I keep straining my back. What to do?

[Asvan]

Hi everyone.

I have a problem where every six months or so I strain my back. Two days ago, I strained it whilst bending down to zip my toddlers coat up.

I have three children and I work part time so I'm always rushing around. I've been to the Gp twice before about it and he just said to rest it when it happens and prescribed the usual painkillers.

I'm usually fine after about 3 days of rest but it's really getting me down now. What can I do to prevent this happening again? And is there any kind of treatment I could try? I'm willing to give anything a go as it's getting me down now and I'm in constant fear of it happening again.

Thanks.

PS- the problem only started after I had my youngest DC 3 years ago.

Go see an osteopath, gp is pointless for this because as you've discovered all they do is give pain meds to mask it, nothing to fix it.

Pilates. You have to do them properly otherwise it may be worse but once you are in good shape and develop good muscles to support your back, you will feel much better.

6 days of back strain per year is getting you down? I hope you never get a serious illness.

What exercise do you do for your back?

I used to be like this, I just sort of became really aware of how I was turning or lifting and I learned to manage it better. Its awful though, ibuprofen really helped me.

Weekly Pilates and yoga. It saved my back. I had terrible long term pain. I’ve got three children all close in age and it took its toll on my back. Carrying Babies and toddlers lifting buggies and prams and pushing them.

It might be Hypermobility Syndrome. Are you double jointed? Because that's a sign. And people with this syndrome are more likely naturally slender with light coloured hair.

It could well be because your core isn’t strong enough after having three children. A women’s health physio would be able to assess you. Where I live they do a drop in tum clinic.

You need to strengthen your back muscles. That's it. There is no other solution.

I would be thinking I needed to work on my core, if I were you. I'm supposed to be looking at doing some Pilates myself...

it could be quite an easy fix at a chiropractor or osteo, maybe even a physiotherapist. They might notice you stand funny, or a couple of joints might need a good click.
I go 2 or times a year, £40 a visit

Osteopath or chiropractor.

I would avoid the chiropractor if I were you

health.spectator.co.uk/the-evidence-shows-that-chiropractors-do-more-harm-than-good/

See a physio, who will devise some exercises specific to you.

It's almost definitely a core strength issue. (And to the PP, 6 days out of action with back pain and stiffness is 6 days too long, especially with small kids to chase. When mine goes, I have to get DH to put my socks on me before he goes to work, though I can usually shuffle it into submission by lunchtime).

Anyhow, OP, pelvic tilt exercises will probably help you
www.verywellfit.com/how-to-do-pelvic-tilts-3566908

And I have hypermobility syndrome and I am definitely dumpy with dark hair!

Yup, Pilates to strengthen core

Chiropractors are fucking quacks.

Definitely agree with seeing physio. They may even be able to set you up with a home program that you can do on your own.

Pilates as others have said, I do that and yoga, used to wake up with back pain daily and every few months would put it out to the point I needed tramadol or diazepam (or both), haven't done it since I started Pilates and my daily aches are much better. Just make sure you have a class/instructor suitable for back pain as some moves do need to be a bit different, especially at first, but any decent instructor will tell you which moves to avoid or which ones will help you.

I was straining my back regularly. I started going to the gym and I haven't had any back pain since. I do sets with the chest press and low chest row, and a stretch called "Bird Dog/Opposite arm and leg stretch". Haven't had back pain for a year.
Can see how carving time out for the gym would be hard, but it's worth it.
When you are having pain, lay on the floor and put your legs up on a chair, it really helps.

If you don’t do much exercise then that’s the reason. It’s not necessarily core specific but overall lack of strength. Don’t over do pelvic floor work as it can cause problems if done in isolation - what’s the point of a strong pelvic floor if your glutes are weak etc? Get to a gym with proper induction plan to increase whole body fitness. You can do things at home once you get the hang of it. No need for physio immediately unless in acute pain right now. Definitely don’t go to osteopath until you try exercise first.

I’ve gone from crippled and needing spinal surgery after two kids, to running and feeling strong and able to stand up straight and managing work almost full time. Still in pain, nerves were damaged, but manageable. The gym worked way better than the thousands spent on physio, osteopathy, acupuncture etc. Many of us will have a degree of hypermobility but this is often only a problem because we’re inactive and our muscles become weak.

Thank you all for the helpful replies. I have three young children and it's really difficult as I can't do anything for them as I'm in so much pain. Luckily my Oh was able to work from home yesterday otherwise I would have really struggled. He's back at work today and I'm still in pain but it does seem to be getting better.

I will make time out to go to the gym once my youngest starts nursery after the half term holidays.