Back pain

[pattricia 575]

I’m so fed up of my back pain that I’m going to ask my GP to refer me to The Pain Clinic . Used to be at the Northern General but don’t know whether it’s still there . I take Paracetamol and two Tramadol a day. The Tramadol have always taken it off but they are now losing their effect and I don’t want to up my dose as it’s an Opiod and very addictive. I’ve tried accupuncture and Chiropractors but to no effect. Do you have back pain ? What do you take or what have you tried .?

[Shunter 0]

My aches usually come often after physical moments and I've always used aspirin. Not great if you have stomach issues but seems to work. Good luck with it x

[ANGELFIRE1 10]

On 02/12/2016 at 10:18, beautys said:

whats the best thing for lower back pain . thanks

While this thread is 3 years old I would have advised a visit to the Doctor first and foremost.

 

Angel1.

[retep 68]

Capsaicin cream, a bit like Fiery Jack, be very careful where you put it, use a glove or a plastic bag to apply or you may be yodelling.

[justinelle 0]

So is it spinal or muscular both can cause back pain,  for various reasons.  If you have a trapped nerve then its tears in the eyes time, and this could be a muscular or skeletal cause.   Posture can allow inflamation to persist thus trapping nerves.   So there are stabbing pains, pains that come and go, pains that wrap themselves round you never letting one forget them for a second, and any movement when asleep wakes one up like one has been electrocuted.  

 

It helps to now what it is how it happen when it happens and possible what first caused it, or brought it to notice.

 

So when skeletal its important where where along the spine  you feel it most. 

 

As you can see I am over familiar with pain, but  I was given an epidural  injection under  anesthetic  and have been walking on water ever since, but I broke my neck, smashed bones  so I knew the exact place in my spine,  knew where my nerves passed through bones, and went from my skul to the rest of my body.    Knowing your biology, actually helps a doctor, saves time, too, as he does not ahve to poke, probe, adn get you scanned numerous times and it only took a couple of years and everyhing was almost as normal.

  

 

[pattricia 575]

Acupuncture cured my Sciatic but not pain in the middle of spine.

[Cyclone 10]

Do you exercise?

[justinelle 0]

Nerves can be thought of a bit like electric cable, in which the metal conductor is surrounded by insulation.   When the insulation is damaged it can prevent the electrical circuit from working properly.  

Nerves carry signals to and from the brain, the control centre of the body. 

The sciatic nerve provides the connection to the nervous system all the way to your foot.  It goes down the spinal cord and then leaves it,  and where it leaves the spine wear on the disks  can cause trapping of the nerve, which is felt as pain.    Solving the problem through acupuncture, suggest further damage to the spine, like wear to the disc which is cartilage.  Cartilage  acts as a shock absorber, keeping  the bones (vertebrae)   separated.  The rubber on the wheel of your car is also a bit of a shock absorber separating the hard  bumpy road  from the metal of the car.  A flat tyre allows you to feel the road directly  and driving is loud as the metal rim grinds into the road allowing you to feel every imperfection in the road.    

So wear on the cartilage through repeated bending or lifting  over years can wear the cartilage unevenly thus trapping nerves  which is felt as pain.   So leaning  in one direction can be painful but not necessarily in another as one is relieving the pressure.  Pressures can cause inflammation which also squeezes the nerves.  So any pressure on the nerves causes pain, and the idea is to locate precisely where the pressure is. 

It is hard to believe that pain in ones foot is really caused by a spinal problem.   Amputees have mentioned they gat an itch in a part that no longer exists, which is an example of how its hard to relate the pain to the source of the pain.    

 Some people find they are getting shorter,  as they get older which is also caused by problems that shrink the size of the disk, so separation of the bones is reduced.  X ray can show this problem as well as a MRI scan.

 

The future is bright as we are starting using stem cells with can regrow cartilage providing there is still cartilage there, if  there not then its impossible. 

 

 

 

 

 

[pattricia 575]

May I just add that bowel problems can cause back pain. I have IBS which aggravates my back pain.

[justinelle 0]

Do you know anythng about your digestive system?  Ovbiously they are unrelated BUT as I mentioned before  back pain is normally caused by pressure on the nerve,  so as opposed to a direct cause ther could be an indirect cause as  IBS  like all stomach problems, can make one exert pressure,  to relieve pressures which as stated pressure from whatever cause.

 

Maybe a book on anatomy would help,  but it all depends on whether you are serious about solving the poblem, which can be helped thought understanding your biology, otherwise it could confuse a doctor, if not make them not take you that seriously.   

 

So the key is pressure, and it can and you can cause it in a variety of ways.

[hauxwell 243]

My mother use to get back pain in the bottom part of her back,  it was caused by a water infection.  

 

 

[Padders 2,866]

Some very helpful comments Trish, but at the end of the day you need to see a specialist, the back is a very complicated thing.