Back Injury Experiences

[Suzierd]

My daughter goes in this Friday to get her first injections to kill the nerves. Hoping this works and she can get off saboxin.

 

[CedarAcres]

My mom had a herniated disk in her back & she said the pain was awful. They offered her physical therapy but she refused it (stubborn), I'm happy to say that although she was in quite a lot of pain for a while, a year later it subsided on it's own and she has been fine since. I don't know how common it is, but it did go away!

 

[Gramma5]

I've been dealing with degenerative disk disease for 20+ years and currently have 3 herniated disks in my back and another in my neck.

I avoid narcotics .... I've been that route. Eventually, you get immune to them and they no longer work. (You also can't poop when you take them, LOL)

What has worked for me. I lost weight, 40 lbs so far 50 more to go. The less I'm carrying around, the easier it is for me to get around.
I stopped eating sugar. That helps with the muscle cramps/spasms in my back. They were a couple times an hour and I now only get them a couple times a week. (You haven't lived til you've had a charlie horse in your groin) These are from referred pain from the nerves in the back.

I got a good memory foam bed. (Comfortpedic) I had a bed with a very thick pillow top. It didn't ease the pain at all. Now I sleep most of the night.

Aqua therapy. Warm water is the only place that I'm not in pain. If I hang from the diving boards it stretches my spine and lets go of the pinched nerves at least for a while. When insurance won't pay for it any more, Join the Y. Some good insurances will even reimburse some of it.

Move! Even if you only move around for 20 minutes before you sit down again. Sometimes it takes me all morning to get those dishes done, but eventually they do get done.

Last but not least ... Nerve block injections! They allow me to remain mobile. I was getting to be a recluse because it was so painful to walk, even through the grocery store. It doesn't help alot with the back pain, but it does keep the pain from shooting down my leg and that's major!

Find a pain management/ spine clinic. Our one day surgery center has a separate entrance that is a pain clinic.

I wish you the best of luck in dealing with your pain. The reality is that different treatments work for different people. None of these things may work for you. I do pray that you find some relief.

 

[cabinchicky]

Oh I just found this thread a year late. I have DDD for 8 yrs now doing all I can to keep moving an working. Was told Monday I have L5 bulging n pinching nerves bad enough no pain med will touch it yet, not even lidocaine patch. Thankful for Dad's hottub!! I have to have surgery to get it removed in aug. My Dr thinks it has been bulged for two yrs I have have just gotten worse. I can't sit for 15 min now, standing n walking I can do but I am tortoise slow.