Help with cleaning with a bad back please!

rosie383

Last Thursday I got up and couldn't straighten. Managed to get to college and was in so much pain all day. Next morning I literally couldn't get out of bed!
After strong pain killers and heat, I was able to get to the bathroom, but that was it. A few days later my back is much better, but still sore. My dh is off for a couple of days, but the house is looking a bit messy, and I don't like it.
Yesterday I did a wee bit too much, and am paying for it today. Soooooo, any tips for doing the essentials with a bad back? Dh will do the basics but when he goes back to work, it's going to be a struggle. Yesterday I managed to hang the washing on the line by pushing the basket with my foot all the way to the patio, then very slowly taking one item at a time to the line and coming back for the next one.
Any advice would be much appreciated.

lmp0507

I find not stretching helps, if you are cleaning something at a low level, don't stoop to reach it and lower yourself to that level if possible!

rosie383

I've been trying that, but find that even bending at the knees to set things on, or pick things up from, a low level really hurts. I'm quite adept at picking things up with my toes, so that is helping, but it only helps with wee things like the odd sock or tissue etc.

McKneff

The more you do, the more you are aggravating it, so it will be bad for longer.

Stop worrying about the housework, if youre not up to cleaning it, you cant be making much of a mess anyway.

Rest is the best thing for a bad back, with a little exercise thrown in.

Get your OH to do it. If the positions were reversed, you would be doing it for him, wouldn't you.

rosie383

McKneff wrote: »

The more you do, the more you are aggravating it, so it will be bad for longer.

Stop worrying about the housework, if youre not up to cleaning it, you cant be making much of a mess anyway.

Rest is the best thing for a bad back, with a little exercise thrown in.

Get your OH to do it. If the positions were reversed, you would be doing it for him, wouldn't you.

You are spot on! I know that rest is definitely helping, I just feel lazy! I know that if it was dh, it would be different, as it has been many times in the past.
The problem is that I am SAHM and am used to doing everything around the home, it's my job. I am trying to do gentle stretching, and pottering around doing wee bits, like the kids' school lunches, and a wee tiny bit of tidying.

rosie383

DD1 doesn't get regular pocket money, so I think I will offer to pay her £2 to hoover. She will be happy enough I think, and it will make a big difference to the look of the place.

seafarers_wife

Do things little and often. DO NOT HOOVER or lift heavy thing, get the kids and hubby to lift and shift things for you, and learn to live with things not getting done to your standards. Once your back to normal then you ca play catch up, but don't under estimate how little you can do at the moment.

DaisyMoo

I know how you feel - I've been off work for over a month now with a back inj and other aches and pains - I also feel lazy and try to do housework, but pay for it the next day if I over do it. My oh is pretty good, and although he will never just "do something" because it needs to be done, if I ask him to do t, it usually gets done!
I find that cooking / batch cooking is useful as it provides for both of us for the following week - my worksurfaces and sink are at just the right level for this.
I also dust a little with a duster on a telescopic handle, I can reach into awkward positions without twisting my back in any way. I spray the polish onto the duster and use it that way. Oh then vacuums at the weekend, I've just had to get used to some things not being the usual standard.
I try to do little bits throughout the day like when I'm brushing my teeth, I clean around the sink and mirror with bathroom wipes etc.
If something falls to the floor, it stays there!
Dont beat yourself up, Take it easy and hope you feel better soon x

anguk

I have trouble with my back and shoulders and the things I've found really help are:

A feather duster with a long handle
A dustpan and brush with long handle for the hard floors downstairs, a bit like this but I got one cheaper from Home Bargains:
http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/S79877747/
I bought a lightweight hoover from Bissell, it works just fine on the upstairs carpets.
I have a bar chair that I use in the kitchen

I've asked for a laundry basket on legs for Mother's Day Lakeland have a nice one and it saves bending up and down when hanging the washing out:
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/23089/Laundry-On-Legs

ellas9602

I'm only just recovering from 3 months with a bad back, thanks to physio, swimming and strong painkillers. I too was frustrated and ended up crying in the doctors which is when I was referred for physio (with 3 kids, a dog and a full time job it all got a bit much)! As others say, each time I tried to do housework,shopping, cooking it would make it worse (at first anyway, i was advised to increase activity after a while but only on dr's orders). Just rest and don't worry about the housework. "it will be there when you feel better" - as my caring OH pointed out.

I did manage to get comfy on the sofa with veg that needed chopping for stew or maybe a basket that needed sorting or some mending. I could also hang washing indoors on the clothes horse and I had one day a week which was cleaning time. I roped everyone in and just pottered around dictating. An awful lot was acheived usually in just an hour or two and I think it gave us good sense of family-ness

I went crazy last night and cleaned from top to bottom just because I could and I'm limping now today ...silly of me

Being unable to do the usual really did get me down so try not to worry, stay positive and take care.
x

empressemma

Well, its not ideas for cleaning, but after I got whiplash (actual whiplash, not the sort you have for the compo ) I saw a sports therapist lady, she was fantastic, it was getting so painful I was really struggling, but I just had the one session with her - all I could afford, and its never got that bad again... so maybe a spot of therapy would help?
Hope you soon get sorted, I used to moan about back ache, but now realise it was nothing to REAL backache.

Hugs, Emma