How many of you deal with backpain?

[TaoTreeClimber]

Ouch! 106 static line jumps here. And about 700 freefalls on top of that did not help. Gotta love those full equipment jumps!

Batalion level airfield siezures suck. Nothing like jumpin at O'Dark thirty with 700 other screamin idiots onto the tarmac. Gotta watch out for those runway marker lights that stick up about 18" off the ground.

Kenn

 

[RCR 3 EVER]

2 surgeries -no help

Tried to save money by cutting up oak planks from pallets for shelves more than 20 yrs ago. Since than lost my real job in process, had 2 surgeries for 2 disks, last one was a fusion by a :censored: quack that resulted in more emerg. surg. for a massive infection. He also took too much bone graft out so hip is in constant pain with swelling in graft area even though surg. was 7 years ago. Permanent scarring is wrapped around the nerve root at L5-S1
I am now on total Permanent disability. And with that I get parking privileges
Left foot has 2 toes totally numb, severe pain when lifting anything heavier that the new Stihl 361. Sitting for more than an hour between cutting stops the work for the day. Lying down definitely kills further walking or working at all for day.
I am limited to only a few hours moderate cutting time with very limited bending over. Standing still on hard surfaces is limited to an hour at most and sitting I can handle more time. But if driving time is more than 4-5 hours I will need several days lying down. It is at best 1 or 2 days at 3 or 4 hour per day than a day more of rest between at least. If pushed beyond time more downtime.
I am on numerous heavy painkillers but try to limit their use when driving which gives more pain.
I tried the Oxycontin which knocked out the pain but made me loopy and unaware:crazy1:
Phys ther. has not worked out very well as they increase pace at end and make the problem worse. Also swelling on hip grows from irritation.
Sciliatic shots do not work had 4
Spinal block shots do not work had 6
I am still walking with cane and people tell me to try another surgery for a battery powered stimulator they have heard works. Yeah right! I will wait until I can not walk or pain is unbearable.
Sorry for the ranting.

 

[Sprig]

RCR I hear ya man, your work schedual sounds darned familiar, ditto on the hill-billy heroin, me too, pretty crude stuff. In your case I am wondering if you have given any thought to glucosamine based products. It is a natural anti-inflamatory and when taken with calcium, vit. D, and in general with a proper diet, has been know to help in both pain and bone healing. There are a couple of products out there that claim to help re-build by creating a proper matrix for the bone growth, always worth a try, can't hurt any worse, have a good chat with your pharmasist and local health shops. One that worked for me was called Recover, recc'd for post operation healing, it worked for me for a while but I got tired of the runs, I did however feel that it helped me. As I'm sure you've been told, smoking, booze, coffee etc., do nothing to aid healing as they tend to deplete oxygen levels.
I'd probably be doing much better without any of it, regardless, aged decrepitude ensues. For all, stay away from long-term T3 usage, it'll rot your guts and the caffine in it will slow any healing, just a small 0.02$ worth fer da evening.

and eatcher vities & veggies!!

Serge

 

[belgian]

45, twice herniated disc surgery on L4-L5, and still have a lot of sciatic pain in my left leg. There are days I don't feel anything, other days my lower back and foot tickle like h@ll. Back pain sucks, but you learn to live with it, I suppose.
But like some other members said, being busy is a good remedy to keep your muscles in shape.

 

[oldsaw]

Four herniated discs, two are near surgical but I've left them alone. Messed up left shoulder, and genetically bad knees. I'm 45 as well, and the days when I wake up and an in only minor pain, I take as a victory. On the 1-10 scale, this morning is about a 3 or 4...good morning.

Mark

 

[safeT1st]

Back pain- THIS IS WORTH READING

Firstly, anyone that says suck it up and get on with life has never experienced severe back pain ! Very few doctors, if any, can truly answer questions about cause and relief of back pain . The spine and its operation is not yet fully understood . I ruptured a disc 14 yrs ago and crawled into emergency on my hands and knees . Woke up about 48 hrs later when the demerol wore off screaming . Nurse later explained what I was experiencing was second only to severe burn victims . 3 weeks later I was able to begin rehab which lasted 6 months and have had to maintain certian routines ever since . I would like to tell you that , from my experience , with the right care, the pain can be eliminated. I have no faith in chiropractors but believe physio-therapy and proper self care will gradually diminish symptoms . From my experience here are some of the things that will free you from pain-over time. Any time you feel a twinge you must learn to stop activity and find a quiet place to lie flat on your back with knees propped up on a stool or such . This removes all load from spine and allows muscles to relax . You can place a small pad under small of back to provide a liitle lumbar support. Use ice in small of back to reduce inflammation if it's a bad bout . Always ice before heat ! Heat is used to re-open blood vessels and allow blood back in to deliver it's healing properties to area . Heat is pointless unless you have reduced swelling and inflammation. Learn to watch your posture , especially when seated and don't sit for too long at one spell,use lumbar support in vehicle . Don't hesitate to use some pain killers when you need them , the muscles will only continue to spasm if you are not relaxed . Try to sleep on your side at night with a firm , thick pillow between your knees. This is crucial to remove strain on back and is probably the best thing you can do for yourself. Also ensure you have a good mattress,how many of us spend money so freely on saws , gear ect but use the same bed for 10 yrs ? Check your footwear ! Make sure your boots/shoes provide good support-throw out all your cheap shoes and worn sneakers ! If you find the pain is bad at night as you mentioned or when you wake up get a new bed ! Firmer mattress . Once you are on the mend advise all your work mates that you have to be careful and they will help to remind and watch you to be just that ; careful.

 

[safeT1st]

Worth reading continued...

The real key is to learn to recognize the smallest re-lapse and address it immediately . You may have some tough times over the next few years with re-lapses or you may not . Do not try to work through any . You may find yourself on your hands and knees wishing you hadn't been born . From my experience , as years go by , the symptoms subside and you can return to normal , I have been without pain for yrs now but still take great care . Drink lots of water to lubricate joints and be espescially careful in am before you are limbered up . Good luck and know that there will be an end to your pain.

 

[Spockbob]

Update on neck pain

I went to the Cleveland clinic wednesday and saw 2 doctors. They prescribed flexeril and Physical therapy and they are going to do six facet joint injections, then burn the nerves where they attach to the vertebrates. In the future I will have to have 3 vertebrates fused.they use metal, not bone in cleveland. Don't take flexeril before work, it makes me very sleepy and dizzy.

 

[treespec]

Still climbing

I'm 60 next month and still do all the climbing. Have been for 27 yrs. Herniated an L-5 26 yrs. ago-did not have surgery. Gotta watch how much I lift. Fell off a crane hook ( rope got yanked and wasn't tied in right) on 9/11. Hit compacted A. Pine needles 32' down. Landed flat on back. No major injury. Some small fractures. Back to work 1 month later. Getting short on my "9 lives" will retire in 5 yrs. if can still climb between now and then. Only weigh 156 and 5' 11" tall. Exercise is the key, I love my job. treespec

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Physical therapy is going good!

Just wanted to pass along that physical therapy is really doing a good job on strengthening me and bringing me "back". The worst part of this whole deal is the sciatica-it really can be painful, especially at night when you lay down! I tried the anti-inflammatory route for a while until my stomach and guts felt like they were gonna explode, then talked to the orthopedic doctor tonight and got a cortisone shot in the backside where it hurt. That'll take the inflammation down without killing my guts! Give rehab a try-the exercise machines that they have are wonderful. Getting stronger every day...

 

[Jumper]

Get some Celebrex, very easy on the stomach. I also take indocid when I get
a gout flare up, works great, but you feel like puking for hours after taking it.

 

[firehunter988]

I have Degenerative Disc Disease. some days i have no back pain. some days i cant stand up straight. i have had back pain since i was about 13. i am 31 now. thats why i cant carry around a big saw. my dad cant take care of the Ole homestead with out help. and of coarse i am more than happy to help. he just has to supply the pain pills. i work for a ambulance svc. 2 24HR shifts a week i love it. but the point is don't ever give up. i have seen what happens when people just give up. the go down hill fast. on the other hand my partner is 65 yrs young. sure he has to go piss alot, but he is still hard at it. when he is not working here he is in his woodworking shop. well i have rambled enough. Chris

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I did some research

I found some very interesting information that relates to my situation and maybe some of you guys. I read on several occasions that a ruptured disc does NOT automatically have to be the cause of Sciatica, which is what is still hanging on with me. I saw the MRI picture of my disc, and it is "slightly" ruptured just as the report says. I also saw an MRI picture of a person who had 3 very badly herniated discs, yet had NO pain or symptoms at all! My point is, I think that the pain is mostly muscular, not because of a "slightly" ruptured disc. I read that if that was true, everyone over the age of 50 would have Sciatica because after 50 just about everyone has some sort of disc wear. I believe that my problem was/is from straining the large muscle that runs from under your buttocks up to your midback. But I'm still going through with the therapy-it'll only help make me stronger and hopefully avoid serious future problems!

 

[RCR 3 EVER]

Bulging disks vs muscles

I had 1 Herniated disk (L5-S1)plus 1 bulging disk (L4?), 1 had previous surgery the other directly above it. I went to the top back pain clinic in MI a 55 min. drive. (the drive alone was a pain)
They said pain was in my head and all the pain was due to muscle spasm and loss of motion.I thoougt they were a..:censored: but decided to try their program for some improvement, I was put on a vigorous program. During the program I had slight improvement briefly despite their counseling sessions?:bang: Near the end I went downhill fast and still they insisted muscles only. Several weeks later it took me 30 min to walk to the house from yard during a thuderstorm a distance of 75' ft. I then had 2nd surgery I can now walk better but am still screwed up due to :censored: quack surgeon.
3 weeks ago I did 2hrs per day for 3 days during a period of a week of wood cutting only no lifting of firewood logs. I am still recuperating, I can stand for only a few minutes and sit for max of 2 hrs. I am unable to carry the 361 chainsaw for more than a few yards at best. I would not trust myself cutting because of the increased dosages of Vicodin ES despite all the PPE.
Muscle pain contributes to back pain-yes, but was NOT the cause of it at least in my case!
And people ask why don't I try another surgery? :angry2:

 

[lees trees]

I feel your pain trust me it hurts so bad I grit my teeth and only laugh haven't got cut yet though. my sycotic nerve was pinched and I had to rescue some one that rolled a 4wheeler in my pond and I could not run and it was life or death and I could not run no matter what! thank god they were OK but I wasn't. then someone tells you its in your head! Those of us with these back problems have to learn to deal we have no choice. what I understand about my herniated disc is the muscles hold them in place and when the muscles are weak the disc shifts and the muscles work even harder to compensate cramp get inflamed and make me pathetic. I have my own form of physical therapy that works for me I feel great and I the strongest fastest mover on the job at 44 I feel like I don't have back problems

 

[RCR 3 EVER]

Problem is not muscles for me or at least they are a very minor role.
My back problem is 2 surgeries that resulted in lots of scar tissue wrapping around the nerve roots and impinging them,thus causing back pain,leg pain, and foot numbness.
I also have disk degeneration disease.
I am also tall and more tall people have back problems due to spaces between the vertebrae being larger.
The area (hip) where the excess fusion bone graft was taken is also extremely sore to this day 7 years after surgery. I have difficulty touching the area or sometimes lying down on my back. It is IMPOSSIBLE to lie on stomach at any time!

I watch my 80 yr old dad do the wood chopping and other stuff I wish I could do.:bang: This is depressing as he has had a heart attack and should not be working so hard.
My wife also does most chores that I should be doing or working in the woods.Also depressing to watch her do so much work on her own.

I do what I can until I feel too much pain usually after a couple of days or even hours depending on task,then I stop and rest for weeks.

Enough complaining:deadhorse: I just have to live with it until I can not stand pain no longer and decide options available to me at that time a far as more surgeries are concerned.

This topic is depressing

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Therapy WAS going good...

2 weeks ago I posted that therapy was going good for me-they had me on 15 different machines using weights, resistance etc. But last week I felt that something wasn't right-almost like I was over-doing it, and frankly I didn't feel like going anymore. I felt like they were training me to try out for the Olympic weightlifting team! I discussed this with them, and the one therapist said that maybe it's too much now because I'm working full-time and going to therapy; I felt the same way, so I talked to the doctor, and he didn't think that anything unusual was going on and "increased" my workout both repetition and weight-wise! I did the routine, and within 1 hour of completing therapy I could hardly walk and was in so much pain that I had to take more pain pills. I didn't go this past Saturday-you couldn't PAY me enough to go back there. I would've been shot for the whole weekend if I'd went. Needless to say, I discussed this with a physical therapist that I've seen in the past, and I'm going to start going there tomorrow. The other guy (orthopedic surgeon) really disappointed me-what kind of doctor doesn't listen to their patient, when the patient knows how he feels and is listening to his own body. He's done....

 

[belgian]

Problem is not muscles for me or at least they are a very minor role.
My back problem is 2 surgeries that resulted in lots of scar tissue wrapping around the nerve roots and impinging them,thus causing back pain,leg pain, and foot numbness.
I

RCR, this is exactly what I have on L4-L5, with exactly the same symptoms iiii

I don't have the degenerative disc dicease however, and can still work fine if it's not too heavy. However, my last surgery dates from 09/2005 and have starteg getting trouble again in november last year. Because of the foot numbness (especially when I am seated), I am reconsidering a third surgery, but my surgeon prefers to wait as long as the pain is bearable.

Just hoping it will get better, but the pain comes and goes. Will wait and see.

 

[RCR 3 EVER]

RCR, this is exactly what I have on L4-L5, with exactly the same symptoms iiii

I don't have the degenerative disc dicease however, and can still work fine if it's not too heavy. However, my last surgery dates from 09/2005 and have starteg getting trouble again in november last year. Because of the foot numbness (especially when I am seated), I am reconsidering a third surgery, but my surgeon prefers to wait as long as the pain is bearable.

Just hoping it will get better, but the pain comes and goes. Will wait and see.

Numbness in foot advanced to include 2 toes immediatly after surgery,not just the large one. It has progressed along the foot since then. Leg pain started very soon within months of surgery and that was 6 years ago. Pain is increasing, work level decreasing and amount of rest time between work sessions has increased dramatically. But it is still bearable with sufficient Meds. I DO NOT WANT MORE SURGERY:bang: :bang: :bang:

 

[Brushwacker]

I am 48, for many years my back would hurt usually during the heat of summer for anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months . The morning was the worse and getting shoes and socks on could be very challenging. It would get better through the day if I worked phsically but lifting was limited.
Usually by late summer or early fall it would be gone.
One summer about 5 years ago a very intense pain developed in my knee.
about 2 nights later the definition of pain was far from the what I had knowed it all my life. The previous backpains were mild discomforts in comparison. I rarely go to a doctor and by the time I went the worse was over. The doctor never pinpointed the cause. I try to be sensitive to any thing abnormal when working and adjust my activities to give my knee a break when it gives me warning signs which generally starts with fatigue in the area. I seldom take medication and if I do most likely it would be when its time to sleep.