what do you do for back pain?

[ausfire]

I had to call up and cancel today's demos as I suffered a really bad back spasm. The thing is, I wasn't doing anything strenuous at the time - just bent down to cut a piece of fencing wire off the roll and SNAP. Instant immobility and pain.  I guess most of you have done this at some time. Any tips for what to do? Besides lots of Neurofen and rest. Some say apply ice, others say heat packs. Some say rest, some say try to walk as much as you can. No forging for a while I guess. Even sitting at the computer is difficult.

[Gergely]

For me sitting is killing bad when this sort happens. (BTW a couple months ago I had the exact same accident you described.) Sauna is one thing that remedies all muscle spasm pain. Resting and clever moving also works for me. By clever moving I mean softly and slowly moving the parts in pain - as stretching it a bit, but stretch is really an ouchful word in this case  

Take care, Aus, take it slow...

Bests:

Gergely

[Michael Cochran]

As funny as it may sound I take Midol for back spasms. I started suffering from them at around 18 and after a woman insist it would help I tried it and it does help, after all muscle spasms are not that dissimilar from cramps. If that doesn't work a soak in water as hot as I can stand it with Epson salts usually does the trick. That is of course if I can make it into the tub. I have tried the heat pack thing before and will achieve some relieve but it usually starts bothering me again as soon as I get up and start going again. 

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

It depends on what actually happened. I stretched the ligaments in my back several years ago. The chiropractor told me to ice it until it went numb every hour for 15 minutes with a cold pack wrapped with a towel. And don't move around. 

The reason he said ice instead of heat was because cold would dull the pain, whereas heat loosened the muscles and when you have an injury like I had you want the muscles tight to keep everything in place. The x-ray showed that I had an 1/8" (3mm) shift between two of the bones in my spine. He got them popped back into place, but a back injury takes a long time to heal. 

[Glenn]

Way too many things that could cause the problem.

As blacksmiths we deal with our personal pains, but the source of our pain may be completely different from the source of your pain. You may want to seek professional medical help to determine the nature of your pain or injury and a let them suggest a course of action. 

No matter what the cause or the cure, we wish you the best. May you recover quickly and completely.

 

[Frosty]

See the doctor. The worst I ever threw my back out I was reaching over a sheet of plywood in back of a truck unloading sample boxes @ 25-30lbs ea. Lift turn hand off and repeat, had quite the rhythm going too when the sample box I picked up turned out to be empty.

I was young, dumb and lucky, it straightened itself out AFTER I slipped and fell on my side. I didn't see a doctor but was pretty crippled up for a few weeks.

We all have things to relate about what did or didn't work for us but we're not doctors and if we were we wouldn't give advice based on an internet forum post. See your doctor brother, I'd hate to miss out on your imaginative creations because you couldn't sort your inventory.

Frosty The Lucky.

[SLAG]

Michael,

Midol has an analgesic (pain killer), and, also, a muscle relaxant pharmaceutical in it. That's why it worked for you.

And it works for me when I do not access to another stronger medicine. (for example robaxacet with a.s.a. and methyl carbamol in it.)

That is the Canadian name for it. It may go under a different name in the U.S.

Midol works for both men and women.

SLAG.

Frosty is right as per usual, see your doctor, but midol could be taken before he you get to see him.

[Daswulf]

What Glenn said. I have just bent wrong and had pain that would take the breath out of me. For me it has gone away in a day or two so i just suffer it. I can't say about yours but I hope you recover quickly and completely.

[WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith]

Back pain usually experienced by blacksmiths, is from either, having the anvil to low, improper stance, lifting improperly or working  to long.  It should be at a height so that you stand up with your back straight.  A three legged anvil stand also helps by letting you stand closer to the anvil and not being reaching out to strike the work.  Another thing is improper lifting.  Bend your knees, lift with your legs not your back.  When your back begins to feel tired it is time to quit.  As in using a chain saw, I fill it, sharpen the chain and go to work.  When the fuel tank empties it is time to quit.i  

[Marc1]

Back pain is surely very generic, and the causes can be many.

However the description of sudden immobility and pain could be attributed to weak back muscles that have been overworked somehow. The body defends itself by locking the joint down to prevent any further injury. 

If that is the case and if the sciatic nerve is not compromised, the various popular remedy and multiple physio/chiro/ etc advise are all directed to increase blood circulation.  A damaged muscle with poor circulation can only get worst. 

Cold prompts the body to increase circulation to compensate the loss of heat, heat on the other hand, dilates the blood vessels and facilitates circulation, so ... the current approach is to apply alternative cold and heat in whatever form practicable.

Once the spasm passes and all is back to normal and if there is no joint or nerve damage, the next step is to gain strength in the back muscles. A strong back is good insurance against back damage within reason. Joints are aided by ligaments and muscles. Weak muscles force ligaments and joints to work harder and eventually there is disk and nerve damage. The older we get, the weaker our muscles become yet our brain does not know it and we keep on doing what we did with stronger muscles. A recipe for disaster. Strong muscles can be achieved safely without strain and using gravity. Exercise does not need to be a grueling 2 hours a day but as little as 15 minutes. 

[JHCC]

13 hours ago, Glenn said:

Way too many things that could cause the problem.

As blacksmiths we deal with our personal pains, but the source of our pain may be completely different from the source of your pain. You may want to seek professional medical help to determine the nature of your pain or injury and a let them suggest a course of action. 

No matter what the cause or the cure, we wish you the best. May you recover quickly and completely.

 

Absolutely agree with this. If you don't, at best, you're prolonging the pain; at worst, you are risking further injury.

[ausfire]

Thanks for all the advice and for your concern. A little better today but still too painful to work. At least I can walk (slowly) without looking for things to hang onto for support. And of course you are right about medical help - I have a doctor appointment for tomorrow.

[JHCC]

Good!

[Alan Evans]

23 hours ago, WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith.c said:

Back pain usually experienced by blacksmiths, is from either, having the anvil to low, improper stance, lifting improperly or working  to long.  It should be at a height so that you stand up with your back straight.  A three legged anvil stand also helps by letting you stand closer to the anvil and not being reaching out to strike the work.  Another thing is improper lifting.  Bend your knees, lift with your legs not your back.  When your back begins to feel tired it is time to quit.  As in using a chain saw, I fill it, sharpen the chain and go to work.  When the fuel tank empties it is time to quit.i  

All good. Total agreement.

Everybody else has given the good advice to see a Doctor...so I don't need to...my own experience leads me to suggest seeing a physiotherapist.

At an ABANA conference I attended in Saint louis Obispo at the age of forty, there was a session on backs and preventative measures to maintain them. The gist was that most people's backs can take abuse for forty odd years and then they complain. Three months after the conference mine went bang and I was bedridden.

I was recommended a book called "Treat Your Own Back" by a New Zealand Physiotherapist called Robin McKenzie...ISBN: 978-0-9876504-0-5

I have been able to forge heavier pieces of metal after the event than I did before...it didn't make me stronger but it did not hold me back.

A lot of the problem is bending forward over the anvil for protracted periods or slumped in chairs over a desk or in the car...you lose your lordosis, and the small of your back, which should be hollow, straightens out over the years. And as the back stiffens up with age, all the movement tends to take place between the fourth and fifth vertebrae which can lead to a bulging disc and pressure on the sciatica nerve and then muscle spasm to protect it. The solution to prevent and help that problem is to bend backwards often in order to regain flexibility over the whole spine so that each joint only has to move a little rather than one joint moving a lot.

Hands on hips lean back and push hips forward is the intuitive response to a prolonged bent forward session and is the correct one. Do a wimps push-up...lie face down with your hands below your shoulders and leaving your tummy on the ground, arch your back by lifting your shoulders as high of the ground as you can without going into pain. Hold for ten seconds and relax and repeat a few times.

Get a copy of the Mckenzie book if you can.

You can check out the excellent and informative web site of one Sarah Key a physio based in Sidney who has developed similar exercise regimes based on the various permutations of back pain.

Alan