Monday, December 8, 2008

I have some back problems. Lower back to be exact. Many years ago I pulled/tore some muscles in my lower back. There were conflicting opinions about that at the time with the only agreement being given lots of pain medication and rest followed by sit-ups when I felt better. No, I didn't have insurance at the time so yes, my medical care was minimal. The lasting legacy of this long ago trauma(incurred while sorting laundry of all things) is near constant low level pain with occasional extremely painful flare-ups that literally incapacitate me. Over the years I have sought out various remedies/treatments for this ranging from aspirin and liquid pain relief(not together of course!), gym memberships and yoga, to x-rays and chiropractic. Aspirin helps a little of course but you can only take so much. Liquid pain relief- while it can be fun- is never the way to treat what ails you. Gym memberships led to more back pain and well, yoga can be a little too- umm-philosophical for me. X-rays proved that I had no fractures, indications of arthiritis, or ruptered discs. Chiropractic had some scary pops, a few nice massages and invitations to try this supplement and that meal replacement plan blah, blah, blah. Once again the critics can only agree that I have an exagerated curveature in my lower spine that will never change and should work on strengthening my core, oh and those large breasts don't help. Well, my back has always had that deep curve (I will never forget the dressmaker of one bridesmaid dress telling me I had a back more swayed than a camels!) and I can only thank my maternal predecessors for the uh hm "mongo boobs" and they're not going anywhere. The unfortunate asect of this is that I know what I need to do, but none of the aforementioned medical professionals have had much of a clue about how I can strengthen my core without hurting myself more- though all have been interested in offering me continued care in the pain management area of this. I don't want pain management. I want to be able to sit down without hurting, bend over to tie my shoes and load the dishwasher like a normal person. I don't want to be managed, I want to be treated effectively and proactively. Is that too much to ask?
My back hurts (T_T)

4 comments:

WanderingGirl said...

Okay, here's some advice from your friend the physical therapist...

1)x-rays only show bones and cannot show you if there's any problem with the disc. You need an MRI for that.
2) Don't go back to the chiropractor. They forcefully manipulate bones back into place without addressing any of the issues with what's attached to them. I don't recommend them.
3)Get a referral to a physical therapist. You need a multi-faceted approach to undoing the years of secondary effects of back pain, and addressing the problems at the core of the situation. Go. Seriously.

Brook said...

Thanks, Derek and I were talking about this last night (btw I haven't been to a chiropracter in a long time cause I feel the same way)and are getting on with the getting of a pt referral. Do you hve any tips on what to look for in agood PT?

WanderingGirl said...

Call and ask clinics if they have anyone who is McKenzie certified. It's one of the best styles of treating back pain, but you don't want to dick around with someone who only dabbles in it. If no one is McKenzie trained, find someone with a lot of manual skills and knowledge/treatment experience with spines and who will help you have an active role in your recovery (read as, you will do exercises for homework). DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT go see someone who advertises cranio-sacral therapy. Crock'o'shit.

WanderingGirl said...

Hey, I just tried to email you but the email on your profile bounced back to me. Mine is akadventuring at gmail dot com, then I can send it to you again.