Low Back Pain - Anything worked for you?

Tim_Deegan

Lord_Lardington wrote: »

Thanks for the super speedy advice, it all sounds very usable.

I don't think my bed is the primary cause becuase I felt my back "go" when stretching in the shower. That said, it might not be helping my recovery either. I'll check out a new mattress.

We recently sold two memory foam/pocket sprung mattresses to an osteopath. So we asked their professional opinion on the best type of mattress for back support. They told us that most of their profession recommends a combination of pocket sprung and memory foam (which is why she bought them). They also went on to say that if you can't afford pocket sprung with memory foam, then the next best option is just pocket sprung, and that they are far superior to latex (or reflex) foam and memory foam mattresses that seem to be the most common memory foam mattresses on the market.

curlywurlygirly

Great thread guys....

Another vote for TENS machine, they are fabby - though the better deal is at Boots.....it is £19.99, but you get 4 pads with it, as opposed to the 2 at Lloyds - which is decidedly better (also if you buy it online through a cashback site it's even cheaper).....

Have just forked out for a Chiropractor myself - not cheap, but well worth the money!;)

curlywurlygirly

mjr600 wrote: »

If you see a GP try for diclofenac it is an anti-inflammatory and works very well, don't let him put you on paracetomol/codeine it's a cheap option and may make you feel ill

Am on both for back pain - and imho they both make you feel very sick....defo. have to eat with them!

Lord_Lardington

Hi there, update from me. I got up today and the back pain was worse and couple with the collective advice I pushed for an appointment with me GP for today (I’d already booked one for Friday but that seemed long way off).

He gave me some strong painkillers “Naproxen” to ease my path to getting it sorted, that path being a referral to a local physiotherapy clinic. My first appointment is tomorrow at 13:30 so I’ll report back.

If this doesn’t produce results after the 10 sessions I get paid for by my medical insurance I plan to try a Chiropractor I’ve had recommended too me by a friend, plus my doctor wants to see me again if the physio doesn’t start to work quite quickly.

Oh, and I’ll going to send my girlfriend some flowers for putting up with my pain-induced grumpiness.

Thanks again all

Errata

Good to hear you've got things moving. My physio reviewed my progress at the start of each weekly session and did a super review each fourth session. The reviews led to slight changes in treatment.
If your physio doesn't seem to be as successful as expected, your GP will suggest a next course of action for you, which may not be a chiropractor.
Good luck - enjoy the exercises.

Piggybanker

Oh so timely. Caved in and went to GP myself today having tried heat pads and run of the mill pain relief as well as acupuncture for the last 3 weeks. Now on diclofenac and paracetamol and advised not to drive more than 1/2 hr. Mmmmm - office 1hr away and drive during the day for work :sad:

Colleagues recommended hanging from a door frame or similar but I can't hold my own weight!

Hope you feel better soon
Piggy

Lord_Lardington

Piggy - if I hung upside down I would doubtless actually pull my legs right off (I'm big). What's your sickpay deal? Luckily I get full pay but know that a lot of people (my other half included) get no pay for three days and then some bad day rate. This would add terrible stress to the pain, which is exactly what you don't need. She often goes to work when she really should be at home.

Lord_Lardington

Errata - I was surprised to receive physio and not chiro or osteo but my doc said that after the physio (if not successful) the next move would be something else, like a back specialist. He, like you suggested, never mentioned Chiro.

I guess your point is that I possibly shouldn't try Chiro now that I'm on the treatment trail? Well, I think you're right. It's too easy think, "Wow, this hurts, lets try everything at once."

Ted_Hutchinson

Vitamin D Deficiency and Chronic Low Back Pain

Vitamin D Chronic pain research

UK vitamin D status is such that even in Summer the average adult has below 80nmol/L vitamin d required for maximum calcium absorption.
Slide 18 ( 00:10:02 )The amounts needed to raise status to the level associated with lowest cancer incidence are here Slide 33 ( 00:17:19 )

Fritha_2

I had tremendous upper, middle and lower pain, essentially the entirety of my back (not all at once usually, they tended to vary!)! sometimes it hurt so badly I literally couldn't breathe properly!


Doctor put me on painkillers (anti-infammatories, diclofenac if I recall correctly, or one that begins with an r and ends in ac!) a couple of times to see if it would clear up, when it didn't I was referred to physio, she diagnosed that the top is my spine isn't quite the right shape and prodded me a bit to get movement back in it!

I only needed three sessions so that was quite exciting!

I also bought a tens machine which I have to say was my best purchase, as curly says get the one from Boots as it's got four pads as apposed to the two on the lloyds one. I found the TENS can clear up pain that double doses of painkillers (which I was on at one point to try to manage my pain!) didn't even ease!

Good luck with your physio etc :-)