I threw my back out today

[Todd]

Look at the bright side. Now you have an excuse to buy a gas splitter! ;-)

 

[hfjeff]

Sorry to hear about the back trouble. A couple years ago I was just reaching for some small splits of wood in the garage and twisted just right. I instantly felt a sharp pain in my lower back and could not move. I twisted just right and pinched something while lifting a 2lb. split. That hurt for quite a while and had trouble moving. I never had back trouble while I was in the military and then construction. But now I have a desk job and it is turning me into a softy so I have to be more careful. Hope you are back on your feet soon. At least now you can have the wife and kids do all the wood hualing.

 

[chillywilly]

I feel your pain man. This happened to me playing B-ball a few years ago. The fact that you are still able to still able to post messages tells me it's not that bad (easy for me to say). My back injury was simply pulled muscles in the lower back. I literally could not get out of bed without the sensation of needles shooting into my back. I went through several days of agony in bed before I discovered one thing I could have done, take some good drugs. Seriously, I did not ever take anything prior to this but a muscle relaxer and anti-inflammatory did wonders. Even with that, I wasn't able to pull on my pants without lying on the floor for a month. The other thing that the doctor told me was that you actually don't want to lie in bed too much for your back will stifffen up and make things worse, so you need to get up and move around.

To avoid future occurrences, stretch and also it's good to strengthen stomach muscles by doing crunches etc. Finally, when I injured my back the last time, I tried to "play through the pain", that was real dumb- I only made it worse. Stop doing what your are doing and go put a cold pack on the injured area to keep swelling down.

Hope this helps!

 

[velvetfoot]

I throw mine out periodically as well (I am 55).
I fact I did it this AM while reaching for the gas can for the snow blower.
This is the first time in several years.
The ride to work was rough-luckily I just sit on my ass.
I've found this book helps, which mostly involves arching the back.
I can make my back crack if I work at it enough which seems to help.
I lean back in my chair at work to get that arch too (key is not falling off the chair, lol )
Walking around a little seems to keep it loose too.
Perhaps snowblowing the snow that will come tomorrow will help too-or not...
http://www.amazon.com/Treat-Your-Ba...d_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199112287&sr=8-1

 

[streeter69]

I feel your pain. I throw my back out all the time. For sore muscles I use something called BioFreeze, it help soft tissue and arthritis pain, you can pick it up at a local chiroprator/drug store or order online. The use of MSM/ Glucoamine/Condroitin will help joint pain, I have used this stuff for over 10 years now and it kept me working as a mechanic for the first 8 years. I think I am getting to old to swing a maul anymore, but, I love the work out.

 

[MrGriz]

Been there, done that and it sucks. I injured mine the first time when I was a teenager and have re-injured it several times over the years since. The bad news is that every time it is re-injured it gets more painful and takes longer to heal.

At first, I would go to the doctor and get a prescription for pain pills and muscle relaxers. They never really seemed to speed up the healing process but I didn't know any better. Then a friend referred me to a chiropractor and I'll tell you, that made all the difference in the world. I walked in to his office hunched over and in serious pain. At the end of the session, I walked out standing tall and pain free. I realized that lower back pain is usually related to a mechanical problem (bulged or slipped disc, mis aligned joint, pinched nerve, etc...), that means a mechanical solution (adjustment) should take care of the problem better than drugs that just mask the pain until things work themselves out.

FWIW, I would skip the pills and find a referral to a good chiropractor. If you still need something for the pain, try a shot of Jack. There's no adverse interaction between booze and a chiro adjustment!

 

[Henz]

you should get one of those good back braces with the shoulder straps and use those legs man!

 

[PA. Woodsman]

7/25/07 lifted a heavy box at work improperly and felt the wildest pain I ever felt from under my left thigh halfway up my back. Turned out to be a ruptured L-5 disc from years of sports, lifting, lifting improperly (we all get lazy!), etc. The person that fixed me is a physical therapist and he started me with ONE exercise-the McKenzie extension. Google it and you'll see that it's a pushup that you do with the top part of your body only-the waist and the lower part stay on the floor. 200 of these a day (in 3 divided doses) and I started to feel relief 8 days later. We then SLOWLY added other exercises (crunches, use of an exercise ball, etc.) and although it took several months I was healed-and I had sciatica along with it and had "foot-drop" which meant no strength in the left foot or big toe because of nerve impingement. I am good now, and only have to do the exercises several times a week rather than daily. Now I'm in "maintainence" mode not "fix" mode. And ALWAYS stoop down and lift with your legs; don't bend over! Check around and be satisfied that the person who is treating you knows their stuff; before I went to this therapist I went to an orthopedic surgeon who damn-near killed me with his way of "fixing" this with using 15 different weight-lifting machines; he actually HURT me worse because he wasn't addressing my problem which was the ruptured-disc. Find out what it REALLY IS that happened-be it disc, muscle, ligament, arthritis, etc.-then find a person who will work with you and FIX THE PROBLEM! Be patient-it takes time and is frustrating; and you will have ups-and-downs while recovering, but you hopefully will be stronger after rehab than before you hurt yourself-they told this to me, and I'm glad to say that it's true! Check out the McKenzie stretch and talk to your rehab person about it and good luck!

 

[Henz]

the Mackenzie method is the most popular method used by PT's now

 

[velvetfoot]

See Robin MaKenzie's book link I posted earlier:
http://www.amazon.com/Treat-Your-Ba...d_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199112287&sr=8-1

 

[Haston]

I suspended my maul swinging days three weeks ago when I hit a deer on my bicycle. Yes, I hit the damn thing broadside at 20 mph, in the dark, with my headlamp on blink mode. I looked up and it was just *there*-- never even had time to brake. I fractured my ribs, my elbow, and bruised my spleen. The deer and I rolled down the trail together, mainly with it on top of me. It got up right away; I didn;t. I was spitting deer fur out of my mouth in the er. have so much wood to split and not much cushion for early next fall. My wife looks at me and says *that's* what you're worried about? not being able to swing a hatchet? But, seriously, with my ribs alone, I'm probably at least a month away from getting next year's fuel back on line. H.

 

[Henz]

NOW THATS AN interesting story...dont you have anyone to split for you?

 

[LarryD]

I had a serious fall at work and fractured L-3. Lower back pain isn't fun. I know that stretching and knowing my limits has lead me to have very few side affects of this injury. The accident occured in 96. Current day I deal with all of my fire wood, play on 2 competitive softball teams, and still snowmobile for at least a week in Canada. The secrets to my success. Know your limits. That is why I own a tw-2hd with a log lift
Stretch everyday
Ibuprofin is your friend but does not make you super human.
Do not wear a back brace. They attrophy the muscles in your back and you will be more prone to back injury.


Good luck with your recovery.

Larry D