Daily Question: Tues. June 28

My apologies for missing Thurs. QOTD....
I was stricken with a back spasm that lasted from Thurs on untill yesterday and unable to get on.

My question is this:

Do you suffer back pain? If so, how do you deal with it? Any tips or tricks that work for you?

Every now and again my lower back will bother me, but not often, and not enough for me to do anything about it.

I've suffered for quite a while ever since I had whip lash most of the time I just use pain killers and anti inflams but I've seen me having to lie down on my hard wood floor to sleep the physio told me when its bad and spasms that I should go for a walk even though it hurts it gets the muscles working right

I have sciatica, and had my first attack about 15 years ago.

The only thing that helps is yoga. Admittedly, I should do it between attacks, in order to strengthen my back and abdomen muscles, but I don't. The poses tha thelp me are: downward dog, bridge, and serpent. A co-worker suggested yoga since she had been through sciatica herself. It really helps me.

Also, while at work, I would contract the muscles surrounding the affected sciactic nerve. I would do a few minutes while sitting and working. Just squeeze the muscles on the side of that leg, including the buttock muscles; hold for a count of 10-15; release; repeat as much as you want. This really helped me. Also, taking a 30-minute walk every day as soon as you can do it after the attack starts, helps a lot. It just takes some self-motivation to get up to do it!

I hope you're feeling better soon! I literally can "feel your pain"!

I used to suffer from alot of back pain until I had my breast reduction...but I still do have some.

I get occasional lower back pain that lasts for a few days at a time. Nothing I do much about except maybe an occasional heat pack.

No, I don't suffer from chronic back pain. I feel very bad for people who do though . I did have a back injury from horseback riding a few years ago but since recovered. I find that working out and stretching exercises help with the tight muscles in my lower back.

Yes I do and have since I became older. The pain is in the lower back, I just take Advil but have gone to a chiropractor on occasion but that didn't really seem to help. I guess if I did what he told me to do it would help It's not an everyday pain but sometimes it can get pretty bad.

Chronic lower back pain resulting from a car accident years ago.
Also sciatic nerve damage.

Most days I get by fine, you get used to certain levels of constant pain.
Sometimes I have to take Alieve to get through the day.
When working, I took a low dose of vicodin during work hours, and drank or ate medical marijuana as a sleep aide.

I used to work in a paper plant and was opening a 600-pound bale of fiber. When I opened the last wire, the fiber blew up and starting coming toward me. I couldn't let it hit the floor and get dirty, so there I was, trying to hold 600 pounds in my arms. I started yelling and somebody did come back and we got the fiber situated. But that was the beginning of the disk problems.

I now have four blown disks in my lower back (diagnosed with MRIs), so I have to be careful when picking up heavy objects and when I'm twisting. That's why I can't do a lot of exercises that call for twisting my trunk area....it aggravates those disks.

Fortunately I can still walk (and that's about the only thing I can do). I do work with some weights and do back exercises regularly. For example, I'll lie on the floor on my exercise mat with my legs bent and feet flat on the mat and push my stomach into the mat as far as I can as many times as I can.....for some reason, it feels good. But I still have to be very careful. When my back is really bad, the only thing that helps is to try to walk it out. My doctor says I'm lucky that I can walk long distances; he says many people with back injuries like mine can't walk that well, that walking makes their pain worse. With me, it makes it feel better.

If I overdo it with cleaning and moving furniture, my back lets me know about it. Most of the time, some Advil and a good night's rest works, but sometimes it can take a couple of days before the pain completely dissipates.

I had one bout with sciatica about six years ago. And I told my DH that if it ever happens again, he has my grateful permission to just shoot me. That bout lasted about seven weeks. That was the worst pain I ever endured. Ever.