Back Pain Help

[Ted Keane]

Hey all,I'm a retired plumber(retired because of shoulder and back injurys).I was replacing my steel bathtub with an Americast soaking tub.Think I pulled a muscle in my back,and the pain is spreading to my hips.But,I've got the soaking tub in so I can soak.What OTC meds do you think is best for strained muscle?Tylenol,Advil,Motrin,Goodys,Alieve,or what?No booze,I'm sober.

 

[uriah1]

Not sure back muscle or back lower bones but the wimpy push-up always helps me. Keep feet to waist/belly on ground. Slowly each day try slow push up as far as you can go. Maybe only a few inches first day. By end of a couple days you should be able to fully extend and straighten elbow. Take slow. A DO taught me that. Just holistic fyi

 

[dogmeat]

all those pain killers have worked for me. I like arnica montana jell, it works pretty good. its a topical. I also use Icy Hot topical but its got down sides... like you really have to be careful where you put your fingers when its on your hands

 

[JuneauMike]

For immediate help, 3 ibuprofen and 2 acetaminophen every 6 hours is what I use when I'm worried about back spasms. Also lidocaine patches on the inflamed area are helpful. A TENS unit as well.

Keto or fasting helps with more longterm relief. Diet and exercise is the best longterm solution, IMO.

 

[stxrus]

I like ointments with Arnica in it. It’s a great anti inflammatory agent. I’ve used it for bruised ribs, bad contusions and overworked/pulled muscles

 

[Mouth]

20 minutes of ice pack to reduce swelling, 20 minutes of heat to increase blood flow. Repeat. Too much heat seems to make it worse for me.

I try to avoid the pills, but start with aspirin. If that doesn't work, the next day I'll go with acetaminophen or ibuprofen, but don't mix any of them.

Topically I like Tiger Balm. Occasionally I'll use Voltaren gel, it's like topical ibuprofen.

 

[Robert H.]

Advil is an anti-inflammatory. Rest, heating pad and Advil.

 

[KokoTele]

The pain in your hip usually indicates sciatica, which is your discs pushing on your sciatic nerve. This probably means an injury, and you should see an orthopedic back specialist for the right long term plan. It won't just go away, though you can get relief with short term remedies. I use advil a lot.

If it doesn't hurt too much to move, light activity and gentle stretches and exercises will probably help. Immobilizing yourself will probably make things worse in the long term

Here's a pretty good video to help learn how to stretch. https://www.webmd.com/back-pain/video/sciatica-stretches

I've had surgery and cortisone shots. If I keep up with my stretches and exercises, I generally remain pain free.

 

[FSRCustomTeleHHGT]

Ibuprofen if you have any swelling in the area. Otherwise I agree on Advil. Note that you can alternate with acetaminophen, just don't take Asperin and Ibuprofin.

 

[StuH]

That sounds like a slipped disc.
Slipped a disk 4 years ago and it took nearly a full year to heal.
Go see a doctor.

 

[KokoTele]

Ibuprofen if you have any swelling in the area. Otherwise I agree on Advil.

 

[Fretting out]

never mind

 

[Fretting out]

This is why you don’t ask strangers on the internet about this stuff

 

[Alex_C]

Advil and Turmeric (absolute best anti-inflammatory). See a Dr. to be safe. I avoided surgery by purchasing a Tempurpedic mattress and an inversion table. It took a long time, well over a year. My back is pretty strong again. I can lift heavy things, just got back into squatting and can do 225lbs, my back isn't the weak link. The bar digging into my non-existent traps is what is my current limiter.

 

[dogmeat]

yeah... a good mattress helped me a lot. and the right pillow. I got a Helix. almost all back pain gone in a couple weeks. I still have problems like occasional numbness. pain if I over do things. its from the stupid things I did as a young man. I specifically remember 2 incidents that are the main cause.

 

[Spox]

yeah... a good mattress helped me a lot. and the right pillow. I got a Helix. almost all back pain gone in a couple weeks. I still have problems like occasional numbness. pain if I over do things. its from the stupid things I did as a young man. I specifically remember 2 incidents that are the main cause.

What were they?

At this end my lower back just become more and more painful over a period of weeks, maybe months, last year, I remember walking a round trip of about four or five miles to get a pair of boots resoled, only place in the city who still did the hot treatment thing for DM's/Solovair resoles. When I went back to pick them up I mentioned to the cobbler how much pain my back was in. At home I keep a stock of toiletries in a plastic storage container which I keep in the bath and on lifting it out to go for a shower that appeared to be the straw which broke the camels back, the pain which had been getting worse and worse went off of the scale and was so bad it was physically impossible for me to step into the bath to go for a shower for a couple of weeks, physically impossible for me to put on a pair of socks, to get in and out of bed I had to wrap both arms around the headboard and pivot my body in or out. At one point it was physically impossible for me to go down one story of stairs to pick up food being delivered to me by relatives, they had to bring it up to my door. Hospital examined me for spinal cancer and told me to return immediately if anything changed, both of my legs swelled up like treetrunks so I got a taxi back to the hospital and was accused of being a timewasting opiate/opiod addict by a locum who denied everything he had said when I took it to formal complaint and they found in his favour.

My back has been hurting again and I am terrified of it going back to what it was so have bookmarked the stretches linked to in an earlier comment.

 

[dogmeat]

one incident for me was when welding a muffler on to my son's car. I was crawling underneath & holding odd angles & such. no problem until the next day. I don't know specifically what I did in those gymnastics but that next day my thumb and first 2 fingers on my right hand were numb. I couldn't sit in a car for more than about 10 minutes tops and I had to get out and walk. I could ride my motorcycles all day, but no cars for the rest of that summer. my fingers are still numb, but not as bad. that was about 15 years ago. the other was about 30 years ago,,, I was loading a compressor into the trunk of my car.... I felt a twinge. I made it out to the work site & started in and over the course of about 40 minutes I kept bending lower and lower until I could barely stand, and finally had to bag it. by the time I got home, I couldn't stand at all. for the next 3 days, I had to crawl to the back porch and pee laying on my side. I went to a chiropractor & he left me sitting in the office, and after an hour 20 I crawled back to the car and went home. my friends brought me things but none of it really worked until.... the ABC patch. I had an older friend from Switzerland and they have stuff we don't. this patch was a plaster infused with Arnica, Belladonna, and Capsicum. commercially made, available over the counter, made in Swiss. I slapped that sucker in to the small of my back and half an hour later I stood and walked. 10 minutes later I bent and touched my toes. damndest thing I've ever seen. he left the package with me and I used pieces of it for at least a year. he was supposed to bring more from Switzerland but never did. the down side was if you leave it in place too long the capsicum burns your skin. I don't need that much power now, but wish I had some though....

 

[teleman1]

I have PM'd you with the remedy.

 

[dented]

Let us know what the doctor says.

 

[PhredE]

As a few others have said, go see a doctor.

Take this for what it is, but I too had extremely serious back pain. My problem was a severely crushed disc (L4/L5). In a word: sciatica. Get to a doctor and try your best to ensure they at least do an XRay. The usual advice of anti-inflammatories, acetominophen, etc. is good. Voltaren gel (a topical anti-inflammatory) works well for many people. Get yourself some of the lidocaine 4% pain patches and stick one of those on too. You can alternate those things and try them one-at-a-time to see what works and what doesn't too. If it is a disc situation, usually lying flat on your back with your knees bent up will help relieve pressure on the lower spine. Ice+heat can also help a lot. Try different things to see what works best for you.

If you have sciatica, you will likely feel your pain 'growing' out away from the initial pain/injury. Eventually, I could feel pain all the way down to my big toe. I hope you don't experience this as well.

I was lucky to have found a terrific neurosurgeon that did the lumbar laminectomy and fixed me up 100%. I hope you don't have to have a surgery, but if life is intolerable otherwise, take your time and find a good one and get it done right.

Best of luck / Hope this helps