Selfsufficientish.com

Slipped a disc when much younger which we got sorted at an osteopath. But now i've got back ache again - is there anything i can do? will tiger balm help? thanks :-)

Try a tens machine...brilliant things...but get it looked at!

rather depends what sort of back ache!I also slipped a disc years ago, and now have osteoarthritis there (and hips), and get different pains on seperate occasions, and different "tricks" help different pains!

One thing though I try to stay away from pain kikllers, as they just kill the pain, not the cause, and its easy to make it worse before through using pain meds,by diong more than one should.

One thing that helps is changing footwear, from say atrainer to totally flat, or bare foot, it, alters the body´s stance and ( for me ) can alleviate many of the symptoms.squatting down for a few minutes helps if the nerve is pinched, it seems to open up the space and help untrap it.

Really rather depends on individual, and as BR said best to get it checked anyway

niknik wrote:
One thing though I try to stay away from pain kikllers, as they just kill the pain, not the cause, and its easy to make it worse before through using pain meds,by diong more than one should.

I agree with everything else you say, but for some conditions a quick dose of aspirin can work wonders! I occasionally give my back a little rick in the course of work - entirely my fault: I should be more careful - and all it needs in the way of repair is a little anti-inflamatory and a day off. Should get it checked out though: a friend of ours discovered that her aching back was due to her hip replacements disintergrating

hi, just my experience, having had lower back pain through slipped disc, on and off for past 6 years. i also steered away from pain killers or NSAIds but now i have changed my mind. i got so frustrated about the pain slowing me down i started taking off the counter nsaids (just nurofen and sometimes voltaren) and its been so much better this year and i have been riding regularly and gardening really a lot. i can't work out what triggers my back pain, whether its activity, certain movements, or my sleeping position, all i know is if i pop a pill and keep going and it's been better than its been in years. in my case meds have definitely helped and now i only take them a few times a month.

I Know someone on her second set of hip replacements, who put pain in her arm and occasional inability to swallow down to her hips (she's had a lifetime of pain) but an MRI scan revealed that she had broken her neck. The doctors reckon it had been broken for two years and it's incredible that she's still here to tell the tale .

I'd take up yoga, pilates or Alexander Technique southeast-isher as it sounds as if you need to work those muscles around an old injury and re-learn posture so as to not put strain on them.

book called "fix your own back" gives a great set of exercises to help and strengthen

thanks so much all of you

Years ago,it was recommended you lay flat on your back for hours(like on the floor!I can remember my Mum doing this!!!)but these days they say to keep moving around.A good movement for backs is to lie on your back with arms away from your body outstretched.Legs should be bent at the knee but feet firmly on floor.Now move both legs to the right,and then to the left,repeat 10 times.I do yoga alot,and my OH usually once a year suffers with Sciatica.He had to go to Physio and they recommended he does this twice a day.He says he helps alot!I would say though to get some pro help before trying this,as everyone is different.My OH also says going for longish walks also eases the pain quite abit.Good luck,there is not alot worse than a crook back!

thanks again all of you... you always come up with something useful. just considering my options!

Now, this might not help southeast-isher but it's a story that might help someone out there who's suffering from backache.

Loads of people couldn't help me with my backache - the only thing that eased it was going swimming. Oh, they could point out the bent spine in an MRI and offer all sorts of stuff I didn't want to take, but that was it.

Then one day, I got a pain in an ankle, so I went to a podiatrist. As I walked in, he said I had backache and, within five minutes, told me my left leg was an couple or three mills shorter than my right, which over the decades had made my brain subconsciously compensate (to keep my eyes level) by curving my spine.

The pain in the ankle was the result of that foot hitting the ground harder than the other.

I now have orthotic insoles plus a 'spacer' under the foot in the short leg and hey presto! I can dig, walk, whatever. The back still bothers me when I do too much but I reckon I'm as 'cured' as I ever could be. And all because I went to a foot doctor rather than a back doctor.

I dont know if this would work for backs but it does for other aches and pains in joints -that is to put a bit of WD40 on it and rub in. Honest I am not joking, it does work.OK you may pong a bit but for some reason it seems to work!!

Tiger balm is excellent for muscle ache, but as yours is the result of a nerve problem, it might not work.
The Alexander technique is fab!

I pulled all the ligaments in my back when I was younger, and get problems with sciatica now. The doc suggested ibruprofen to take down the swelling around the irritated nerve.

Really watch your posture. It's amazing how bad your posture can get when you're not aware of it. Also, look at how you sleep. Some sleeping positions put strain on your back.

the.fee.fairy wrote:Really watch your posture. It's amazing how bad your posture can get when you're not aware of it. Also, look at how you sleep. Some sleeping positions put strain on your back.

Yeah these are problems for me. :-(

Got some Tiger Balm today!

southeast-isher wrote:

the.fee.fairy wrote:Really watch your posture. It's amazing how bad your posture can get when you're not aware of it. Also, look at how you sleep. Some sleeping positions put strain on your back.

Yeah these are problems for me. :-(

Got some Tiger Balm today!

If you sleep on your side, try sleeping with a pillow between your knees. It might help, who knows?