anyone suffer from a very bad back ? advice needed.

[ton]

this time last week i had to phone 111 for some advice. the wife did something to her back. dont know what or how.
outcome was a ambulance came and took her off to the hospital. she was examined and xrayed. she had not done anything to her bones it seems, so it was thought to be either muscle or nerve damage.
she was sent home 24 hours later with codeine, paracetamol and ibuprofen. they did nothing to calm the pain.
she continued to take em every 4 or so hours for the next 24 hours.
i phoned the doctors on wednesday to try and get a home visit. impossible. the doctor she spoke to told he codeine was no good for her pain. he prescribed amitriptyline, it did not work. she carried on with the codeine combo over the weekend she was in agony the whole time.
yesterday we tried to get a home visit again. no chance. she spoke to the doctor who prescribed naproxin. she has taken 3 in 24 hours. it has not worked.
i am at a loss of what to do now. she is laid crying in pain on the sofa.

anyone know what pain meds will work? or shall i phone 111 again.

sorry for this but struggling a bit with this.

[ScotRoutes]

This is a 111 / NHS24 thing but I'd also call my local GP surgery for advice. You'll need a prescription for any strong medication. With the likes of Naproxen it works best when it's had time to build up in your system.

[fatbikephil]

Yup 3 days for Naproxen to really kick in (long term back pain sufferer here) and they aren't that good for the initial pain caused by a slipped disk or displaced sacro iliac. Amitryptilene is for nerve pain (and depression...) but mainly it turned me into a zombie. I think they prescribe this mainly to help you sleep. Next up is Tramadol but its an opiate so not something to be taken lightly. It can get you out of a hole but also turns you into a zombie...

The NHS is still pretty poor for dealing with back pain and too many GP's just dish out pain meds. Best bet is a good physio who will do some diagnosis - i.e. slipped disk or sacro iliac problems, give you some immediate recovery stretches and then a programme of full recovery / strengthening exercises.

[BigdummySteve]

A few years ago I had severe back pain, a year if seeing a chiropractor left me a few grand light and with moderate pain. I then had one session of Bowen therapy, it was like a miracle, literally cured me overnight.
Short term the sofa is unlikely to be the best option, Ice packs can be uncomfortable but really help, the gel ones if you have them, voltarol gel was probably the best over counter thing I used.
Backs are complicated though, what works for one might be completely useless for another.
Hope she feels better soon, back pain is miserable.

[Jurassic]

Ice packs as recommended by Steve. Decathlon sell some of the gel ones which are designed for attaching to injured limbs (they have a fabric sleeve with Velcro loops attached) but work just as well for back pain and are quite cheap. I bought a couple and rotated them in and out of the freezer to help Val when she did her back in (she was literally crying with pain and totally immobilised at the time). In combination with medication from our GP this gradually worked. She was initially sceptical about the value of the ice packs but became a total convert after trying them. Smashed up ice cubes in a plastic bag wrapped in a tea towel would get you going but get a bit messy as the ice melts. GWS.

[ton]

thanks for the replies.

got a physio coming to see us.

wish the doctors would tell us what meds do .

[redefined_cycles]

Ton... I have a 'The Back Book' if you wanted to borrow it for a little while. I know its not what you asked for but IMO its invaluable in long term management of back pain.

Let me know and I will ride on over and drop it off tonight after work. Like I said, not sure if it'll help but you welcome to borrow it...

[tobasco]

I did something to my lower back about 35 years ago, could barely walk, mucho pain and legs would give way under me. GP gave me pills and told to rest, didn’t work. I bought a book ‘Treat your own back’ by Robin Mackenzie (or similar). Full of physio and info, worked for me. Over the intervening years I have ‘put my back out’ about half a dozen times, and always resort to the exercises. In the early days I would need help to stagger to the garden where, with assistance, I was able to hang upside down from my knees and flex backwards and forwards. This was like magic, I could walk away without assistance.

Backs are complex, sitting for long periods is not good for them. If pain is in lower area and slightly to one side, it may be similar to my issue. Upside down in a tree might be extreme, but try lying face down on deck and going into a push-up position with arms extended. Just hold that position for a minute and for me, I feel improvement. Good luck.

[boxelder]

As above Ton, lying on the sofa may well be the wrong thing. Mackenzie exercises/techniques help in a lot of cases - https://www.healthline.com/health/mcken ... ses#safety, but read the intro warning signs and go slowly.
If she didn't fall and wasn't twisting/lifting to give sudden pain, it's likely to be a disc issue - which is what MacKenzie is aimed at.
Sympathies to you both, as it's horrible. I spent a few weeks sleeping (trying to) on the floor with towels wrapped around my waist to maintain posture. It does ease and you learn how to manage it. Osteopath was the best treatment I had. Standing and walking was easier than sitting/lying down.

[Cheddar Man]

She could probably do with a scan, which currently are like hens teeth.

While in this acute phase just keep on with the pain meds and gently mobilise within the pain threshold. The good news is that it will almost undoubtedly settle down, the bad news is that it may take up to 6-8 weeks, at which point get stuck in to Pilates and some really good rehab with a real focus on core stability.

Good luck

[Borderer]

Jeez, that's horrible. Really sorry to hear it.
I have no medical advice to offer. If it was me I would be on a firmish mattress on the floor and whack a load of ibuprofen gel or arnica gel on the site of the pain. It probably won't do much for such severe pain but might help a little bit.
I hope it eases soon. And as others say - keep on at your GP.

[ton]

she is now in her 3rd week with this problem. she saw a physio twice in the previous 10 days, and is seeing him again today.
he said it is a trapped nerve, probably the femoral nerve from her symptoms. he eased it up a fair bit, and gave her some exercises. which she does daily. she even managed a 6 mile bike ride on sundays.
the physio said it should free up within a month or so. she has also got a zoom meeting with a back specialist on monday.
so hopefully things will continue to look better for her.

on a better note, come may she will have a full time carer...................

[Scud]

I broke my neck and back playing rugby years ago, i suffered then through out my late 20's and 30's with back pain, would be good for a few months, then something would trigger it and i would be flat on my back for a week or longer, not helped by then working sat at a desk all day.

The only thing that has truly helped is core exercises, i have got to a point now where i can so decent squats and deadlifts for strength and lots of core work, i have come to realise that the best thing for my spine is to make sure the muscles that support it are as strong as possible, and thankfully i have been pretty pain free for the last few years.

I know that doesn't help your wife in the short-term sorry. I used to be dosed up with Co-Codamol half the time, it caused more issues with digestive system and more grief than the back pain itself.

[Mariner]

Alexander Technique.
Sounds like hippy dippy substandard but worked for me.
Google it up to find a teacher near you.

[petermac]

sub standard man, back pain no good.
i did mine in doing weird yogic illogics and had loads of trouble...
sweet man once said "maybe it's in your head..."
ah no mate, i told him, i fuked it illogically twisting beyond 270 degrees...silly me...not rubber boris, not rubber.
and to be honest, with the current expose' of what the gangster-farma-industry is capable of pulling, i just stick to a fat joint....or lay down for a few days until it goes....
to be straight with you, i have indeed found that exercise does wonders, by exercise i mean back movements, yes it will hurt, but i believe only the actual recipient of pain knows where and what to do....it's your wife's body...she is in charge of it and not the other way around...so yes, ones psychology is a factor...
i do pushups to stretch upper body, and setups to roll the spine into shape prior to going riding.
for me it's worked.
also, i don't do 270 degrees arse-minded-yogic twists anymore.
good luck and keep straight.
peter
loontown london.

[trogladytes]

This really is an awful and debilitating kind of pain, I hope things continue to improve for her.

I've had a lot of back sciatic nerve pain over the last 18months and at times was too immobile to leave the bedroom.

Things that helped...

A massive boost was having my sister celebrate the tiniest of achievements, the first time I walked to the nearest corner and back and so on...huge mental boost.

And paractally

Child's pose (yoga), if you don't know it a quick search will get you there. I would fall asleep like this when no other position was possible.

Gabapentin, for nerve pain, but you have to wean yourself off this one.

Tramadol..basically just wiped me out so I didn't care for a bit, strong stuff to be treated with caution.

Naproxen to take the inflammation down, thus ease the pain.

Physio, done gently

Avoiding chairs for months, I would squat, kneel or lie on the floor with my knees up (semi supine)

Gentle walks stopping to get into a squat position whenever needed

Ice and heat alternated, minute hot, minute cold and repeat a few times...generally better for inflammation than just cold (I was told by several medical professionals)

But the best thing was cycling, on turbo at first to avoid bumps but then just building up.
Currently if I cycle a few times a week I don't need naproxen.
Great that your wife is cycling again.

Also anything to reduce stress as I've been told that once in pain the muscles can lock around it and make it worse.

Core exercises when better to help prevent future flare up.