Back pain

[Great Made America]

This works remarkably well

Rolfing

From a retired LEO:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d07hUd1fDy8

[OpenSightsOnly]

not a leo. but am a class A driver, now 58 years old been driving big rigs for over 35 years now.

but my back, joints, head, ears, insides. all have problems.
not legal to take any of the good drugs to help with the pains.

all i can say is if you want/need to keep working.
or if you can quit and not work is the question.

i need to work might just die behind the wheel. but i just live with the pain.

would like to retire. but have these bad habits of eating and living under a roof.

You need to make time to strengthen your body by focusing on stability exercises, practical strength.

Sitting on a chair or being in a seated position for a long periods screws up a lot of things like you mentioned plus the leg circulation.

Search "Coach Jay Johnson" in Youtube or "lunge matrix." Check this out - http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgUNk1BnoHxC0qgZ4W80Xmw

The postural exercises have helped me out a lot since the chiro can only focus on symptoms not the root cause of the issue.

Keep the shoulder and hip girdle strong thorugh its range of motion, that's the key! Loose and strong!

Oh yeah, a foam roller also helps.

[Barbell909]

My lady signed me up for yoga clsss... I guess I will be doing that once a week everyone. I also think my body might be little banged up from the service. I only weight 160lbs and 5”7 so lean muscle.

I have never done yoga before so it will be interesting.

[deadcoyote]

I bulged two discs in my spine in 2009. Did the ibuprofen deal for a while but kept having issues. I went to my primary care doctor who wanted to know if I wanted opiates of benzos. I didnt want either so I went to a chiropractor and told him I wanted non med support treatment. He gave me a bunch of core strength exercises to do and would put my discs back in once a week for a couple months. Eventually the core exercises worked, stopped going to chiro and no pain meds. I still have issues on occasion but am approaching 40 and its only if I chop a couple cords of firewood in a day. good luck.

[OpenSightsOnly]

Yoga is no different than floor exercise movements in gymnastics since its about using body weight and teaching the body how to move again by using that weight.

I fixed (still in progress) my back problem by doing front, back and side planks. Doing lunges since that activates the hip girdle also doing stairs or bleacher runs.

[OpenSightsOnly]

so I went to a chiropractor and told him I wanted non med support treatment. He gave me a bunch of core strength exercises to do and would put my discs back in once a week for a couple months. Eventually the core exercises worked, stopped going to chiro and no pain meds. I still have issues on occasion but am approaching 40 and its only if I chop a couple cords of firewood in a day. good luck.

When I used to see a chiro, it was for adjustment but no mention of core strength etc.

My HS friend reminded me the strength drills that we used to do for cross country season and clued me in on some strength and stability exercises. So far so good. I also have messed up wrist and carpal tunnel and doing planks have actually helped to get that strength and mobility back.

Did not happen overnight just kept at it.

[johnthomas]

Don't discount a good chiropractor. There are good and really bad ones. Try to find a friend or family member that has had good results. Acupuncture also is a consideration and many insurances now cover it by the way.

Key word, "good". My wife went to one, never took an x-ray. Her back pain ended up putting her in the hospital. Turned out she had cancer tumor in T11.
If you go to a chiropractor, make sure he is aware of all injuries and he takes an x-ray so he can see what he is working with.

[offdutyalot]

11 years in state corrections, 5 years previous as class A oilfield truck driver, 6 years previous in various manual labor at 39 years old now. I have had a L5 fracture, L4/L5 discectomy and currently have bulging S1 thru L5, T3/T4, stenosis, sciatica, digenerative disc disease, and some issues I can't pronounce let alone spell. I originally injured my lower back dead lifting at 18 trying to stroke my ego and keep up with the big boys. All these years later I have missed a lot of work (hence the username), due to extreme pain. I've been on opiates, tried chiropractic care, physical therapy, acupuncture, steroid and cortisone injections, massage therapy, inversion table, different mattresses, all without relief.

Now the great news... I had test nerve blocks and I had instant relief. I did not have any type of paralysis, loss of mobility or feeling, or any felt disabilities. It was wonderful but it wore off fairly quickly. Keep in mind these were only tests to find out the locations of the nerves to do a procedure that typically lasts 6 months to two years. This procedure seems a bit extreme and invasive but it's very safe and effective; it's a small cauterization of the affected nerves. It is not a permanent solution but lasts quite a while. To be free of back pain finally without a massively invasive surgery is not only physically freeing but it relieves a lot of mental anxiety.

I'm just a knuckle dragging prison guard so I'm just giving my experience. I'm not a doctor but I would say that short of surgery this is the next best treatment I have experienced. I was very skeptical of this procedure until I was pain free.

I feel for you. Good luck to you.

-Mike

[tnlrat37]

I know a few depts that have gone to wearing load bearing vests due to too many workers comp back injuries. The LEO I have talked to like it a lot better. We switched over to LBV,s in the Marines back in 96 and I know I could tell the difference. Stretching, yoga and core excercises help a ton. Inversion tables/spinal decompression help too. Lighten your load as much as possible.