I threw my back out today

[pulldownclaw]

I went over to a neighbors today to gather a large red oak they had taken down, and really did a doozy on my back. I really threw it out and am basically bedridden, I can hardly even walk without the wifes help, unbelievable. I'm 37, consider myself fairly fit, but I must have just grabbed a log and twisted just the wrong way. I am really bummed now, no knowing how long it will be before I can continue normal activities, much less tough stuff like swinging a maul and picking up heavy logs....

Anybody else tear thmselves up like this?

 

[cocey2002]

I'm sorry to hear that. I did something similiar last year. It took months for my back/shoulder to get back to normal. It really sucks. I started lifting again and after about 5 months it was normal. I hope you are feeling better soon.

 

[cmonSTART]

Ah bummer man! The first time I did that I was high school age working at the bar I worked at. I just bent over to sweep under a counter and couldn't stand back up. It was awful. Then, I tried to play hockey the next day. Needless to say that didn't work.

 

[Rockey]

Sorry to hear the bad news, and I can empathize with you. At age 36 I have had my fair share of back and neck injuries (3 herniated discs) from wrestling and coaching wrestling at the h.s. level. If things don't get better on their own in a few days I would certainly see a doctor to get xrays and possibly an MRI, at the doctors reccomendation. Is it a lower back, mid back, or neck pain? I'm guessing lower back and hopefully its just an overextnded ligament or tendon and not sciatica. My experience has been that the pain decreases and the condition improves vastly with rest and doing nothing to aggravate the situation. I have also found that the worst part of a bad experience like this is when you cannot find a comfortable position to sleep in. This is when you really know it is time to seek professional help. Good luck.

 

[pulldownclaw]

Yeah, it's lower back, but it is excruciating if I try to do anything other than lie on my side or back, and I'm popping aleve and a muscle relaxer. Hoping it gets better after a few days of rest. At this point I would like to just be able to sit up...oh well, at least the wife made me a fire so I'm warm laying on the couch :smirk:

 

[Cath]

... Hoping it gets better after a few days of rest. At this point I would like to just be able to sit up...

So sorry. I'm hoping it's just soft tissue. If it is MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) may help. It is a natural anti-inflammatory that promotes blood flow for healing. You can get it in "natural" stores like GNC and Vitamin Shoppe. You can take the capsules or powder, or use a lotion topically; or you can put the powder in a hot soaking bath.

It has very low toxicity. The only drug interaction I have heard of is that it might thin the blood so if you take any blood thinner such as Cumidin you wouldn't want to use it. It can cause stomach distress which can be minimized by dividing the dose over the course of the day.

I have used it on occasion for tendonitis in my wrist with modest results but the High School hockey player my Mother In Law hosted swore by the MSM lotion for his recurring shoulder injury.

Hope it feels better soon.
~Cath

 

[elkbelch]

I have done this and it can take a long time to heal. Remember that it is easier to re injure. Better to pay a neighbor kid for a year or so I have been there and re injured mine.

elkbelch

 

[bjorn773]

I feel your pain. I am an avid weight lifter and threw my back out a couple of years ago. I was working out and must have slipped out of proper form on a lift. I immediately felt a sharp pain in my back and could barely stand up. The next morning my wife had to bring me the phone in bed so I could call in to work. After a lot of time soaking in a very warm tub, several trips to a chiropractor and a lot of stretching it finally relaxed. I would really suggest hot soaks in the tub and stretching the heck out of it. The chiropractor really did not do much for me. Sounds like you pinched a nerve. Mine took a couple of weeks to loosen up enough for me to return to normal everyday activity. Good luck.

 

[Todd]

See a chiropractor. I've ruptured 2 discs in my back and I know what your going through. My back issues all started with splitting firewood with a maul about 15 years ago. Know I have back episodes about every other year or so. Muscle relaxers, physical therapy, ice and a chiropractor helped me. Doctors have told me I will need surgery, but put it off as long as you can until you can't stand the pain.

 

[TMonter]

Try putting ice packs on your lower back every two hours for 20 minutes, that's always worked wonders for mine and it's what my doctor recommends. The ice allows the muscles to quit swelling and it heals faster.

 

[Beanscoot]

When I did this years ago I went to a doctor a few days later and all he could do was prescribe over the counter pain drugs. Next time I went to a bone cruncher (chiropractor) who seemed to help a lot, and gave a sheet of stretching exercises which seemed to cure me after a couple months.

 

[mheller]

Sorry to hear about your back. I've spasd my back doing the smallest of things. Mine are usually a muscle spasm. I get a bag of frozen peas and lay on them right were it hurts for about 10 minutes, about 3-4 times a day. It helps with the tightness and back feels better in about a week. Hopefully its just a spasm and you can get it loosened up.

 

[colsmith]

My hubby has injured so many parts of himself so many times (torn rotator cuff, recurring back problems, several cracked ribs, broken toes, damaged elbow (don't know what it is called, but he wears an appliance whenever he is going to lift or carry anything)) you name it he hurts it. Last December he was out shovelling snow and cracked another rib just bending and twisting at the same time, that was without snow on the shovel. Then holding himself funny from one injury seems to make some other part seize up. I have been splitting all the wood since then! Actually last month he resumed, using a small sledge and wedges, but he still can't swing the maul. So good luck to you, but yes, it sure happens to other people as well. He takes a lot of naproxen sodium (Aleve.) He sometimes takes glucosamine chondroitin but not all the time, I take it almost daily to help my joints keep it together.

My left arm gets sore from splitting wood sometimes but I seem to be sturdier than he is. Hubby is quite tall (2 m, almost 6'7") and I think his bones are stretched a little thin, so they seem to break and crack more than in normal people. He also used to be a long distance runner in HS, and that kind of wrecked his knees. I tell hubby frequently that he is a delicate flower. ;-)

 

[drhiii]

I second the use of MSM.

Also, lower and middle back, and if you get good at it, upper back and neck... highly recommend an inversion table. Research should illuminate why. Between an inversion table, a Ma Roller, and a neck decompression unit, have not needed to see a chiro in 20 years. And yes, MSM....

... Hoping it gets better after a few days of rest. At this point I would like to just be able to sit up...

So sorry. I'm hoping it's just soft tissue. If it is MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) may help. It is a natural anti-inflammatory that promotes blood flow for healing. You can get it in "natural" stores like GNC and Vitamin Shoppe. You can take the capsules or powder, or use a lotion topically; or you can put the powder in a hot soaking bath.

It has very low toxicity. The only drug interaction I have heard of is that it might thin the blood so if you take any blood thinner such as Cumidin you wouldn't want to use it. It can cause stomach distress which can be minimized by dividing the dose over the course of the day.

I have used it on occasion for tendonitis in my wrist with modest results but the High School hockey player my Mother In Law hosted swore by the MSM lotion for his recurring shoulder injury.

Hope it feels better soon.
~Cath

 

[glassmanjpf]

Sorry to hear about your back. I've done the same thing a couple times last year. No fun at all. Laid down on the floor thinking it would help and seriously could not get up for hours. Had to crawl up two flights of stairs and laid in bed for a week. Took several months to feel like it was ok to lift small things. Be really careful like others said. Re-injury could happen again without warning. Take it slow.

 

[johnsopi]

My back goes out every year or two I have a good chiropractor. Once I want in bent over and was able too
take a truck load of wood when I left.

 

[jpl1nh]

I too have "pulled" my back more times than I can count. I have been a serious weight lifter for 35 years. Fortunately for me, it's always been soft tissue inflamtion type injuries. Developed into full blown sciatica one time, man that was humbling. Aleve works wonders for me, but I need to be at 800 milligram doses for a day or two to start to turn things around. As soon as you are able, get up and resume as much of your normal life as possible with extreme care not to do anything that reaggrevates your injury. It is virtually always lifting and twisting motions that do you in, though simple one time overuse can do the same. After checking with your doctor and ensuring it is not a herniated disc type issue, I strongly advocate progessive strengthing of both the lower back muscles and the abdominal muscles. The two muscle groups work hand in hand and most of us don't use either of them enough anymore until one day you go move a bunch of red oak and there you are! hh:

 

[Girl]

Feel better.
I have been there too.
MSM does do wonders. You should go to a Dr, chiro, heck both!
You should get yourself checked out.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

From experience I feel your pain. I've had 3 surgeries on the back and they want to do surgery on the neck. I finally said enough is enough and don't sharpen any more knives. (I also am an old polio guy which does not help at all.)

I've tried about all the over-the-counter stuff and nothing seemed to work at all. One trick I did learn was using heat. Never use it more than 20 minutes to a time. For a good shocker, follow up 20 minutes of heat with another 20 minutes or less of ice.

 

[JimWalshin845]

Chiropractor time...
I threw my back out many times and procrastinated expecting it to heal on its own.... boy was I dumb!

 

[begreen]

If this is not soft tissue, but a misaligned vertebrae, just be sure that the chiropractor or osteopath is a good one. A bad one can delay relief a long time. I've had to deal with both. It may sound simple, but there are a lot of bad chiros out there. A good doc should have you fixed up within a few sessions. A bad one might just milk the insurance wagon for as long as you can tolerate it.

I love my chiropractor because I never see him ;-) except at school functions. He gets me fixed up quick.

 

[pulldownclaw]

Thanks for all the thoughts, folks. I knew I'd find some sympathetic folks amongst all you wood toters :coolsmile:

Looks like I am headed for some r&r;and perhaps some chiro work, will make sure to get some references. One of the thing that's killing me is that I had to leave most of red oak sitting over at my neighbors without any idea if I'll be able to get the rest of it Too bad my 2 boys aren't older, coulda been some chore $$ for them. I told the wife time to learn how to run the chainsaw and swing the maul! :lol: Don't think she's into it though....

Here's to good health to all of you in the New Year!

 

[WarmGuy]

That's happened to me about three times in my life.

It's going to happen again unless you get serious about doing back exercises. I find that 15-20 crunches and 5 "supermans" per day is good insurance.

 

[n1st]

I did the same a couple of days before Christmas. While recovering, it's amazing how lifting with your legs instead of your back will all come back to you and if you forget, you'll know it! It will also be obvious what good sitting posture (straight back) is all about and how it's kind to your back. I agree with the previous poster that said regular exercise helps prevent this sort of thing. I think some of us are more prone to this in the winter because of less regular exercise. Good luck and speedy recovery to you.

 

[BJN644]

I have been , and am in the the same boat as you. One thing I don't think anyone has mentioned is that if you start to experience any numbness, weakness in your legs or feet, numbness of the family jewels or loss of bladder or bowel functions, that is a sign of nerve damage that requires emergency treatment.