Back problems

[ollster]

So, my back is screwed, I thought I might open a thread to have a whine. I've always had a delicate back, but recently (since november) it's been almost constantly sore to the point I actually had to go to the doctor.

Well, the doctor gave me exercises to do, and a list of physios to call. After doing my exercises, my back magically loosened up, to be replaced by nerve pain in my left hip, extending into my thigh. It feels like my thigh muscle has just had cramp, but all the time.

So, I'm starting to take this more seriously, as it's limiting my mobility to such a degree that I'm worried I won't be able to walk soon.

My self diagnosis is ciatic nerve problems. Has anyone else experienced this issue? Any luck in treatment?

[Liamy77]

welcome to my world Ollster!
i have had back issues all my life (i was born 10 weeks premature-it also stuffed up my sight in one eye.... "taggunah" translates roughly as a man who sees from 1 eye)

i have lower back, left hip and left knee issues from compensating for the back.... best solution i have found so far is keeping it strong AND flexible TOO one or the other doesn't do it- has to be both

i find when it gets bad a painfully hard sports massage followed immediately with a chiro visit has helped more than GPs and Physios, but they have their place in diagnostics..... ie dont get your back cracked by a chiro untill you know the problems cause just in case....

backs n knees suck as you can't do much without em... i also am looking at adding a bit of kayaking into the hiking so i a can still go on missions but not always with kgs on my back or knee..... walk the rest of the time ...

theres a heat / menthol cream called "Flexal" that is REALLY good too....

you can also take glucosamine and also fish oil with it to help joints....

liam

[ollster]

Thanks for the advise dude. I'm taking this seriously and am going to physios as soon as I can. I sympathise with anyone who's had to deal with this for a long as you have!

But, damn, I'm not liking your world one bit.

[Liamy77]

well apart from wearin glasses (that can fog up in *&%$#! weather) you wouldn't know it unless the pain is hittin..... i thought i made myself sound like quasimodo before...

maybe just make ILUVSWTAS carry all the heavy stuff - from the sound of it his gear is too light anyway! lol

my world can be good too ollster - you just need a warped perspective like mine... and a good supply of ibuprofen/codiene blend at times.....
learning to put up with it/cope certainly makes married life easier to cope with, for eg .... but don't tell Amy that! -she has a better left hook than me! -and she doesnt fight clean

[dancier]

Everyone is different but Pilates and walking solved my back, mind you I'm carefull. I had a walking friend many years ago who was laid up with a sciatic nerve problem and western medicine didn't have an answer but his Chinese doctor fixed it.

[Turtle81]

Ollster, don’t muck around with your back i have seen too many people in my job that had bad backs that they did not get treated straight away they thought "it'll go away" only to find they caused themselves more trouble in the long run and took twice as long to recover ... or worst case needed surgery! . No doubt they'll have you back on the track soon enough just don’t rush it ... just use the time to browse those catalogues full of gear that you can’t afford (if you’re like me that is)

[Jellybean]

Hey Ollster,

The symptoms you describe sound like sciatica, but best not to self-diagnose. I used to have some fairly significant back problems as an athlete (international level). The best solution for me was a physio who also had a manipulative therapy qualification (better than a chiro in my experience). He was able to provide the manipulation required to ensure my back was properly aligned and also the exercises required to strengthen my back/core.

To find a solution, I'd:

1. Identify a good physio with a manipulative therapy degree (ideally a sports physio with a manipulative therapy degree - sports physio is a separate qualification) - contact the Tasmanian Institute of Sport (TIS) to see who they recommend in your area (or check their website and see if their medical provider list is attached - that lists the medicos they recommend for TIS athletes.

2. If no success after giving 1. a go, find a sports physician who has a special interest in backs (via the TIS again) and get his opinion/advice.

3. Once the problem is sorted, seek out a good clinical pilates instructor in your area and go to that. (Clinical pilates instructors are generally physios - i.e., very well trained in the area. Pilates instructors (vs clinical pilates instructors) have often only had very basic training.

'Hope that helps.

Cheers,

JB

[ollster]

Thanks guys. I certainly wasn't self diagnosing for more than information purposes (mostly what sort of medical professional I should go to first). Not having a very nice time of it, so yes, will be taking this quite seriously.

JB - thanks for the information on the TIS as a starting point. I will see what they say.

PS: Not being able to go on walks doesn't really put me in the mood to gear shop, so I'm not at risk of spending my medical money on equipment.

[Liamy77]

i'd be happy to babysit your gear in the mean time ollster

[Nuts]

Hi Ollster, thats the pits.

I had a minor injury in my upper back (from a bike accident) that twinged with too much heavy work.

Several years ago i started to get a pain radiating from my hip down the outside of my right leg, the sciatic nerve. I too thought it was just the classic symptoms of 'sciatica'.
It is really bad, comes on with a dull pain that lasts for days then mysteriously settles down. Ive had physio and chiropractic help but it still comes and goes. I have talked to a couple of Orthopaedic surgeons about it (whilst moaning about my worn out knees) and they separately mentioned that the problem could be generated from the back injury and radiating down the leg.

You'll need a referral to not start spending gear money anyhow... Id suggest a GP, telling them you do want to take it further. Mine's usually bad enough at the time that I dont want anyone manipulating me and then settles down quick enough that I dont bother taking it further. Bad enough, long enough and i'd be straight there!

All the best anyhow...

[ollster]

i'd be happy to babysit your gear in the mean time ollster

Here I am, unable to walk with NeoAir and Jetboil toddlers in each arm and a new pair of SLM3 identical twins on the way! Just glad I didn't adopt that Mungo I was eyeing off...

[ollster]

...You'll need a referral to not start spending gear money anyhow... Id suggest a GP, telling them you do want to take it further. Mine's usually bad enough at the time that I dont want anyone manipulating me and then settles down quick enough that I dont bother taking it further. Bad enough, long enough and i'd be straight there!

All the best anyhow...

Thanks Nuts. I've already been to the GP, but that was before the nerve issue (when it was just back). I reckon I'll chance it with a local physio first and see how that goes. Will have to start taking care of myself either way methinks.

[shazcol]

Hi Ollster, I have had a similar sort of pain in my left hip and thigh for the past 12 months. Does your thigh pain get worse when you get up and start walking? Mine would radiate from my hip and shoot down into the front of my thigh and groin. Went to the doctor and he put me on some pills for nerve pain which made me incredibly drowsy and I couldn't work so stopped those. The thing that has made the difference at the moment is intensive physio and exercises. I go to special physio run exercise class where I do exerecises specifically for my problem. Have been concentrating on core and glut strength and that has helped immensely. So far so good I bulged a disc at L5 S1 joint 10 yrs ago lifting our then 6year old heffer of a son into the car, it's never really been the same since. Having a very strong stable core to support your back is the way to go . Good luck with it.

Sharon

[ILUVSWTAS]

maybe just make ILUVSWTAS carry all the heavy stuff - from the sound of it his gear is too light anyway! lol

Problem there is he's (me) had a bad back longer than Ollster and is just figuring out how to manage it! I had 6 months off walking recently....

[Nuts]

Walking Poles have helped with core and upper body strength (strengthened back and helped knees) (you guys may need the go-gadget 'slash hook' attachment though )

[Liamy77]

maybe we should all chip in and get a family of sherpas sent over here?!


damn i seem to have suddenly gotten older....

[ILUVSWTAS]

I have 2 bulging discs. L4 and L5. Dr said they arent bad enough to warrant surgery.. yet. But as im young if I did have surgery I would heal faster, however they also said as im young, I probably shouldnt have surgery... talk about fence sitting!!!
Anyway the disc when bulging sist on the nerve channel and thats what causes the sciatic pain to shoot down the buttocks, into the leg and at it's worst all the way down into the foot.

Someones comment about kida is spot on! The physio told me so many parents with young kids come in as we tend to always carry the child on one hip. This makes one side of the body uneven. Since then I either tell my lazy boy to walk, or try to shift him from one side to the other.

Back to you though Oll, unless your thinking of stopping walking altogether, i'd be more inclined to buy the Mungo. Carrying one of those ridiculously huge packs everywhere isnt going to help your back one bit!!!
You'll just have to join me in doing that Hippie Yoga you used to tease me about...

[ollster]

Well, went to the physio today. She prodded and poked and bent me and has diagnosed "L5/S1 irritation with sciatic referral", probably an issue brought on repeatedly performing lifting/bending with bad form.

We tried some gentle stretching exercises to loosen up the affected area's muscles and to afford the nerve a better path to travel through, and I felt a degree of instant relief (which was a relief!) and greater movement of my hip. Apparently I don't have anything bulging or ruptured, so I'm pretty much heading for a full recovery in around 5-6 weeks as long as I don't do anything stupid and maintain my home exercise routine and occasional heat packs/limited anti inflammatory medication. Walking and other gentle exercise is fine, but I'm not to sit for more than 20 mins... which will make work problematic, but thems the breaks.

PHEW!

So the moral of the story - don't mess with your back, it'll come back and bite you on the glute. I'll make additions to this thread after my next couple of appointments just to complete the story, but it looks like I will get out of this with a scare only.

[Liamy77]

thats good to hear.... if it bit you on the glute that woulda been a real pain in the ........

[corvus]

As someone who has lived with back pain for over 40 years I can sympathize with you both,mine can be managed but not fixed ( jumping out of planes and humphing heavy loads did not help) however at 64 I can still carry a reasonable pack weight for a good days Stroll and I try to avoid situations that may aggravate it like "scrub bashing in untracked areas " I also suffer from" angry uncle Arthur " in my knees and hands so at times need to rely on anti-inflammatory and strong pain killers especially on a multi day stroll but as a live wire once said "better to wear out than rust " so I will keep doing what I do and hope that there is some relief in store for you younger men
corvus

[ILUVSWTAS]

Couldnt agree more Corvus. Managing it is definately the key.
although I still enjoy a good scrub bash, I no longer hop from rock to rock, jump over logs, go hell for leather.. etc etc. slow and steady....

[Nuts]

i'd be more inclined to buy the Mungo. Carrying one of those ridiculously huge packs everywhere isnt going to help your back one bit!!!

No Mungo on the bear list: http://www.bear-grylls.com/bear_grylls_clothing.html

[corvus]

Hey I want one of those watches for my collection

[corvus]

Wish I could have done that free-fall not!! full parachute drop was hard enough

[ollster]

i'd be more inclined to buy the Mungo. Carrying one of those ridiculously huge packs everywhere isnt going to help your back one bit!!!

No Mungo on the bear list: http://www.bear-grylls.com/bear_grylls_clothing.html

Heh, you guys must be buying it all, I can't get to the site...

[Nuts]

Hey, I guess none of us will be up for the Fan V Wild challenge on Bears blogg...

Theres hardly anything left in the Bear shop I was hoping for a shirt but all these wannabees beat me to it... lol

[gayet]

A bit of "later down the track" thought - recheck the fit and positioning of the frame of your pack - it may be better taking more weight on the hips than on the shoulders as that is going to place less load on L5 S1.

I know, I have 30+ yrs a subluxation L5 on S1 with spondylosis and spondylolystheisis (? no spell check for that) and a further rotation/tilt of the pelvis that places pressure on the sciatic nerve - dead leg, aching leg or tingling leg, with tight hamstring and less than flexible ankle. But taking as much weight as possible off the spine and onto the hips/legs reduces problems when lugging a load. And lots of lower back and stomach strengthening work. The muscles do a great job of keeping the boney bits lined up correctly. Just avoid backflips, and don't bend over backwards for anyone!

[ollster]

Hey, I guess none of us will be up for the Fan V Wild challenge on Bears blogg...

OMG. If someone else does the climbing and jumping stuff, I'll set fire to *&%$#! and drink my own pee.

[corvus]

I got a cheaper fire starter on ebay $ 3.95 delivered and it is Bigger than his that you are most welcome to borrow

[ollster]

A bit of "later down the track" thought - recheck the fit and positioning of the frame of your pack - it may be better taking more weight on the hips than on the shoulders as that is going to place less load on L5 S1.

Good thought, but mine sits well on the hips (I usually get rub marks on each side after a few days walking) and I've never had any issues carrying loads with it. My only real problem is hoiking up a 25kg pack and throwing it on my back rather ungracefully. I think I'll try and stop that...

I guess this would be a good argument to request that the better half allow me to put climbing holds on the underside of the deck - "it's for back and stomach strengthening!"