Choku Dori

iTrader: (2)

Rob, if your health insurance policy covers it, try visiting the Sports Medicine Center at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital in the City. They have some of the best sports medicine doctors in the country working in conjunction with really great physical therapists that have done some really impressive things for patients. Check it out!

Turbo Rob

iTrader: (1)

I'm in Socal for school right now, so I may start looking for some help in the LA area.

But i'll check it out and maybe they can refer me to someone down here.

Hollandaze

I've been dealing with a sore lower back since I tweaked it while working out. Each time I've strained it, it's usually the same spot (lower left side closer to the spine). I've injured it a few times already from excessive straining in the past year. Anyway, I had a friend who recommended that I get acupuncture. He said it helps a lot since it can reduce inflammation and tense muscles. Probably might wanna look into that. Since you're in the LA area, I'll ask him where to get it done down there for a reasonable price.

dub81

iTrader: (39)

Your sciatic nerve pain, is it in the lower butt cheek area? IF so, YOGA like others have stated helped alot with the strecthing and strenghtening portion. Also one thing I found that helped when researching was this move.


1. Sit on the edge of a chair

2.Cross your leg over(which ever has the pain) over the knee of your other leg. This will form the number "4"

3. Now bend foward slightly as this will stretch your buttox muscle/nerve's. Mines sometimes act up when sitting down for along time but stretches like dat along with yoga helps out alot.

VTRZA

iTrader: (3)

3 words, abs, abs, abs

brucelee

iTrader: (6)

Doesn't help for upper back unfortunately.

wombatsauce

iTrader: (7)

I have the same thing. Like a concrete hot-dog between your shoulder blades and spine? Sucks, and I so far have not been able to fix that one.

^^^Exactly!! I was going to try to describe this, but didn't - this is one thing I do every single day, in addition, tug upward and toward you on your knee. With any stretch it's important to hold it with gentle pressure for around 20 seconds at least. Hold 30 and you can actually feel stuff start to move but just be careful!

Hate to admit it but it does help actually, it's your "foundation" if you will and if your abs are weak then your back is doing that much more work supporting your upper body. Hope that makes sense... Every little bit helps. If the pain/issues are serious, an investment in a simple bench designed for situps and crunches would help a lot - one reason is you can get on your belly, lock your heels under the pads and get a great back stretch, and start doing some reverse situps, then do regular situps/crunches and use the bench for the cross-leg stretch to really get at that tissue surrounding the nerve.

One of my biggest mistakes was treating it like a sore muscle and applying pressure directly to the area - it's already "wounded" and trying to protect itself so this makes things way worse. Stretching is where it's at really.

The place I used to go in San Carlos was around $200/mo. Definitely go for yourself and not the hot ladies. Sure there are some there but there are some that are not and some dudes that will burn your retinas and then there's the folks that seem to think that being loud and weird helps you stretch. Helps you get in the zone and teaches you to shut out other things in life that are annoying.

The marijuana thing is very personal but I would suggest working on the actual problem before trying to find a better pain killer or whatever. That being said, I would much rather try out 420 edibles than get on any kind of manufactured pharmaceutical - this is from seeing people in my life try both. Plus, it seems like a lot of the time it doesn't really make the pain go away - it just makes you not really care about it, or anything else. I have dealt with pain for most of my life, and sometimes it can be interesting I guess, and guide you to areas of your body that you did not even know needed help.

Ever try acupuncture? That's a trip. Didn't do much for me, but I will never forget lying on a table with needles poking out of me all over for ~2hrs thinking "yeah, I think it's about time I stop doing this."

brucelee

iTrader: (6)

Yeah, I should have been more clear... Working out my abs until they were in extremely good shape didn't change my pain at all. My pain is right between my shoulder blades (upper shoulder blade area)... Working out my lower back as well as my other upper back muscles is what worked well for me.

I do agree that having strong abs is very important... It is your base for everything.

i<3dirt

iTrader: (1)

i didnt read all of the post, so i don't know if anyone already said this, but go get a massage, and have them work on your butt and legs, i work with a chiropractor as a massage therapist and i see this all the time, it can be fixed, alot of prego women get it and just by working on there butt and legs it helps, i know its a bad comparison, but im just trying to say that it helps, im surprised that ur chiro didnt tell u to get a massage.
sorry for poor spelling...

BlingBlingBlue

*Good* physical therapy, you may have to try many. If you don't leave with an exercise plan you can follow, then you need to keep searching.

After seeing many chiropractors and visiting many PT clinic's, I found Rob at PT of Los Gatos and his team to be very effective. My neck and back symptoms have been 90%+ better for the last 7 years after suffering with them my late teans and entire adult life before that. Honestly, I think that 90% number would be higher if I don't go through periods where I don't make the time to work out.

Good luck, back pain really sucks. I hope you find some relief.

pter

iTrader: (1)

I do this in 3 variations.
On my back, knees in the air.
Kneeling (flipped over of the above).
Standing in yoga chair pose.

Important things to note - don't push it. Just enough to get a stretch that you can hold. Try to hold it for 15-20 sec per side. Also, if you feeling more limber - try to flatten your back and lift your chin/chest while doing this. This will activate the hamstrings more.

There is also a seated twist that helps, but not as much.

My pain cocktail is Aleve+Advil (Naproxen+Acetominophen). When it's really bad - I do this 3x a day with ice on the back. Be careful with the pills - it does liver damage.

I was on meds for a year, did PT for a year, got an epidural, more PT, now I'm almost pain-free (unless I'm stupid and re-injure myself - which I did for about 4 straight years).

brucelee

iTrader: (6)

Advil is not tylenol... It's Ibuprofen (Anti-inflammation)

hYpE-R-29

iTrader: (2)

I had Sciatic Nerve pains..I went/still go to my chiro..he relieved it after 3 weeks..I can actually move...The key is to find a good one, mine took lots of Xrays before he even started. Found a Nerve was near a vertebrae and was almost pinched...Luckily he caught it...I feel a world of difference...The key is a Great Chiro..