Back problems, what are your guys' experiences?

[freeride53]

Hey guys,

Not very often that I'd turn to R3V for medical advice, but lately, I haven't been able to get much help out of my school's resources and am in a predicament. Figured since there are lots of dudes on our site, some are bound to have run into back problems at some point in their lives.

I'm 20, turning 21 in a couple of weeks. I've been rowing for the last 7 years of my life, with the last 3 at the collegiate level. So I guess you could say I'm in decent physical shape, but train like crazy - usually 18 hrs/week, year round.

A few weeks ago, a tightness/soreness reappeared in my lower back. It started getting worse to the point that it was bothering me in my sport. I unfortunately succumbed to the pain, and lost my spot on the traveling team a week before the grunt of our race season. I then started getting physical therapy 3 times a week, mixed with a light workouts on the rowing machine and core training.

That leads me to last week. Doing the above-mentioned stuff, one morning I woke up in such bad pain that I can barely walk straight, stand, or sit in a chair for over several minutes. The pain has been so bad that I decided to drop from a frat I was pledging, and I'm kickin it on my bed now and barely move. The pain is concentrated in the lower 1/2 of my back, but is starting spread up and out the sides.

I want to hear what you guys who've experienced back problems have done/are doing, or if there are any docs in the haus please holla!!

[blunttech]

Ive got 2 herniated discs that I got in 91 shoveling snow. Pain was very much like you described. For those who have never experienced severe back pain I hope you do not. I had therapy etc to no avail. I was laying on a table about to get cortisone shots and I felt something click right before i got the shot. I dont know what it was but all my pain instantly went away. I got up and left... Ive had episodes since but minor compared to that. I have to be careful doing stuff but ive been good overall . I wish you the best. I dont have any advice but can sympathize

[F34R]

Being 6'6'' and working construction, I know how you feel right now. I do a mix of a vibrating machine to loosen the tight muscles, then I decompress my spine with an inverted hanging machine. If that does not help, I go in for a chiropractor appointment.

The main thing we do at my Family company is decking, last summer we built a MASSIVE add on and I had to carry all the lumber for a week straight. It threw out my hip, lower spine, shoulder blades and neck. I was doubled over in pain and could not stand straight or lay down. I highly suggest meeting a chiropractor, then going to a massage clinic, also look into an inverted hanging machine.

[Benjamin_Button]

How are you sleeping? Wouldn't hurt to look into a new mattress also.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

[e30rapidic]

I've had 3 herniated discs from being pushed off a trampoline in the 9th grade, compressed my spine and put me in bad shape for weeks. Also fractured my neck in a go-cart accident. Back pain sucks more than anything. Coughing sucks and sneezing is a tear jerker. Crawling around on hands and knees..been there. I've had 2 epidurals and more cortisone shots than i can count over the last 20 years. Honestly the absolute best thing I've done - Pilates. People make fun of me for it but I could care less. Its the only thing that made a positive, drug free difference. I never took the surgical route as there are too many horror stories. I get some sciatica now and then but the last serious battle I had with back pain was two years ago, had to spend a few days laying around and sucking hydrocodone but it was my own fault. I have to be careful lifting heavy things and knowing when to slow down. I keep an inversion table in the garage and use it quite a bit.

Serious back pain sucks. People that haven't had it can't really relate. Its not like its just an annoyance, its immobilizing. Rest is the best short term solution.

[Gary Horneck]

That sucks at your age. Sure sounds like nerve impingement at L1. I would first see a bone cracker, Chiropractor, and see if gentle realignment helps. I hope you have heat on your lumbar. A heating pad or microwave heated pad will help the circulation in and around the disc/discs.

I know a lot about a trashed back and spine. I started underground mining at 20, raced giant slalom, raced dirt bikes and was finally completely slammed body surfing hurricane surf 24 yrs ago. After years of trigger point shots, spinal injections, and goofy ass therapy schemes, I had a 3 level lumbar spinal fusion two yrs ago, and still have 7 discs completely shot. My spine doc needs to do a 4 level fusion on my neck, when the headaches become completely mind blowing and I can't feel my hands, he says.

[mrcheezle19]

I had the same exact back pain as you described. Grew up playing tier level and junior hockey and my pain was most intense when I was 19-20. I could barely walk or sit when it was really bad. I saw a chiropractor multiple times and had a team doctor work on my back often. The pain never really went away until I quit playing for 1.5 years. After an intense back workout I can feel the pain come back sometimes so I just keep it cool. A heat pad and long gradual stretching helped me the most. I just learned to deal with it until I stopped playing.

[ak-]

Do some dead lifts to buff it out brah.

[ncbrock]

Im 19, but quite a different story than you. Im 6'1 only 150lbs so I'm fairly lanky, never worked out in my life, despite playing hockey throughout my life and in high school, I never had back problems. I started to work for a busy tire shop in the summer and thats when things went wrong. Thought I was just sore for the first couple weeks from being out of shape, but my back pain (lower back) never went away throughout the summer, I just took advil and carried on. About a month before I went away to school (so lets say beginning of August) I decided to start going to the chiropractor to try and fix my back before going to school. I went twice a week for a month, at $50 a visit it was obviously a big chunk out of my paycheck. My back felt amazing after I left the office, but the pain continued the next day and every day even after after the visits until I left for school at the end of August. They never told me anything was wrong with my back, just that I was working a hard job.

Fast forward to now, after not working a strenuous job for 7 months, any time I do any lifting or work on my cars or anything, my back still kills. Even hockey now is a problem. I still don't know whats wrong, maybe I should check out another chiropractor. I sleep on a memory foam mattress and its like heaven on my back whenever I'm on it but I still have problems. Im only 19, can't even imagine what it's going to be like when I'm older.

Maybe I should lift bro.

[RondoAcapriccio]

Do some dead lifts to buff it out brah.

lol


Well I will start by saying that most people have weak backs... even people who appear to be muscular(too much curls for girls, and benching for guys going on)... and this imbalance can cause issues. I will also say that a suprisingly large number of HS and College athletes do not know anything about proper nutrition and exercise, they just do what they are told and have always been told.. which may not always be right.

First you have to find out what works for you... second you got injured.. possibly a herniated disc. Need to find out why.. was your diet lacking and unable to support you physical stress you were putting on your body.. were you not getting enough sleep .. was your form bad.. etc. Although sometimes It just happens unfortunately.

although its funny that akg mentioned deadlifts... when performed properly they can be very beneficial.. I have been Power lifting for about 5-6 years now and been pulling 3x my BW, luckily I have never had an injury. I will say this sometimes I feel fatigued and take a week or two off (this weekend for example I have slept like 30 hours in the past two days). I make sure to eat and sleep enough when I lift heavy. Like I mentioned earlier listen to your body and find out what works for you.

Also over working the back can cause it to hurt, but the pain will usually go away.. during my heavy deadlifts weeks.. my lower back will become fatigued very quickly.. and when I have to run I usually quit lifting 4 weeks prior because if I don't my lower back will go out about half a mile in. Or if I standing for long periods etc.

So what I am saying is hopefully its nothing too serious, but it may already be beyond that point.. Take some real time off to rest..( could be weeks... could be months) and slowly begin building your self back up once (if ever) you feel 100% again. GL.

[mulletman]

I'm 27, and I have one herniated disc, and a couple of others that are bulging. It started when I was on vacation last May as I was helping carry some PA equipment around for a wedding. The following week I was doing some subframe repair on my car, and the pain down my left leg got so bad that I couldn't sit in my truck. I went to a doc, and he gave me some anti-inflammatory stuff.

Fast forward a week, and I woke up to complete numbness down the back of my left leg. And MRI showed the herniation, and I did physical therapy for the rest of the year. That helped quite a bit, but the numbness was still present, as well as some lack of mobility with the toes on my left foot.

About a month ago, my back started hurting. Sitting was the worst thing possible. I can walk, stand, jog, jump, lift, bend.... everything is fine but sitting. My problem is that I sit in airplane seats for a living. I've been to see a surgeon, and they did another MRI. This shows my herniation to be improving... so that's not the cause of my recent issues. I'm scheduled for an injection to see if that can make working more manageable.





TL : DR version: My back sucks. Things that help are:

- Physical therapy. Find a good person, and do it. Chiropractors can help, but the kind of torquing and popping that some of them do may cause further damage if you have an actual disc injury like a rupture or herniation.

- STRETCH YOUR HAMSTRINGS. Mine are not flexible at all, and have been that way my whole life. If your legs aren't flexible, your lower back has to make up for that whenever you do anything.

- Go on walks. I walk 3+ miles per day now, regardless of weather. It helps a massive amount.

[Roland H]

Stretches and massages. Chiropractors can't help you at all if your muscles are tight since whatever they do will be quickly undone by the muscles pulling back.

[Ray Smoodiver]

Stretching, more stretching, and massages, as mentioned.

Grab this book and get to work on increasing flexibility in your back http://www.amazon.com/Stretching-Sci.../dp/0940149303

Edit, and then this if you're into that sort of thing http://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Gra...WG5XFJXFN3T0RP

[freeride53]

Lovin the info guys. I've had terrible flexibility my entire rowing career of 7 years, which is only bad news.
Therefore, I think I kinda brought it upon myself.
Never *really* took enough steps to stretch on my own time outside of crew, besides the MWF physical therapy I've been doing at my school's athletic training room.

Anyhow, I've got an apt. with the team sports doctor Wednesday night..Think they'll be scheduling me an MRI

[kickinindian]

Seems like a good time to get to a pain management doctor and get yourself some medical pot helps my uncle who broke his lower back and still is working construction