Back pain

bagman support

I wasn't aware of this... interesting. I may have to invest.

Five weeks of exercises/stretches and Sacro Wedgy are starting to make a difference... I still get pain, but nowhere near as much as I used to, and on some days there's none at all... Amazing...

Playing polo still flares things up but as long as I go through my normal exercise routine the following morning that gets rid of the worst of it...

Still a long way to go, I reckon, but feeling much more positive about a long-term solution...

crosses fingers

off work with lower back - was at a client site on Friday supposed to be racking two routers, I was on the phone to someone, put the phone down on a box slightly lower than my hips and bang, instant shooting pain in sacral area, like I'd been shot with a nail gun or something - ambulance to hospital, examination and the Doctor said 'nothing we can do, rest and pain relief' - it has got better (from total agony to continual discomfort) but still painful. A colleague gave me her leftover co-codamol - only took one, made me feel really nauseous, so just taking Ibuprofen by the bucket load

TS what is this sacro wedge thing you speaks of?!

^ the same has just happened to me, and has a few times before. I am currently in bed almost unable to walk, and I have a shit load of things to do too.
I keep it under control normally with a lot of swimming and floor exercises, but I have just had proper flu, so no exercise, and now my back has gone.
On top of that I had a broken a tooth which had to be removed, and that led to an infection in the jaw, which was mighty painful, and had to be controlled with lots of ibuprofen and codeine and paracetamol.
I am going to investigate having the two vertebrae fused, I was told a while back this would solve the back pain, but the alternative was to keep my core strength really high, which is OK when you don't have every thing else fall over at the same time.

blimey Adroit that sounds a shit sequence of events, feel for ya. Being tall I've had periods of mild back ache before, especially after exertion and sometimes cycling, but never this acute level of pain and discomfort. Just Googled the sacro wedge thing but also saw this which might suit me more just now

Bodi-Tek Back Magic: Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Leisure

I have one of those. They are great for stretching out. And for those of you who have not seen this before, everything can be overcome.

http://www.lfgss.com/thread65313.html

Arrogah - that is an epic tale, man I can't imagine what that has been like to go through.

I am back in the pain zone, have been since xmas ... sucks badly. was sleeping on a yoga mat for a couple of nights because the bed hurt so much.
Went to a physio (the only one I could find that was open) who managed to help me exactly nill, just slapped some deep heat stuff on and showed me how to do a cobra the first time, the second visit me managed to put a heat package on then pissed off next door to treat another patient. Left being in even more pain, but totally got the sense that the guy loved the idea of repeat visits. What a crop of shit.

The only time I feel OK is after a combo of a couple of beers, two paracetamol and some deep heat creme that my mother in law has given me.

Yesterday I did feel like I was coming out of it. Then I did a careless move, and the spasms in my back sent me right to the floor.
2 hours of pain fatigues sleep on the yoga mat was all I could manage.
Pacing up and down otherwise.

So today I bit the bullet, called in sick and got my arse down to a doc at a sportsmed clinic ... walked away with a prescription of Diclofenac, Norgesic (Orphenadrine citrate + Paracetamol) and a low dosage of Endep (Amitriptyline) for at night ... I had the first bit of the Norgesic now, and I must say it feels a bit like the oldern days when I used to smoke pot. Looking forward to the night one now, as this might flatten me out totally.

Wedding of sister-in-law tomorrow (no drinking for me).
Different physio on monday, let's see what that brings.

Aroogah, your story is a true inspiration to me. I better take some of those lessons onboard, but also grit my teeth and stay a bit more optimistic while I'm at it.

I am back in the pain zone, have been since xmas ... sucks badly. was sleeping on a yoga mat for a couple of nights because the bed hurt so much.
Went to a physio (the only one I could find that was open) who managed to help me exactly nill, just slapped some deep heat stuff on and showed me how to do a cobra the first time, the second visit me managed to put a heat package on then pissed off next door to treat another patient. Left being in even more pain, but totally got the sense that the guy loved the idea of repeat visits. What a crop of shit.

The only time I feel OK is after a combo of a couple of beers, two paracetamol and some deep heat creme that my mother in law has given me.

That's poor form from the physio - sounds like a practitioner who relies on extended bouts of passive treatments. Anyone double treating without good reason should arouse suspicion. PM me if your next appointment is equally "effective" and client-centred.

Had back spasm earlier this year, badly. Medication in particular opiates ftw. Coedine amazing, along with an anti-inflam, and a couple of 'pams. Doctor didn't even want to see me, just prescribed by phone. Sorted in 5 days, I have treated my back with much more respect ever since. Posture wise in particular.

After suffering a year of back pain which has kept me from any competitive cycling, something that has been particularly hard foe me, my NHS referral came through for some physio sessions. Yes I could have and did pay for sessions myself in that time and knowing the exact cause f the problem thanks to an MRI has helped me stabilise the problem. It has been getting worse recently with the arrival of our newborns meaning I have had no time for swimming, stretching and yoga but I hope a course of physio over the coming weeks will see me get back to HH for spring. Even if it is just for Sunday morning training and the odd omnium.

Back pain can be really hard to live with and is something I have only come to realise this last year. But finding the exact cause of the problem through an MRI, x-ray etc is half the battle won as I was fobbed off and mis-diagnosed for 6 months before I demanded a scan.
On the up now hopefully :)

Best of luck Mike. Will be good to see you back on track..... so to speak.

Skipped through the previous comments but...

lowering your saddle or switching to risers helps tremendously. Also riding hands together over the stem helps stretching out your shoulders. Or consider fitting a shorter stem or even a shorter top tube

Skipped through the previous comments but...

lowering your saddle or switching to risers helps tremendously. Also riding hands together over the stem helps stretching out your shoulders. Or consider fitting a shorter stem or even a shorter top tube

Sound advice for quick symptom relief but equally effective at adversely affecting muscle length-tension relationships (think strength / power) and aerodynamics. Fine in the short term though but riders shouldn't reside themselves to think things can't be improved.

Treat your own back - by mckenzie - top book

Was at the physio this morning, she was really happy with my progress but said I'm still too inflexible in my lower back which is causing most of the fatigue/pain I'm still suffering from... Lots more back stretches before I see her again in a fortnight... Polo (and riding my polo bike around London most of the time) is so fucking painful, gah!

I just managed my first ride this year since my latest back episode. I was actually really comfortable, the cycling tends to be OK, but after a long ride it can be painful when I get off. But what a pleasure to be out on my bike even if only for a short while.

Hurray!

TS what is this sacro wedge thing you speaks of?!

I'm lying on one right now as I type on my HTC Sensation...

It's a small rubber wedge that sits under your sacrum, you lie on it for 20 mins and it slowly stretches the muscles in your lower back/pelvis via the power of gravity... It's good, I like it a lot... winspar recommended it to me...

I'm lying on one right now as I type on my HTC Sensation...

It's a small rubber wedge that sits under your sacrum, you lie on it for 20 mins and it slowly stretches the muscles in your lower back/pelvis via the power ofravity... It's good, I like it a lot... winspar recommended it to me...

Christ, I'm getting aroused...

What are you wearing?

The medication has made me feel miles better. Especially sleeping seems to refresh me and make me feel less sore as opposed to the bad spasms that it triggered before. Cursing myself for not having gone to get some way earlier.

The physio I saw on friday gave me a clearly structured exercise programme, which I now have to do 4 times a day. He also gave me an outlook to next week when he wants to start me out doing more active strength building and incorporate activities like running and cycling.
Really looking forward to that.

The only thing that still really sucks is sitting at a desk for too long. I did manage to do office days this week, but had to go into the meeting room to do stretches and exercises every hour or so. Too bad I am a web developer, the most seated profession ever :(

^ Well done!

I stopped taking Naproxen a coupla days ago as I was starting to get quite bad stomach pain with it (even tho' I was taking Omeprazole with it)... I don't feel any different yet... Good sign... :]

My back seems to be getting stronger with each day now, it still feels stiff and uncomfortable after a few games of polo but nothing like it used to... I can really notice the improvement riding a bike/going up stairs etc... Much less pain and stiffness, my posture feels more solid/balanced too...

Gonna try weening myself off co-codamol next week and see how that feels...