I experienced an awful twinge in my lower back early Saturday morning. I was up at 3:40 a.m. doing a poo clean up from the Boo Dog and my lower back let loose with a breath taking twinge. All I could think was, "Uh oh, here it comes again..." and I was right. Within a few hours my back turned into the angriest mass of muscle ever.
Two or three times a year I have my back flare up. Scoliosis, middle age, prior back injuries and an early adulthood filled with sports that were brutal but oh-so-fun (long jumping, water skiing, softball) have all contributed to the agony known to me as lower back sprain/strain.
I spent the first two days standing or lying down, no sitting thanks. I shamelessly solicited prescription drugs to help with the pain. No driving, no movement of any sort that did not induce gasps of pain. I spent some time doing a little research to try to find some answers about what I should be doing/not doing, what I should be medicating with (if anything) and positions that might offer a little relief to the constant muscle spasms that make labor pains seem like a walk in the park. I have to say, after two days of looking I found more hilarity than actual answers. Yet I love finding the humor in such things. Here are a few jewels from my research:
- Often there is not a specific traumatic event or motion associated with the onset of acute pain caused by lower back strain. Standing, sitting, heavy lifting, sneezing, coughing, breaking wind or having a bowel movement may aggravate the pain. Really? All I have to do is avoid any involuntary reflex named above and I could avoid this excruciating pain? Huh. Good to know. Also good to be forewarned that during a flare-up it should be expected that farting or using the loo will make me wish I was dead.
- Just like the old bad joke about the patient that told the doctor: "Doc, every time I do this, my knee hurts" and the doctor replies: "Well, don't do that!" Although this may seem humorous, there is some truth to the joke. Avoid such activities as squatting, kneeling, heavy lifting, climbing, and even running. Listen to your body and make a list of activities or movements that increase your pain and DON'T DO THESE THINGS. Does anyone really have to be told this?
If you want to be bombarded with prescription drugs just hurt your back. Any old way will do, doesn't matter. I mentioned to my doctor's office assistant that I was experiencing another flare up of lower back pain and over the phone I was told I could take four different kinds of pain medication, plus throw in some muscle relaxants and an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication. Seriously. If I had wanted to, I could have turned into a walking pharmacopoeia! I did follow my doctor's advice with one pain medication and large doses of ibuprofen for 48 hours. Helped immensely. The funny thing is, when I asked for a referral to massage therapy or PT, I was looked at like I had lost my mind. Hmmmm...western medicine at its finest I suppose.
The good news is that, as usual, it took about 72 hours for the muscles to let go their death grip, then things gradually returned to their normal position and the awful muscle spasms stopped. I'm still a little 'twingey' but am looking forward to returning to my yoga, gardening and life as usual. And I'll be super grateful for every single minute of it.
Kristin
The good news is that, as usual, it took about 72 hours for the muscles to let go their death grip, then things gradually returned to their normal position and the awful muscle spasms stopped. I'm still a little 'twingey' but am looking forward to returning to my yoga, gardening and life as usual. And I'll be super grateful for every single minute of it.
Kristin