I'm hopped up on pain killers...

[Tusan_Homichi]

I figured I would post in a drug-induced stupor and go over just how crappy my day has been. It all started this morning where I woke up and felt some stiffness in my back which prevented me from even putting my shoes on. Being the brilliantly smart person I am, I got my girlfriend to help me get dressed this morning and trudged off to work.

Not so bad right? Wrong. I'm a 911 Dispatcher and I sit. I sit for 8 hours a day and we don't really get breaks. Once I'm done there, I'm in serious pain. I make it home and start to climb the stairs to my apartment and my back just locks up. I literally crawl back to my truck and sit in an akward position sorta slanted sideways and holding myself up to prevent the pain from being unbearable.

Once again, I have a decision to make. Do I go straight to the emergency room or do I trudge up the stairs and lay down and hope it goes away? I choose the latter of course. After an hour of pure agony, I finally get some help getting out of the bed, jump in the truck, and go to the emergency room.

I get to the emergency room and I wait. I wait and wait and wait. I finally get in to see a doctor and of course he wants me to bend over, stand, stretch, etc. I swear, I don't know what having a baby feels like, but this has got to be close. It was absolutely unreal the pain I was feeling.

However, now I'm home again and I am so drugged up that I'm almost seeing double and I feel absolutely wonderful. No idea why I felt the need to tell the story, but I'm bored and felt somewhat coherent and figured I wanted to type something long...or something.

 

[heavyg]

Been there done that brother. If no one has ever had back pain they do not understand just how much you need your back in dailey activity. Hope you feel better soon.

 

[Hostile]

Back pain sucks so bad. I feel for you.

 

[the kid 05]

back and knee injuries are the worst, you never realize how much you need them untell they are disabled because of pain/surgery

 

[CF74]

Feeling kinda drunk now huh?:laugh1:

 

[Tusan_Homichi]

Thanks for the well wishes. I'm feeling pretty decent today, but only when I'm laying down. When I sit up or try to walk around, it's really painful. Although, it's definitely better than it was yesterday. Any of you guys with experience in this know how long it takes before you can really start walking around without real nasty pain? I'm sort of afraid of not being able to go to work for a few days.

 

[Hostile]

Thanks for the well wishes. I'm feeling pretty decent today, but only when I'm laying down. When I sit up or try to walk around, it's really painful. Although, it's definitely better than it was yesterday. Any of you guys with experience in this know how long it takes before you can really start walking around without real nasty pain? I'm sort of afraid of not being able to go to work for a few days.

The first time it happened to me I was flat on my back for 2 days, by the 3rd day I could do light stuff. It took a week to feel normal. I was cautious for another 2 weeks after that.

I highly recommend stretching exercises for the lower back. Do as much as you can and gradually do more and more until you are back to par. Then it is a good idea to keep doing them every now then.

My first time I thought someone had shot me in the back. I was playing basketball with my nephew Mike, bent over to pick up the ball, and went down. I nearly passed out the pain was so bad. The worst was trying to go to the bathroom when all I could do was crawl to get there.

I also recommend cold packs, not heat packs. Cold shrinks swelling. Regular chiropractic helps, like once a month, and massages if you can get them.

If you ever have to do physical therapy on your back the ultrasound machine will become your best friend. That helps more than anything else.

 

[Tusan_Homichi]

The first time it happened to me I was flat on my back for 2 days, by the 3rd day I could do light stuff. It took a week to feel normal. I was cautious for another 2 weeks after that.

I highly recommend stretching exercises for the lower back. Do as much as you can and gradually do more and more until you are back to par. Then it is a good idea to keep doing them every now then.

My first time I thought someone had shot me in the back. I was playing basketball with my nephew Mike, bent over to pick up the ball, and went down. I nearly passed out the pain was so bad. The worst was trying to go to the bathroom when all I could do was crawl to get there.

I also recommend cold packs, not heat packs. Cold shrinks swelling. Regular chiropractic helps, like once a month, and massages if you can get them.

If you ever have to do physical therapy on your back the ultrasound machine will become your best friend. That helps more than anything else.

Wow. Some good info there. I'll definitely be following this. When you mention stretching exercises though, what kind would you do? Just pull a bent leg up to your chest maybe? Twist from side to side? I'm not sure I'm ready to get up and start stretching while upright. Or is that something you did after the first couple of days of resting? Just tryin to get a feel of where to start. Thanks so much for the info.

 

[DallasCowpoke]

Any of you guys with experience in this know how long it takes before you can really start walking around without real nasty pain? I'm sort of afraid of not being able to go to work for a few days.

Do some jumping jacks and a few deep knee bends w/ your arms extended straight out in front of you. You'll be back at work in no time!


:

 

[Hostile]

Wow. Some good info there. I'll definitely be following this. When you mention stretching exercises though, what kind would you do? Just pull a bent leg up to your chest maybe? Twist from side to side? I'm not sure I'm ready to get up and start stretching while upright. Or is that something you did after the first couple of days of resting? Just tryin to get a feel of where to start. Thanks so much for the info.

I started with on my back pulling knees up until I could feel a stretch. Alternate between legs, and also do both.

Once I was limbered up from that I would carefully do bend over and touch toe stretches and try and hold it for a while in a position that was still confortable and not painful. Do not rock up and down with that one.

From there torso twist stretches to both sides holding it in place at each comfortable extreme.

I also found that evening walks help a lot, especially if you stretch before the walk.

If you have a "beer belly" know that it is pulling your lower back forward and if you lose weight and flatten it, it helps a lot.

I am trying to do that now. I have lost 25 pounds since December 1st. It helps. My goal is my playing weight of 225 to 235 and 400 pounds on the Bench. I can do it. If I can, you can.

 

[ROMOSAPIEN9]

I suggest you follow Hos' advice to a tee. Sounds like the voice of experience to me.

Now that that's settled, you won't be needing the remainder of those pain meds. I'll PM you with my address.

 

[Tusan_Homichi]

I suggest you follow Hos' advice to a tee. Sounds like the voice of experience to me.

Now that that's settled, you won't be needing the remainder of those pain meds. I'll PM you with my address.

Man, now that I've been popping the vicodin for a few days, I see why they're addictive. They make you feel really really good. Been doing my stretches and stuff and it's much better than it was. One more day of calling in sick to work and should be good to go back on Monday I bet.

 

[Hostile]

Man, now that I've been popping the vicodin for a few days, I see why they're addictive. They make you feel really really good. Been doing my stretches and stuff and it's much better than it was. One more day of calling in sick to work and should be good to go back on Monday I bet.

If you can take an ice pack to work, I highly recommend it. Don't let the lower back swell. If your chair hurts your back say so to a supervisor. They will usually be sympathetic to your pain.

Vicodin is nothing. If you ever get Demerol it will make you love it. I did get hooked when I tore my knee up. I refused to take them when I hurt my back because I knew it would hook me again.

To that end I recommend Tylenol with ibuprofin as soon as you can stand it and get off the Vicodin.

 

[Tusan_Homichi]

If you can take an ice pack to work, I highly recommend it. Don't let the lower back swell. If your chair hurts your back say so to a supervisor. They will usually be sympathetic to your pain.

Vicodin is nothing. If you ever get Demerol it will make you love it. I did get hooked when I tore my knee up. I refused to take them when I hurt my back because I knew it would hook me again.

To that end I recommend Tylenol with ibuprofin as soon as you can stand it and get off the Vicodin.

Yeah, my supervisors are pretty cool. I don't think they'd give me a hard time keeping an ice pack around and standing up and stretching every few minutes. That's the worst part right now. If I sit in any one position for any extended period of time, it stiffens up and becomes painful to change positions. I've been trying to get up and walk around, sit for a while, lay down for a while, every few minutes.

I've got I think 4 or 5 more pills left and that'll be it. Then I'll just get on the over the counter stuff. I don't want to go Brett Favre on this stuff. M-V-P aka More Vicodin Please.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

See if you can find a chair so the back of the chair is curved in towards your back.

Now you may have just pulled your back, got your muscles in a twist or a variety of reasons it got to hurting.

However I have found that the chairs we have at my work are excellent in helping to prevent my back from bugging me. They have that curved back and if you have the back moved forward a great deal it will help in keeping your back from bothering you.

However the chair I have at home is a high back executive and is slightly tilted back in it's most upright position.

It is nothing for my back to start bothering me if I sit in it for long periods of time.

Now like I said I don't know if this is one of those one time things for you due to some kind of injury, or if it is something that is starting and may give you problems on a regular or semi regular basis. But a good chair can make a world of difference in a daily situation where you are a person that has to sit for long periods of time.

Here is one similar to what I have at home...

However this is the type similar to what we have at work now.

Now that second one may not look as fancy and so on, but it is so much better on the back it is not funny. Hard to tell from the pic but that back is curved.

I think it helps prevent from slouching and makes a world of difference.

 

[Viper]

I was in a car accident 15 years ago, the result… 2 back surgeries my lower back and my neck. I live with constant back pain, but it is manageable. I’m determined not to let it rule my life. I’ll never let another doctor cut me! I’m a heavy equipment operator and do serious remodeling on the side. When I’m not working and the weather permits, I’m out on my motorcycle.

The first thing I can tell you is, do not baby it! The more you baby it the more you’ll hurt and the longer it will last. The second is to stretch it as much as possible. They have a large rubber ball that helps a lot in stretching. My favorite stretch though is, laying flat on my stomach; keeping my hips against the floor I slowing raise my shoulders. Almost like a pushup but my hips remain on the floor. Force yourself out of bed and stretch!

My lower back hates cold. If I ice it I’m down a week or two. My neck hates heat, funny huh… Needless to say, I only put heat on my lower back. I have a heating pad, one that I can place in the microwave and get moist heat, moist heat is much better for you. The cold pack stays in the freezer for my neck. I installed a whirlpool bath that I crawl into when ever I need too. I also own a tense unit.

If you have good insurance, get in to see a therapist. They can put a tense unit on you and put deep heat on your back. They will also teach you the best stretches for your back.

 

[Rocky]

Thanks for the well wishes. I'm feeling pretty decent today, but only when I'm laying down. When I sit up or try to walk around, it's really painful. Although, it's definitely better than it was yesterday. Any of you guys with experience in this know how long it takes before you can really start walking around without real nasty pain? I'm sort of afraid of not being able to go to work for a few days.

Hope you're doing oaky. My advice-- keep moving as painful as it may be, and gently stretch. The worst prescription is to be sedentary. Oh, and easy on the painkillers.

 

[Hoov]

once your better you might want to take up yoga or some kind of class/training to condition your core. I had a history of mild back problems all my life because of the curvature of my lower back, it was just easy for me to get a pinched nerve from slight pulling or straining of the spinal erector muscles (muscles running up and down the sides of your spine). I used to work primarily in the construction field and after a really rough day when my muscles were tired and then kind of tight, id reach down to tie my shoe and pull my back and id think, how can that happen after i just carried heavy materials all day long and now i hurt myself just beding over, but its usually that way. your back seems to go when your reaching for something or getting out of bed, but its because you overworked the muscle the day before and now its real tight.

Since starting tae kwon do i havent had the issue for 3 years or when its sore i recover in a day because that type of training really strengthens the core of your body, just standing in ready stance for 5 minutes without moving can be brutal sometimes but it will improve your posture and really strengthen those back muscles.

also, i find that when you first feel that tightness or soreness in the back take advil immediately and it helps loosen things up and prevents it from getting worse as the day goes on.