Off Topic Chronic back ache

Lou Reed would blush at that statement.

 

PM'd you btw, in case you hadn't seen it.
No need to reply, just thought it might be of interest.
Good luck with getting sorted / relief. Chronic back pain is no joke.

 

I am a little unsure if you were pain free prior to Christmas, and if there was a trigger, in which case I would describe this as acute pain in back and hips rather than chronic back pain. How many of these people have actually examined your back? The scan should be the key piece of the jigsaw. Zapain is strong and potentially addictive and can mess with patients heads. Google livewellwithpain for more info on the problems of pain killers and mental health and mind games. PM me if you wish.

 

Hi if it helps I’ve had a weak back for several years - the NHS MSK team have been good , I have online links to programmes of back strengthening , piriformis syndrome and more recently GTPS a tight painful hip issues. . I do a lot of exercises almost every day and it improves it no end - you must strengthen a wide range of muscles to aid it . I don’t take pain killers but I do take the lowest dose Amitryptilene to relax me at night and in general to help a bit of anxiety( hereditary I think)
I play golf when my back is weak if I don’t do excercises for a while my swing falls apart - when I visit the programme got about 6 weeks it’s way better - I play off 12 so it is effective also tighten your core that is the biggest positive change you can make . Constant ache and pain can wear you down - I know !

 

I’ve had Gout for 20 years
Usually lasts a few days then goes
Worst was for about two weeks

I’ve had it five weeks now and it’s ****ing killed me
Finally beginning to ease off now.
I’ve had a bunion for over 20 years. Had my right foot done in 2004
Shoulda got my left one done too really.
Since I’ve had this gout attack my big toes moved over so it’s under my next toe now.
Had pains in my knees and muscles cos of having to walk without putting my toe down.

apart from that I’m like a Greek god

 

Dionysus?

 

the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre.

I’ll take that

 

I had really bad back problems in my 20s. The usual sort of thing. Spasms, leaving you curled up in agony on the floor, not able to move. 20 minutes to get out of bed, assistance needed to get dressed, duck waddling through the day; the usual sort of thing.

Probably the worst thing was sciatica, which you can't seem to do anything to relieve. Just a constant dull throb inside your legs.

I was prescribed a brand call Kapake, which helped (after a couple of weeks lead-in time).

Eventually I had an MRI and was told I had some eroded vertebrae. The options were to fuse the vertebrae or to put a mesh cage around them.

Due to the constant pain I pretty much stopped all physical exercise. 6 months later as I was still waiting for the op , the pain just kind of went away.

I put this mostly down to be being really careful about lifting, handling and bending. I see people who tell me they have back problems bend in a way that makes me cringe. When your back is ****ed, you soon learn the right way to move it. Same with sitting. Bollocks to advice, I sit the way that means my back doesn't hurt. It isn't with my back straight up in a chair. Lumbar supports do **** all for me.

I still have issues when sitting at a cinema, for instance or on a drive over 2 hours, but I'm generally happy with it 25 years later.

Edit: Keeping weight under control also helps. I'm not overweight.

 

After my initial post back in January a little bit of an update after six months .I received lots of good advice on here and some pms thanks everyone.After lots of medical interventions at Spire with consultants , physio ,yoga,and a therapist to help with my mental health all at my own expense I am now six months later in a sort of better place .I managed to get a Nhs doctor interested in my condition he actually listened and seemed to be interested.in my complaints.So after blood test other tests and a mri we have had all the results back at last .The conclusion of all the best medical minds “cannot find anything wrong with me “.So where to from here as most days I feel as though I have put someone else’s legs on .The pain is not so severe or have I learned to live with it?.I gave In to the missus urging for me to use a walking stick it stops me falling down when either leg gives way without warning (which is a great excuse to not go to the bar and get a round in).I certainly am not going to let it rule my life and just take the positives out of life I have always been a glass half full set of bloke so it’s onwards and upwards.

 

I wonder if its a nerve issue, and not a problem with bones or muscles. Your obviously not well so I suggest going back to GP and asking him/her what he/she proposes to do next (after all they are the professionals) ie are there other tests or specialists who might be able to help you. Do not give up, keep asking for help. Point out your quality of life is poor and keep hassling til you get somewhere.

 

this might help someone, so i'll chuck it out there.

about 30 years back after being made redundant from a decade-long hull (mostly desk) job, i was commuting elsewhere daily by train/ over time, the brief case i took got heavier and i didn't notice that being unbalanced when i carried it caused my back to twist. the briefcase was some sort of plastic and i bought a paper and magazine almost every day. the weight must have reached 3 stone at times. this was when i first had problems.

not long after, i'd got a bed from ikea and started waking up with back ache. it as usually worse when i'd had company. eventually i inserted some left-over wooden wall battens up the middle of the underneath of the frame. this meant it didn't sink in the middle. after about 15 years of back pain, which i thought i'd got for life, i stopped getting it. now i get back ache maybe three times a year, if that.

another point, which i've avoided, but many don't, is how you sit at your computer. everything has to be square. do not sit with your upper and lower half pointing in different directions. chest, knees, everything pointing at the computer, computer keyboard and screen facing you exactly. revolving chair if possible.

if you carry bags, weight in each hand as equal as possible.

if your bed sags in the middle, put something under the middle. in the frame or under the mattress.

good luck.