Low Back Pain - Anything worked for you?

flugellover

Hi all - there is a lot of good advice on this thread - excellent! I would highlight that as you can see through the postings...
1. different things work for different people
2. it pays to do something sooner rather than later if you get spinal pains (including neck pain)

other points I think are worth making include
-if you are treating the problem with more than one solution, how do you know what is working? I know that if you went to a physio for example and said you were also seeing a chiro/osteo, the physio would ask you to come back when you had finished with the other professional.
- if you do get spinal pains, try and keep moving as much as you are comfortable to - clearly in some acute episodes people need a day or two in bed, but where possible, don't linger in bed if at all possible after that. If that means that you need to use pain relief methods (e.g. pills or TENS, or heat) then, gerearally speaking, do it.
here's to happy, healthy, painfree spines - back pain is horrible!

liames

I have had back pain for 15 years mostly at the bottom of my back. I am on various tablets from my GP . The one excercise that really helps is the cat stretch started to do it about 6 months ago and I can really say it has helped the pain. You will have to google to see how to do the cat stretch. I do about 20 in the morning when I first get up and the same number before I go to bed.

nappentass

Excellent advise from everyone's experience.

I strongly recommend Bowen Technique - it was the only thing that really worked for me and was literally a life saver after 3 years in chronic pain- and for me it was an instantaneous result on the first session - completely painfree and able to move unrestricted.

Bowen has been a godsend to me so much so that I am training to be a Bowen practitioner to be able to help others because it's a non-invasive, gentle, remedial therapy that prompts the body to sort itself out.

The other thing that helped me was practicing yoga, which by learning and experiencing as much as I could has taught me a lot about my body and how to help it, to move and to strengthen it.

HTH
Jill

anna42hmr

accupuncture beleive it or not worked wonders for me, no pain any more and fingers crossed it stays that way

Mutter_2

Mine is Arhritis in the spine, treated by an Osteopath after a particularly bad spasm caused by the slight lean forward whilst brushing my teeth.
If I could sit periodically or walk on all fours it would be manageable. The problem is with standing, the pain now radiating into my left thigh now too.

At home I can manage by curling up and rocking, something that looks most odd to those who think lying flat should be relief!
Long term, I have noted all the help recommended on this thread and will look into it.
But, I have now to get a job. A standing job, one where even a 5min break will be a luxury, so was looking at Tens machines.

The thing is though which one?
Lloyds have them. Top of the range costing £30.00 or this http://www.acticare.com/products/acticareTSE.asp
or this http://www.neurotech.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=28

Does anyone have any idea whether costly is better than cheap, or is one the same as the next?
In MSE style, if I purchase Lloyds and it does'nt work, whereby the one costing £130 does, then in order to earn I should invest.
Oh, GP not a great help. After a flare up some time ago resulting in a swollen leg and foot, he suggested , after giving remedy, that I should regularly see the osteopath. Trouble is 2x weekly sessions is £80.
Might as well stay at home and forget working in that case.!
Any info on various tens would be so welcome and as I've said I will definately look into other longer term control. Just short term I need to stand for 8 hrs.
Note to Ted, I am taking Vit D.

Savvy_Sue

It just worries me that you're considering taking a job, even short term, that you KNOW will aggravate your spinal condition ...