lots of good advice here, but one thing I didn’t see mentioned its that you might want to look into a good, supportive shoe–maybe even a custom insert. its one of those things that’s often overlooked, but a good shoe can be life changing with back issues. that type of shoe has come a long way–its not as orthopedic looking as they once were (and a custom insert will let you wear most regular shoes). its worth investigating…you don’t want to go through all the hard work of exercising/PT only to have it again because you are walking around in flip flops. (or UGGS. our podiatrist reminds us regularly that they are the worst boots on the planet!)
@NJres, I am open to all recommendations and I am willing to try them.
Right after your post #19 on 9/8, I went check out the book you mentioned, plus another book from other author on similar subject. As you said, nothing to lose. Interesting concept and theory, it seems to make sense to a degree, but can be difficult for someone to “learn” to “control” their mind to “deflect” the pain, not sure if I am using the right terminology.
“Some people are helped, others not. Worst case, if it does not work for you, at least you have a different perspective and a theory of what causes most back pain”, You do acknowledge that it did not work for some of your friends.
So I have read the book over a couple of times, the theory is in my head to use together with PT and painkillers as needed. I do not believe, at least in my case, that “mind over back pain” alone can rid of the pain I have now.
I am glad the book is a miracle treatment for you, I wish it is for me, who wants to be in pain? Maybe it will help in the long run…
“By “healing” I meant preventing reoccurring pain and fixing the root cause of the pain. Lower back pain usually has deeper roots than simple muscle pain. I have seen homeopathic creams and pills (usually imported and sold through ethnic stores) that make all sorts of ridiculous statements.”
I agree, but I am more interested in managing the pain when it occurs, which is infrequent enough to not delve further.
@Hopeful829 Thanks for the reply! Now, as promised, I shut up.
“I meant preventing reoccurring pain and fixing the root cause of the pain.” - As I mentioned before, my reoccurring and sometime severe lower back pain that lasted for many years and caused great discomfort, missing days at work and interruptions in my life style, spending lots of $$ for chiropractor, Emergency Room visit on the stretcher, etc… is COMPLETELY GONE. Nope I am not getting younger and I am not loosing weight either, actually gained about 10lbs in the last few years and I am actually passed full retirement age. The only REAL cure in my case was and is swimming every day. I have several friends who religiously doing the same on advice from their docs. Absolutely nothing else was helpful and I do not want to go back to where I was several years ago. It is a misery to have this pain or feel like your back can blow again at some un-predictable moment because there is a feel of strain there even when it did not actually hurt. I believe that swimming is aligning the back into correct position. I have no knowledge of what is going on, I just know that it fixes it and prevents the pain and feeling of strain. One much older than me lady who actually has some of her vertebrae fused, told me that she was told the same by her doctor. She is also swimming every day year around. None of us are great swimmers, we just move in a water the way we could and it is good enough and could be done at any age. None of us are interested in managing the pain, we simply do not want to have it.
" For those who also suffer lower back pain, what else should I be doing to ease the pain? Appreciate any suggestions."
Please go to the doctor. They’ll probably X-ray first, but it is more likely you have a disc issue. There are ligaments around the discs, and when they weaken, you get pain, but if one gets more permanently damaged, the disc can start to move and deteriorate.
No one should be in constant pain, let alone if the pain is worsening. Exercise will help if there isn’t permanent damage, but until you get a MRI, it’s hard to tell whether you have permanent damage or not.
(other non-medical things to consider:
- pillow under knees; consider under the entire lower leg not just a wedge where the knee is
- rolled up towel behind the lower back when driving or sitting)
Ok, adding my own tale. I dealt with awful back pain for years, the sort that kept me from sleeping through the night and left me unbelievably stiff in the am. Of course, a few docs couldn’t find anything, nothing showed up on x-rays or whatever. I used to say, this happened 350 days/year. Changing beds didn’t help. Nothing helped, I just had to move through the morning to get it out. And long walks could exacerbate it, any time of day.
It’s not stretching that helped me. Not stretching. It was strengthening exercises. And it was coincidental that I learned this- I had a free offer for time with a trainer at a local gym and kept it up, even on my own dime. Core training, since it’s your core that helps support your carriage. This revelation happened about ten years ago. Now I marvel that I have maybe 6 bad mornings per year and they are minor, ignorable.
Yes, it so happens I have a good bed now. And yes, shoes or inserts can help some. Stretching is good. Ibuprophen helped. But for me, nothing matched the strength building. Ok, that’s my story.
adding: the pillow under knees, or laying on the floor with knees-to-feet flat on a chair never helped me, made it worse. Mind over matter was a huge psychological drain. Losing weight didn’t cure it.
Oh, and core training is more than what some call a core class. It’s not just abs or abdomen. My current trainer tells me core is shoulders to knees.
Yup. Core equals shoulder girdle (shoulders, clavicles), upper back/ribs, mid back, lumbar/lower back, pelvic girdle: hips, glutes, quads, hip muscles (hip flexors-- iliopsoas, etc, hip adductors), all groups of abd muscles, pelvic floor and good knee alignment. Heck, also feet and ankles!