-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
Have you ever thrown out your back? Tip: Don't throw out your back.
- Thread starter Metanoia Prime
- Start date
Rest. Pain meds. Rest.
I used to have back issues so bad one Thanksgiving I literally spent it on the floor in pain and couldn't make it out the house to visit parents.
Its much better now; for me it was losing some weight and trying to focus on exercises once I got better; I spend two minutes every morning stretching for instance. Friend of mine, ex dancer, for him its yoga.
It STILL periodically acts up, but overall it's gotten much better.
I used to have back issues so bad one Thanksgiving I literally spent it on the floor in pain and couldn't make it out the house to visit parents.
Its much better now; for me it was losing some weight and trying to focus on exercises once I got better; I spend two minutes every morning stretching for instance. Friend of mine, ex dancer, for him its yoga.
It STILL periodically acts up, but overall it's gotten much better.
I had many back problems in high school. I still have some long-term spinal problems (...unrelated, I think, to throwing my back out).
The short-term cure for me has always been working with a DO (Doctor of Ostropathy) or a physical therapist to get things back into the right place. The longer term preventative care is to strengthen the core/back/neck/ and hip muscles.
The short-term cure for me has always been working with a DO (Doctor of Ostropathy) or a physical therapist to get things back into the right place. The longer term preventative care is to strengthen the core/back/neck/ and hip muscles.
If you work in an office and don't have lumbar support for your chair, make getting that your #1 priority.
It's soooooo nice.
It's soooooo nice.
I do it real badly about once a year... a couple days lying around will usually fix it for me.
It's awful, so my condolences. Make sure you remember how you did it, so you can try to avoid that type of activity and re-injure.
Rest and ice (24-72 hours), then heat to help promote healing later.
It's awful, so my condolences. Make sure you remember how you did it, so you can try to avoid that type of activity and re-injure.
Rest and ice (24-72 hours), then heat to help promote healing later.
rest. pain meds (NSAIDs). Ice.
heat should loosen it up slightly if you need to be mobile.. but your big issue is likely that a whole ton of the tissue is inflamed.. so heating will keep that area inflamed.. do so limited.
a good suggestion in here... pay attention to what you did. I haven't hurt my back in years... at the same time, a lot of my exercise is functional fitness... so a big part of it is learning how to safely lift super heavy weights... and more importantly.. how to SAFELY fail (or safely assess that you CAN'T) lift said heavy weight.
heat should loosen it up slightly if you need to be mobile.. but your big issue is likely that a whole ton of the tissue is inflamed.. so heating will keep that area inflamed.. do so limited.
a good suggestion in here... pay attention to what you did. I haven't hurt my back in years... at the same time, a lot of my exercise is functional fitness... so a big part of it is learning how to safely lift super heavy weights... and more importantly.. how to SAFELY fail (or safely assess that you CAN'T) lift said heavy weight.
I pull muscles doing nothing sometimes. I can't understand it. It just takes time and I tried a medicated patch once that seemed to help with the pain.
Once shoveling snow that ended up being about 90% ice disguised as snow... it hurt a lot for a long time, but I also didn't want to use pain meds so i kind of brought a good deal of that agony on myself.
15 minutes. Ha! I couldn't get off the floor for 3 days once. Worst pain I can imagine.
usually yes.
most commonly, you are moving in a way that your body is compromised.. often by literally using your back to lift (which actually doesn't have a super strong muscle group) instead of your hips and posterior chain (which people often confuse for their back)
when you are properly lifting from the ground, the power starts in your legs, transfers through your hamstrings and glutes to your hips which then hinge, your back and lats actually do very little of the actual lifting.
when you lift with your back (i.e. just bend over and try to lift up) you are lifting with arguably the weakest muscle group in your entire posterior chain.
other common ways to throw out your back are overreaching usually. essentially extending your entire body out (like to reach a top cupboard, or to reach far in front of you like past a barrier or fence). This operates on a similar principle as above. I this case.. you are also likely not in great shape.. so you are putting excessive stress on the muscle group in your back back reaching or overreaching.
I feel for you OP. My back is not amazing. I used to body build and I injured it once really bad lifting. Yes I know proper lifting techniques, but we all make mistakes, and this one was during a 500 pound dead lift. Since then I have been able to throw it out about once a year it seems.
Just take it easy for a few days, seriously easy. Rest like its your job and try to keep everything in proper positions while it heals.
Just take it easy for a few days, seriously easy. Rest like its your job and try to keep everything in proper positions while it heals.
I distinctly remember feeling a click when doing a bad form deadlift once, from my lower back. Then a dull throbbing pain and stiff back. That fucking click haunts me. Smartened up after that.
If the pain lasts a while you may want to get it checked out to make sure it's not a disc-related thing. That's obviously a lot more serious than a pulled muscle.
Yes. If you're lifting things, make sure to lift with your legs (bend your knees) instead of bending over and rotating at your waist. Especially important if you exercise/lift weights.
I did something to a joint in my lower back 8 years ago from being careless picking up 90lb dumbbells and it took a year for all the radiating nerve pain to go away. Since then, even if I'm bending over to pick up a pen I dropped, I'll literally squad to grab it. I reinjured it about a year ago being overzealous on a tire flip - thankfully that only took a few weeks to heal and I'm back to normal but I'm always really cautious now (and stay away from the fucking tire flip).
Yes. If you're lifting things, make sure to lift with your legs (bend your knees) instead of bending over and rotating at your waist. Especially important if you exercise/lift weights.
I did something to a joint in my lower back 8 years ago from being careless picking up 90lb dumbbells and it took a year for all the radiating nerve pain to go away. Since then, even if I'm bending over to pick up a pen I dropped, I'll literally squad to grab it. I reinjured it about a year ago being overzealous on a tire flip - thankfully that only took a few weeks to heal and I'm back to normal but I'm always really cautious now (and stay away from the fucking tire flip).
I'm suffering from either a badly pinched nerve or a herniated disc at the moment. Overdid it working out.
The pain is insufferable. It will be okay for a little but the slightest normal movement will send horrible jolts radiating throughout my entire body. Just waiting to get in for an MRI.
The pain is insufferable. It will be okay for a little but the slightest normal movement will send horrible jolts radiating throughout my entire body. Just waiting to get in for an MRI.
Yes, back in college while playing ultimate frisbee. It got better, but it gave me pretty serious problems for close to a decade.
I've tweaked it a couple times now doing heavy deadlifts. It happens when I fail to brace properly.
It sucks but I found getting back in the gym and doing more lifts actually helps more than it hurts.
It sucks but I found getting back in the gym and doing more lifts actually helps more than it hurts.
back pain scares me. in part because (a) I've never had back pain and (b) I know people who live with chronic back pain that flares up and they literally can't move for days at a time.
Yes, I threw it out so bad in 2006 I couldn't get out of bed for over a week. It happens about once a year now, but I can feel it coming on so I'm down for only a day or so.
There was a day where I couldn't move out of bed because of excruciating back pain. I'm not sure if I threw out my back or not but it got better with time and like 2 physical therapy sessions lol.
No such thing as "throwing your back out." Something very specific is going on and it is best to understand what that is.
https://www.backfitpro.com/pdf/Non-specific-back-pain.pdf
https://www.backfitpro.com/pdf/Non-specific-back-pain.pdf
Dealing with a multi-level spinal fusion that I just had performed on Monday, so yeah I feel your pain OP! Make sure you get an MRI if it doesn't drastically get better within a few days or if you feel pain from your back go down a leg or both legs.
Happened a few years back, every time I even slightly moved my back the pain was so immense I couldn't breathe. Got some rad muscle relaxers though.
Sadly can happen even when younger.
I had back problems from the age of 23 or so (runs in family), threw my back out a few years back in my early 30s just picking up a soccer ball. Ironically my back has been waaaay better since then - properly resting for three months did wonders. I have a natural latex bed (super firm) which I mostly sleep on my back on and good office chair with lumbar support (don't have the back vertical, that's actually bad for you, you want a slight recline) and my backs been in great shape since then.
As for recovery, lots of back support, lay on the floor for a good while, and once you've recovered a bit try to move about and put your muscles to use. When 100% again you need to use your muscles, front and back. Warm up before excercise or activity (don't just stretch, jog/warm up then do dynamic stretches), and really mentally force yourself to use good posture (again, not straight vertical back). A good bed and sleeping on your back is also helpful.
Last time I really threw out my back was when I was fighting off a crazed resident at my job. Turns out I hadn't just thrown it out though. I started feeling major shooting pain in my right leg and after about a year of pain and barely being able to walk, I found out that I had actually slipped 4 or 5 discs in my lower spine causing inflammation of my spinal column. I did about 3 months of physical therapy and most of the pain is gone now, but it flares back up every now and then. I'm pretty much injured for life.
Moral of the story is, take care of your back or it'll take care of you in ways you won't like.
Moral of the story is, take care of your back or it'll take care of you in ways you won't like.
I've never heard this! I'm super glad I opened this thread now, I could easily have seen myself doing something like this some day. Thanks.
I used to throw out my back every year or so, usually from bending over or for no reason I could see (maybe I overreached, as above, without connecting it to the pain). I started going to the gym three years ago, doing lots of deadlifts, squats, and core exercises, and it hasn't come back yet.
Hi! Sever spinal prolapse here! Go see a Doctor, you may need to be referred to a specialist.
I've been recovering for the last three years, with December or so last year being the first time I've run in two years.
If your injury is severe remember that the most important part of the recovery will involve patience. It's too easy to get frustrated and try more than you should, and you could risk making things worse.
Are you experiencing ANY numbness in either leg? Even superficial like over the skin?
I've been recovering for the last three years, with December or so last year being the first time I've run in two years.
If your injury is severe remember that the most important part of the recovery will involve patience. It's too easy to get frustrated and try more than you should, and you could risk making things worse.
Are you experiencing ANY numbness in either leg? Even superficial like over the skin?
OP
OP
Last paragraph is exactly what happened. Feels terrible, but is quite sobering.
Used to throw out my back a lot in my twenties. Happens less in my thirties. Not really sure why.
What I did back then was just be bed ridden for a few days, but now when it happens to me I just very gently stretch my muscles until I get all the tightness to dissipate. I fully recover in a matter of hours and not days if I focus on turning my torso and neck in the right spots and just keep very gently stretching out the problem spots until there aren't any more. No leaning or bending over, all standing with my back straight. It's a bit painful and unpleasant, but my back feels much better after about an hour or so of doing that.
What I did back then was just be bed ridden for a few days, but now when it happens to me I just very gently stretch my muscles until I get all the tightness to dissipate. I fully recover in a matter of hours and not days if I focus on turning my torso and neck in the right spots and just keep very gently stretching out the problem spots until there aren't any more. No leaning or bending over, all standing with my back straight. It's a bit painful and unpleasant, but my back feels much better after about an hour or so of doing that.
OP
OP
No. I slipped a disc years ago, so I know what that feels like. Sciatica is no joke! Thank God, with a lot of rest and caring for my back, my body seem to repair itself. I also did some PT. This, however, just happened because I overreached (and I have a neglecting my fitness as of late. I've gained about 30 pounds since I gave up lifting).
Yes!
Had my worst one last year. Usually im good in a few weeks, its been 10 months and im still not right.
Had my worst one last year. Usually im good in a few weeks, its been 10 months and im still not right.
About 5 years ago I had a slightly achy back because my office chair was terrible, and work had been having me lift some heavy stuff recently, and then one day I was pulling the battery out of my car when suddenly... "this is a new kind of pain".
That took a little while to recover from.
That took a little while to recover from.