Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: SheWhoMustNotBeOUTBID on 17 October 2008, 22:20:29
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I occasionally get a back spasm.., always same part of my back and its come back today. Carried on doing stuff I needed to do then when it got too bad, had a steaming hot bath cause that normally stops it but this time it hasn't cause haven't been able to keep movements to a minimum. Anyone got any idea's on a quick cure besides another bath (skin is a pain and doesn't take kindly to too many baths and I hate being oh itchy one lol)? Painkillers don't help at all.
I need to get on with things lol so pretty desperate but back removal not really an option
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Easy, get Jue to do everything AND wait on you hand and foot!
ps tried Ibuprofen?
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Ibuprofen cream. Hot pad.
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Now why did I expect to see a photo ..... ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Seriously .. lie on the floor on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Stay like that for a few minutes .. then SLOWLY straighten legs .. keeping heels on the floor all the time, once straight hold for a moment .. then SLOWLY bend again until feet flat. hold for a couple of minutes and repeat.
There should be no speed or effort in these movements
This GENTLE exercise will lightly stretch the spine and pelvic girdle which is where most spasms are triggered from.
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Seeing as I refuse to go near sorebones doctors, I find heat helps mine (back pains rather than spasms), so I tend to lay on floor with t-shirt ruffled right up, near the fire, and get lots of heat in it.
Obviously, sorebones, gay as they are, will always be the recommended solution.
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Heat pads!
Keep mobile, gently stretch it!
poor you!
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Now why did I expect to see a photo ..... ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Seriously .. lie on the floor on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Stay like that for a few minutes .. then SLOWLY straighten legs .. keeping heels on the floor all the time, once straight hold for a moment .. then SLOWLY bend again until feet flat. hold for a couple of minutes and repeat.
There should be no speed or effort in these movements
This GENTLE exercise will lightly stretch the spine and pelvic girdle which is where most spasms are triggered from.
While yelling 'No, Im fixing my back' at Jue ;D
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Easy, get Jue to do everything AND wait on you hand and foot!
ps tried Ibuprofen?
Oops Jue's gone all grumpy for some reason. I shall make no further comment he he!
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I know from experience that back pain is a serious matter....and in reality ,not at all funny.
When my back goes into spasm all I do is try to relax until it passes.
have you tried acupuncture....have heard some good things regarding this therapy....might be worth a try. :y
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voltaren cream and
2 towels and ironing without steam on your back :-/
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go out to the omega and put the heated seats on and relax :y
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go out to the omega and put the heated seats on and relax :y
Good idea. :y :y
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Try half a bottle of Whiskey if dont work drink the rest :y
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Ha ha I like that one.
Unfortunately we haven't got any heated pads. I have found by mischance that lying on the floor with legs to chest (and warning looks in Jue's direction) help but not tried it in a stretching exercise sense as Entwood suggested. I shall next time.
Strangely enuf, what has helped is Jue's chair. It presses against the back just where i need it and spasms seem to have stopped for now. Problem is I'm scared to move from the chair so could be spending the nite here lolol. I have taken an ibufren like painkillers (but much stronger) and they may have finally kicked in perhaps as well. They take a while to work lol.
Thank you very much for your advice, will get some heat pads over the weekend as it usually hangs around for a few days once it recurrs lol.
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Nightnurse and stella helps me, but takes 2 hours to kick in fully.
Also, you'll wake up with a thumping headache
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Evil stuff nightnurse.
If I take that, can guarantee needing a day of sick afterwards, knocks me right out. mental stuff!
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My chiropracter has always said that heat is the wrong thing as it causes the tissues to expand and increase pressure on the nerves. He says COLD is better and recommends .... this is true .... a packet of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel ... as the peas "mold" to your shape easily.
You can also but a gel pad that you leave in the freezer box of the fridge ready for the bad moment.
Having lived with back pain for 30 odd years, the exercises I mentioned with a cold pad in the small of the back work for me ... and become mandatory after working inside the engine bay of the miggy for more than 30 minutes !!!!
SWTSMBO knows when I've been doing any such thing as she says I walked like a stuffed duck for several hours after !!!
;D ;D ;D ;D
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Evil stuff nightnurse.
If I take that, can guarantee needing a day of sick afterwards, knocks me right out. mental stuff!
Not tried nightnurse with scotch... ...could be interesting...
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if the pain is in the centre of your spine... Dont mess with it. Seek professional help. Dont go to your Gp they aint got a clue. Privately see a chyropractor if its posture/skeleton related or a physio if its muscular. In the mean time over the weekend get hold of a tens machine from boots. Place the pads on the affected area and turn up as much as you can stand. It will trick the muscles into relaxing from the spasm, if thats what it is.
I would def say seek private help, do you have any idea of the underlying cause? For instance, degenerative disc disorder, very common. Compressed vertibrae, curved spine(shoulders left or right of hips) slouch(poor posture)one leg longer than the other(most people do, the body compensates if its within 10 mill, more than that can cause problems) all will cause the soft tissue to compensate for stratural problems, this compensation usually involves spasm as part of the compensation process. In other words, is a sign of more serious problem that can usually be sorted easily if treated early enough, or if an injury then you probably will have to manage it yourself as required as i do. But if youve just been gardening/bend over alot, then simple lifting bending techniques can prevent further problems.
Hth
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HE HE I do everymorning anyway :P
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I am 43 (so bod is past it he he).., and have (I think) been developing arthritis for years but GP refuses to listen (Hips come out slightly since my 20's if I step up from road to pavement etc but it won't happen to order when GP examines me lol), spread to ankles (quite badly) and knees. But think it is a muscle spasm problem in my back as opposed to a bone related problem.
But never had any of the problems looked at cause never found a GP that would listen lol. And as if it is arthritis, very little can be done, always felt would just wait til it gets bad enuf that something HAS to be done. Not one for taking painkillers normally anyway unless extremely desperate which i think is all they prescribe.
Actually thinking about it, its my right ankle that's rather problematic and the back spasm is on the left, so they could well be related. Its been bad enuf to cause me to limp for a few days this week so that's probably why I've got the back spasm.
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I was told buy a Osteopath (they dont just crack bones) its better to treat back/muscle probs eg spasms with cold not hot he says the warming effect feels nice but insisted to really help the problem a pack of cold peas or a plastic frozen ice pack held or positioned the area of the pain is the way to sort it, he reckoned this stimulates the blood to flow more into the muscle etc to cure itself where as warming it does the opposite (slows blood flow ) :y
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I am 43 (so bod is past it he he).., and have (I think) been developing arthritis for years but GP refuses to listen (Hips come out slightly since my 20's if I step up from road to pavement etc but it won't happen to order when GP examines me lol), spread to ankles (quite badly) and knees. But think it is a muscle spasm problem in my back as opposed to a bone related problem.
But never had any of the problems looked at cause never found a GP that would listen lol. And as if it is arthritis, very little can be done, always felt would just wait til it gets bad enuf that something HAS to be done. Not one for taking painkillers normally anyway unless extremely desperate which i think is all they prescribe.
Actually thinking about it, its my right ankle that's rather problematic and the back spasm is on the left, so they could well be related. Its been bad enuf to cause me to limp for a few days this week so that's probably why I've got the back spasm.
ok, a guess, flat feet? seriously....ankle, knee pain radiating from knee round outside of thigh to top of buttox to lower back...?
PS please don't waste your time with a GP, all you'll ever get is bad rest and pain killers at best, you need to get to the underlying cause
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I have had lots of operations on my spine so i can give some advice from the dealings i have had with the NHS
if it is muscular then heat helps
it it is spinal then DO NOT apply heat to it
heat swells the joints making the problem worse. so take showers and not baths
try some gentle walking and make sure you always have good posture
My physio told me to get a gym ball and sit balanced in it with my feet out infront of me on the floor while i was watching the tv as you need to sit upright and balanced to stay on it (it helps with posture)
also any back doctor or physio you talk to about backs will tell you to keep the muscles in your tummy strong as they support your back
If you have pains shooting down your legs then thats an indication of siatic nerve problems and you really need to speak to your doctor about that .
I hope its not an ongoing problem as back pain is the worst kind of pain to have
this time of year when its cold and damp wont be helping too
cheers
Doug
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put your hand in your pocket and get some accupuncture!
It works miracles! :y
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put your hand in your pocket and get some accupuncture!
It works miracles! :y
In my mind, it proves the pain is in the head. How can sticking pins in your feet cure anything?
But, whether in the head, or some miracle with feet, if it works, its gotta be worth a few quid :)
Myself, I'm a big believer in a bit of pain never hurt anyone ;D [size=8]which is why I'm about to get in hot bath as I had a bad night, and my back is killing me today[/size]
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as entwood says, that always cures any niggles in my back, or you can dangle from the bannister rail. :y
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put your hand in your pocket and get some accupuncture!
It works miracles! :y
In my mind, it proves the pain is in the head. How can sticking pins in your feet cure anything?
But, whether in the head, or some miracle with feet, if it works, its gotta be worth a few quid :)
Myself, I'm a big believer in a bit of pain never hurt anyone ;D [size=8]which is why I'm about to get in hot bath as I had a bad night, and my back is killing me today[/size]
to be quite honest I was the biggest sceptic until I had some, and I was amazed at the results.
Back spasms are the result of muscle damage and each spasm can further damage the muscle so its a vicious cycle. The needles go in and calm down the nerves causing the spasms and increase blood flow to the area thus speeding up healing.
enjoy your bath :y
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Whether acupuncture cures the reason for back pain is debatable, I suppose, but I have no doubt from personal experience that it certainly can help with pain relief. My wife and I both use a device called Pain Gone which puts a small electrical charge into the area and allegedly persuades the body to produce natural endorphins which suppress pain. I believe this is the Tens principal also.
It works brilliantly, for whatever reasons, but I'm always conscious of the danger of aggravating the real cause of the pain because one is tempted to carry on as normal in the absence of the pain, which is after all the body's warning system.
http://www.tower-health.co.uk/ambrowCart/shop/show_details.php?ref=PGNS
Look at the various websites which come up when you search for 'Pain gone'.
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One thing I will say ... if you are prone to these spasms and therefore know the "warning twinges" ... take the painkillers THEN ----- before the pain gets a hold.
Painkillers work far more effectively prophilactically (sp?). ie., they will stop the pain from getting a grip. Once you are in real pain only the opiates etc. will touch it ( with all the other side effects ... sickness, dizziness etc).
Don't take them for any old twinge -- just the oncoming spasm type twinge -- your body does become accustomed to them!
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As suggested on an earlier reply ,Go and see a Chyropracter .
I suffered back pain last year for the first time and he explained what he did and why and it worked.
Over here there is no NHS so I had to pay but it was worth it many times over
Good luck .
Don
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I would agree with Entwood
hits the nail on the head :y
I too have had back spasms before and the answer for me was crushed ice in a tea towel, nurofen (or ibuprofen) and wrap up warm (cos u dont want to sneeze :o)
Cold compress is the answer to "muscle spasm" for me ;)
Good Luck
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A good bit of heavy ironing should help take your mind off it!
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If the spasm is painful and prolonged then diazepam (low dose) alongside diclofenac for a few weeks should sort it out.
Longer term a strengthening of the glutes reallly has been shown to help as much as an 80% reduction in frequency.
Iorning is good for this too ::) ::)
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put your hand in your pocket and get some accupuncture!
It works miracles! :y
In my mind, it proves the pain is in the head. How can sticking pins in your feet cure anything?
But, whether in the head, or some miracle with feet, if it works, its gotta be worth a few quid :)
Myself, I'm a big believer in a bit of pain never hurt anyone ;D [size=8]which is why I'm about to get in hot bath as I had a bad night, and my back is killing me today[/size]
to be quite honest I was the biggest sceptic until I had some, and I was amazed at the results.
Back spasms are the result of muscle damage and each spasm can further damage the muscle so its a vicious cycle. The needles go in and calm down the nerves causing the spasms and increase blood flow to the area thus speeding up healing.
enjoy your bath :y
Tens machine works on a very similar way. But the electrical pulses cause much more disruption to the spasm and in my experience give far better results for a fraction of the cost in the comfort of your own home.15 sobs and a couple of good sessions and every a couple of hours and im sorted.