To beg you for back pain advice

[tinnitusqueen]

Since Christmas I've been in agony. Lower back. It's exacerbated by sitting for more than 10 minutes - any kind of chair. An hour in the car and I can't walk a step.

I've been doing Pilates but since the gym shut I'm trying to do it at home. Also saw an osteopath but that wasn't much help. So daily stretches on the carpet. Child's pose, cat cow, stuff like that.

I'm 36. Feeling old. But not THAT old. I have a 2 year old and gained weight in pregnancy and am fighting hard to lose it. Half a stone off since Christmas. But the pain continues.

Doc sent me to a physio who did nothing.

I'm super careful about bending from the knee.

I found out my one leg is 1-2cm longer than the other, if that adds anything.

Pain pain pain. The professionals just tell me that everyone gets back pain.

Wail! Cry! Help!

Aye you stressed? I have had this before and it turned out to be linked to stress, it was muscular.
Meditating (lying flat on my back) with music on actually helped loads because I think I was releasing a lot of tightness and stress in my muscles.

I'm game to try that, thank you!

Google the McKenzie method. There are YouTube videos, tutorials and theres a book as well. I had terrible lower back pain and a lot of physio based on the McKenzie method has been nothing short of a miracle. I'd recommend you see a physio after all of this is over but if you do the exercises regularly then you should see improvement while we are in lockdown.

The culprit behind you back pain is most probably your DIY Pilates. I’d stop doing the Pilates.
Pilates moves rely on high abdominal/core strength to do the moves properly. For example, the roll ups can injure your back over time if you are using your hip flexors more than your core. This is a trap many post partum women fall into when getting back into shape after child birth because our hips are much stronger than our post baby abdominals.

The different leg lengths could also be contributing to the back pain. Since it’s only 1-2cm, just put an insole in the shoe for the shorter leg.

I too have one leg around 2cm shorter than the other, due to an accident many years ago, so you have full sympathy.

Long term I would suggest seeing an Osteopath or Chiropractor, but ofc not practical during the Covid 19 crisis.

Short term try to ensure you spend time lying flat with your knees up - I actually sleep with a beanbag I hook my knees over - as this stretches the muscles in the lower back and helps relax them. Inflammatory painkillers like Ibuprofen help some people more than paracetamol does, and you can take both Ibuprofen and co-codamol at the same time.

I find heat on my mid to lower back helps, though some find cold packs good especially across the sacrum (top of the bum). You need to experiment a bit for whichever is best for you; in my case it's the heat AND cold on different areas that seems to work!

Try to keep moving slowly, not sitting in the same position for hours on end as then you'll stiffen up. Try finding different positions to sit that are comfortable & change them up every now & again e.g. sitting on soft, on dining chair, lying on sofa with one or both legs up. Keep your lower back supported and try not to slouch too much.

Once the current crisis is over, go back to your GP and/or the physio and tell them it really isn't working. If nothing else they can give you stronger painkillers, but they should also refer you to the pain clinic and/or for an MRI scan. Also suggest to your GP he refers you to Orthotics for an insert for your shoes that will even up your leg length a bit; this does restrict what shoes you can wear comfortably, but can make a big difference.

It's taken me many years of careful management, treatments, and visits to assorted doctors & specialists but I'm finally on decent painkillers plus have nerve block injections every few years which are bliss!

If you've any Epsom salts, the hottest bath you can manage with some of them in. I find that relieving. Also, roll on deep heat is fab.

I second the mckenzie method. If you have a 2 year old you are probably bending down too much and inversion is your new best friend

It’s obvious but take painkillers so that you don’t feel too much pain. You can alternate paracetamol and Ibuprofen so that you can keep moving. Also hard as it might be to take the thing staring you in the face make the effort to lose weight. I was in your position and lost enough weight to make my back pain go away, I’m still overweight but at least my back doesn’t hurt any more.
Best of luck

Treat Your Own Back www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0987650408/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_8v2FEbZ15XTRQ?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

You are all so lovely!

Lie on the floor with your legs up the wall, bum as close to the wall as you can

This really helps me when my lower back is playing up

Here is a link to a good blog that talks about Pilates and the different moves that are linked to exacerbating back pain rather than helping it.
lostinfitness.blogspot.com/2012/04/is-pilates-good-for-your-back-or-will.html

Same issue here but upper back. Started when I was pumping for my twins. Now they are 3.5 but both have disabilities so I have to lift and carry them a lot. Normally when they are at nursery it’s manageable as I can’t rest my back three days a week but without that my back has gone insane.

Had some diazepam left from the last terrible episode last year so took some this morning and spent most of the day lying flat but I usually have to take it for 2-3 days for things to improve enough that I can move normally so doubt this will have helped much. Hurts to breathe in now.

Wish I knew the answer but I don’t know what it is! Voltarol gel helps if you can get any, and doesn’t upset my stomach like the tablets

I do these every evening.

Has helped me no end. Especially the superman one.

What did the osteopath say? How many treatments did you have?

I used to suffer from back pain for years. I have realised that stress is one major factor and also not just lying down. It sounds daft but the more I move the better it gets. I do still get the odd twinge and know when I'm overdoing it, but I use this as a measure of when.to stop or slow down.
I hope it gets better

Are you sure it’s not a problem with your pelvis? It could be problems with the sacroiliac joints. Stand in front of a full length mirror if you have one and put your hand on the very top of your pelvic bones. Are your two hands level with each other?

One thing that helps my lower back /SI joint issues are chair squats. Start standing sit down brieflyon a firm chair then stand up without using your hands and repeat.

Really interesting about Pilates. I had thought it would strengthen my core... the physio told me to do it, too.

How can I strengthen my post partum core?

Oh and what's inversion?

Stop pilates and try really basic yoga instead. There are a couple of basic moves that help with low back pain (including the plank). I agree with a pp that pilates shouldn’t be attempted alone unless you are fit or already experienced in it.

For the core / back pain - the plank move is the most effective.

@ChazsBrilliantAttitude that's helpful for me too. It's my SI joints that give me jip and the physio said I also have a tilted pelvis. I'll try your chair squats thank you

Chaz my hips are definitely out of alignment because of the leg length difference.

Well I have been doing pilates in a class at the gym but since it closed have been continuing the basic stretches like child s pose and cat cow. Nothing faaancy

Pilates has largely eradicated my lower back pain but it did take time and has to be done properly. Stretches such as cat and cow wont make much difference, you need a properly qualified teacher and in time you will strengthen your core. You could look up videos on you tube but you obviously don't know about their qualifications.

Cushion covers

The osteopath mentioned about my legs and said there were some issues with my spine which he felt he could treat. He did some very gentle movements and said come back for some more sessions, but then the Covid Wall went up.