VERY Bad Back but overweight - shall I lose weight before seeing GP?

[Quootiepie]

That's about it really, have got a very very very bad back, have done for about 5 years now but over those 5 years I have also gone up about a size a year - should I lose weight first, will that be a big factor in it? I did hurt it before I was fat but no doubt it is worse now , dunno due to time or weight.

[Quootiepie]

Oh, and how much should I weight before seeing GP? Just back in the right BMI range?

[cylonbabe]

see your gp anyways. and lose the weight.
how overweight are you? what sor to f diet do yo uintend to follow to lose weight. do you excercise at all?
i have always found that gentle excercise like walking improves muscle strentgh in the back, helping it to hurt less.

[belgo]

Are there back problems in your family? Your profile says you are 20 years old, so your back problems started at young age. Did something specific trigger your back problems?

Go and see you GP first and discuss it with him. What you may need (depending on the problem) is to be shown exercises specifically to strengthen your back, along with losing weight.

[belgo]

Swimming is very good exercise for a bad back.

[Quootiepie]

I am really overweight, Ideally i'd love to lose about 6/7 stone, I am teetering (that a word?) on 15 now, size 16 though so I don't think I look massive, but, obviously the scales don't lie. I am on a diet now I have finally stopped being pregnant or breastfeeding, just I know it'll take a while and don't know whether there is any point bothering the GP yet if it could possibly be my back making it agony.

[Quootiepie]

I fell off my horse and a college horse within a short time of eathother, both bad falls at 15/16 and had physio at the time, but it sort of fizzled out. Mum has a bad back, can't remember why. Mine was always great, I was quite strong before the accidents.

[belgo]

Sounds like physio would help again. Make sure you mention the accidents to your GP so they know it's a possible cause, and the cause isn't just your weight.

[belgo]

btw, how are your headaches?

[Quootiepie]

same actually, told GP and he ruled out the ADs - I go in with so many ailments recently I am not sure how serious he is taking me. Think it's just stress, didn't have any when I went on holiday.

[belgo]

Stress can exacerbate all of these problems. Tense muscles can lead to your back pain becoming worse, as well as the headaches.

[Slubberdegullion]

Hi, Quootiepie, BC I was an outpatient physio and saw my fair share of back pain patients...they come in all shapes and sizes . I would advise you see a GP and ask for a referral to physio, explain to him/her that you are now actively trying to loose weight which will help your back pain , but the GP may also be able to provide you with advice on this.

One of the major aggravating factors of LBP (low back pain) is weakness of the postural muscles that support your spine (your body's natural corset). Being overweight, having babies and having pain for a long time will all affect the strength and endurance of these muscles. A physio will be able to show you specific exercises for these muscles (pilates is also very effective), and will able to advise you on good posture, sitting, lifting, pain avoidance etc.

They will also do a thorough assessment of your back to try and determine which specific part of your spine is causing your problems. Don't put off getting a referral now because of your weight...you may have to wait a while before you get seen.

HTH

[jo25]

I am similar to you, being over weight etc, and have a bad back injury stemming from horrrific car accident 12 years ago. I get no joy what so ever with my GP he just send s me away with more pain killers and anti inflamatorys. I do not like taking pills as i work in the NHS and see the effect they have on p[eople. (long term) I do however see a fantastic chiropractor and he keeps me pain free and human!! i would seriously reccommend you do this. Mine does not judge and has never mentioned weight. i know it can be expensive but IMHO well worth every penny, i would definately be divorced and friendless without him. like i said he keeps me sane!!!

[LizP]

I was going to say similar to the others - tell your GP about the accident, but also that you realise you are overweight and are doing something about that, and hope he is prepared to offer physio. I would also recommend the Alexander Technique - if you have had long term injury (and the baby) you have probably been trying to compensate and now probably have very poor posture and are out of alignment and need to learn how to use your back again correctly. It is also brilliant for stress - I found I learnt how to release my neck muscles so the headaches became less. If you have never seen anyone about the injury you should get that medically checked first, but then I think find a good teacher and you should start to learn quite fast.
Also if you are only a size 16, I imagine you must be quite tall, do dispite your weight seeming high you probably aren't that big really and probably don't really need to loose as much weight as you think - if you are 15 stone and only a 16, loosing 7 stone would make you really tiny. Is this the weight you were as a 15 year old before the accident and baby ? Maybe it just isn't a realistic weight for you anymore. I know I will never be the 8.5 stone I was at 15 again and tbh think I would look odd if I was.

[Quootiepie]

I am 5'2 - not tall at all! I meantioned it in passing to GP who said come back when I was in agony, I asked if I should lose weight to try and help first and he never really answered I guess 8 stone is a little unreasonable, maybe a 9...

[cylonbabe]

qp, if youre the same height as me, then you definitly seriously need to lose weight NOW. bad back asides, you need to do so for all sorts of other health reasons. diabetes, heart disase etc etc.
lots of luck with the diet. whatever your'vechosen, i hope it works for you, but definitly see a physio as well. and do lots of gentel excercises.