Hola All,

Just slightly over 50 years old here, generally considered fit and healthy with weekly 3*1-hr swims and a couple of runs.
Mid-Sept 2018, a super typhoon was about to hit home. I moved all plants from the terrace in and secured everything else left outside. Lots and lots of bending and lifting heavy stuff.

I know the "lower-yourself-bending-your-legs, not-your-back thing" but somehow managed to mess up my back while rushing the clock and the approaching typhoon.

Since then, constant lower back pains. Sitting and standing are sometimes both unbearable at the same time.
Driving me totally banana.

Tried the massage house a few times, temporary relief, at best. Now about to hit traditional Chinese med with acupuncture and, I suppose, vacuum cups. Those vacuum glass cups always show up, turning anyone's back and shoulders into an instant ladybird-like camo pattern !
I have low expectations.

As a general rule, I tend to drag seeking medical advise, this time is no exception...
I trust SimHQ much more. Plenty of nitwits like me around here. There must be a SimHQer with a black magic treatment for lower back pains, nope?

Height & weight can be posted if absolutely necessary

Cheers,
Slug

Well last time I kinked my back I used a IR heating lamp and it worked wonders all fixed up now.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KVNQ0...SQY4X&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

SC, I always use ice packs to give myself some ease from the pain, but my most Trusted Healing Power is in the name of Jesus Christ. Mark 11:24 is what I Pray and then immediately give Thanks for the Healing He is doing in my body. Faith that He can, and will Heal me is where my Peace lies. He has never let me down.

S!Blade<><

Tight hip flexors. YT how to stretch them. Try grabbing a pull up bar and hanging from it too. Helps decompress the back.

That does it. I'm done procrastinating on this, I just need to make some room (the cheapest one, I think)...
https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/body-champ-vkr-power-tower#repChildCatid=4842524

++++++++++

Most of my back pains disappeared after pissing out a rock (or pieces of rock...required medication).

I had never been to a chiropractor in my life but in my mid 30s things caught up with me and my back a few years ago and got to where it became an issue. I started going to a chiropractor regularly with a deep tissue massage here and there. Those I believe helped in the long run but my doctor also gave me some sort of 6 month steroidal pill that I'm convinced along with the chiropractic adjustments helped the most. Back pain and troubles are no joke. When its out of whack it effects everything else.

If you find the cure,let me know. I did something stupid in the early 80's and I'm paying for it now. I've done most of it. Pain killers,anti-flam aren't very effective. An Osteopath (surprisingly gave the best results but too expensive to have regularly) and then the sports injury clinic c/w lots of stretches etc. I live with the pain daily and just accept it. I guess my current weight doesn't help but I'm working on that slowly.

I can recommend Dr. Sarno's "Healing Back Pain: The Ming-Body Connection" book to anyone with chronic back pain. The book changed my life, basically.

If the other suggestions do not provide the relief you seek, you may wish to look into getting a gravity inversion table. It basically lets you hang upside down at whatever angle you decide upon, thereby using your upper torso weight to stretch out and decompress your lower vertebra.

Losing weight makes a HUGE difference for back pain.

you may be suffering from this

https://www.spine-health.com/conditions/sciatica/what-you-need-know-about-sciatica

Sluggish,
Everyone is different so what works for one might not work for others. I will assume according to what you say that you are not overweight as Longbow states. If so, that is step one. If the pain is confined to your back and is not going down your leg you do not have sciatica. I am not a doctor but with ruptured and slipped discs since my 30’s, now 62, I know a bit about the problem. The 1st thing I would do, at your age is quit running. Your spine cannot take it anymore and it will only make it worse. Even when you get better, stop. A good long walk will do just as good. If heat, ice packs or a combination do not work see if anti inflammatory’s will help. If all else fails see a pain specialist and get an epidural steroid. It will “put out the fire” and let you heal.

Once you are on the mend, and this is the hard part. You will have to admit you are not the man you used to be. You can break an arm or leg and it heals as good as new. Once you screw up your back, it is never the same. Oh, did I mention all the vertebrae in my neck are fused? I feel your pain Hoss and hope you get some relief. Once you do, be smart.

Good advice from MFair. I damaged my lower back lifting fencing wire back in 1982 and have never really recovered. Had a laminectomy and then spinal fusion, but always have to be careful. I'm 73 and still have pretty good movement but it's easy to get hurt, be careful.

Not sure who, but someone else here complained about the same pain and found out they had Kidney Stones. For Men it really sucks.

My job requires me to sit a lot. Recently been getting a back pain also. Bring Ibuprofen and Icy-hot to work with me now.

Need to see doctor about those standing desk things

an inversion table might help some.

But the big thing for bad pain is you have to let it heal and it has to be healed before you do anything or it wont heal and you will be in constant pain. I've pulled my back a few times and it can take 2-4 weeks where you are basically bed ridden. it sucks and sometimes you have to do thing anyways but it just takes longer to heal.

If its actual damage though and not just a pulled something or other... its not going to go away on it's own.

Thx All for the precious advise.
Will definitely acquire an infrared heating lamp and do some light spine "stretching" exercise.
I had thought of kidney stones but a recent complete health checkup confirmed no such sign.

Oh well, tomorrow is acupuncture day, I shall see how it goes.

Cheers,
Slug

Find a chiropractor who has no products or brochures in the front office. This tells you they go for the purely musculoskeletal approach without the holistic BS.

I used to serve subpoenas for car accident litigations in 105 cities. That's how I found mine.

I went 3 times in 2008 over a minor back injury. I went again last week for similar. No "upsell". No BS. It worked.

Archery is good therapy for easing back pain. Drawing a Long or recurve bow correctly, involves all muscle groups in shoulders, back and pelvic area. The conditioning greatly relieves pressure on the spine.
It is even said to help ladies' pelvic floor and re-tighten their naughty bits!

I had a good number of years away from shooting in a bow due to family and business pressures with associated spinal discomfort. On retiring, resumed twanging and chucking a few arrows about and problem has been alleviated.

Hmm never thought of that, been shooting bows since I was about 8 years old and now 62 and never had any back problems... knees and elbows yes and having the nerve moved out from my funny bone to the inside of my arm has left my left hand partially numb and has stopped me shooting for over a year now.