#&$%&#@**#$!!!!

Gahr, my back has gotten worse the past few weeks too. I am saying those same words your thread started with.

%&^&%(&
I'm sorry to hear that, Chili. Back pain is a weird thing. Even when the pain is not really severe it can completely incapacitate you. And very often there is no real cure that can fix you completely. I hope you'll get better quickly. Btw. do you know if there was a specific event that caused your problems when you were young?
 
Gahr,

I'm really sorry to hear of your back issue. Take care of yourself. The pain can be absolutely debilitating.

I remember many years ago, my wife hurt her back and could barely move. What had happened is a very small piece of her disc had gotten pinched off by her vertebrae. This small piece of disc was trapped inside her spine between the spinal cord and the inside of the vertebrae.

This is one situation that would not have been corrected by any amount of therapy, bed rest, ice, or drugs. The only corrective action was to surgically remove the wayward piece of disc. The surgery was pretty short - maybe two hours. All they did was drill a hole in one vertebra and extract the piece of disc through the hole. The hole in the vertebra eventually heals with new bone.

Today she is doing great. Since she does have a compressed disc in that area, she does have to be bit careful of her activities, but she doesn't live in pain.

The really fortunate thing was that we had a doctor who was willing to think a little outside the box. She was a great surgeon.
 
It's easier for me spit out advise than actually to practice it, but having a strong core (abdomen) muscle foundation is key to having a healthy back.

This seems to be a quick and informative article on simple and safe techniques to achieve or maintain a healthy back:

The old-school straight legged sit-ups is a big no-no!
 
I'm sorry to hear that, Chili. Back pain is a weird thing. Even when the pain is not really severe it can completely incapacitate you. And very often there is no real cure that can fix you completely. I hope you'll get better quickly. Btw. do you know if there was a specific event that caused your problems when you were young?

Thanks Gahr, I can't cite any specific incident. As I used to play a ton of different sports, I am pretty sure a life of collisions, falls, bad landings etc up to my late teen years eventually caused me to have a sense of tightness on up to a more intense knife like stabbing pain or even muscle spasm crooked posture type more severe incident from time to time. The worst occurrences were when I lifted something too heavy for me and had to carry the object up steps or long distances before setting it down. Thinigs like pool table slates and granite kitchen counter tops really were the worst events. These were at around age 23 and age 45 ish.

Other times I fell and landed poorly on some building materials that luckily didn't break my ribs. And now this time, I basically did nothing, it is likely from aging and the whole life of disk problems and what I now feel I have Spinal Stenosis which doesn't help.
I have been seeing a chiropractor, but lately even his treatments have not relieved the pain for long. AND of course, now that I am hurting the worst, he went on vacation all this week, since last Friday.
 
Gahr,

I'm really sorry to hear of your back issue. Take care of yourself. The pain can be absolutely debilitating.

I remember many years ago, my wife hurt her back and could barely move. What had happened is a very small piece of her disc had gotten pinched off by her vertebrae. This small piece of disc was trapped inside her spine between the spinal cord and the inside of the vertebrae.

This is one situation that would not have been corrected by any amount of therapy, bed rest, ice, or drugs. The only corrective action was to surgically remove the wayward piece of disc. The surgery was pretty short - maybe two hours. All they did was drill a hole in one vertebra and extract the piece of disc through the hole. The hole in the vertebra eventually heals with new bone.

Today she is doing great. Since she does have a compressed disc in that area, she does have to be bit careful of her activities, but she doesn't live in pain.

The really fortunate thing was that we had a doctor who was willing to think a little outside the box. She was a great surgeon.

I really should credit our family practitioner, too. He was a kindly old gentleman of a doctor.

Normally, I really distrust doctors and the healthcare industry, as a whole.

But...my family doctor at the time reminded me of a long-lost era. I liked him and trusted him.

My trust was well-placed. Unfortunately, he has since passed away. It’s too bad.

Anyway, due to his experience and knowledge he referred my wife for immediate surgery when I called him, near panicked, that my wife was having issues with bowel and bladder control, all while in excruciating pain.

(He had seen her and knew the backstory.)

I raced as fast as I could legally (and illegally!) to George Washington University Hospital, where this tiny surgeon took over. I am a full six feet. This little doctor was barely five feet, if that. She looked like she was barely big enough to wield a scalpel. Yet, she took my wife...and with all Godspeed...returned my wife safe and sound.
 
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Well, with my chiropractor out to Florida for vacation the very week my back worsens and no health insurance, I try my best with all my experiences from 32 years of back issues to find relief from the pain.

So, with numerous doses of Aleve, numerous icings of my low back, an electrical stim, massage from my lady, and a pretty good tolerance for pain, I decide to hunt a new chiropractor near the house around 3 pm a get a 4 pm appointment.

I felt pretty good about the doctor and seemed to get a measure of relief from the level of pain I was in when I arrived. He wants to see me Tuesday and I think he said again on Thursday. So, I am hoping tomorrow gets me further improved and by Thursday, I can feel lesser pain to where I can basically keep icing things and cut out the NSAIDS. In the end, I will hope one or both of them get me back into at least minimal amount of pain so I can walk and work without feeling agony every step of the way.
 
Well, with my chiropractor out to Florida for vacation the very week my back worsens and no health insurance, I try my best with all my experiences from 32 years of back issues to find relief from the pain.

So, with numerous doses of Aleve, numerous icings of my low back, an electrical stim, massage from my lady, and a pretty good tolerance for pain, I decide to hunt a new chiropractor near the house around 3 pm a get a 4 pm appointment.

I felt pretty good about the doctor and seemed to get a measure of relief from the level of pain I was in when I arrived. He wants to see me Tuesday and I think he said again on Thursday. So, I am hoping tomorrow gets me further improved and by Thursday, I can feel lesser pain to where I can basically keep icing things and cut out the NSAIDS. In the end, I will hope one or both of them get me back into at least minimal amount of pain so I can walk and work without feeling agony every step of the way.
Feel better brother
 
Well, with my chiropractor out to Florida for vacation the very week my back worsens and no health insurance, I try my best with all my experiences from 32 years of back issues to find relief from the pain.

So, with numerous doses of Aleve, numerous icings of my low back, an electrical stim, massage from my lady, and a pretty good tolerance for pain, I decide to hunt a new chiropractor near the house around 3 pm a get a 4 pm appointment.

I felt pretty good about the doctor and seemed to get a measure of relief from the level of pain I was in when I arrived. He wants to see me Tuesday and I think he said again on Thursday. So, I am hoping tomorrow gets me further improved and by Thursday, I can feel lesser pain to where I can basically keep icing things and cut out the NSAIDS. In the end, I will hope one or both of them get me back into at least minimal amount of pain so I can walk and work without feeling agony every step of the way.
What's worse than occasional back pain? .... CHRONIC BACK PAIN!!!!!!

I would hate to be in your shoes, Chili. Hope you get to feeling better... :cheers:
 
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sorry to hear Chili nothing worse than being out of commission! --

Hope you get some relief SOON!

what part of FLORIduh that doctor in -- maybe I can cut his VACAY short for him???
 
Adrian, I think I heard something like Palm Springs maybe.

Anyhow, after my 2nd trip to the new chiropractor, I felt some relief and was able to actually work on installing a new vanity and drain and supply lines for my girlfriend's new bathroom I am working on. From last week till now, I was getting the agony of low lumbar pains and radiating into my right hip, so comfort for working, sitting, and sleeping really sucked. SO to actually be able to kneel, stretch, carry tools and materials, etc is a great leap.

After getting the "cash price" of $120 per treatment Tuesday, and his lump sum estimate for a 20 session treatment on a decompression table and adjustments of something like $2200+, I decided I would grit my teeth and bear it till my regular chiropractor returns Saturday. I am set up with him for a full year of treatments for $25 for once per week treatments.

Now SO I don't jack this thread too bad, HOW ARE YOU feeling, GAHR?
 
HOLY SHCNIKIES and ZOINKS! --- those decompression tables are cool--- but FYI so is the WATERMASSAGE bed at Planet Fitness---- 20.00 a month ----- Im not joking-- once he gets YOU BACK-- I highly recommend the watermassageer for ongoing wellness.
 
Adrian, I think I heard something like Palm Springs maybe.

Anyhow, after my 2nd trip to the new chiropractor, I felt some relief and was able to actually work on installing a new vanity and drain and supply lines for my girlfriend's new bathroom I am working on. From last week till now, I was getting the agony of low lumbar pains and radiating into my right hip, so comfort for working, sitting, and sleeping really sucked. SO to actually be able to kneel, stretch, carry tools and materials, etc is a great leap.

After getting the "cash price" of $120 per treatment Tuesday, and his lump sum estimate for a 20 session treatment on a decompression table and adjustments of something like $2200+, I decided I would grit my teeth and bear it till my regular chiropractor returns Saturday. I am set up with him for a full year of treatments for $25 for once per week treatments.

Now SO I don't jack this thread too bad, HOW ARE YOU feeling, GAHR?
Hijack all you want, man!(y)

As it were, I'm feeling like s**t at the moment.:p The back is better but stiff and sore as hell. I guess I need to start walking and move around a bit to loosen it up. But the biggest problem right now (completely unrelated, of course) is that I seem to have contracted some stuff in my stomach. I'm constipated, I have a fever and it aches like hell. Can't for the life of me squeeze out anything! Haven't taken a crap for almost three days, which probably hasn't happened since I was born... But I suppose it will pass (quite literally...), I guess it's just an instance of it never rains but it pours. Regarding the back, I still hope to be back at work come Monday, but at the rate things are going right now, I'm not sure. The last few days have made me think hard about how long I'll actually be able to do the work I'm currently doing. It's hard, and takes its toll on my body. Unfortunately I think what I'm experiencing at the moment is the first signs of the long-term effects of my work.
 
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