Well, Chad you've received a bunch of advice on this one. I've probably
got the longest running set of back problems, started when I was 15 and fell
during high-jump practice in school, cracked the coccyx and herneated the L4-5
disk. Its 43 years later now and I'm still living with it plus general
degeration of my cervical spine to the point where disks are gone and the
vertebrae are crunching on each other (lost three months of last winter to the
cervical problem). No sympathy please, just quoting my credentials to
comment.
It calls for a combination of treatments: rest and stretching, plus
anti-inflamatory drugs to get the pain down to where you can deal with it and
re-build. Ibuprophen in large doses works for most people, anything stronger
usually has side effects that you don't want to add plus they require an Rx.
Rest means bed in the fetal position. Much of the pain you feel is not the
spine but in the muscles which are spasming and reacting to the spinal injury.
Often, as you react to the pain (typically by changing posture) you are likely
to further aggravate the original injury. So, next are two steps: find a
physical therapist who can teach you the Rothschild exercises and who can
teach you postural changes and the techniques for living with a bad back. The
exercises are a set of simple stretching motions which you do several times a
day (takes 5-10 minutes) and you can use them when you do something stupid to
cause a spasm (or it just happens). The "learning to live" with it
instructions need to come from a PT who can work with you, since while the
techniques are broadly known and described, they need to fit your body and
activities. Proper posture, sitting & standing & resting, proper sleep
positions, understanding the mechanics of the spine so you can handle new
experiences that you've not done before all are part of the package. (Just
guessing, but I'd almost bet that you've developed a whole new set of postures
for dealing with the new baby, and the majority of them would aggravate
central to lower spine problems.)
I've had a kneeling chair for 20+ years, they are excellent but not all
equal. Perhaps more important is changing chairs/positioins/tasks a few times
each day so you are not stuck with a single position.
I tend to agree with others here about the general parctice Doctors, many
want to throw a pill at it and have it be masked or put a knife to you to
"fix" it. Get a referral to an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in backs.
The chiropracters aren't much different as their adjustments and massages do
work, but only until the next appointment. I found real help with Physical
Therapy. But finding a PT who can help won't be easy. It is a field where
people don't last long, few stay with it beyond 10 years. Many seem only
interested in working with sports injuries and accident re-hab. You need
someone who can get the current pain to subside, then has experience and
wisdom and real analytical skills for re-building with proper strengthening
and most importantly "life-style" training. Yes, shopping for good medical
help when you are in pain is damned unpleasant and difficult, but you've got
to shop just you do for anything else.
Good luck to find good help.
Chad Zimmerman wrote:
> Well, on day 5 now of this nagging back ache ... been taking back pills to
> eleviate the pain during the day. Probably should go to the on-campus
> health clinic and have a doctor look at it ....
>
> Knowing my luck though, he will probably say "We need to remove your
> spinal cord and replace it with a new one."
>
> Lousy timing ... class just started last week here.
>
> chad
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