Do any of you girls have back problems?

And if so - please explain how bad the pain is and what the doctor did/prescribed to help???

I believe to have injured my lower back somehow 3 years ago. Pain was in lower back and had sciatic pains. Went to dr, had xray, showed nothing and was sent home with high does advil and said to apply heat. If pain persists come back in 2 weeks. Went back and dr did some tests on my legs and said seems like slipped disc but wasn't bad. No mri, rested a lot, quit my 2nd job, etc...pain got better.

On and off for 3 yrs it bothers me but mostly just a pinching feeling a the sciatic pain is the most annoying. On a scaled of 1-10, the pain is maybe a 4. Most recently it hurts a lot more, I run a lot and the sciatic hurts when I run. Again not horrible but annoying, some days worse than others sometimes it just hurts for no reason. Should I go to the doctor again or am I wasting my time....what will they really for me? I feel like they will laugh at me because it isn't that bad and I still manage to work out, etc.

Ok sorry for the whole life story - just need some advice or would like to hear others stories. TIA!

---

Posted by Jenn04

And if so - please explain how bad the pain is and what the doctor did/prescribed to help???

I believe to have injured my lower back somehow 3 years ago. Pain was in lower back and had sciatic pains. Went to dr, had xray, showed nothing and was sent home with high does advil and said to apply heat. If pain persists come back in 2 weeks. Went back and dr did some tests on my legs and said seems like slipped disc but wasn't bad. No mri, rested a lot, quit my 2nd job, etc...pain got better.

On and off for 3 yrs it bothers me but mostly just a pinching feeling a the sciatic pain is the most annoying. On a scaled of 1-10, the pain is maybe a 4. Most recently it hurts a lot more, I run a lot and the sciatic hurts when I run. Again not horrible but annoying, some days worse than others sometimes it just hurts for no reason. Should I go to the doctor again or am I wasting my time....what will they really for me? I feel like they will laugh at me because it isn't that bad and I still manage to work out, etc.

Ok sorry for the whole life story - just need some advice or would like to hear others stories. TIA!

---

wow. it's so funny you posted this because i almost posted something similar last night. i've never really had back problems with the exception of my neck (from stress) and occasionally my upper back gets achy. then on friday, my lower back starting hurting like nobody's business. by friday night the pain was shooting down my left leg and was unbearable. i slept on the couch for 3 nights because it's lower to the ground and easier for me to get up! :( i've never had sciatic pain before and it is really horrible. yesterday i stayed home from work for 1/2 of the day because sitting for too long at my desk is the worst!

i went to my chiropractor (i usually see him for my neck) on tuesday and he worked on my lower back a lot! it seems crazy but he basically massaged my a**! it hurt like hell but i trust him so i know eventually it will get better if i keep going. i'm going back tonight and i'm also getting acupuncture. i have a friend who suffered from horrible sciatica and she swears acupuncture is the only thing that made it better. also, my chiro told me to put ice on my back for 20 min at a time, not heat...maybe that would help you? have you seen a chiropractor for your back?


*edited for spelling :)

i hurt my back 5 years ago pulling up a rug in my old bedroom and my lower back has never been the same.

like you said the pain is around a 4-5 but its still there and bothersome. i get pain doing things like lifting groceries out of the car, shoveling snow...etc. when i lay down at night my back hurts and i have to twist around to find a comfortable position for sleep.

like you i went to the dr and they found nothing. i stretch my back and legs after each workout and before bed.

do you work out your abs? if you do you should always work out your back to build strength there. my personal trainer had me doing simple back excersies to balance out the work i was doing on my stomach--and it has helped. if anything hurts my back while working out i stop it immediately.

i'd try the chiropractor as well (i want to go but have to see if my new ins. covers it)

i know it might be hard on here but can you girls describe the stretches and the exercises you do for your back? i tried stretching last night but i didn't know any specific stretches for the lower back. thanks! :)

also--jenn04--my chiropractor is great if you want his name and there is an acupuncturist in the office as well!

I never had any back problems until last month, when I pulled my back out putting my wedding ring on!!! ha ha I joke w/ DH about it now that it's like a ball and chain, but I was bending over to get the rings out of the drawer and bam! The worst back pain I've ever experienced in my entire life.

I wasn't able to stand up straight but somehow managed to get to bed. My physician left early for the day, so I wound up going to the emergency room to get muscle relaxers and pain meds. It took a couple of weeks to recover, and now I do lower back strengthening exercises w/ a physical therapist...b/c they say once you pull you back out once, it's likely to happen again

Yes I do ice and that helps.

Also are chircopractors covered under insurance? I may look into this. I just dont know if I should keep my dr. appt for next week, I have to take time off from work for it and dont like that.

---

Posted by Jenn04

Yes I do ice and that helps.

Also are chircopractors covered under insurance? I may look into this. I just dont know if I should keep my dr. appt for next week, I have to take time off from work for it and dont like that.

---

i had oxford before i was married and have aetna now under DH's insurance and both of them covered my chiro visits. depending on your insurance they may cover only a certain amount of visits, etc. my chiropractor knows all the insurance companies pretty well so when i first went in, he told me what would be covered. also...do you work in the city? my chiropractor's office is open until 8 so it's pretty easy to get an evening appointment. let me know if you decide you want to try it out :) i hope you feel better soon :)