lower back pain help ??

[bebe]

My 24yr. old daughter is suffering with lower back pain. She has no idea why or how she might have injured herself.
She sits at a computer desk many hours a day at work, so I''m guessing that might be part of the culprit. Her posture is also
not the best, she''s tall and thin, constantly slumping over. She had a massage and she said that helped her shoulders somewhat, but
her lower back is still hurting. She mentioned it feels like it''s not "supporting" her. Other than some Advil, massage and rest, I don''t know
what to say to her.

Should she see a Dr. or a Chiropractor? I''ve been to a Chiro before for my own back pain and it helped some. Maybe a series of massages?

 

[lucyandroger]

Hi bebe,

I''m also 24 and used to suffer from chronic back pain. It turned out it was my bed that was the problem. When I was a teenager I got a new bed and picked out the "softest" one I could find. Well, it wasn''t providing ANY support whatsoever. I''ve since realized that I need a firm bed to support my back when I sleep and this has almost completely solved the problem. Also, a pillow between the legs while you sleep also helps.

Another general thing for her to do is try to strengthen her core muscles. Maybe get her a home workout pilates dvd? When you have a strong core, it really helps to support your back.

Hope that helps!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I went through a period after I had my baby that my lower back would really hurt (chronically). A few times I moved a certain way and it was so painful I couldn''t stand up straight for days. What REALLY helped was when I started exercising. Now I almost never have back pain. I think it was b/c my core was weakened from having a baby.

 

[decodelighted]

Have her check out her computer chair ... make sure there''s nothing poking up & pressing on a nerve. (That happened to me once at work!). Also, weakness works in opposition. If your back is hurting, its your stomach muscles that are weak. Crunches? Or, some other biometric kind of thing could be building up. Maybe she stands funny or has bad posture habits that are causing harm over time. Early, mid-twenties is also a big time for STRESS to start showing up in the body -- in various places ... moving around. I had a lot of luck eventually with a physical therapist who figured out what was out of whack & taught me how to sense tightness BEFORE pain came & quickly do some movements to loosen & strengthen stuff before it ever became painful. Most of his techniques still work 10 years later & have done a great job keeping the majority of back pain away!

 

[bebe]

very good points from all of you guys. she has been exercising for about 9 mos now, and I''ve stressed to her she needed to build up her core muscles
to help support her back. I''m worried of course like any mom. she eats well and understands nutrition, but I know she gets by on very little sleep.
I know she has tried Pilates, but I don''t think she has kept up with it. she has a gym across the street from her office, so she manages to get there often.
she also works very long days, very dedicated employee. I think at 24 she''s too young for all this physical stuff to be bothering her ! About 2 mos ago, she slipped and fell in her bathtub.
She fell so hard against the water faucet spout, that it broke off from the tub! But she swears that is not causing the pain. Dunno, I know the pain can present in places we don''t think
relate. Just worried about her .

 

[MsP]

Date: 9/1/2009 10:01:23 AM
Author: decodelighted
Have her check out her computer chair ... make sure there''s nothing poking up & pressing on a nerve. (That happened to me once at work!). Also, weakness works in opposition. If your back is hurting, its your stomach muscles that are weak. Crunches? Or, some other biometric kind of thing could be building up. Maybe she stands funny or has bad posture habits that are causing harm over time. Early, mid-twenties is also a big time for STRESS to start showing up in the body -- in various places ... moving around. I had a lot of luck eventually with a physical therapist who figured out what was out of whack & taught me how to sense tightness BEFORE pain came & quickly do some movements to loosen & strengthen stuff before it ever became painful. Most of his techniques still work 10 years later & have done a great job keeping the majority of back pain away!

I''ve been told by numerous sources that crunches are quite bad for the back and to avoid them.

I have suffered from lots of back issues. Just woke up one morning in excruciating pain. No idea why. I went to the emergency room, then to my doctor, then to a orthopedic doctor, a neurologist, multiple surgeons, three years of physical therapy at multiple locations... and surgery. I''m about 60% better. I''m not off all meds but was at one point taking 14 a day. I still have pain but it''s not worth the damage to my body that the meds do.

BTW, I''m about your daughters age and I''ve already gone through all of the above.

My advice, exercise. Low to no impact cardio--swimming or biking. Elliptical is hit or miss and is not no-impact. Strength training. Stretching--DAILY. Catch back problems early and don''t ignore them because they will get worse.

Good luck.

 

[bebe]

Pru, you certainly have been through a lot. Just from my personal experience with back pain, I know how nagging, confusing and painful it can be.
I think the low-impact cardio and stretching is a good idea. I think she''s trying to stretch more, but I''ll certainly bring this up to her again.

 

[packrat]

Ditto the exercise advice. How long has it been going on? Bladder/kidney infections can cause back pain. If her back or hips are out of place, that''s pretty painful also.

 

[bebe]

Date: 9/1/2009 12:48:48 PM
Author: packrat
Ditto the exercise advice. How long has it been going on? Bladder/kidney infections can cause back pain. If her back or hips are out of place, that''s pretty painful also.

she mentioned it to me last week. at that time it was not a constant pain, I think it might be bothering her more now though. I''ll try to get her to make a Dr. appt.

 

[cellososweet]

A combo of yoga and mat pilates saved my back. Yoga helps with posture and stretches muscles gently. Mat pilates really strengthens your core without using your back muscles too much.

And I definitely second the matress suggestion. I love my pillow top with a passion especially after sleeping on the cheapest Ikea matress for years.

 

[bebe]

her mattress is about 4 yrs old and it''s a pillow top. I''m guessing her problem is too much stress and long hours spent at her desk. Just dunno.
I''ll ask her if she can start yoga again and the pilates sounds wonderful.

 

[Paz]

As someone who had her first back surgery at 28, there is no such thing as being "too young" for back pain.

Is the pain only in her lower back, or is it going into her buttocks or thighs? I ask because she could have a bulging disc or spinal stenosis. My pain started out just in my lower back and slowly radiated down my legs, eventually I couldn''t feel my feet any longer. I had a herniated disc and had to have surgery in order to correct it. I just had my second surgery at 30, same disc herniated again. Back pain can be very serious or something as simple as strained muscles. I didn''t "do" anything to herniate my disc (I had a desk job too), but just normal wear and tear caused the disc to thin out and eventually herniate.

I would not recommend ANY exercise until she sees a doctor! If she does have any serious back injuries exercise can make things worse. Once she gets the "OK" from the doctor to exercise she should ask for specific moves to strengthen her core and ask which exercises to avoid. She may even want to get a referral for physical therapy if her back doesn''t start feeling better soon.

I''m sorry she''s going through this, I know how horrible back pain can be! Hugs and healing thoughts going her way!

 

[Pandora II]

Ditto Paz.

I have spinal stenosis and herniated discs and have had a load of surgery on my back and have to take a big whack of painkillers everyday.

My neurosurgeon sent me to a spinal physio and all we worked on were core abdominals for 2 years. Crunches were not a good idea IHO. I had to be trained how to do them using an ultrasound machine as they are not muscles that we are normally concious of using. Once you get the hang of them they''re easy and it really does help.

I''m not a fan of chiropractors/osteopaths unless they have done a full work-up - MRI/x-rays etc in advance.

I would recommend that she sees a physio for starters. Most back pain will resolve in 12 weeks anyway. In the meantime heat or icepacks may help. Also make sure to take proper analgesia. If you don''t cover the pain effectively then your body will try to protect itself and that can lead to muscle spasm and then a vicious circle in started - do not martyr yourself over the pain meds!

Acupuncture could be very helpful as well - I use it a lot and it''s very effective and safe!

 

[cara]

I have had less serious back and neck issues than the previous two posters, and a good deal of it is/was caused by poor posture and ergonomic setup combined with long hours at work and lack of exercise, strengthening, stretching, etc. Definitely go to the doc to make sure its not something serious and take some over-the-counter pain meds in the meantime, and then possibly ask for a referral to a physical therapist. Just as Pandora said, there is negative feedback if you are in pain for awhile, so take the meds to help allow it get better not just because of pain relief. If the back is seriously out of whack, then it can take PT and some dedicated specific exercise to get back to pain-free rather than just generic 'exercise'. The PT can also advise her on proper posture and ergonomic set-up at work, and work *should* want to accommodate to help avoid more serious injury of their workers. Now I am a lot more conscious of my positioning in front of the computer, both at work and home, and even though I can be a little more lax now that I am mostly pain-free, I know not to ignore pain in my back or neck when at the computer as I know where that is going. For a long time I could only use the computer in the most proper ergonomic setup and even then for limited periods of time. Sleeping position is also important; if you hurt more in the morning than the evening something generally needs fixing.

 

[atroop711]

I was 23 yr old when I started to suffer from chronic back pain due to an assault. I would advise that she see a good Dr. The best they can tell her is that it can be her computer chair, her bed, the way she's exercising, ect...but I wouldn't let her or any other diagnose the situation. You can try chaning those things but if it continues I wouldn't mess with the back.


Before seeing an Orthopedist I went to a chiropractor and just felt worse after each visit. I went for massages and that was a temp. fix. PPL don't realize the back is very delicate. A sneeze could injure your back. I had no idea that my vertebrae were slipping out of place. This pain of mine went on for 2 yrs before my insurance company would OK an MRI...well by then the slippage was too far gone that I had to have spinal fusion surgery. Thank God that during high school I had worked for one of NYC top spinal surgeons.

I'm not saying that your daughter needs surgery BUT that the back can be delicate and situations should be taken care of asap. So when it comes to ppl and chronic back pain, I don't want them to suffer like I did..I always advise to check with a Dr.

Hope she feels better real soon

 

[bebe]

thanks guys, I appreciate all the replies. I''m waiting to hear from her now!