a more balanced hiker..falling is not an option, carry poles they will prevent lots of different injuries.......peace out, nitewalker
milk and exercise... big bones and bigger lungs...your body becomes a stagnant pool of water , with out moving that water it becomes a breeding ground for all that becomes bad.....just one way to look at it..
after you heel your injury you should go take some ballet lessons so you become a more balanced hiker..falling is not an option, carry poles they will prevent lots of different injuries.......peace out, nitewalker
:-?
LOL, I dont need bigger anything, I dont "fall", I have poles, I am in shape. I would think 3 falls (bruised ego, bruised knee and this one) over 20 some years and over 9k trail miles is pretty good track record me thinks.:banana
You can take ballet if you want. Me, I will stick to my routine of walking curb-tops in an empty warehose parking lot with a full pack before a tricky hike.
Just lay low for a while - you don't have to turn into a couch potato, but just take it easy for a few weeks. (Instead of those 4 MPH power-walks, just poke along at 1 or 2 MPH!) The trail will still be there after you're healed up. :)
I got it figured out, I swim ALOT, I do the flip-turns and all. I have to verify this but I should be ok, if I back off on the distance (2k to like 500-1k yds) and dont swim breast (because of the leg movements which will effect what the lower back is doing) stroke or back/butterfly (using alot of back muscles) strokes, I should be ok. Besides its better than walking (where my intensity gets out o hand). Swimming is low impact.
Brooks Robinson took ballet.
Brooks Robinson took ballet.
UMM SO DID HERSHELL WALKER,
FAMOUS FOOTBALLER /BOBSLEDDER
Pennsylvania Rose
10-25-2007, 15:23
And Lynn Swan (the Steelers' wide receiver). He even danced for us at an assembly when I was in 6th grade.
WILLIAM HAYES
10-25-2007, 20:45
try accupuncture it worked for me
try accupuncture it worked for me
Once it is healed I will do that if there is any lingering effects. intermittent pain ....
I shore up pretty well, so now that Im in the bucket with this thing, I'll be good and not cheat with pushing it too much.
update, its healed but at times there is dull "discomfort". Doesnt bother me anymore (20yrs probably will).
But I am good and thanks for all the input.
Jason of the Woods
01-25-2008, 11:07
Be very wary of any surgery back there. I used to be very active until my failed back surgery. My surgeon acted like it was no big deal and that I would heal perfectly because I'm a young, non-smoker, ect. Now I am permanently disabled and see a pain specialist to control the pain. I also have to deal with being labeled a druggie because I take meds for the pain and I am a young man. The craziest thing is that it's the doctor who put me on medicine who acts this way. I do still hike and am planning a long hike this spring but it is a struggle to even hike a few miles. I just can't stop.;)
Glad you are better. Tuck away the idea of a "hemmerroid" inflatable donut. Better than a regular pillow and cheap at the Wmart.
You know, I aways thought of myself as the stong back of the family as my 3 other brothers have had problems with theirs, chronic stuff. And I am the oldest. This was a close call. I did everything the Dr wanted with this and it has seemed to heal ok.
Weird, I have done one 20 miler recently and had no ill affects however, if I sit in a realy cushy sofa or chair I get the dull (never gets any worse than that) ache that is "just" below the uncomfortable level.
take-a-knee
01-25-2008, 13:27
I got it figured out, I swim ALOT, I do the flip-turns and all. I have to verify this but I should be ok, if I back off on the distance (2k to like 500-1k yds) and dont swim breast (because of the leg movements which will effect what the lower back is doing) stroke or back/butterfly (using alot of back muscles) strokes, I should be ok. Besides its better than walking (where my intensity gets out o hand). Swimming is low impact.
Yes, swimming is low impact, so low in fact, it can set you up for lower extremity bone loss. Weight bearing exercise is what stimulates bone development. The SEALS figured this out decades ago, swimming is no substitute for humping a pack.
Jan LiteShoe
01-25-2008, 13:36
This may or may not be relevant to your situation but last year when I was diagnosed with a herniated disk, I started this thread (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14922)where I talked about a new treatment technology, adminstered by a chiropractor, which helped me. You may find some insight and experience from those who weighed in.
Cooker, wasn't it yu who had a tilt/inversion-table?
If it was you, did you abandon it as ineffective?
have you been to a chiropractor?
have you been to a chiropractor?
Nah, dont need no stinkin c-pactor
Ok, I guess I will have to ask.
I have an appointment w/ Dr today.
I bruised my tailbone pretty good in the Tohickon Gorge a couple day short of a month ago. I have done this once or twice before and the pain goes away after about a week or two tops. This time its been hanging around.
Question: I can do all the things I had been doing however I feel this most obviously when I am sitting, bending and climbing steps. I am not in excursiating pain but its bothersome.
Do I just persivere and wait till the pain goes away or is there another way to get this better. I have a week hike in april coming next year a buch of weekend routes before that. I dont know if the grin and bear it out road is the one I want to take on this.:-?
Discs can often slip some and push upon a sundry of nerves and cause discomfort, if one is lucky, or severe debilitating pain for a time if one is not. Often (usually older) folks lose the disc cushion between L5 & S1 and that causes mild discomfort. Best cure I was prescribed for the above, after an MRI, was walking, and I showed 4 of the 5 lumbar discs in various stages of slippage. I went on a 300 mile hike. The discs seem to be back mostly in place but I suppose might might slip again so I am careful now. I still have mild 'discomfort' at L5-S1 but I can walk all day with it.:D
tina.anderson
02-08-2008, 10:50
I would stay away from back surgery if at all possible. If it is done wrong, you could end up in much worse shape than you are now, with no chance of it ever being corrected. See if you could get rid of your pain through natural means before you try anything else.