Back pain ?

[Steve Burke]

I agree that your G.P. should be the first port of call so that the problem can be diagnosed correctly.

 

However, in my first major back episode many years ago my G.P. advised me to lay flat on my back for what turned out to be 3½ weeks. I was staring at the ceiling all that time, and every time I moved I hit the ceiling! An osteopath helped somewhat, but only to a limited degree.

 

Thankfully these days treatment is different. In later flare ups I've been told to rest for just a couple of days followed by light exercise. I've also been referred to a couple of physios, both of whom helped a bit. One also lent me a book called "Treat Your Own Neck" by Robin McKenzie that I found useful and later bought from Amazon together with the companion "Treat Your Own Back".

 

My problems are basically called by a muscle weakening illness. A couple of years ago my neck got very much worse to the extent that I couldn't go fishing for carp and pike at all. The physio warned me that I had to be prepared to give up fishing altogether.

 

In desperation I went to a chiropractor and, bingo, I was put right almost immediately! Every time I have a flare up I return to him and I'm soon back fishing again.

[nursejudy]

Medical Advice

When I had a slipped disc ,few days in bed until pain was bearable ,then gentle swimming and just walking about in thewarm water and later gentle aqua -robics helped,also check out your seating ...eg.at computer ...in car when driving made a big difference to me when driving

good luck

Judith

[Newt]

Question for you folks. I see Osteopaths mentioned in this topic but I'm not sure what you have by that name is the same as here.

 

Osteopathy is the body of medicine that originally used strictly manipulative techniques for correcting somatic abnormalities thought to cause disease and inhibit recovery. However, over the past century, osteopathy has embraced the full spectrum of medicine (to different degrees across the world), including the use of prescription drugs and surgery, in addition to manipulative techniques.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteopath

 

DOs (Doctor of Osteopathy) here go through the same type of training as MDs (Doctor of Medicine).

 

A person who deals with musculo-skeletal pain by manipulation is a chiropracter.

[chesters1]

strange volterol doesent do a thing for me ,i suppose we all react differently as even some people get relief using placebo drugs ! ,strange us humans , perhaps manipulation doesent do a thing but you think it has and so get better ,my mrs had 18 months of physio for her knee which made it much much worse ,on complaining it wasent helping was told she wasent trying hard enough ,a xray proved the opposite

beware of "trained" people they are frequently wrong but not trained enough to realise it.

Edited August 8, 2006 by chesters1

[Sharkbyte]

Take too many of those anti inflamatory tablets and you will soon find out what real pain is!

[Ken L]

Newt.

chiropractice is manipulation of the back, suposedly to put right minor subluxations of the spine. Essentially, it's reflexology on the back and carries with it significant risks of injury and some risk of stroke, paralysis or death - although that doesn't get mentioned much in the brochure.

As with reflexology, it has no proven medical basis whatsoever although lots of people report feeling better afterwards.

 

Osteopathy is a more generalised manipulation. it's reckoned by some to be the basis of a lot of modern orthopaedics but personally, I'll put my faith in the modern version.

 

Manipulation can help and I've used stuff that I've been tought by old time martial arts instructors to help people who were in a lot of pain before now. Two of them were in long term agony but havent had to see a doctor about their backs since (no I didn't kill them) but these days, I'm very very very carefull about who I offer to manipulate and tend to prefer to leave it to the medical profession.

[UK-Fishing-Tackle.co.uk]

First you have to see a doctor, however....

 

(Most) Doctors don't know a great deal about back pain or at least GP's dont! Standard procedure is XRay and painkillers and then all you'll get at best is 'it isn't broken' and possibly something interesting such as 'a narrowing of the vertabrae at S4 or something' - I had this kind of advice. Essentially means a slipped disc, but they cannot commit to this because they are not back specialists.

 

The next thing is to then wait six weeks and if the pain is still there, refer you to a back consultant with the Xray information. Painkillers often being anti-inflammatories, which help with pain, but in my case cause problems with ulcers and rebound headaches. A consultant could be a month to three months away (or more), even for very painful conditions (almost worth claiming it was an accident and visiting accident and emergency one suspects!).

 

Once you make it to a hospital, however, the standard advice from most consultants initially is to leave it, gentle exercise etc - they do not want (or the NHS cannot afford possibly) to offer surgical solutions until back pain has been 'chronic' for a set amount of time.

 

May well be your local NHS services are better than ours, but that (roughly) is my general account!

[glennk]

Osteopath - Strange bloke/female with a private office who takes upwards of 40 pound per half hour from your wallett then beats the living **** out of you and makes every bone in your spine crack a thousands times. When they have finished you are in such severe pain from the beating that you leave not feeling the original pain. In fear of having to return ever again you tell everybody your back is great and so are osteopaths.

[severus]

I ruptured the L4-L5 disc in my lower back in 2002 and was given a Vioxx prescription for the pain, then Motrin after Vioxx was removed from the market. Always felt uneasy taking drugs, so I began taking glucosamine/chondroitin as a means of building up and maintaining the cartilage in my back and joints, after hearing that it helps.

 

I'm happy to report that it really works. I have not taken Motrin on a regular basis for over two years now, and my back has improved to the point where I have regained most of my mobility and range of motion, although I do still experience a certain amount of stiffness and soreness from time to time. I can feel the difference if I fail to take my capsules for over a week.

 

Anyhow, it works well for my condition. Good luck to you.

[chris parker]

Another drug that is usefull as both a NSIA and painkiller is mefenamic acid (Ponstan), only available with a script from your GP but if it suits you it can be very good.