Severe back pain, going to physio, anyone else?

molly09

Severe back pain but not getting anywhere with physio, actually she has tried two Physio's, person has bad posture but this pain is really impacting on her life. Has pain relieving mess but would prefer to get it sorted instead is swallowing pills which is just masking the cause. Galway area but willing to travel

fergiesfolly

molly09 wrote: »

Severe back pain but not getting anywhere with physio, actually she has tried two Physio's, person has bad posture but this pain is really impacting on her life. Has pain relieving mess but would prefer to get it sorted instead is swallowing pills which is just masking the cause. Galway area but willing to travel

PM sent

Mrs OBumble

Try an osteopath, I've had good results with Karl Prendergast in Salthill.

the-island-man

Obviously she should get everything checked out by getting an X-Ray/MRI etc first. 

I had bad posture and bad back pain at times. I got 10 sessions with Barry O'Brien out near Moycullen. He's not cheap but he sorted me out. He works on you for the full hour. He is a Rolfer.

Bredabe

the-island-man wrote: »

Obviously she should get everything checked out by getting an X-Ray/MRI etc first. 

I had bad posture and bad back pain at times. I got 10 sessions with Barry O'Brien out near Moycullen. He's not cheap but he sorted me out. He works on you for the full hour. He is a Rolfer.

I heard Rolfing is horribly painful, is it? also, is he still on the barna/moycullen rd?

ScumLord

Does she exercise it. When my back get's bad it's usually a sign I've become too sedentary. It's usually a weak muscle causing the problems.

Arghus

If the efficacy of their healing hands is best judged by their ability to dish out short term pain for long term gain, then John Butler in Liosban is in a league of his own: he'll brutalise you, but, by God, will it work.

Arghus

Arghus wrote: »

If the efficacy of their healing hands is best judged by their ability to dish out short term pain for long term gain, then John Butler in Liosban is in a league of his own: he'll brutalise you, but, by God, will it work.

Is he a Physio ?

Mrs OBumble

RoboKlopp wrote: »

Is he a Physio ?

He's a physical therapist. Not a chartered physiotherapist.

Arghus

RoboKlopp wrote: »

Is he a Physio ?

All I know is that he nearly brought me to tears and immediately afterwards I felt like how the dented car in Father Ted looked, but he definitely knew what he was at and I, eventually, felt much better for it.

Galwayps

I attended a physio(30+ visits) for a year with lower back pain. I had an mri so had a good idea of problems.
Physio did not work for me but then started massage at cookes corner with myomassage and immediately started to relieve the problem. I have attended other therapists as well so just a matter of keeping going with it and hopefully you will find the one that works for you

Annabella1

Get a MRI scan to find out what the exact problem is
After that info your GP will guide you

hoody

+1 on MRI scan - had bad back problems on and off for years, finally got an MRI last summer after it had flared up for several months. MRI found the problem after a number of incorrect diagnoses by GP/physios. Got it sorted within 6 weeks of MRI results, back hasn't given me even a twinge of pain since.

Everyone's back is different so I'd suggest get a proper diagnosis first, then you can figure out who is best to treat it. The wrong treatment, given in good faith as it may be, can do a lot of damage and increase rather than decrease the pain, so MRI is a good first step I reckon.

InTheAttic

ScumLord wrote: »

Does she exercise it. When my back get's bad it's usually a sign I've become too sedentary. It's usually a weak muscle causing the problems.

Rubbish. There is no link between back pain and 'weak' muscles. In fact studies show there is no correlation whatsoever between people who have a strong 'core' (there is no such thing as a core anatomically) and back pain.

Arghus

You seem very angry about it. Maybe a massage would help?

InTheAttic

Arghus wrote: »

You seem very angry about it. Maybe a massage would help?

No not angry. Sorry if it sounded like that. Just there is an inordinate amount of misinformation out there about back pain that only serves to prolong people's suffering. It depends on the individual. My back pain was so severe and chronic that I had exhausted a lot of treatments. All my physio could do was reassure me and in the end he was right. For chronic back pain sufferers, treatment is changing to a more hands-off / cognitive approach... e.g. reassuring people and telling them that if they use their back the way it was designed, it won't damage their back. Movement is healthy for the back. If you think the massage will help and will relax you, then go for it!

ScumLord

hoody wrote: »

so MRI is a good first step I reckon.

InTheAttic wrote: »

Rubbish. There is no link between back pain and 'weak' muscles.

There isn't? A quick google search for "what causes lower back pain" shows that the most common cause of back pain is muscle and ligament. If you think about it even a little bit muscles are obviously more likely to take damage than the bones. Seeing as they do the work.

I get the feeling you've gone to professionals who have told you things you don't want to hear. When I went to the chiropractor the first time I actually had an MRI that I had done for something else but I had severe back pain at the time, I was literally crooked. She gave a smirk and explained why most back pain is muscle related. If it's not muscle pain, something is horribly wrong.

I had two sessions which loosened me up, and followed her advice on exercise, which fixed me. Now when I get back pain I can more or less fix it by following the advice she gave me in the original seasons. I can even preempt an injury because I can understand the muscle now.

Now, everyone is different, maybe you have some sort of degenerative disease that attacks you cartilage, maybe you have some sort of unique layout of nerves, I know someone who had extra bone growth on a vertebrae that needed to be removed surgically because the growth was pinching a nerve.

But for the vast majority of people it's muscle pain, which doesn't show up in an MRI. If it's anything more than that it would likely turn up in a medical exam and is beyond a chiropractor.

troll_a_roll

Like many adults I suffered from lower back pain for many years, which varied in intensity from very painful to not very painful at all. The problem was present for many years, and it varied from bad to not so bad.

It was lower back pain, so it hurt in my lower back when I leant forward, to tie shoe laces for example, or to spit out tooth paste after brushing.


I couldn't touch my toes, even on the good days when there was little pain. My fingers would stop about six inches short from my toes. On the bad days I couldn't touch my knees if I had to bend down to do it. I could hardly bend at all on the bad days, due to pain in my lower back.


When I eventually mentioned this problem to a GP when I was there for something else he laid me down on my back. He raised my straight legs into the air so that my legs formed a 90 degree angle with my body. He did both legs individually.

There was no pain, as the pain only happened when I had to support my own upper body using my lower back muscles, in a leaning forward posture

The doctor concluded from this simple test, and from a short medical history, that I had 'non-specific lower back pain'. In other words, there was no identifiable cause. The back pain which had existed for years was most likely caused by a sedentary lifestyle, and a lack of exercise.


The doctor was correct.
If I took a short walk my back would be stiff at first. The back could be so stiff that it's difficult to walk naturally and normally as your lower back is so tight.
However, the back would soon loosen up and the pain would reduce. If I walked every day for a week the pain would stay away for half a week. If I walked every day for a month the pain would stay away for two weeks or so after I stopped exercising.

If I stop exercising, and I sit around all day, then the back pain comes back. Exercise is key.


Stretching is also key. If you sit around all day your calf muscles become shortened because your legs are bent. This affects your standing posture. Basically your tight calf muscles pull your body out of correct shape and your lower back can eventually be affected.


If people cannot touch their toes even on good days then their problem might be tight calf muscles. You will benefit from stretching your calves.

When I researched this issue on the internet I read that some back experts estimate that up to 30% or more of lower back problems could actually be tight calves. The simple solution is to exercise and stretch.


If people find it painful to support your upper body with your back muscles when leaning forward but there's no pain if your straight legs are raised while you are lying on your back then it seems likely it is the supporting muscles in your lower back which are a problem. Those muscles should be exercised and strenghtened.

InTheAttic

ScumLord wrote: »

There isn't? A quick google search for "what causes lower back pain" shows that the most common cause of back pain is muscle and ligament. If you think about it even a little bit muscles are obviously more likely to take damage than the bones. Seeing as they do the work.

I get the feeling you've gone to professionals who have told you things you don't want to hear. When I went to the chiropractor the first time I actually had an MRI that I had done for something else but I had severe back pain at the time, I was literally crooked. She gave a smirk and explained why most back pain is muscle related. If it's not muscle pain, something is horribly wrong.

I had two sessions which loosened me up, and followed her advice on exercise, which fixed me. Now when I get back pain I can more or less fix it by following the advice she gave me in the original seasons. I can even preempt an injury because I can understand the muscle now.

Now, everyone is different, maybe you have some sort of degenerative disease that attacks you cartilage, maybe you have some sort of unique layout of nerves, I know someone who had extra bone growth on a vertebrae that needed to be removed surgically because the growth was pinching a nerve.

But for the vast majority of people it's muscle pain, which doesn't show up in an MRI. If it's anything more than that it would likely turn up in a medical exam and is beyond a chiropractor.

You said 'weak' muscles in your previous post. I can happily report that there is absolutely no correlation between 'weak' back muscles and lower back pain. I have read the research papers and the studies conclude there is no link.

Glad you got relief. I suffered sever back pain with sciatica and loss of power in my foot for years. But I thankfully recovered naturally.

All I'm saying is that there is a lot of misinformation out there.

Here's a great video from a world-renowned physiotherapist whose approach to treating back people is with a 'cognitive functional' therapy (e.g. reprogramming people's brains to convince them that moving your back is safe and healthy).

It's very interesting and well worth a watch for anyone who has 'non-specific chronic lower back pain'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlSQLUE4brQ

the-island-man

Bredabe wrote: »

the-island-man wrote: »

Obviously she should get everything checked out by getting an X-Ray/MRI etc first. 

I had bad posture and bad back pain at times. I got 10 sessions with Barry O'Brien out near Moycullen. He's not cheap but he sorted me out. He works on you for the full hour. He is a Rolfer.

I heard Rolfing is horribly painful, is it? also, is he still on the barna/moycullen rd?

Sorry for the late reply.

I have gone to 15 sessions in total. 10 of the sessions were fairly consecutive. Whether someone finds it painful is completely subjective. There was only one point where I was in real pain and it only lasted for 2 minutes. My posture really improved as a result of it.