Paging: Fags with back problems

[yawner]

My back just 'went' yesterday while planting flipping plants*. By 'went', I mean I now have difficulty in transferring from a lying or sitting to standing position without discomfort, and I get teh occasional shot of pain down the left leg. Problem is clearly at base of spine and disc-related.

Question is - is it worth the hassle going to see my GP, or will he just send me home with a packet of painkillers prescribing bed rest? I really don`t want to sit in a waiting room with bug-ridden members of the general public if I don`t have to. 

*These plants are lethal. Last time I fiddled with them I twisted my ankle - ask Sam. Thousands of miles on a motorbike? No problem. Plants? Forget it.

[Chris H]

Welcome to bad back land Mr Y.

Forget the quack and cleverly milk the situation for maximum sympathy.

[sickpuppy]

Don't bother seeing your GP. The best they'll offer is a list of chiropractors in the area that you can pay to see. You can see him out of peace of mind and he'll certainly do no harm but he won't do much good either. He may give you pain killers but be careful as they'll mask the pain enough that you may think you're better than you really are and do more damage.

The shooting pain down your left leg is due to one of your discs pushing against a nerve. That probably means the disc has slipped a little. If it had completely slipped you'd have trouble even standing.

If you can I'd walk around. I little gentle exercise is better for it than just lying on it. Don't stoop or stand unnaturally and certainly don't lift anything. Your best bet is a specialist. Welcome to the back pain lottery. There are 3 main type of people you can see. Osteopaths, chiropractors and physiotherapy. You'll find different people rate different ones more than others. Osteopathy was a nightmare for me and actually made things worse, my shoulders can now click whereas before none of my joints made any noise. I found chiropractors a waste of time to although I know people who swear by them. In the end I settled for physiotherapy as it seemed to have the most grounding in science although they did try acupuncture on me (it didn't work.)

One of the other guys will probably now swear by one of the other methods now.

Phew, long story short. Pick a specialist and see what they say. The initial consultation is around £25. They'll be able to tell you for sure if a disc has slipped or if you've just bruised it in some way.

[chavalier]

go outside and get someone to shoot you

[yawner]

Pick a specialist and see what they say. The initial consultation is around £25. They'll be able to tell you for sure if a disc has slipped or if you've just bruised it in some way.

Helen our housekeeper had an operation to sort her disc problem out and she's fine now (at least she says she is). She reckons I must insist on a "scan".

Think you're right about gentle exercise Matt  - I seem to be pain free if I limit myself to lurking around the place and talking to guests. Chris - yes I spy big sympathy potential. 

Kimbal, you're taking to the 'country way' far too quickly for my liking...

[sickpuppy]

Pick a specialist and see what they say. The initial consultation is around £25. They'll be able to tell you for sure if a disc has slipped or if you've just bruised it in some way.

Helen our housekeeper had an operation to sort her disc problem out and she's fine now (at least she says she is). She reckons I must insist on a "scan".

My mate was offered an operation to sort his disc out. The doctor said one of the possible side-effects was paralysis from the waist down. Surprisingly he never went for the op in the end.

[slaughteredlamb]

Well I was off work for 4 months at the start of the year with very similar problems and yesterday it went ping again so I'm off work....again. Hopefully back on Monday though.

The kind of injury that you could have done ranges from the severe to the very minor.

Severe - Slipped Disc. If you had done this you would KNOW about it. The pain is excruciating and you wouldnt be able to move and would more than likely welcome a bullet to the skull.

Minor - You've just pulled a muscle ya big Jessy! Give it a day or two and you'll be fine.

However the fact that you are getting sciatica (the pain down the leg) suggests that you've done something in between which, although may ease in time, you'd be advised to see an Osteopath about. The Sciatica means that something is pressing on the sciatic nerve or that the nerve is trapped, either way this is not a good thing and could, in extreme cases lead to loss of sensation in the leg due to nerve damage. What you may have done is knocked a vertebra out of position slightly, easily done and not as severe or scary as it sounds (you haven't broken your back), this has caused the muscles to go into spasm which is the natural thing for them to do as this acts as a kind of splint, protecting the damaged spine. These muscle spasm can be incredibly painful and can literally paralyze the area momentarily. The Sciatica would then be caused by this misaligned vertebra brushing against the sciatic nerve.

An Osteopath would do an initial assessment and then, more than likely, lay you on your back with your arms crossed over your chest, they would then roll you onto your side, put their hand where the vertebra is, roll you back onto their hand and then basically jump onto you! This basically 'pop' all the vertebra back into place with a loud and sickening crunch like noise. It sounds like this would be agony, it's not, well not usually. I've had this done to me several times and although not a pleasant experience and you do tend to swear quite a bit afterwards it's only once really hurt, all other times it just feels like someones whacked you one but without the sting of pain.

What they might do afterwards, depending on how you back re-acts is to do some soft tissue work to calm it down which doesnt hurt at all and is very gentle and relaxing.

If you are really in a lot of pain than either go to your chemist and get some painkillers that are a mixture of Codeine and Paracetamol or go to your GP and they will prescribe a slightly stronger version that you can't buy over the counter. Just be aware that these drugs can make your very drowsy so don't drive etc.

[Tony]

... Just be aware that these drugs can make your very drowsy so don't drive etc.

They go great with beer though!

[chavalier]

he lives in the country drink driving is legal

[yawner]

Felt great tonight lounging around watching telly. The walk upstairs has nearly killed me. 

[Mr Tickle]

he lives in the country drink driving is legal

yeah, don't even need to drink a coffee

[Shirker]

Just live with it and get on with life as best you can. I've done mine peroperly three times now - one of those where it hurts to move a hand, nevermind your back. After a couple of days the best thing to do it move/hobble around a wee bit and the movement itself helps the back recover.

Resist anyone who offers to 'pop disc back in' or suchlike. - discs dont move, they bulge and burst, which is nice. Massage can reduce the swelling but that's it.

[Jeewhizz]

I thought that I had a back problem this week. Had pain on my back and it was shooting up and down.

Woke up yesterday to find out I've got shingles

[Notorious MCSE]

Massage can reduce the swelling but that's it.

Werd. Ive had loads of massages on my twice dislocated shoulder and now it is golden (except a knocking sound when I put a glass to my mouth) but other than that, there is no pain whats so ever it was fecking killing for ages though before the massages. Took a course of 15, the only downside was having a fat chinese chap rubbing your back like it was dough.

Get down to a Chinese/Tibetan masseur and not the kind that offer blowjobs or handjobs either, they will sort it out quickly if they are upto much.

I have an American friend who is about Yawner age with a funny knee, he got accupuncture and walks without a cane now, even jogs. I was tempted by it until I saw the 6-8inch needles that they wanted to use. If your a wimp, massage, if your hardcore and are really in pain, needles arent going to hurt much more.

[yawner]

Still knacking 

[Mantis]

1. Avoid sitting for any prolonged period.

1a. If you must sit ensure that the curve of the lower back is maintained.

2. I would avoid Osteopaths etc they dont make my back much better but affect my bank balance

3. Take Ibuprofen (If you have stomach problems you will need to see a GP) If you are like me you can take 800 Ibuprofen every 8 hours ((Max dose per day 2400))

4. Keep active best thing is walking

5. You have my simpathy, which leg BTW right leg is my problem and I have a "large paracentral disk bulge L5/S1" (not my scan but quite similar)

[rutty]

Bad luck old fella. Would you like to speak to certain medical practitioner with a history of back issues? I'm sure she could offer some advice, although I think that Stuart and Mr Lamb have covered the bases.

[yawner]

Its my left leg and I'm popping the Paramols. They seem to have a cumulative effect as the day goes on and I pop more. Feels a bit easier after finding a comfy position on the sofa from where I`ve been watching motor sport for the last 3 hrs.

Hoping I feel better in the morning or Mrs Y is going to make me go to the local GPs to sit with all the sick people.

[Chris H]

Don't try the Harley Mr Y.

Your back will go and you'll not be able to put your legs down. You could end up riding it until the petrol runs out and then toppling off.

[chavalier]

Feels a bit easier after finding a comfy position on the sofa

excercise it or it'll cease up at your age

[yawner]

Feels a bit easier after finding a comfy position on the sofa

excercise it or it'll cease up at your age

that'll be why my willy went then 

[sickpuppy]

Mine's gone again this morning. Maybe I overdid celebrating our wedding anniversary yesterday.

[Mantis]

Its my left leg and I'm popping the Paramols. They seem to have a cumulative effect as the day goes on and I pop more. Feels a bit easier after finding a comfy position on the sofa from where I`ve been watching motor sport for the last 3 hrs.

Hoping I feel better in the morning or Mrs Y is going to make me go to the local GPs to sit with all the sick people.

Ibuprofen helps reduce swelling and although it does not have a great affect on the pain it does help more than paracetamol.

BUT

As they work differently you can take both

When at your GP ask fro some Codiene. Then you can take all three at the same time and I tell you that does work AND . . . You can still have booze in fact a rhumatologist I know recommends red wine for this condition

[Mr Anderson]

When at your GP ask fro some Codiene.

Paramol contains already dihydrocodeine and paracetamol.

Then you can take all three at the same time and I tell you that does work AND . . . You can still have booze in

Depends entirely on what form the codeine is in. With codeine phosphate (the kind in cocodamol) it's generally okay. With dihydrocodeine, it generally isn't.

The best advice given so far is to go to a doctor. Get a proper diagnosis, a hospital referral if needed, and more appropriate guidance on pain management (I seriously wouldn't try taking 800 ibuprofen - I know that you likely meant 800mg ibuprofen, but some people maybe won't. And even if they did, 800mg is not a recommended dosage without medical supervision.)

[Mantis]

And even if they did, 800mg is not a recommended dosage without medical supervision.)

I take pure Parecetamol, Ibuprofen and Codiene Phospate I do not take the cocktails. Codiene is a morphiate and is perscription only, my good lady wife writes me a prescription when I need it.

Fortunately my wife is a Dr and the person who recommend I try 800mg of Ibuprofen is a Geriatrician (I have no adverse reactions to Ibuprofen but some people do) . It is also common with back injuries to take anti depressants as they act as a muscle relaxant, I stay well away from those!

You are right, in that you need to be certain about what you are taking or if in doubt get the advice of a medic.

[yawner]

I seriously wouldn't try taking 800 ibuprofen

  oh feck




  yes a trip to somebody with letters after his/her name is my next step - and I don`t mean asking Jimmy Saville OBE to fix it for me

[Chris H]

It is also common with back injuries to take anti depressants as they act as a muscle relaxant,

I can see Mr Y becoming one of these pensioners with a greenhouse full of skunk, for 'medicinal purposes, y'understand'.

[yawner]

It is also common with back injuries to take anti depressants as they act as a muscle relaxant,

I can see Mr Y becoming one of these pensioners with a greenhouse full of skunk, for 'medicinal purposes, y'understand'.

  the old girl who was in the news recently for making cakes laced with dope lives just along the road from us

[chavalier]

  yes a trip to somebody with letters after his/her name is my next step -

try a  flaming  muslim

[Mr Anderson]

Fortunately my wife is a Dr and the person who recommend I try 800mg of Ibuprofen is a Geriatrician

You can consider that to be medical supervision