[dcguy73]

This is what got me into headphone junk in the first place, heh -- a distraction from chronic pain I've had since an accident last year. Long story short, the accident caused me to end up with arthritis in my lower back. Arthritis at 33, arrgggh.

Constant lower back pain and sciatica down my legs. Did physical therapy, then pain management. Lots of shots and drugs. I improved a bit, not great. I started carrying a lumbar support and sciatic nerve pilllow around with me -- and felt totally stupid doing it. I guess you learn to give up vanity when you're hurting. I was doing pretty well for a while, but lately I've been having relapses -- plus I'm developing a tolerance to the drugs. So the future looks like more physical therapy and/or or more shots.

I hate to start a thread on an unhappy topic, but thought I'd see who else out there is dealing with the same types of issues and how you're managing it.

 

[bahamaman]

So sorry to hear that these problems began so early for you. I have many of the same low back issues. I, too, tried physical therapy (to no avail) and I can't really deal with medicines (though I don't blame your trying).

There is an Osteopathic hospital where I live and, apparently, it has a clinic that combines the tools of medicine, osteopathy, chiropractic and massage. I am going to try that next.

What I will never do is have surgery. I have heard so many horror stories about operated backs that I think I'd rather deal with the pain. Good luck to you in finding something that works.

 

[stevesurf]

Actually, DC Guy, I am the victim of chronic pain in my feet due to decreased circulation; however, I have had what once was chronic back pain be greatly alleviated through back surgery. You know, with our backs and disks, there's a silver lining. As we age, our disks get less flexible and the pain that we've experienced due to herniated or ruptured disks pressing on nerves can actually get gradually better on their own. However, I believe you need to be in your late 50's to see this happen, but check with your neurologist on this issue and if surgery is right for you.

I recommend surgery wholeheartedly (laminectomies yes; fusion no as I am a cyclist). I had a laminectomy of L5S1 which (thank god) was extremely successful. I was walking 45 min after the surgery!

 

[ldj325]

Deleted

 

[choomanchoo]

Pain, now that is something I'm familiar with, after two knee surgeries, pain is something you get used too rather than medicate,

and a dislocated ankle doesn't help neither.

 

[no1likesme]

when i was 17 I fractured a vertebrate in my lower back and it still hurts to this day (to be fair I didn't tell anyone until 3 months later when I couldn't walk). I went through 6 months of physical therapy and was given drugs to no avail (i can eat vicodin like they are skittles) I just got used to it for the most part. I wear a back brace whenever I do any physical activity or anything that requires a lot of movement. This happened almost 3 years ago and the pain is still there.

 

[Zorander]

I have mild chronic back pain. Inexplicably early since age of 25. Pretty much similar symptoms like you: aches in the lower back, pain creeping down one leg, inability to stay standing for long (walking/running continuously is fine though) and the need for a good back-supporting bed (no pillows for me). Thankfully they are not severe in the sense that I need no medication (just regular monthly visit to the chiro) and I've become quite used to it it's not impeding my daily activities.

 

[ken36]

Yes. Knees.

 

[blessingx]

I'm not a follower of my own words here, as I'm been lazy with follow-through, but the only year I've gone without lower back pain is when I did yoga.

 

[vcoheda]

it's called prescription drugs.

 

[Judge Crandall]

I have a RSI (repetitive strain injury) in my hands and wrists, which also affects the rest of my arms, shoulders, upper back, and neck. It's been going on for a little under a year, and has varied during that time from excruciating to manageable. At it's height, I could barely sleep due to the pain and had trouble opening doors without extreme discomfort. Luckily, my office was very understanding and let me take time off to recuperate, during which time I underwent physical therapy and everything else the doctors suggested, none of which helped much. Unfortunately, my doctors didn't seem to know much about my condition. In addition, they kept trying to rush me back to work, which only made things worse. After carpal tunnel was ruled out by a nerve conductivity test, the orthopedic surgeon I was seeing basically told me he thought I was making it all up to get out of work.

I pretty much had to diagnose myself, and go from there. I've gotten the pain under control through exercise, relaxation techniques, trigger point therapy, and good ol' fashioned rest. The hardest thing has been changing my lifestyle and habits - limiting computer use, which is a struggle for me; avoiding certain activities, like weightlifting; and the realization that forcing myself to deal with the pain will only make things worse. Technically, just writing this post is making my hands worse

. Of course, I don't rest as much as I should/need to because I'm back to work at the office, which requires plenty of work with my hands. Another important thing to keep in mind is staying positive. It is very easy to become upset and depressed about the situation, which will make you feel terrible and possibly prevent/limit your recovery.

For me, surgery isn't even an option, as it's a soft tissue condition, rather than a pinched nerve or something like that. Best of luck to everyone dealing with any kind of chronic pain, I know it can be incredibly frustrating and can affect pretty much every aspect of your life.

 

[Blockman86]

I have 4 screws and 2 "small" plates in my right knee from a bike accident when I was 13. 3 fractured floating ribs. A very loose right shoulder (dislocated 7 times so far, twice waking up from bed) and I've fractured my left collarbone once.

All of those injuries, and I still wouldn't trade them for chronic back pain. My father's had back pain for the better part of 5 years and I can't imagine living with that.

I second the surgery recommendation, but only after you've consulted many specialists and have weighed all of your options.

 

[Agent Kang]

I too, have chronic back pain. I've tried everything outside of a surgery, but they were all a temporary fix. I remember my acupuncturist advising me to minimize pressure off my back as much as possible, which totally didn't make sense to me. After all, he was basically telling me to live like a cripple. I said to hell with it, and did the complete opposite. Hardcore squats and deadlifts to strengthen my gluts and lower back muscles to alleviate the pressure off my spine. This certainly helped more than any drugs or a visit to the doctor's office.

 

[redshifter]

Just a warning to audiophiles taking Vicodin:
Vicodin can cause you to lose your hearing. It is how the tylenol interacts with the opiate in the pill. If you have to take pain pills get something mixed with ibuprophen or just straight opiates. Norco is also like Vicodin, but you can get it with a lot less Tylenol.

Anyway, a few years ago my arm got ripped out of the socket. All the tendons and bones in the shoulder (rotator cuff) were broken, and basically my arm was being held on by the skin. They had to rebuild my shoulder and I went through months of physical therapy, which helped so much. And even with the heavy pain meds I was on at the time, high doses of liquid Advil worked best for some reason.

 

[Seaside]

I feel your pain.

I fell down from the horizontal bar at gym, cracked my back when I was a high school kid. I got this back pain since then.

Cracked bone got healed, and things got better for years. But my back can never be as strong as before because bulged disc and demaged nerve... it can be recovered to about 80% of what it used to be, but it can not be fully recovered. My back is bit twisted and the pain is still there.

I am able to do pretty much everything, but can not run fast more than a min, can not lift heavy things because of the pain. Injury like this is something you have to live with for the rest of your life. I know it sucks big time, but please take care of yourself. Do streching everyday, exercise everyday but not to much, keep your stance straight, eat well and sleep well. Make sure you're in good nutrition. Those and a few advil will keep your pain minimal.

Ahhhhhhh....wwwww.... back pain sucks.