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So I'm currently in a funny shape as a result of a lower back spasm. As in my spine is bent at a 20° slope to the right. I've done all the doctor stuff, I'm on medication for the pain, and I'm awaiting appointment with a physiotherapist. In the mean time, I'm stuck with moderate pain and having difficulty getting about.
What kind of exercises could I be doing to help ease my suffering and help me get a bit more mobile?
None. Wait for the expert to tell you in case you aggrevate it.
What Krypton said. I did mine last week. The physio will be able to target the right muscles with massage & stretching.
I have a fragile back and out of all the people who do stuff to back, such as oesteos, chiros, funny needles, blah blah, the only one who has actually helped, long term is a physio. Try not to agravate it and get in there asap
Hm...I wouldn't do nothing but wait (indefinitely?) for an appointment. Trying to relax the spasm and straighten yourself would seem a good idea. Lying flat on your back (maybe pillow under knees) might be a good starting point. Most back pain resolves itself over time anyway.
Sounds like the reverse of my back issue that came from nowhere, one afternoon in mid 2008, that changed my back health forever. I was angled to the left and slightly forward during the three weeks I had off work after going in the next day to show them (all happened while lone-working on a later shift).
It took months to finally get my physio sessions at Moorgreen, hopefully you will get seen much quicker, the sooner an expert can diagnose your problem and gives you a specific exercise routine the better.
My exercises included...
The bridge (basic, left leg straight suspended, right leg straight suspended)
Bird dog (both sides)
Lying leg drop
If you are taking Diclofenac (also sold as Voltarol), like I was, be very aware of how much pain they mask. You can easily end up causing further damage by doing something you really should be avoiding for several months after a lower back injury.
I used this book when I did mine; I was having to crawl upstairs but this mostly sorted it out.
Start on the very lowest level though, which is just lying on your front and breathing out.
Personally, I halved the painkillers after 2 days & quit them after 5.
Can still feel it & it was intense when I did the injury, but the exercises helped immensely.
Not a lot you can while in spasm, possibly some pressure point release may help, but I'd check with a physio first....
I can second the Robin McKenzie book. Sorted me out when I had a nasty lower back and use the positions whenever I get pain (if I've lifted up the kids too much or something)
Got rid of sciatica too. Quite interesting story as to how he came to discover his method!
You might want to consider finding a physio privately? Unless your wait for one via the NHS is tolerable?
Private physio before you make things worse.
Trust me on that. Did my back at 21. Arsed around myself for a few weeks till it was "better". Suffered on and off for the last 25 years....
Keep it moving to whatever degree your pain allows you to. If that means starting with the breathing exercise described above then do that, however 'moderate pain' and 'still able to get about' sounds like you are able to do more.
The one thing that can, and frequently does, make your situation worse is resting the back completely. The latest evidence shows that inactivity leads to muscle deconditioning and joint deterioration, neither of which are going to help your back!
Seeing a private Physio instead of waiting is never a bad idea if it gets you moving sooner, as it's the 'I better not move until I see a Physio' period of inactivity that often leads to the chronic issues that unfortunately affects an unhealthily large proportion of the population.
Simply put: any movement is good, staying in any one position for long periods of time is bad, so do whatever is most comfortable and, yes, pleasurable for you- the best exercise is always the one that you actually end up doing!! Best of luck!! 🙂
Deadlifts?
[url= http://www.csp.org.uk/your-health/healthy-living/public-information-leaflets/back-pain-myth-busters ]Four useful back pain myth busters from the CSP (Chartered Society of Physiotherapists)[/url]
ibuprofen and frozen peas,
and if you can swim.
Mckenzie book is great, as said earlier do the simple floor stuff and don't overdo it.
Swimming is, indeed, excellent and even if you can't swim simply getting in the pool and walking around is good. It takes the weight off, so you can move easier. Any movement is good, start with the gentle stuff first!
Have you tried Orthotics with special foot insole?
My nephew has back pain and affected his spine so when for those custom made insoles to realign his spine. Now, he is fine but still using the insoles.
I am thinking about this too as I have lower back pain ...
The Robin McKenzie book helped me. For £12 on amazon, its money well spent. Start slow and build up gradually. If it works for you, work out a regular programme and stick to it. I complete a set after each ride it only takes 5-10 minutes. It has kept me going now for 4yrs.
Have you tried Orthotics with special foot insole?
Orthotics are a specific solution to a specific problem. If you have that problem then, fine, it's the one for you. If you chose the right orthotic. And the right leg to put it on. But you are flailing around in the dark a bit here. It's bit like assuming that any pair of glasses are going to correct any problem you might have with your eyesight.
Don't mess around waiting for a NHS physio. Go private. However have you considered seeing an osteopath instead of/ as well as? i.e. is it a skeletal problem or is it purely muscle related?
We regularly get our backs sorted out by ours. Took a bit of finding to find one who worked for us. But he sorts us out!
mugsys_m8 - MemberDon't mess around waiting for a NHS physio. Go private.
Basically this. I'm on the waiting list for a NHS physio and I'm confident the care'll be good but I didn't want to wait 10 weeks so I've gone with a well regarded local place in the meantime and it's helping a lot- in ways I totally didn't expect (I've blamed all my back issues on a bad bike crash a couple of years back and no doubt that's what caused it to flare up but it turns out the major issue goes right back to my busted hip a decade ago... I'd have never guessed that, I've been pissing around with the wrong remedies for the last couple of years)
I always rationalise stuff like this- if my car needed a £40 part I'd buy it like <that>, you wouldn't even question it. But if my car breaks, I can get a new one, so it'd be kind of incredibly retarded not to do the same for my body.
shermer75 - Member
Have you tried Orthotics with special foot insole?
Orthotics are a specific solution to a specific problem.
Check with your doctor first as I was just merely suggesting so that you can cross it out if it is not for you.
Find a good private physio that does mylofacial release to aid the spasms in your muscle and I expect they'll also work on the cause of the spasm which could be coming from hips/pelvis.