Back pain
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A different aspect of back pain is disc problems, herniated, ruptured, collapsed or whatever they want to call it. If that could be the cause of the pain, spinal decompression may be the needed remedy, although I would hesitate to suggest a professional do it for you as the sessions are about $250.00 each and 10 sessions are recommended for a mild problem and 30 for a severe problem. I was able to have it done once and it worked really well, although one time after the decompression part of the treatment I couldn't stand for a few minutes until the muscles relaxed some.
Now a days I decompress in bed for my lower back and neck. For the lower back I jack my knees and put my hands just below the crease in my leg to my body and push about as hard as I can while keeping my back relaxed. The machine pulls for 1 minute and relaxes for 20 seconds and pulls at about 112 lbs to start and at the end of the tenth session is pulling at 132 lbs, so I gauge my push by that. For the neck I just hang my head over the edge of the bed with the back of my head on the corner of the mattress, and for a little more tension I will push up on my chin. The machine only pulled about 24 lbs on the neck I think. It was considerably less than the lower back.
Now a days I decompress in bed for my lower back and neck. For the lower back I jack my knees and put my hands just below the crease in my leg to my body and push about as hard as I can while keeping my back relaxed. The machine pulls for 1 minute and relaxes for 20 seconds and pulls at about 112 lbs to start and at the end of the tenth session is pulling at 132 lbs, so I gauge my push by that. For the neck I just hang my head over the edge of the bed with the back of my head on the corner of the mattress, and for a little more tension I will push up on my chin. The machine only pulled about 24 lbs on the neck I think. It was considerably less than the lower back.
A
atwhatcost
Guest
Do I want to ask?
What machine do you have in your bed?
(And, yes, I want to ask because my back is killing me today, and doctors ran out of stuff to try on me.)
Traction helped me in the early days of my whiplash injury. It also added an inch to my height, which has since gone back to normal. (Or maybe I would be shorter?)
As for floor exercises, there are a lot of days I cannot do them, my joints are too flared to get back up. And sometimes I think I am good, but then can't get up. Those are the days, I am really glad I have a strong husband to pull me back up.
I sympathize, LadyBug. You have to be there, to understand!
As for floor exercises, there are a lot of days I cannot do them, my joints are too flared to get back up. And sometimes I think I am good, but then can't get up. Those are the days, I am really glad I have a strong husband to pull me back up.
I sympathize, LadyBug. You have to be there, to understand!
A
atwhatcost
Guest
Yup. We can't really fix the spine, but we can strength the muscles that support it.
A
atwhatcost
Guest
Neither one of us can get up, once we end up on the floor. (Very shocking the first time it happened.) We've both squirmed halfway across the house looking for furniture for leverage. Mostly we just call to the other one for help.
I cannot imagine what life would be like without someone to help me up. I know what furniture works for leverage downstairs, but upstairs furniture is either too high, too low, or too fragile. I suspect I'd have to use the steps, forever fearful I'd fall down all of them before I wiggled down enough to get leverage on a higher step. And then turning around to get that higher step? No idea if I can turn that way anymore. So, bump bump bump, all the way down the steps, which would just make my back hurt at each jarring step.
Yikes!
And, in reality, those muscles ARE what keep the spine in alignment. The spine, by itself, would just fold and crumple to the floor.... a pile of little bone segments.
Yeah, I felt that way back in my early 60's. But, I've gotten in much better shape now.
Then again, you do not have Rheumatoid Arthritis, Willie! I was in a dreadful state from 2000-2005. Then I got on better meds, biologics, and began to climb out of the hole.
I lost 80 lbs, and started to work out - stretches, weight and cycling. Last summer I was doing 35-40 km every other day, with 15 lb free weights and working on a universal, too.
Then I broke my wrist. I rode inside, kept up the weights with the left side, and as many stretches as I could do. Took 9 weeks for the wrist to heal. Starting riding outside, winter came. Moved, and then my RA med failed totally. That was January. I still try and do stretches, but 5 lbs weights are all my battered and bent elbows cane take. I did a lot of physiotherapy to get them back in shape, only to have more and more and more elbow flares.
Right now, my right ankle is swollen like a balloon. I have to walk with crutches. The new med is NOT working. And only one possibility left, but my rheumatologist figures it won't be strong enough for me.
I am just frustrated to death, as I know the value of exercise. I've been tested at the teaching hospital back where I used to live, in a long term study. It was on the effects of RA on the heart. I was the only one in the test that had a healthy heart, with no plaque or other problems.
Of course, eating healthy is part of the puzzle. But how I am going to get back into my nice long bike rides, the heavier weights, I just don't know.
Please pray that this med will suddenly work. Or the next one?
O
oldthennew
Guest
Lynn,
my wife broke her neck and various other bones, along with a major head injury and internal organ trauma,
it really 'caught up with her in her late 50's', and that has been several 'years-ago' and now, she has
RA, FM, spurs all over her body, a spinal-stenosis, which is resulting in major nerve damage and loss of feeling
in her legs, feet and buttocks..she calls this particular pain, FIRE AND ICE!!!!!!!
which is slowing traveling up her body, heart, lungs, etc..........................................................
THAT'S THE BAD NEWS...................
here's the GOOD NEWS...........
Willie is right when he says that STRETCHING is SIMPLE but AMAZING' -
my wife has a LARGE GYM BALL, which she uses on a regular basis for stretching and, if I'm not around,
she uses the furniture to get UP, like Yall do,,,,,,,
I also PUMP her FULL of 'NATURAL-ANTI-INFLAMATORIES' - TUMERIC AND BLACK PEPPER being king......
for more 'ANTI=INFLAMATORIES' you can 'google the rest'.....
MORE GOOD NEWS, WE BOTH WENT ON AN AWESOME WALK ON OUR 'HOME-MADE' NATURE TRAIL,
MY WIFE DOES USE SKI=STICKS, AND WHEN SHE FALLS, SHE GETS BACK UP AND SHE PUSHES
THROUGH ALL SHE HAS TO DEAL WITH AND TRYS HER BEST TO LIVE AND KEEP MOVING,
BECAUSE, THAT WHICH IS NOT USED, WILL DETIORATE VERY QUICKLY , WE HAVE LEARNED!!!!!!
THE HARD WAY.....
bottom line..............
TRUST GOD and NEVER give=up=the=FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!
my wife broke her neck and various other bones, along with a major head injury and internal organ trauma,
it really 'caught up with her in her late 50's', and that has been several 'years-ago' and now, she has
RA, FM, spurs all over her body, a spinal-stenosis, which is resulting in major nerve damage and loss of feeling
in her legs, feet and buttocks..she calls this particular pain, FIRE AND ICE!!!!!!!
which is slowing traveling up her body, heart, lungs, etc..........................................................
THAT'S THE BAD NEWS...................
here's the GOOD NEWS...........
Willie is right when he says that STRETCHING is SIMPLE but AMAZING' -
my wife has a LARGE GYM BALL, which she uses on a regular basis for stretching and, if I'm not around,
she uses the furniture to get UP, like Yall do,,,,,,,
I also PUMP her FULL of 'NATURAL-ANTI-INFLAMATORIES' - TUMERIC AND BLACK PEPPER being king......
for more 'ANTI=INFLAMATORIES' you can 'google the rest'.....
MORE GOOD NEWS, WE BOTH WENT ON AN AWESOME WALK ON OUR 'HOME-MADE' NATURE TRAIL,
MY WIFE DOES USE SKI=STICKS, AND WHEN SHE FALLS, SHE GETS BACK UP AND SHE PUSHES
THROUGH ALL SHE HAS TO DEAL WITH AND TRYS HER BEST TO LIVE AND KEEP MOVING,
BECAUSE, THAT WHICH IS NOT USED, WILL DETIORATE VERY QUICKLY , WE HAVE LEARNED!!!!!!
THE HARD WAY.....
bottom line..............
TRUST GOD and NEVER give=up=the=FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!
A
atwhatcost
Guest
After they removed my gall bladder they pulled me off the operating table onto a gurney. They pulled my back in such a way it pinched a nerve. Not just any nerve. The nerve connected to my lower ribs and upper digestive tract -- which just happens to be where my ex-gall bladder used to be. When I woke up, my back hurt worse than the places they cut into me and worse than the spot they cut out my gall bladder. I saw the expression on the surgeon's face when I cried out about that pain. He was truly confused.
Within a day that pain traveled. Now it is permanently like a steel tourniquet right under my lower ribs. On good days, (today being a good day), it's only the width of a hoola hoop. Usually, it's the width of a bicycle tire. On bad days, it's the width of a dirt bike tire.
Inside abdomen pain is different than pain on the outside of the body. When a gallstone passes it's really going down a thin tube just to the right of the breastplate. For most people feeling that pain, it feels like a hot-air balloon blew up on the entire left side of our abdomen. (The first gallstone going by and I had no idea what was going on. It was so much pain, it didn't really register as pain. It just felt like "I really don't like this." I honestly wanted a stretching wrack so that balloon would have more room in me. Little did I know that wasn't even what was going on. I wasn't sure which way to face the toilet -- face or butt -- so I sat on the floor next to it until my body couldn't handle the feeling anymore and I passed out. Only when I woke up did I finally have a word to describe what I was feeling. OUCH!)
For others, their right shoulder-blade hurts. They think they're having a heart attack. For others, their right side hurts. The pain inside just doesn't signal clearly when it registers, so we have no idea what's wrong and doctors can't always tell from where the pain feels like it's generating.
And that was the pain within the first day. And it did go on the outside too. I am pretty sure I'm the only person to get Charlie horses on my sides/lower ribs. Worse yet, I get them under my breast where my lower ribs are. (What do you do when you have a Charlie horse? Rub it? Yeah, well a completely different story when it looks like I'm rubbing my boob. I'm not, but it looks like that if anyone sees me, so if it hits in public, there is no relief other then typical gyrations people do to stop them. lol) The pain has always been right along the waistline right up to where the bottom of a bra would go, if I could still wear a bra. (I also can't take wearing anything that grips to the waist -- so any kind of pants or skirts are out. Thank God for bibfronts, because otherwise I'd have to wear dresses with enough slips underneath to hide no bra. lol)
So what do doctors assume when that hits right after my gall bladder was removed? It's a GI problem. And it is because that nerve was damaged. 15 years before any doctor put all the information together to figure out it's a pinched nerve in my back. 15 years of not being able to use my back because leaning over and picking up heavy things makes the pain worse. So 15 years of not using back muscles enough.
They did try stretching exercises for me. After 6 weeks of doing those, I noticed two things:
1. It didn't make anything better.
2. It didn't make anything worse.
Seemed smart to think it was doing nothing at the time. Now it's 16 years later (and another 8 weeks of stretching exercises with the same results and PT is very expensive.) That lack of use over the years just made my back so bad there is no getting better. I had an MRI of my thorax and lumbar regions. It would have been a quicker report if they just told which disk weren't bulging, pinched, or messed up.
My current doctor did tell me a way to make it better. If I hang upside down it gets better, but only as long as I hang upside down. lol
I really am all for stretching as a way of making a back better. For some of us, it's past that working though. Fortunately, I garden. Nothing like weeding and watering a container garden to stretch a back. And in the winter time, I am a full-blown Christmas decorator married to a guy who would be fine skipping even one ornament. So I stretch throughout the year. lol
A
atwhatcost
Guest
If we give up we become quadriplegics. There may be a day when that happens, but not today. We do what we can do and count on God for what he can do. Given what Joni Earicksen Tada is able to do as a quadriplegic, I'm thankful God carries the heavy weight!
My BIL has RA. He is 81. When he learned of the diagnosis many years ago, he decided to handle it with no meds, whatsoever. He ENTIRELY changed his whole lifestyle and diet, but you would never even know he has it from just being around him. One of the most active men I know. And a year, or so, ago he was one of the Zombies in The Walking Dead.
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atwhatcost, there is no machine in my bed, I just push my legs away from my back, which stretches my back. What this does is to change the fluid in the discs. The discs get dried out and crack inside and the weakness at the crack allows the thick fluid inside to bulge out, and if bulging in the right place, push on the spinal cord. The new moisture brought in by the "pumping" action allows the inside of the disc to heal, so it is not an instant fix. As for your Charlie Horse you might be low on potassium. I had a terrible time with regular cramps and I am now taking eight potassium pills a day and more if I sweat a lot. Each pill is only 3% of the RDA which is low anyway. I am not generally bothered with cramps now and when I am, I pop a couple of the pills and in 15 min. no more cramps. I am not sure if Charlie Horses react like cramps or not. I understand that C.H.s affect only a part of a muscle instead of the whole thing, but I don't know that for sure.
An email i got.. just see what you think.
Hi
If you still suffer with back pain, or you find you get the occasional
episode ...
But not enough to make you to decide you need the X-Pain Program ... here's
a simple trick.
Actually there's another even simpler trick for tennis balls that releases
muscle tension.
More on that at a later time ... for now try this.
If you place 2 tennis balls on a certain area of your skull it creates what
is called a vibrational hum through your spine. I know this sounds strange,
but it actually does.
Did you know that each joint in your spine moves when you breathe?
Did you also know that the joints throughout your body and especially your
spine will vibrate and move more freely when certain reflexes are activated?
I assume nobody has told you your skull moves, it actually has numerous joints
(called suture lines) that move... try wearing a very tight hat and doing
exercise.
You feel head-achy, your neck will tighten and your back will also start to be
affected too.
This strange technique has been used for many years to help elongate your spine,
get joints to move better and activate reflexes to help prevent pain from
returning ... and will realign your spine so your are straighter and stronger...
I know this sounds unusual.. actually downright strange ... but there are many
unusual techniques that have worked for hundreds of years.
Just look at how strange acupuncture seems ... but is used in countless hospitals,
clinic and around the world.
Anyway ...
Where do you place the tennis balls?
Just on the back of your skull and simply lie down for a few minutes with your
head resting on them. (tie the balls in a sock to stop them moving)
If you have a sore neck, then it might pay to put a pillow under your neck too.
But lie there for about 5 minutes ... be careful when you get up again.
If the skull joints are quite tight you may feel a little lightheaded or giddy.
So please be careful.
Then go for a good 5-10 minute walk.
It's a simple technique but does work well.
Like I said there's another tennis ball trick I'll teach you again soon.
Until next time
Graeme Teague
O
oldthennew
Guest
thanks, Mar09,
it makes sense to me....hub and I are sold on our exercise ball for stretching and limbering-up, etc.
it has worked wonders for us.....it can be blown-up about a 1/3rd more than it comes, and this
makes it much easier to get on and off....when stretching your sides, using a chair or couch for
balance is really necessary....
it makes sense to me....hub and I are sold on our exercise ball for stretching and limbering-up, etc.
it has worked wonders for us.....it can be blown-up about a 1/3rd more than it comes, and this
makes it much easier to get on and off....when stretching your sides, using a chair or couch for
balance is really necessary....
A
atwhatcost
Guest
I eat two bananas a day, (I just like bananas and it's a quick meal if I don't want to stop what I'm doing.) chicken 2-3 times a week, and take a multi-mineral/multi-vitamin (with potassium) every day. (Yeah, those potassium pills aren't much help, are they? lol) All learned from the olden days when I was healthy, and yet used to get cramps and Charley horses all the time.
This one is different. the back muscle specifically linked to that disk nerve spasms. It's the same cause for the tourniquet feeling I have, but that's inside pain so registers differently.
Two other "fun pains" I get. My LES (Lower Esophagus Sphincter -- the muscle that stops food from going back up the throat) spasms shut sometimes -- stopping food from going into the stomach for up to 15 minutes. (Can't finish my meal and I still associate my bronchial tube with my esophagus, so have to calm myself and remember I CAN breathe. lol) Botox, time, and God have significantly lessened that from happening. (God truly had to be involved, since Botox was only supposed to work for up to 2 years, but really only worked for 6 months.)
And, on occasion, it feels like a regular-size water balloon falls and splats in my upper right abdomen. Whoa! Really uncomfortable sensation with the same jolt of shock experienced when someone jumps out and successfully startles me, but it's also in-line to be caused by that same nerve/muscle group, but on the inside.
The Charley Horse could be the biggest cause for public embarrassment, but at least I can stretch and massage it away relatively quickly if I'm not in public. Wish I could do the same thing with the eternal internal pain.
When I was having back problems years ago, the problem cleared up when I got a different job that didn't require a lot of heavy lifting.