I Constantly have backache
Symptom
I have constantly got lower back ache. Sometimes it is so bad I have to lie on the floor for ages just to get respite. I am always taking pain killers and they help but they don’t completely get rid of the pain. I am 5ft 7 and weigh about 10st 4lbs. I have three children and we live in a town so I walk them to school everyday.
I have been to the doctor and he has suggested I have some steroids injected into my spine. On speaking to friends who have done it they say it does work and it makes it much better for a while but the likelihood is that it will eventually come back again and I will need to go back again for more. Whilst I do not have a problem with this I wonder what alternatives there are.
Possible Solutions
The old theory of resting a back is not necessarily the case these days. Mobility seems to be much more of a positive solution. Having said that going for a run on the road is not going to help either.
Walking is very good and the more you can do the better. Pilates or yoga would improve flexibility and this may well also ease the joints.
Osteopaths and the Alexander technique are therapies that have reported great success with backache. There are several types of osteopaths so it is worth looking into the options. In addition to this other possible therapies would include Reflexology, Reiki, Shiatsu and massage.
Please note however that not all types of yoga/pilates suit all people and there are many different forms of yoga. Don’t try one and dismiss them all and similarly do not carry on if it is making it worse. You should also start gently and see what kind of exercise you like and what suits your body.
The most important thing to remember is that every back is different and whilst it is one of the most common complaints it is also very complex and whilst one thing might have worked for your friend it may not suit you.
Therapies to try
- Walking
- Yoga
- Pilates
- Osteopath
- Reflexology
- Reiki
- Shiatsu
- Massage
- Alexander technique
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I had a slipped disc
Symptom
I have always kept fit but my back has been harmed by sitting badly at the computer and tensing up with a phone under my chin. I recently developed a slipped disc and was in agony. My GP gave me painkillers and signed me off work. The prognosis was surgery from 3 practitioners which did not fill me with confidence.
Possible Solution
I tried the Alexander technique. I found a good teacher and within a month there was an improvement and within four I was more or less painfree and back to work.
Possible Therapies
- Alexander Technique
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I feel as if I have a constant block in the bottom of my back
Symptom
I have a pain at the bottom of my back which feels like there is a lump inside that won’t come out. It has been there for some time and whilst It does not stop me from doing anything I feel as if my back is getting stiffer.
Possible Solution
I started walking to get the bus to begin with and found the more I walked the better my back was so I started going out into the countryside at weekends and that really made a dfierence. I felt so much better too.
I also found a yoga class in my local village hall and I have started going to that too. Not only has the blocked feeling gone but I can now touch my toes with my legs straight! Thats not bad at 66.
Possible Therapy
- Walking
- Yoga
- Pilates
- Alexander Technique
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Lower back pain
Problem
I have always had a sensitive back and I have always been aware of it and often had niggles but this year I fell over ski-ing, landed on my shoulder and really hurt myself. Over the next few weeks my back got progressively worse until finally I spent one weekend flat out and could then barely get up to London on the train on the Monday.
Possible Solution
I got a list of people to see but the first person I got an appointment with was an acupuncturist. I went to see him on the Thursday and could hardly walk Within a week I was running again. I have now seen him 5 times and I am back to normal. At my last session I complained about some glute problems as I have been training to do a big cycling expedition in September. He treated them instead. They have felt fine ever since. It hurts in the treament but it is worth the pain. I will now be going to see him every three months just to keep on top of it.
It turns out that the problem goes back to a speedboat accident I had when I was 15 and I jarrred my back badly. It did heal but my body has remembered the trauma and whilst I had treated the symptom I had not treated the cause. The acupuncturist is now helping me to treat this too.
Possible Therapies
- Acupuncture
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Lower back ache
Earlier this year I decorated the dining room and a week later my lower back started aching. The pain made standing and driving difficult and sleep was impossible. My GP prescribed painkillers and explained there was an 18-week wait to see a physiotherapist – so my daughter suggested osteopathy.
I saw an osteopath who employed a number of different techniques. She used her elbows to get my buttock muscles to stop being so tight and gentler techniques to help my joints move more easily.
I only needed two appointments. I felt as if I’d been pulled back into shape. The treatment brought tears to my eyes but a couple of days later I was back to normal and I haven’t had a problem since.
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Backache all the time
Since retiring golf has become a bit of a passion so it was a real pain to start getting backache all the time, to the point where I couldn’t even finish a round. I had some osteopathy but my osteopath reckoned that acupuncture would do the trick and referred me on. It did! I was impressed with the way the two professionals worked together; it made me feel that my care was their highest priority. The only thing that hasn’t improved has been my scores!