Bad backs

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Manpa

Manpa

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I know many on this forum suffer from crook backs, well the wife is suffering, we spent seven hours in ED yesterday as she is now unable to weight bear without severe pain in the back, hip and thigh. X-rays and blood tests cleared her of any post op infection or fractures of the pelvis, hip etc.
On four hourly ibuprofen and panda dine forte with endone when required, using warm compresses, heat lamp and now walking with a frame to get around.
Anybody got any clues as to what to do to help her, I am at my wits end and it's starting to get her down.
 
mate, ive lived with crushed fractured vertebrae & a crushed ankle for well over 30yrs & wish I had some good advice, but when it comes to a painful back all she can do is trial & error to find something that works for her.
When mine is playing up a hot soak in Radox seems to help. Sometimes I use Voltaren (topical Ibuprofen anti-inflammatory cream)
 
Manpa said:
I know many on this forum suffer from crook backs, well the wife is suffering, we spent seven hours in ED yesterday as she is now unable to weight bear without severe pain in the back, hip and thigh. X-rays and blood tests cleared her of any post op infection or fractures of the pelvis, hip etc.
On four hourly ibuprofen and panda dine forte with endone when required, using warm compresses, heat lamp and now walking with a frame to get around.
Anybody got any clues as to what to do to help her, I am at my wits end and it's starting to get her down.
Click to expand...

Mum had a spine op after an accident at work and they put a pin in her spine etc But when the pain got a bit much she use to put on this back brace that basically was a corset with 3 steel rod shaped to the curve of her back after a few hours or a day or two of wearing that she would come good again,

Seeing as it is winter there why not get some wide Strapping Bandage and wrap the Mrs up fairly tight, Or go down the nearest Dirk Bike Shop and buy her one of them Kidney Belts but buy the next size down and strap the poor Girl up in that that should help her out a bit Ay.

Hope that helps.

J.
 
7.62, she has issues at L4, L5, just where the sciatic nerve passes thru, she's been out of kilter for so long, I think everything needs to re adjust after the knee replacement, one of the issues she has because of her Parkinsons is she tends to walk leaning slightly forward and on her toes, heels rarely touch the ground some days.

RR, daughter ordered her a brace just yesterday, hopefully it will arrive tomorrow.

DD, agree I think it's going to be trial and error, I just hope we can stumble across something that offers some relief. She has been religious about doing her exercises, maybe she has over done it.

I am happy to try slapping her with a dead fish and chanting some weird mantra if it's going to help.
 
Sounds awful, I hope she gets some relief soon.

The back brace idea could work.

See a really good Physio.

Try and increase the core muscle strength - with her other ailments and current pain this is more a long term suggestion.

Have to chat to the GP but often some short term (few days) decent doses of Valium can calm things right down and get things working again. Not great long term though.

Tens machine might help.

See a pain specialist.

Panadene Forte and Endone - keep up the fluids and prunes and fibre and stuff or therell be trouble :argh:

4 hrly ibuprofen - just watch the doses and the kidneys.

Something like a Norspan patch might be better - constant release and just top up with Panadol.

Best of luck ;)
 
Manpa said:
I know many on this forum suffer from crook backs, well the wife is suffering, we spent seven hours in ED yesterday as she is now unable to weight bear without severe pain in the back, hip and thigh. X-rays and blood tests cleared her of any post op infection or fractures of the pelvis, hip etc.
On four hourly ibuprofen and panda dine forte with endone when required, using warm compresses, heat lamp and now walking with a frame to get around.
Anybody got any clues as to what to do to help her, I am at my wits end and it's starting to get her down.
Click to expand...

That is not good mate.

Is the pain the same down both sides of back hips and thighs ?

Does it travel down to the toes ?

Is it sharp when she does a particular movement ?
 
Has she ever tried Acupuncture? Now before you all giggle, I used to get bad sciatic pain years ago. I went to a GP once who out of the blue offered to try Acupuncture, with the proviso that if it didn't work I could go back at no charge to me and collect my script for the usual Brufen or Naprosyn. He explained that he was studying traditional Acupuncture out of personal interest. I walked out of that surgery with zero pain or discomfort. There's no way that it could have been the placebo effect or all in my mind, because prior to that I thought it was a load of hogwash. I was in total disbelief that it had worked, and over the years I used him for it a few more times and each time it worked. I have also used Chiropractic over the years with success, so it may be worth trying something alternative - not sure about the dead fish slapping though :)
 
I am with Marksmen on this

I have fused l4 and 5 and constantly get sciatic pain.
It feels like I have a broken hip or pelvis.
When the pain goes all good till next time

I find the good old hot water bottle works for me
Others have told me to try one of those beds that strap your feet in an incline so it stretchs your spine a bit
 
GH, one side only, difficulty trying to support weight on right leg, no pins and needles, just shap pain.
Deepseeker, dry needling, acupuncture was discussed at the hospital yesterday with the physio, something we will discuss further with our physio.
Wheat bags and hot water bottles are a constant at the moment
 
+1 for TENS machine. It can be pain relieving and a pain distraction.

Also as STC has touched on... some people with disc involvement will respond well to traction. Most decent physios will have a traction machine.

Lumber extension exercises can help. They can be uncomfortable at first, but you get used to them.

Also agree with correcting any strength issues... if you have a weakness, you need to strengthen around it.
 
I swear by an apparatus called an aero swing,basically it's an upside down machine,you hang by your ankles,[google it ]
When ever my back goes haywire I jump onto it and invert,I'll hear the old spine pop and creak and hay presto the ol sciatica and back pain dissipates.
Avoid drugs at all times,it's a merry go round that's hard to get orf

cheers greyhound
 
I will also give a huge thumbs up for the aero swing or inversion table. I had an operation about 10 years ago on the right side L4 L5 on for a trapped nerve, unable to walk upright for about 12 months before. Operation was successful, but started to get pain on left side and sometimes on right because I was lifting or doing things that were too big/heavy, but the pain was there again, my back was telling me things were not good again and to stop with the things that hurt, which I have now taken notice of. Ended up getting the Inversion Table, angle to about 30 decrees and stay for about 10 minutes, takes a bit if getting away from to stand, but feel about 100mm taller :playful: Wife also uses it after she has had a day in the garden. Ours goes to total inversion (upside down). Never gone over about 45 degrees, too many things start to move into places that they should not and do not feel comfortable. :Y: :Y:

Graham
 
This might not be the most popular opinion, but I haven't found medication to be much help (30+ years of dodgy back on my part). I recently came across these two articles, which are interesting.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02...-no-better-than-placebo-for-back-pain/8236470

https://japractice.co.uk/2017/08/evidence-not-support-use-gabapentinoids-chronic-low-back-pain/12643

For me, it has always been a matter of time (which sucks). For instant relief, a foam roller works well (make sure it isn't too squishy) or one of those red firm rubber cricket balls. The other thing for me is a bit of wine and laying on the floor (or really firm mattress). Admittedly that won't be an option most of the time, but for a bit of temporary relief, it seems to help. Maybe it is the relaxant effects of alcohol? But that goes against what I have found with meds, so it is a little weird.
 
I used to hang by my hands from the grape vine trellis, a small bouncing movement to take the pressure of my spine. My son got an inversion machine and it does the same thing. I use Only Emu Chilli Rub to get heat into my back. You get it on- line. Hope you get some relief.
 
Hanging and inversion = traction :) :Y:

If you are hypertensive inversion is not recommend

A traction machine can be a more controlled and passive place to start :)

1564008607_20190725_084907.jpg
 

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