Back pain

Yep, that's what i meant. And beware, they start you easy but it gets quite hard after a while ...

Pilates worked well for me. When you think about it, it's not that far off the sorts of stretches I do and it maintains the flexibility in your back. Definitely give it a try. Some pilates teachers are better than others, too. If you can find someone who will work their way round the class correcting the way you're carrying out the exercises, it'll be a massive benefit.

cool, thanks guys.

Three months later, I've finally managed to get my fucking GP to refer me for an MRI, just awaiting the results now!

shoulder pain on one side only... what could be cause of that? stem too long? saddle-to-bar drop too high? odd it's on one side (left) only

bump for the day crowd

any ideas?

I've got a bad back.

Reading through this thread, it seems that when I go to the GP:

he will refer me to a physio
who will try and diagnose it
but to diagnose it properly I will need an MRI scan
which the GP will only give after a lot of faffing around

So is there anything I can say to get an MRI scan quicker?

.

I broke my back when I was 16 I'm going on 37 now. Swimming is what I found helped and core strength and not trying to push it. I thought getting back on a bike after years of not riding would not be great but I haven't had any problems yet. Maybe I'm lucky who knows.

Getting the correct diagnosis is the key though, without that you have no idea where to start. Plus sometimes it's not even you back that's the cause but often it's your neck.

Late reply, but what seemed to work for me was saying "Could I have the contact details to make a formal complaint please?"

It's taken me 11 months from when this began, and finally finally, I'm having a cortisone injection this Friday. Of course, my back decides to flare up dramatically this week and I'm barely able to walk but godfuckingdammit I'll make it to the hospital somehow!

Done! Actually amazed how painless the whole procedure was, didn't feel a thing. Feel pretty spaced out from the sedation still and they decided to do both left and right sides so feeling a bit bruised from that. Time will tell if it's worked.

Weirdest side effect so far is that it feels like I'm pissing on an electric fence. Anyone else had that before?!

Steroid injections into my lumbar and arse made a huge difference to me, but 12 months on I still have to do my Physio exercises 3-4 times a week or my back hurts.

I'm fully prepared to do that, I had 3 months of physio that wasn't touching it because the inflammation was so bad. Hoping this gives it a kick in the right direction so I can get on top of it

I've got a meeting with NHS physio at the end of this month. Though the back is getting better. One thing that made an improvement for me was sleeping on the floor. Although this has resulted in a neck strain which produces dizzy spells. Swings, roundabouts...

Well it's seemingly done the trick. Just on my way back from a week cycling in the Alps, and it's been fine. The odd little twinge but I've gone from not being able to ride for more than a few miles to 2hr climbs up cols in less than a fortnight.

I'm also able to touch my toes for the first time in a year, stoked.

OH MY FUCKING GOD! My upper back/ neck pain has been playing up a big time since Sunday - I did the mug thing of running to the GP Monday morning and needless to say, I felt so stupid, but it was either that or I was so tempted to go to A&E in the middle of the night... in tears...

Now I am signed off work, banned from getting on my bike and been drugged up to la la land... actually starting to feel quite depressed about it... I have not had it so bad in a long time, when I touched my neck last night, it was litereally hardened and now the whole neck feels bruised...

Background issue - 4 discs on my c-spine are damaged, and it's been about 8 years...

I have an appointment at the pain management unit at St Thomas' next month, anyone has experience with them and what to expect? The pain unit at Kings that I have been under has been useless so I don't know what to expect from this other unit...

Great result man!

So I knackered my back at work this morning. Holding a 750kg woodchipper up on a steep driveway while collegue chocked the wheels. Something about 2/3rds of way up felt like it went ping.
I'm convinced its muscular and some hot/cold, bed of nails and htfu will sort it out. This is my approach in 99% of ailments but am I being stupid here? Right now I can barely walk but trying not to stay still and let it lock up....

Diazepam usually sorts muscle stuff out overnight

Umm, isn't that Valium? I'll pass on that one thanks...
Deep heat and ice for me. Spend an hour on bed o' nails just now. Definitely great for numbing the pain but comes back with avengance when the blood retracts from the surface...

Even one 2mg tablet was enough to get rid of a major spasm I had in my back not long ago. I agree, it can be horrible stuff if you're prescribed it long term (how the fuck anyone with anxiety functions on it is beyond me) but it's a lifesaver in situations like this

Fair enough but i'm guessing they don't have it over the counter at the Sainos pharmacy..
If it persists I'll look down that route. Have just double-dropped on inbruprofen. Haven't taken it in a few years so hopefully that'll bring the inflammation down a bit.

Swimming is what I found helped

any stroke in particular? I have a beach lifeguard qualification and consider myself a pretty strong swimmer but I've neglected the pool for a few years and desperately need to get back into it. I'm assuming front crawl as breaststroke would put your back into an arched position that might do more damage than good?

I'd never had any back issues until the last 9 months or so so not sure how serious my condition is. Also not sure if the issues I've been having are linked...

About 9 months ago I flipped off the back of a trials bike, I went from standing up on the pedals with the bike upright on the rear wheel to flat on my back on hard concrete. As far as I can remember the whole of my back hurt like fuck, I attended a&e later that night as I could barely move but was told it was just muscle injury and given co-codamol and ibuprofen. Cleared up within a couple of days.

At the end of August I lifted a heavy dinner set out of my car at an awkward angle and hurt my lower back, took a day or two to come on proper bad but was painful to the point I could barely move again, definitely couldn't bend enough to put my socks on etc. Hit the co-codamol and ibuprofen again and it sorted itself in maybe 3 or 4 days or so. Actually seemed to improve slowly at first then I was lifting some wood out of a van and that seemed to fix it somehow.

Now I'm in the midst of another bout of pain. Can't pinpoint anything in particular as a cause this time and it's slightly different in that it's lower back again but definitely concentrated on the left side and extending down into my left buttock/leg. It started off a tight feeling in there when bending over, then was out on my bike and could feel it tight depending how I sat and when I stopped and put my (left) foot down at lights etc. Got really sore during the night after that ride and next day it was kinda spasm-ing, I'd get a stab of pain and feel like I might collapse when walking. I've hit the co-codamol and ibuprofen again and been able to live through it alright, but that bike ride was a week ago so it's definitely lasting a bit longer this time.

I haven't taken anything for it today and that bottom left back, left buttock and leg are feeling really tight and painful again. Tried foam rollering the area and that only gave me very short term relief.

Doubt it's serious enough to warrant a visit to the doc and given the time of year I'd probably be waiting a couple weeks for an appointment anyway. My old man has suggested I self refer to the nhs physio as it's something he's in the middle of for knee issues.

I'm hoping its just muscular and I've not damaged anything flipping off that trials bike. I'm guessing I'd have landed sort of on my upper back/shoulders when I did that though and this is definitely lower back, could the two still be related?

Don't fuck about, leg pain could indicate disk or nerve damage

go and demand an MRI from your GP.