Back problems thread (Chiropractors, Osteopaths, Surgery etc)

[Groupie_]

Get the MRI done and then see about hydrotherapy. Physio used to just stir my back up worse. I found exercising in the warm pool was better than anything else I had done over a number of years.

I did mine while I was in the military. I ended up having surgery, all they did was shaved off the discs that had protruded out and were sitting on the nerves. They told me beforehand that there was no guarantee that more disc wouldn't come out in the future, which it did 6 months later after doing some PE on afternoon.

After that it was rehab and all that would alleviate any of the pain was hydrotherapy. I was told that if I ever went to a chiro or got any other treatment that they didn't approve of then I'd be on my own. Exercising with the water supporting my weight was great although it could be a bit ordinary on walking out of the pool as all the weight dropped again.

They sent me to a pain and injury management clinic where the physios gave me some brilliant new exercises and showed me how to modify a lot of day to day activities. There was also a psych. I found those sessions a complete waste of time.

It ended up taking about 3 years before I was in good enough condition to play any sort of sport again.

10 years down the track I'm fine.

I can't play sports, puts my back out and I end up crooked with a pinched nerve for a week

What I wouldn't do to be able to kick a footy or go for runs again (haven't been able to since 2010)

 

[volcboy]

I'll add a vote for the osteo - I have occasionally recurring upper back/shoulder issues which my osteo does a great job of managing. They also helped manage an ankle issue I had, although that became more serious.

If you are going to get an MRI, I would suggest getting a referral from your doctor to see an orthopedic surgeon. I ended up getting an MRI on my ankle on the advice of an orthopedic surgeon, which confirmed the small cartilage tear that he had predicted just by observing and manipulating the ankle in his surgery prior to the MRI. I'll be getting the tear fixed by arthroscopic surgery in the next few months.

With a referral, the MRI cost ~ $250, but if you're going to pay that much, its better that an expert (i.e. surgeon) interprets the results and advises you on your best course of action. An MRI in the hands of a charlatan, such as a chiro, would be a waste of money.

 

[Groupie_]

I'll add a vote for the osteo - I have occasionally recurring upper back/shoulder issues which my osteo does a great job of managing. They also helped manage an ankle issue I had, although that became more serious.

If you are going to get an MRI, I would suggest getting a referral from your doctor to see an orthopedic surgeon. I ended up getting an MRI on my ankle on the advice of an orthopedic surgeon, which confirmed the small cartilage tear that he had predicted just by observing and manipulating the ankle in his surgery prior to the MRI. I'll be getting the tear fixed by arthroscopic surgery in the next few months.

With a referral, the MRI cost ~ $250, but if you're going to pay that much, its better that an expert (i.e. surgeon) interprets the results and advises you on your best course of action. An MRI in the hands of a charlatan, such as a chiro, would be a waste of money.

Forgot to mention I've had arthroscopic surgery mid year on my right knee to remove a loose body. It's been a pretty rough recovery and I get pretty tired from short walks still and I still do feel pain in my knee and in my calfs, and achilles area. Maybe it's connected with the back problem and maybe the osteopath can help with it all..

Worth a try

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

I can't play sports, puts my back out and I end up crooked with a pinched nerve for a week

What I wouldn't do to be able to kick a footy or go for runs again (haven't been able to since 2010)

I used to have a massive twist in my trunk when I was going through my problems. I wouldn't be in pain in that particular spot but I could stand in front of a mirrow and not matter what I did, I couldn't straighten myself out.

My back used to go once or twice a year and I'd be almost completely incapacitated for 4 or 5 days then I'd be back at work with some residual pain for another couple of weeks then I'd be fine, back playing cricket, touch, basketball etc again. I'd given footy away some years earlier.

It finally went on me properly playing cricket, I was a bowler. 3 months of rehab, surgery, more rehab and back working fulltime and playing sport, just not cricket, within 6 months. After the surgery, I was 100% pain free for the first time in years.

I lasted for 6 months. What set it off again? I was taking a group of trainees for some PT on a very not day inside a gym and we decided to finish off the session with some indoor soccer. The ball came to me and I kicked it, as soon as I kicked it, although there was no great pain, I knew I'd done it again. As I cooled down completely some hours later I was stuffed. No second bout of surgery, but 16 months of rehab before a medical discharge, I was still ordinary for another 2 years after that.

A couple of years later they even gave me an epidural to see if it would help. All it did was stirred up the opposite side.

You might have to change your wishes to have a kick of the footy again in the short to medium turn. I can do it now, but knowing that kicking the soccer ball set it off again, there was no way I was going near a footy. If you manage to get better, do you really want to risk going backwards just for the sake of having a kick? That jarring on your back as you make contact with the ball.

I know how much fun it is doing things like putting shoes and socks on ( I used to love summer, thongs all the time) trying to wash and dry yourself, going to the toilet. If I was going to sneeze I used to have to get on my knees and brace myself, it would feel like my spine was going to blow out of my back.

I played a round of golf a few years after this second major episode. As I teed off on the 16th hole I felt a twinge. I haven't swung a club since and never will again. I did play one final season of cricket, bowling, 3 years later. I haven't played for 9 or so years. It's not worth it. I can run, go to the gym, swim, ride a pushie and have the odd kick at Auskick with my kids The only thing I really struggle with nowadays is pulling/digging weeds up.

As for your knee, I played footy for nearly 20 years and never had knee problems. Once my back had gone and I had to change my gait, I started to get pain in one of my knees. As I came good and could start to walk properly again, the knee problem ceased.

 

[Off The Couch]

Tradiitional chinese acupuncture

Initially I went quite often but am now out to once a month - mine is a very very long term injury and I had previously tried chiro, physio, oesteo - the works and acupuncture is the only one that has kept me pain free. Expensive but worth every cent imo

The one I see was trained at a Chinese University and is also a doctor so I would check qualifications first if you decide to give it a go

 

[Prestigerrycomo]

Use a physiotherapist (or myotherapist), everything else is quackery.

 

[Jewbacca]

For those that can, a half hour walk everyday can really help. That and the codeine is getting me through atm.

 

[Groupie_]

For those that can, a half hour walk everyday can really help. That and the codeine is getting me through atm.

Codeine is addictive

 

[Bazzar]

Codine makes me throw up. I take 3 panadol Osteo 3 times a day and its great. If i dont i notice the difference big time.

 

[Groupie_]

Codine makes me throw up. I take 3 panadol Osteo 3 times a day and its great. If i dont i notice the difference big time.

They're good. You can do a lot more with those. Aren't you only meant to take 2 though?

 

[Bazzar]

They're good. You can do a lot more with those. Aren't you only meant to take 2 though?

Sometimes i take 4. I think the 2 bit is them just being cautious.

And according to my surgeon, taking them every now and again is useless, as they must be in your system constant to have propper effect.

 

[Groupie_]

Sometimes i take 4. I think the 2 bit is them just being cautious.

And according to my surgeon, taking them every now and again is useless, as they must be in your system constant to have propper effect.

So what do you do? Take 3 every 4 hours? Don't you wake up with headaches the next day? How do they go with alcohol?

 

[Bazzar]

I take them 7am, around 2pm and at 10pm religiously. I dont have any side effects and booze doesnt seem to be an issue. Also i get them via a script from my doc so they are heaps cheaper.

 

[Groupie_]

I take them 7am, around 2pm and at 10pm religiously. I dont have any side effects and booze doesnt seem to be an issue. Also i get them via a script from my doc so they are heaps cheaper.

Oh yeah. I bought a pack of 80 or something from chemist warehouse for like $5

 

[Bazzar]

I know you have had other recomendations and Sebastapol would be a long way from where you are, but the bloke i see is a gun at fixing problems that others cannot and has a CV as long as my arm. The qualifications on his business card reads-
B.Ed.(PE), DipM (RM), Ad.Dip.(Myo), Grad.Dip.(Ex Rehab), M.App.Sci. Accredited Excerise Physioligist/Myotherapist ESSA AEP/IRMA.

He is a bit wacky and out-there and calls a spade a spade, but is brilliant.

 

[Groupie_]

I know you have had other recomendations and Sebastapol would be a long way from where you are, but the bloke i see is a gun at fixing problems that others cannot and has a CV as long as my arm. The qualifications on his business card reads-
B.Ed.(PE), DipM (RM), Ad.Dip.(Myo), Grad.Dip.(Ex Rehab), M.App.Sci. Accredited Excerise Physioligist/Myotherapist ESSA AEP/IRMA.

He is a bit wacky and out-there and calls a spade a spade, but is brilliant.

I'd die of pain on the trip there lol

 

[Bazzar]

I'd die of pain on the trip there lol

Fair call. But your back is bad.

 

[Groupie_]

Fair call. But your back is bad.

I'm going to try someone closer hopefully it works

Cheers for the help

 

[Falchoon]

Yoga and walking (need hills to vary the angles) worked for me.

 

[LosBeatles]

I suffered lower back problems that would literally leave me unable to move for days on end, just laying in bed. Made even worse by the fact that some of my family/friends thought i was exagerrating and should just 'get up and walk it off.'

Anyway I have no idea if this will work for anyone else but I will just put it out there - I tried to cure my problem by making my bed softer and softer, and my mattress more expensive. And my back problems got worse and worse.

I eventually got a job where I had to travel a lot, with basically no travel budget, so found myself sleeping in cheap dodgy hotels with cheap nothing matresses. I was always terrified my back would go, and i would be stuck in the middle of nowhere, but no..... My back always felt great on these trips.

So I binned all the expensive matress sh!t and now sleep on one single, thin, hard matress. As I rise up in my line of work and stay in nicer hotels with more expensive beds, I sometimes sleep on the floor.

Making my back deal with being in hard positions has cured my problems

 

[The Falcon Strike]

Anyone have success with inversion tables? Was thinking of investing in one. From doing some limited research it appears as though they provide short term relief, but not long lasting change.

Against the grain - I do see a chiro. I was seeing one for a while who preached about the life healing crap. I was never one to buy into it - however my chronic lower back improved out of sight within 6 weeks of regular treatment - and then I was just on a monthly adjustment - leaving my back feeling great. I also had a significant reduction in migraines.

Unfortunately he moved out to the boondocks and i left my back unattended for about 2 years. I visited a local chiro who i like, who also made mention early on in the first meeting that he though the holistic healing was a crock as well - he was just into spinal/hip re-alignment.

The only problem is - i'm not getting the 4 weeks relief between visits like i used to. Which is where the inversion table comes in - i have a client who swears by them - any feedback?

 

[Drewpac]

I had a L5/S1 bulging disc in 2011, which was giving me awful sciatica for months. Flared up really badly and had to have a epidural injection in it to calm it down, and then eventually had laminectomy surgery on it in Jan 2012.

Turned out that the disc wasn't just protruding on the sciatic nerve, but had twisted itself around it which could have been really dangerous if not fixed. Having the back surgery was a real test, as I couldn't sit down for 5 weeks after the surgery, could only stand up and lie down and had to walk 8km per day. After all of that did a 14 week pilates rehab program which was actually really beneficial, I would recommend it.

I also now have a harder mattress, and sleep with a pillow between my legs to relieve pressure off my back. Its still a bit store and stiff when I get up every morning, but I am walking, running and playing golf so I'm happy enough with that. Having a sore back constantly is awful, and I feel for those who are copping it, but theres always light at the end of the tunnel!

 

[Groupie_]

I see a great osteopath known amongst some friends as "magic hands" (he's very good). He's in Kew. PM me if you want his details.

Hi mate, pm'd you to get the number of that osteo.

Help me out if you can cheers

 

[nicky]

Hi mate, pm'd you to get the number of that osteo.

Help me out if you can cheers

Arg! sorry for the late reply. I've sent an email request to my friend and should get back to you soon

 

[Groupie_]

Arg! sorry for the late reply. I've sent an email request to my friend and should get back to you soon

You can send me the kew one to if you like ta mate