Chronic Back Pain

[Eskil]

My youngest son has pretty severe scoliosis and chronic back pain. He is in his senior year of high school, but it's so bad that he had to quit showing up to school and instead take all his classes from home online because he couldn't handle sitting for lengths at a time in the hard chairs in classes.

If it's available / legal where you live, I can strongly recommend looking into CBD / medical marijuana. The moment my son tried it, his pain was 100% gone. Evaporated. I mean, ZERO pain. It's that good. We are now getting him a MM card here in AZ. It's not a "cure" of course as it only takes the pain away and not the problem itself, but for that he will also be undergoing more phsyical therapy, yoga, and possibly down the road, surgery.

TLDR: Look into cannabis, but research what strains are good for physical pain relief, and not the strains that will get you high as a kite. You want a good Indica strain, with a good amount of CBD but you also need some THC. CBD oils based on hemp without THC did *not* work for my son.

Check out strains like Charlotte's Web or Blue Dream. They are common, and known to work for pain relief. Read more on Leafly.com and get educated.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[OlivierMo]

Not a doctor or not an expert by any means but I used to have some mild back pain as a young adult more frequently. I've played soccer, tennis and have done sports my whole life. My diet was poorer than now. So more constipated aka toxins were not evacuated often enough. I don't eat as much bread and flour products. Also I've changed my breathing. I focus on breathing down my spine, through the diaphragm, in the pelvis, etc.... It expands my tummy, lower back, etc...

 

[luniac]

Try Zhan Zhuang - Standing like a tree.
Healed my friends back pain.

 

[Roli]

Worked (and still works) for me.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Steps-Pain-Free-Back-Solutions-Shoulder/dp/1905367457

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[RoadTrip]

I suffer from lower back pain too since a couple of years. I dedicated the cause to either my psoriatic arthritis or sitting too much.

I tried the chiropractor. They were trying to sell me a 800 euro package on the first visit. This caused me to lose faith right from the start. When I didn't feel any relief after 3 sessions I stopped going. Against their advice obviously.

What I do feel that helps are two things:

1. Strengthening my lower back with exercises (even pushups seem to help)
2. Yoga for flexibility > stretching hamstrings a lot

 

[JAJT]

While this isn't a back issue, I did suffer from what I thought was a hamstring issue for a year (2018, to be exact).

I went to some physio clinic near my doctor and some young (too young) looking asian girls asked me almost zero questions, hooked me up to machines and zapped me and lasered me and said "mmm hmm" a lot and basically said "come back a dozen times, to start" and gave me a whole sheet of exercises to do. I never did feel better, was losing cash, and gave up out of frustration.

At the insistence of my in-laws and utter frustration many months later, I saw a new physiotherapist who specialized in sports injury who considered power lifting a hobby (so, he walks the talk). I was hesitant and skeptical but this guy passed my gut check immediately when I met him and came off as a proper professional.

He asked me what hurt, and even with my vague "this-ish area" talk, he walked me through a number of stretches and movements and asked me how it felt each time. In about 10 minutes he identified it as 100% not a hamstring issue at all. It was a nerve issue resulting from interaction with scar tissue (if I recall). He was even able to put pressure on a single place on my back and my entire leg regained full range of motion immediately. It was amazing to see how pin-point accurate he was. He recommended I come back 2 more times (so 3, total) so he could do the machine stuff that the other place did (although with explanations and solid reasoning behind them all this time - and in the right place) and had me do a single exercise, twice daily.

In 3 sessions and a month of my own self-exercising later, I don't feel ANY pain there any more, and am fully "cured".

There's a lot of quacks out there who don't know their a$$ from a hole in the ground but I highly recommend you find a professional. One who's reviews and testimonials shine a mile long. And above all - one who immediately gives your gut a good feeling by clearly knowing what the hell they are talking about in a way they can prove it to you.

 

[JunkBoxJoey_JBJ]

Here was my solution to health and healing:

BACKGROUND:
MRI’s, bulged discs, acupuncture, Doctors, Chiros, shots, scans, Xrays, massages, specialists, all of it. Was determined to find a homeopathic solution.

LIFESTYLE:
Car crashes, motorcycle riding, stress, job aspects, lifting things too heavy (Yes, doctor - check)

PAIN/SYMPTOMS:
Putting on shoes resulted in excruciating pain, numbness down the leg was constant, sitting hurt, standing hurt, sciatica nerve pain, limping, pain in the hips, tired, lack of good sleep, etc.

COST:
Years and years and thousands of dollars, along with lack of sleep, poor health as a result and "time spent" in offices, exam rooms and PT.

PROCESS:
Above continued. Then on advice from a female friend went to almost daily sessions in about 90 days, then trailed off because I had major, major pain relief! Now I go a few times a year AND continue do daily stretching on my own.

Back pain journey is one of my FTE’s if facing another difficulty. I live daily in 95%+ pain free, are more aware of my body and muscles than ever before. I believe muscle controls bone and that's why stretching is important for me.

ANSWER:
Bikram Yoga (not hot yoga, not yoga, Bikram yoga)


@MMatt any progress updates?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[biophase]

While this isn't a back issue, I did suffer from what I thought was a hamstring issue for a year (2018, to be exact).

I went to some physio clinic near my doctor and some young (too young) looking asian girls asked me almost zero questions, hooked me up to machines and zapped me and lasered me and said "mmm hmm" a lot and basically said "come back a dozen times, to start" and gave me a whole sheet of exercises to do. I never did feel better, was losing cash, and gave up out of frustration.

At the insistence of my in-laws and utter frustration many months later, I saw a new physiotherapist who specialized in sports injury who considered power lifting a hobby (so, he walks the talk). I was hesitant and skeptical but this guy passed my gut check immediately when I met him and came off as a proper professional.

He asked me what hurt, and even with my vague "this-ish area" talk, he walked me through a number of stretches and movements and asked me how it felt each time. In about 10 minutes he identified it as 100% not a hamstring issue at all. It was a nerve issue resulting from interaction with scar tissue (if I recall). He was even able to put pressure on a single place on my back and my entire leg regained full range of motion immediately. It was amazing to see how pin-point accurate he was. He recommended I come back 2 more times (so 3, total) so he could do the machine stuff that the other place did (although with explanations and solid reasoning behind them all this time - and in the right place) and had me do a single exercise, twice daily.

In 3 sessions and a month of my own self-exercising later, I don't feel ANY pain there any more, and am fully "cured".

There's a lot of quacks out there who don't know their a$$ from a hole in the ground but I highly recommend you find a professional. One who's reviews and testimonials shine a mile long. And above all - one who immediately gives your gut a good feeling by clearly knowing what the hell they are talking about in a way they can prove it to you.

There are amazing experts out there that literally say I saw you walk in and could tell by your posture that your right hamstring is tight. Once you find one of them, you never go to anyone else!

But it takes a while to find them. Part of it is telling friends and people of your problems and they may say, I had a friend who's XXXX use to hurt all the time and he's now cured and raves about the person who did it.

 

[Kyle T]

I am one of those "corrective exercise specialists".

The reason that I went to school for exercise was actually that I had incredible lower back pain in high school that basically ruined my senior athletic seasons.

I was on track to play sports in college and all of a sudden my life turned into torture.

I was in pain daily!

Doctors gave me pain pills. Chiropractors adjusted me. Athletic trainers gave me a lifetime supply of Icy Hot.

No one could fix me for months! They couldn't even tell me what was wrong.

Life sucked and by the time I had gotten used to being called 'Frankenstein' I had pretty much given up.

Then I went to a physical therapist and they basically told me "lol you need to learn to clench your butt"

The physical therapist gave me a handful of exercises that were so simple, I thought he was joking.

But guess what? After a few weeks, I started to feel better.

I went to school for exercise because of that. Probably not the wisest choice, but at least the stuff I learned was somewhat enjoyable.

While at school, I took an entire course where we studied the walking mechanics of different people.

I can now freak people out by figuring out what position they typically sleep in just by watching them walk. Talk about a worthwhile superpower!

Anyways...

The majority of lower back pain is caused by muscular imbalances & not a chronic injury. Once you are able to fix those with exercises then the amount of relief that you feel is incredible.

Just Need to do 3 things

1. Strengthen
2. Stretch
3. Release (ie foam roll)

I made a little PDF my online clients years ago and I dug it up in case anyone is interested...

https://familyfitnessonlinetraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Back-Pain-eBook.pdf

 

[daru]

Don't think anyone mentioned it yet in this thread. And it needs to be mentioned in a thread about back pain (or any chronic pain). If you are desperate enough, have a look over at Healing Back Pain by Dr John Sarno. I was extremely suspicious when I first encountered his work about TMS (Tension Myasitis Syndrome). But when I read those pages I was like: What the hell, he is talking about me!
And my back pain is basically gone and for the first time I got an possible cause of chronic pain, migraines and skin disorders. Unfortunately the "back pain" has moved to other places as predicted in the book. That tells me he is really on to something. That and the fact that if it was a mechanical issue it would hurt like hell when doing heavy deep squats and deadlifts. Which it does not. But it could hurt like hell by lying down or sitting.
Well, check out the Amazon reviews for that book.

Either way, hope you guys get rid of the back pain. I know it's F*cking hell!

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Everyman]

The reason that I went to school for exercise was actually that I had incredible lower back pain in high school that basically ruined my senior athletic seasons.

Thanks for this. I know exactly how you feel. It's incredibly difficult to find the appropriate person for your type of 'pain'.

 

[ShamanKing]

I suffered from lower back pain since I was 12. I was getting teased for being my size but can't even pick up the 100lb rice bag. Dumb and ego driven at the time, I lift that sucker up. F*** my lower back since.

What helps me now? Lose weight, diet, stretch, stay active, sometimes medication (rarely), seeing a chiropractor (helped the most)

 

[Everyman]

I made a little PDF my online clients years ago and I dug it up in case anyone is interested...

https://familyfitnessonlinetraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Back-Pain-eBook.pdf

Thanks for this again. These are the basics, yet so powerful!!! I would recommend to all, even without back pains.

You know my biggest learning here - because I have been showed these exercises and they never worked. I have been doing them wrong. It's not only that you do them. But you need to adjust your position. Force yourself. Nobody has ever told me that (yes, sounds stupid). And it only started working now, because I 'defied' doctors, physios, chiropractors......

seeing a chiropractor (helped the most)

A chiropractor is a short term solution. If you have to come back to him, then he isn't doing his job...

The long term is to work on your posture by exercising properly (I am the master of being stubborn and not doing things right for years...)....

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[GuestU56895]

I too have dealt with this most of my life. I am 34, and dealt with it since I was 10. I have gone to the chiropractor for 13 years.

Chiropractors are amazing, you just have to find the right one. Everyone is nervous and skeptical of them at first. The only ones you should go to are from Palmer College of Chiropractic.

website: palmer.edu

My wife and my five kids go regularly. All of my children get adjusted days after they are born. It is very safe. My most recent chiro of ten years is a chiro for the Milwaukee Brewers. He specializes in extremity adjustments. I had ribs off in my back once and could barely breathe or walk and he adjusted me and within seconds I felt better. Chiropractic care has helped with my wifes tmj, the families ear infections, during pregnancies. It isn't a cure, you have to go periodically to get readjusted. WATCH OUT FOR THE ONES THAT WANT YOU TO COME 3-5 TIMES A WEEK FOREVER! I would go weekly or biweekly at first and then monthly or biweekly.

Most accept insurance or will set you up on a cash plan. Stay away from anyone who is from any of the other schools, their education is subpar, and they quit the business after a few years. Palmer chiros do it on average of 40 yrs.

Also, check out these guys:
Gold Medal Bodies
gmb.io <---I am not an affiliate. I just love them and they are stretches and bodyweight exercises, helped with my lower back issues too.

Good luck.

 

[GuestU56895]

Stretches only do so much. Your body's structure needs to be assessed. Just like alignment on a car. If you don't get adjusted everything else has to compensate and keeps wearing out.

 

[ShamanKing]

Thanks for this again. These are the basics, yet so powerful!!! I would recommend to all, even without back pains.

You know my biggest learning here - because I have been showed these exercises and they never worked. I have been doing them wrong. It's not only that you do them. But you need to adjust your position. Force yourself. Nobody has ever told me that (yes, sounds stupid). And it only started working now, because I 'defied' doctors, physios, chiropractors......



A chiropractor is a short term solution. If you have to come back to him, then he isn't doing his job...

The long term is to work on your posture by exercising properly (I am the master of being stubborn and not doing things right for years...)....

Thank you.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[amp0193]

Had zero back pain until I threw out my lower back on a deadlift over Thanksgiving.

Been resting since then... but it hasn't improved. I can go a couple of weeks with almost no pain, and then I pick something heavy-ish up off the ground, and trigger it, and it's pain for the next 3 days.

Now at the point of being ready to see people. First step is a chiropractor that a couple of friend's swear by... we'll see.

I'm just ready to get back to working out and rock climbing again. Inactivity is driving me crazy.

 

[User62861]

Anyone who has lower back pain....make sure to check and try reverse hyperextension exercise! Just type in YouTube.

 

[BooBoosHelix]

Try Dynamic Contraction Stretching (DCT) by David McCoid and Nik Bartoletta. Its the best thing ever when it comes to stretching.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.