Hello all, and i hope i won't sound too pessimistic.
I'm 20 years old. i've been reading these forums for a while and have finally decided to write a post describing my pain.
I'm a farm worker. i love my job more than anything. it involves a LOT of heavy lifting.
i can't exactly remember when the pain first started. i think it was when i was sitting on a tractor and was pulling the handbrake up whilst being bent over.
it was generally ok for the first few days. but gradually got worse. (continued to keep lifting). at one stage the pain was so bad i couldn't walk with my back straight. but overnight it eased and i could walk again.
i was due to go on holidays to Germany (where i am now) 4 days after the most of the pain had hit. and because i stopped working 3 days before i had some rest time. before i left Australia i went to my local hospital to get checked out. (when the pain was at it's worst.) The doc said i was displaying signs of Sciatica and it was probably muscle strain related. i was prescribed pills Ibrupfufen was one and something similar.
I thought being muscular the pain would clear itself up. it's now been 9 weeks since i left australia. and the pain hasn't fully subsided. and frequently flares up to be a major pain if i over excert myself.
i can walk around and stand up straight for hours, but then it does get to point where my back starts to ache.. after 15 minutes or so it subsides. and i can walk for another few hours. i don't have any problems going to the toilet and i don't really experience numbness in my legs. just the occasional twinge or really small spasm.
it doesn't hurt when i lie down..
Can anyone give me an idea of what problems i could possibly be looking at and will i ever recover? this pain gets me down as when i return to Australia i want to be back on the farm in under the sun.. even if heavy lifting is involved.. that is my life.. i'm so afraid to lift or bend over in case i injure myself again.. 🙁
Thanx in advance
Brendan
Hi Brendan
Sorry you're having such problems. Actually, though, I don't think anyone here on HP will be able to make any diagnosis without actually seeing you. It sounds to me though that you should go and see either an osteopath or a chiropractor as soon as possible. My own preference is for chiropractic but I think either would help you. Ordinary doctors may give you pills but they're not going to sort you out. You need a course of treatments from someone who really knows what they're talking about and then you need to learn how not to have it happen again, ie how to lift heavy weights without damaging yourself. Good luck.
xxx
Backs are complicated systems, that have to be able to twist, turn, stretch and bend, as well as supporting the weight of your body and anything else that you happen to be lifting at the time.
Your injury could be muscular - you might have pulled or torn a muscle in your back. This would be quite painful for a while, but would get better eventually. A bad tear would take a much longer time to fully heal, and may result in some longer term problems. Generally, these can be treated with physiotherapy/ultrasound initially followed by a good exercise program.
You could also have a disc related problem. Discs are the cartilage between the vertebrae - sort of the 'suspension of the spine' if you like. Disc problems can be minor and correct themselves in time, or they can be very serious and require surgery.
Even if you have a muscle problem, this could cause extra pressure on one area of the back, and distort the balance of the spine, i.e. it could temporarily affect the discs in that area as well, causing sciatic nerve pain.
You should see a doctor, even now a couple of months after the event, you could still benefit from treatment. And of course good lifting technique in the future is essential.
there are back problems that run through my family, and ive been getting back pain since i was 16 (im 22 now). i can always cope with it, i dont have to take anything, but wen i was 17, there was nearly a wk where i could hardly walk because it hurt so much, and i still went to 6th form but couldnt turn to look at the board, i had to turn my whole chair, lol.
anyway, my mum had to have an op on hers - its a disc at the bottom of her back, but my nana and an auntie who suffer from the same havent had the surgery. my auntie was reccommended it, but she wouldnt have it cos of recovery time and her young kids, my nana's fixes itself. if she does too much strenuous work, it can really hurt her, but day to day, it doesnt affect her, but shes stubborn, so she'll work through it anyway.
Reply Brendan
Sorry to hear about your suffering. In my personal opinion it sounds like a discal problem possibly a prolapse. I would suggest you to see a good physio and see what happens.
If this does not sort it I would see your GP and get an MRI scan (it is the only way to know) by being referred to a neurosurgeon.
Your GP will try to get you not to do this but you have a right to referral. Get the wheels under this and get it sorted as quickly as possible. If you leave it a year or so you can get nerve damage.
GPs are notoriously unsympathetic to all this stuff and just cal;l it lower back pain. I think you will need to emphasize to surgeon and GP that this is your livlihood and is significantly detracting form your quality of life.
If teh conservative (waiting and seeing) treatment does not work you will have to push push push. If you have private medical insurance invoke it now by requesting a referral from your GP.
Keep heart and keep going.
Rod