Back pain

I've been having nasty lower back pain (most likely sciatica). It is in the flat hard part of the small of my back and occasionally runs down my left leg to my ankle. Driving certainly aggravates it.

I've been taking lots of hot baths, icing it and doing some light stretches/exercises. The yesterday, I went to a Thai massage place, got the fuck beat out of me and felt better, but was back to normal after 15 minutes in the car.

Anyone have experience with this sort of thing? Did you beat it? If so, how?

Please. Save me :(

sounds like a herniated disc my friend. i suffered for years with that as it got progressively worse. the pain in your leg is an indication that a disc is either bulging or herniated and is pressing on your nerves by your spine. fistfulls of advil will help, i used to take 4 liqui-gels at a time a few times a day. eventually i was getting cortisone epidurals in my back but they just mask the problem, they don't fix it. this past june i got surgery and have been amazing ever since. i feel like i got my life back.

i do not want to alarm you but you are still young and can heal rather quickly. i would see a back specialist soon. you will probably need x-rays and an mri to find out exactly what is up but at least you can start some physical therapy in hopes of taking care of it without shots or surgery.

best of luck man, i have all the sympathy in the world for you and that type of pain. it's no joke. i'd be willing to bet you anything the root cause was your bike accident and it has been progressively getting worse. keep us posted bro.

Fuck. Me.

*edit*

Something tells me that what I have isn't as bad.

I get pains in my legs only after sitting for long periods. At the moment, I'm lying on my stomach and I feel no (or hardly any discomfort).

When I'm walking, it isn't too bad, either. If I'm driving, 15-20 minutes I get flare ups. I also get a muscle spasm in the front middle of my left leg. It is pretty much tight and swollen all the time and feel like there is a long sausage inside my quads.

I'd see a dr before you freak out man. mine was worst case scenario and I let it go on too long but I'd bet on a bulging disc.

edit: mine was very severe

haha. Dumbass.

jk

Will do!

What kind of doc would you advise?

yea I was dumb about it actually. instead of tap dancing around the surgery I would have avoided 2.5 years of bs and just done that first.

I'm sure your regular dr could recommend a back/spinal specialist. I avoided chiropractors.

Man, I've been dealing with my second bout of back pain for the past week and a half. It's in the same place in my back as you, but no leg pain. I'm pretty sure it's from my work chairs because it's the worst after working all weekend. Usually by Friday or so it's not so bad but then I work all Friday night and 8 hrs on Sat/Sun. There have been a couple times where, if I bent slightly forward the pain became excruciating and I had to sit down. It felt like either that or fall down tbh. I've been losing weight, as I'm sure that has contributed to it, but idk what else to do. My dad had some terrible back pain when he was around my age to his late 30's, to the point where he would sometimes sleep on the floor (my parents had a waterbed lol).

All 3 of you may need breast reductions. Look into it at least.

I had something similar, turned out to be bekhterevs disease. I didn't beat it. untill I got home and logged into ltmnsfw.

  On 9/13/2011 at 5:36 AM, sneaksta303 said:

All 3 of you may need breast reductions. Look into it at least.

i believe the medical term is idmectomy

it also involves removal of neck hair

I got hit by a car a couple weeks ago, and there's still a big swollen area on my lower back. And a super dark purple bruise on my ass.

I hope I don't get any back situations like you fellas.

Fuck dude. Sorry to hear that. Stay strong brother.

how much are you driving? does your car have lower lumbar support and adjustment? can you try a different driving position?

i drive for 2.5 to 3 hours a day and 6 months ago when i had a company car my back was in a bad way, exactly like you describe your pain. couple of months ago i gave the company car back and started using my own, and ever since my back has been perfectly fine, totally pain free. my car has lumbar support/adjustment and all round better driving position. i tried all sorts of different settings in the company car but it was the most uncomfortable car i've ever sat in, especially on long journeys.

also if you can manage to do some sit-ups to strengthen your stomach muscles i think it might help... and that thing when you lean forward over a bar with your feet secured and lift/straighten your back in reps is good (don't know the name).

  On 9/13/2011 at 1:33 PM, xxx said:

Lay down on your back and ask your wife to lift your leg up at the knee so that she's cradling your foot and shin and your leg is bent roughly to 45 degrees. Tell her to grab the foot from the top and flex the toes very quickly towards the shin. If you have a lightning bolt of pain/tingling/misery in that leg, then you have definitive sciatic impingement. Upon completion, thank her for helping you or rage fart in her face. Whichever strikes you at the moment.

yea do this. this caused me to writhe in agony.

but i will say, since my surgery, i have been a new man. amazing recovery, and well worth it. but like i said, and like xxx said, see a dr.

Back problems are v scary and they seriously mess up with your head. I had constant pain for months before realizing I needed to buy an expensive chair and not long ago I made a bad movement... Some eight hours later I tried to sit and out of nowhere felt the most incredible pain I've ever experienced, it made me scream! I couldn't move without feeling stabbed by a thousand knives in the spine. I actually had to go to the ER (after a day of enduring such torture).

Go see the doctor now.

you will probably start by going to physical therapy and doing light stretching and core strengthening.

also, you won't be dancing like your avatar for a bit.

these are good stretches:

and make sure to stretch out those creamy hamstrings...

  On 9/13/2011 at 4:14 PM, keltoi said:

Sounds similar to me. I've had two major (left) leg op's during my lifetime, first when a baby to fix my foot and ankle - last op was 7 years ago after a nasty bike accident were i’d broke my left leg just below the hip bone. Because of this i’ve suffer from a trapped nerve (sciatica). Last time i had serious back pain was late 2007, my back started to feel tight and painful for about 3 days then one morning i went to put on my sock on and BANG my back went, managed to get into the bedroom got on my bed and lay down flat on my back. Then tried to move but couldn't move anything from the neck down, so, as you can imagine i was shitting myself at this time thinking i'd never walk again. Thankfully after around 20 minutes i was able to bend my kness and after 30 minutes was able to stand. Think it was the day after i went to my local GP, for the first few weeks he gave me Diclofenac pills which helped the swelling and inflammation but wasn't strong enough so he gave me Naproxen pills and Ibugel gel to rub on the lower part of my back and leg, i continued taking these for around 1 or 2 months after which the pain and tightness began to go away. I feel for you mate, it is a horrible thing to have to go through, i remember having the tightness and pain start in my ankle then would move up to my knee and finish at the lower part of my back, other symptoms are numb toes, pins and needles, cramp and numb bum. Thankfully i've been ok for the last 4 years, still get a little tightness from time to time but nothing that stops me living my life and riding my bike. I try to exercise and do stretches as often as possible... this helps me stay flexible and keeps the tightness and pain from coming back. Hope you get better soon and please try not to worry, in many cases including my own the pain and tightness can go away and stay away for years.

First things first, go see your Doc.

Thanks for the help brohams.

I've been in physical therapy for a pain in my hip that may need an opperation :( That will most likely be it's own thread down the line.

I've had my therapists give me lower back exercises and stretches, some of which have been suggested.

I bought a lumbar support rig for my car. It's just one of those $9 mesh deals. Do you guys know if it's better to have it fit in the small of your back or to have it higher (like just under the shoulder blades)?

small of your back