View Full Version : MEDIC!!!!!!!!
I threw out my back today. I was working on my wife's new deck and didn't do anything to strenuous. I leaned over and reached for the 2x10x16 ft. beam and tweaked it.
My pain is located in the center of my lower back about where the sacrum lies. With pain radiating down my right leg. I feel pain when I stand and while stationary in a seated position.
To treat my back so far I have taken a hot shower (not too hot). My wife assisted me staying upright. I've stretched it out as best I can and my wife rubbed my back a bit. I've taken one pill of Flexeril.
Is there anything else I can do at home?
Ambush Master
09-30-2012, 14:38
Tennis Balls!!
Put two in an athletic sock and tie it down tight on them. Then lay down on the floor, close to a wall or something like a fireplace hearth that is next to a wall. Place them up under your neck and push, with your legs, away from the wall so that they "roll down" your spine. After a couple of reps, start twisting from side to side and they will work on aligning your spine!! It WORKS and it's TOO CHEAP!!
Later
Martin
Eagle5US
09-30-2012, 14:45
Motrin-
EARLY and CONSISTENTLY...if you are using over the counter Ibuprophen it is probably 200mg and you can take 800mg up to 3x daily.
Stretching and range of motion...Do not "lay up" - back issues are the things that do not benefit from "rest". Rest = spasm.
The tennis ball trick that Martin mentioned is great.
Danger signs:
-Tingling feeling / anesthesia where you butt and inner thighs would touch a saddle if you were sitting on it
-Erectile problems (where none previously existed)
-Loss of bladder / bowel control
Caution signs:
-Difficulty walking due to "control issues" of your foot or leg (your foot drags or lags behind)
-Pain that travels down your leg past your knee (usually wraps around your lower leg)
Good luck
PedOncoDoc
09-30-2012, 14:59
Sound advice above. Additionally, you may want to make use of a heating pad while sleeping if one is available.
Tell your wife you will need her prompt and frequent assistance with checking for new erectile issues. :D
I would consider visiting a chiropractor. I've got a very small annular tear in the disk between my L1 and S1 vertebrae, and it gives me some pain in my lower back from time to time. My chiropractor has helped me with it quite a bit.
Some chiropractors are better than others, but if you find a good one, they can really help you out.
Also, Rob Shaul of Military athlete and Mountain athlete has a lot of prehab/rehab type exercises on his website that he uses with his athletes. These are the two exercises he uses a lot for back strengthening (particularly lower back).
http://mtnathlete.com/subpage_details.php?subpage_ID=1661&page_ID=14
http://mtnathlete.com/subpage_details.php?subpage_ID=1395&page_ID=14
Also, a foam roller will be very helpful. I use a foam roller nearly every day, and it helps me tremendously.
http://www.roguefitness.com/the-grid-black.php
Some other things that I use frequently are hang - up boots. They are great for helping with compression in your back, and help to stretch it out quite a bit.
http://www.amazon.com/STL-Sl-Spyder-Gravity-Boots/dp/B0055QDCHW
You could try an inversion table, but hang up boots will provide similar results, they cost less, and you can travel with them.
Also, icing it will help a lot.
Red Flag 1
09-30-2012, 17:48
edit
Dozer523
09-30-2012, 18:19
Not a doc but I USED TO get terrible back aches.
An ER doc gave an Intern a class on my back and she was kind of cute and obviously thought he was too and they were having a bonding experience that I realized neither wanted to end until the end of the shift and after that ... Well I wouldn't have been too surprised. Anyway, I started paying attention when he pulled my pants down and placed her hands on my butt.
"Feel that?" Says he.
"Oh yes Doctor. What is that?" (Glad she added the Doctor part cuz I knew what it was)
"Those are muscles and they run across the buttocks and they are in a spasm and can't relax and that throws everything else off and it just gets worse and worse. What he really needs is a good Sports Massage working on those muscles. "
Yeah, I got my hopes up but, alas. But I did get a referral to this Amazon with fingers like ten penny nails and elbows that could split granite. An hour and a half later, most of which hurt like hell I felt great. Really. :D
Now, I stretch and walk and run and lift with my knees and once a month I go see my big friend and well... Try it, it works for me.
But, if the CMT isn't making you wince you're wasting your time.
I am not a doctor. But two of them did rub my butt for about an hour in an ER once.
Boomer-61
09-30-2012, 19:23
Most back pain will resolve with conservative management as outlined above. For acute injuries ice seems to work better than heat. With back issues you want to try and control the spasms and ice does a pretty good job. It also helps to control the inflammation. I don't know your age but the older or more wear a person has seems to put them at risk for facet joint pain. Facet joint pain tends to stay central. Your one concerning symptom is the radiation into the leg. If you cough or sneeze and that makes the pain in your leg worse there might be disc involvement. If you can, take it easy for a few days. Most of these issues will settle down over time. If the leg pain persists it may be time for some imaging studies. I hope you feel better.
Thanks guys for all the advice. I'm a bit more mobile than I was earlier. I'm still taking flexeril and ibuprofen.
CA_TacMedic
10-01-2012, 10:54
I recently did something just as innocuous...I slipped walking up stairs and stumbled down two steps at work. Felt like I pulled something in my hip / pelvis. Worked all day with mild pain and some sciatic pain as well. Went home for my weekend and during the first night of sleep I awoke in the morning and could not get out of bed. Lots of motrin, robaxin without relief for the first day. Upped to percocet and soma on day 2 with mild relief and could at least get up, but with pain exacerbated with any movement. Trip to the doc, had an MRI and dx with spinal stenosis and a pinched nerve at L4/L5. Some pain relief with narcotic pain meds and muscle relaxers, but I still have most of the classic sciatic symptoms...pain, numbness and tingling through my right buttocks, radiating down my right leg to big toe. I am 39 years old and have no hx of prior back problems. A nerve study (EMG) showed no nerve damage as of yet, but the symptoms persist. I have 5 weeks of physical therapy scheduled and my back doctor said I cannot do chiropractic care at all. I have now been off work for 60 days...workers comp in CA is slow to get treatments approved. I am not thrilled about this as I have never suffered an injury like this. I actually want to be healthy and return to work. I am not sure what treatments are available to me that will actually work. I hope that physical therapy will have positive results. I do not like narcotic pain meds and even more than that I do not do well being physically limited. Sitting /sleeping definitely are the worst for this injury. A good soak in the hot tub so far has been the best. I would be curious to hear from any other guys out there with a similar diagnosis and what you final treatment and outcome were. Reading online has not been very positive, so any good news would be well received. Thanks in advance and I apologize for the hijack of your thread....
DIYPatriot
10-01-2012, 11:11
Tennis Balls!!
Put two in an athletic sock and tie it down tight on them. Then lay down on the floor, close to a wall or something like a fireplace hearth that is next to a wall. Place them up under your neck and push, with your legs, away from the wall so that they "roll down" your spine. After a couple of reps, start twisting from side to side and they will work on aligning your spine!! It WORKS and it's TOO CHEAP!!
Later
Martin
I can't tell you how many times this has worked for me. Great trick/tip! Do it!
Old Dog New Trick
10-01-2012, 11:12
Thanks guys for all the advice. I'm a bit more mobile than I was earlier. I'm still taking flexeril and ibuprofen.
Fear not, as you get older, you'll learn to say "ouch" and drive on. :D
PedOncoDoc
10-01-2012, 13:06
Fear not, as you get older, you'll learn to say "ouch" and drive on. :D
This is not always the best course of action - it is rarely the right move when it comes to sudden onset back pain.
To the OP: I'd stick to the other recommendations/advice and consider ODNT's post to be mistakenly devoid of pink font. ;)
Old Dog New Trick
10-01-2012, 21:07
This is not always the best course of action - it is rarely the right move when it comes to sudden onset back pain.
To the OP: I'd stick to the other recommendations/advice and consider ODNT's post to be mistakenly devoid of pink font. ;)
Yes, I should have used the pink. :)
ETA: however so honestly though, someday (everyday) with a lifetime of service related chronic LBP (compressed vertebrae, degenerative disk and osteoarthritis of the spine) the occasional "tweak" I've learned to say "ouch" head for the Ibuprofen or Methocarbamol and take the recommend maximum dosage PRN (as needed) and continue on with my life; just not aggravating things until better. I've found over the years the more I 'take it easy' the longer the pain sticks around. All the advice given above ^^^^^ would be the same advice I'd have given if still in the practice of treating others...there's ouch - "don't do that again", and there's - "help, I've fallen down and can't get up. No, don't touch me, just let me lie here for awhile" kind of back pain. I've seen and had both. At some point you have to get moving again. The severity dictates the treatment and the recuperation time.
Maintain adequate core strength and target the muscles in the affected areas to prevent sudden onset of - oops, I did it again...:lifter
Team Sergeant
10-02-2012, 20:13
This is not always the best course of action - it is rarely the right move when it comes to sudden onset back pain.
To the OP: I'd stick to the other recommendations/advice and consider ODNT's post to be mistakenly devoid of pink font. ;)
This is not WebMD.
This is a website for Special Forces soldiers.
And if you get hurt and whine on here a Special Forces soldier might just say what we always say, suck it up and drive on.
We dont offer medical advice, we do offer common sense and situational awareness from a warriors point of view. Take it or leave it.
TS
Take a knee. Drink water. :lifter
Been saying Ouch and driving on for years.
In the past over the counter meds did absolutely nothing for me (hadn't tried any in MANY years).
Well I tried "Aleve" about a month ago and I am absolutely amazed at how it helped my back pain. 2 Aleve a day and I'm a new man with much fewer episodes of pain. It's GREAT! I have pain in 4 different areas of my back and it GREATLY helped.
x SF med
10-02-2012, 21:21
I can't believe nobody said to rub some dirt in it, and walk it off....:rolleyes:
The Reaper
10-03-2012, 16:35
Been saying Ouch and driving on for years.
In the past over the counter meds did absolutely nothing for me (hadn't tried any in MANY years).
Well I tried "Aleve" about a month ago and I am absolutely amazed at how it helped my back pain. 2 Aleve a day and I'm a new man with much fewer episodes of pain. It's GREAT! I have pain in 4 different areas of my back and it GREATLY helped.
Aleve is Naproxyn.
You can save money and buy generic Naproxyn Sodium at Wal-Mart.
Advil is Motrin, BTW.
TR
PedOncoDoc
10-03-2012, 18:12
Advil is Motrin, BTW.
Generic is ibuprofen - readily found in large bottles. Ibuprofen can be tough on the stomach (can cause ulcers) so take it with food, if possible. Always keep hydrated.
Dozer523
10-04-2012, 07:09
I can't believe nobody said to rub some dirt in it, and walk it off....:rolleyes:
That only works with cuts.
"And you call yourself a "medic"? More like "witch doctor" if you ask me. And you didn't... (An actual quote from a deployment to Egypt 1989)
Dirt? Is this something new? What ever happened to using salt?
Fear not, as you get older, you'll learn to say "ouch" and drive on. :D
I usually do that, but this one was bad I felt it give out and the pain was so bad it took my breath away. My Team Daddy came over to check it out, and of course lower my alcohol stock, but he found two vertebrae out of place and got them back in. Since then it's been all down hill since then.:lifter
Aleve is Naproxyn.
You can save money and buy generic Naproxyn Sodium at Wal-Mart.
Advil is Motrin, BTW.
TR
Yep,
Not sure why I said Aleve as I now buy the large generic bottles from Sams Club. Sure made a believer out of me and I'm not one for taking over the counter drugs. :lifter Motrin never seemed to work for me when Uncle Sam was handing it out like it was candy.
Old Dog New Trick
10-04-2012, 20:50
I usually do that, but this one was bad I felt it give out and the pain was so bad it took my breath away. My Team Daddy came over to check it out, and of course lower my alcohol stock, but he found two vertebrae out of place and got them back in. Since then it's been all down hill since then.:lifter
Yeah, I know the feeling. That was me lying on the ground telling my wife to leave me be and call my medic to come over to my house and . . . well I better not say more. :)
(Toradol) :D
One very bad night HALO equipment jump and all the other things in SF that leave your back messed up for life. "Ouch!"
The funniest thing was the Team Daddy teaching my daughter how to put my back in place while I was laying on the kitchen floor like a slug.:D