Posted: 5/12/2005 5:17:51 AM EDT
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Let me start by saying that Im a mid 20's male in good shape, and am slighly suprised and scared that at my age am expierencing back problems. I know my body has taken an absolute BEATING from the years of racing MX, and then the roadracing. The first time I felt pain in my back was when I was about 19, when I was getting ready to open a family business, and I moved a desk. I did something that day that relegated me to a bed for more than a week. I don't know if I pulled my sciatica (sp?) of maybe herniated a disc? Latley ( the last 6mos), i've been feeling alot of pain in my lower back, especially upon waking up in the am. I find it particulary difficult to get out of bed, and even bend down to put on my shoes. As the day goes on, I feel les pain. But, let me add that I also feel a slight pain/numbness in my buttocks, knees, and ankles/feet sometimes. This morning, when I awoke, I turned over and felt a instant pain in my mid back, but not inline with my spine, and have just decided to go to the doc. Currently I don't have health insurance, so this will be paid out of pocket. I guess my question is should I go to a chiroprator, or should I just go to a specialist and have MRI. etc done? I don't want to mess around, and god forbid if it is worse than I think it is, and I take a fall or something, I just don't want something permanant ( paralysis ) to happen. Thanks for any help.... John |
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As a nurse here is my advice. See a doctor to make sure it's not very serious but, do not have any operation unless you are bedridden. You are just as old as most of these posters, early. Take it easy, use proper body mechanics, take Ibuprophen every 4-6 hours, you have to get a level in your system for it to really kick in. |
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Diffinately get it checked out [by a doctor] to insure its nothing serious. There are loads of exercises you can do to strengthen your back to elieviate your pain and to protect it from injury. You should be stretching 4-5 times a day now that you have pain. I find that ice helps heal better than heat does. A nice bag of frozen peas on the back off and on before bed time will do wonders. Patty |
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i spent SEVERAL years going to MD's for my problems <lower back and right shoulder. xrays and mri never showed any real problems. Always the same thing..... muscle relaxers and pain killers of various strengths depending on the pain and the doc. Meds had me so screwed up i couldn't function. on a whim i decided to give a chiro a try after getting tired of medical bills and nothing working from the MD's. The chiro i went to was a physical therpist before he went chiro. he does not beleive in or offer the voodoo witchcraft garbage that some try to sell. i am on 2 years now with little to no pain and almost full mobility without drugs. First month was one "treatment" a week. after that once a month for about 6 months. Now i only go when i begin to feel some discomfort <about every 3 months>. at 35.00 per visit it has not only been cheaper but it has worked. Chiro may not be for everyone but i can honestly say it worked in mycase. mike |
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Almost 2 years ago I twisted and lower back popped. After that I had a numbness in my right ass cheek. It progressed down my right leg to the point that I couldn't hardly walk. Couldn't bend or stoop. Had to crawl out of bed and sex was almost impossible. (j/k, it was impossable) Went to the Dr, and found out through xrays and MRI's that I had a slipped and herniated disk between L5 and S1 vertebra. After physical therapy and learning how to lift and move things properly, I am better. Every once in a while I get a pain but it doesn't last long. Even though you don't have insurance, get to a Dr. and have it checked out. You're to young to have back problems and they will only get worst without treatment. |
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Hey shootemeup, Im 24 and have similar back problems i hurt my back lifting weights several years ago. it has NEVER been the same since.... I CAN recomend going to a chiroprator. I was stuck in bed for 3 days not able to move after my incident. When i was able to get up, i went to a chiropractor, he took x-rays made a couple adjustments,a couple days later i was fine. But still my back does go out everyonce in a while, there nothing i can do about it. I either move funny, sudden movement to it ..etc. I still have to see him everyonce in a while but in a matter of days im back up and running... I have started taking calcium pills and that has helped alot!! |
Many years ago I was told that many back problems start as a muscle problem then progress to bone etc. Without an xray or MRI hard to say if arthritis or worse. Try sleeping on your side as much as possible. Streching is good also. |
That's what I used to think until I had back problems. After going to my Dr. and therapy and still having pain I went to a chiropractor basically as a last resort. Without any surgery or pain medication, I was feeling much better within a week and still continue to improve. Are there chiropractors out there that are quacks? Certainly, just the same as some docs. But, most docs either want to cut on you or just give you pain pills. Life is too short for that. |
The only thing cheap enough while still being effective will be Discosan. I think they bill the ins. cos $100 or so per shot, but you should be able to bargain and get it down to less than $40. All it is is ozonated oxygen, so it's pretty cheap. The only costs are the bottled oxygen and the ozone generator with the special interface for the needle. Good luck finding it in the USA, though. I've only seen it in Italy. I don't know why, it is a Godsend. |
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big + on seeing the Dr. Also, a screwed up back is never as good as before it was messed up, it'll be a problem all your life. accept it and take steps to help it now..once they get the pain under control, start doing stomach exercises, (ur dr will give you a list)..good luck bro...I have to deal with back pain a few times a year myself. |
| best thing you can do for back problems is stretch. lie on back wrap belt around ankal lift leg with belt to stretch ham muscles. this muscle is the biggest cause of lower back problems if you do it before bed you'll get better results since your muscles are warmed up. this is not an instant fix you might have to do this faithfully for more than a month. learned this from a deep muscle sports therapist who used to work on Swartsanager, Hope, Kennedys ladaldalda, but it saved me from getting surgery, it happened from working out without streching properly, my brother was not so lucky. |
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I was in similar pain 12-yrs. ago. Stiffness & pain in lower back, with the pain radiating from my lower back, through my left leg to my left ankle. I had a herniated disk. Surgeon performing the laminectomy at the L-5, S-1 level did a great job. I was running again 4-months later, and haven't had a problem since. 
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Wait 10 years. |
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I want to thank everyone for all the imput you have rendered. I made the decision to go see a chiropractor first, based on my current situation, and on a referral from a freind of mine. I'm sure all will go well, as doing something now is better than nothing. John |
+1 All the doc's offered me was lots of drugs, couldn't even work under the influance. My Chrio fixed me, been drug & pain free for years. If chrios were quacks, Insurance Companies wouldn't pay for them. Blue Cross covered my chiro visits. And for those of you who call them quacks, go to a physiucal therapist and experience what they do. No different except a PT can prescribe drugs and a chiro can't. YMMV. An in regards to the original post, see a doc first and have a CT scan/MRI done. You probably have a serious issue due to your lifestyle. |
