Lower back is killing me! (biking, sweating, working out, spin)

[lenniel]

Originally Posted by todd00

Acupuncture can be very effective for low back pain. Have you looked into that? I think it's much better than a chiropractic for that problem. Yoga and stretching can be helpful are too.

Never tried acupuncture, never looked into it. I'm very ignorant to it, but I'm not sure I understand how sticking little needles in your skin alleviates and muscle/skeletal problem.

[lenniel]

Originally Posted by NewLVResident2015

It is possible that you have a pinched sciatic nerve. You need to see a back specialist as soon as possible and get an MRI because you may require a removal of a disc. This is what happened to my husband. These are the symptoms that he experienced too. He went to see a specialist probably too late he had to have 2 discs removed and it had cause nerve damage where he has no longer pain but has balance problem. I hope your case doesnt get bad as this, see a specialist as soon as possible. Hope you feel better soon.

Thanks for freaking me out this AM. just kidding......

Did your husband have chronic pain or was it sporadic? I mentioned in a previous post that mine is very sporadic. I can go 6 or more months without an episode but then something will happen and all the sudden I'm in a situation where certain activity/movements give me an intense, localized pain that is relieved when I switch body positions.

I plan to look into an MRI.

[frankrj]

Lifestyle can make it worse as you get older. All those years of sitting in a chair, looking at a computer, and little to no physical activity or lower ab exercises will be contributors. If the pain starts going down your left leg, you are getting sciatica which is a real b---- to deal with. It becomes hard to even take a d--p in the bathroom. I had a back problem from over-exerting myself with a new exercise.

Okay time be more positive. My physio really helped me get through it and I do back strecthes every day and certain ab exercises (only about 50-75 a day 5x a week). So, for me , just 5-10 minutes of preventative stretching and lite ab workouts feels a lot better than that pain. Hope you get better.

[HuntFishRepeat]

one more vote here for back and core exercises . I had lower back pain after a long day digging in my yard to remove some unwanted shrubs. I had hurt my back a few times over the past 15 years.

This time it wasn't going away. I talked to my Dr who recommended advil and rest for a few days followed by some exercises to strengthen my back and core. He said to take it very slow and build up. Do the exercises every other day. Also not to lift anything over 15 lbs till I was pain free for at least a month.

It took me over a year to see a big improvement. Now it has been 5 years now very rarely have any back pain. ( only if I over do it ) I still try not to lift over 50 lbs . I still exercise every other day.

[frankrj]

as HuntFishRepeat said, it 's very true that you should not lift too much until that pain goes away. I never ever in my life thought I'd be using 10lb dumbbells for a while versus my usual 30-40s. Now, I max out at 30-35 once in a month and prefer using 20s and higher reps. You want long-term gains and progress and the pain was enough to make me change.

[NewLVResident2015]

Originally Posted by lenniel

Thanks for freaking me out this AM. just kidding......

Did your husband have chronic pain or was it sporadic? I mentioned in a previous post that mine is very sporadic. I can go 6 or more months without an episode but then something will happen and all the sudden I'm in a situation where certain activity/movements give me an intense, localized pain that is relieved when I switch body positions.

I plan to look into an MRI.

Lenniel

Oh Im sorry If I scared you. Take care of it now before it's too late. He went to a chiropractor, it didn't help. It was sporadic at first. It would hurt a week and would not bother him for several months. He ignored it and thought it would go away. He would go to emergency room and it would go away after being prescribed very strong pain meds. But then overtime it became a constant (8 out of 10) pain.

It's been over 5 years now after the surgery and pain never came back. Just have it checked. If they recommend surgery, do it. I hope you're just having a normal lower back muscle spasm or pulled muscle. Take care !!!!

[Nonchalance]

Originally Posted by lenniel

Thanks for freaking me out this AM. just kidding......

Did your husband have chronic pain or was it sporadic? I mentioned in a previous post that mine is very sporadic. I can go 6 or more months without an episode but then something will happen and all the sudden I'm in a situation where certain activity/movements give me an intense, localized pain that is relieved when I switch body positions.

I plan to look into an MRI.

All the more reason NOT to rush into surgery. Just don't.

As one poster's PT said, some things work some of the time, and one size doesn't fit all.

[Southern Star]

If OP is out there, I would like to know how you feel this morning. I thought of you while I was exercising before.

[lenniel]

Originally Posted by Southern Star

If OP is out there, I would like to know how you feel this morning. I thought of you while I was exercising before.

Hey SS, thanks for checking up on me!

I went back for a follow up with the chiro (since he did xrays, I wanted to see what he found) yesterday afternoon. My lower back was feeling pretty decent, not 100% but significantly better than it was when I was really in pain on Monday.

Anyway, he put the slides up on the light board and here's what he explained:
From what he shows me and tells me:
I have 15 degree reverse curvature in the neck with bone spur forming
Phase II degeneration in the neck and T12-L1 with bone spur forming
10 degree curvature in thoracic
9 degree curvature in the lumbar
My left hip is 15 mm higher than the right hip.
He's proposing a 3 month plan of 24 total visits for $950. Then, about a monthly adjustment.

He then did an adjustment.

Last night wasn't bad but a couple times when I rolled over in bed, I had a shooting pain in the hip area. Probably due to the adjustment.

So, my question is: How much of this is BS?
How much of it can he really correct through manipulation, adjustments and $1,000?
Can I get the same result by doing things myself? (I did order Dr Roots book, as promised).

He did say an MRI isn't necessary as the discs look good, said things are just out of alignment.

[Nonchalance]

I don't know what else you might expect a chiro to say. Just as often, manipulations mess things up more than leaving well enough alone.

The only way to find out if what he said is true is to see a REAL doctor. Good luck. BTDT.