To not know what to do about back pain

[Dishwashersaurous]

I've been having an ache in my lower back and shoulders, basically all along the spine, for about two weeks now.

Just thinking it will go away and carrying on as normal best I can.

Last 24hours getting more and more painful. Taken painkillers and hard to do anything as just hurts.

Can't get a private physio appointment for a couple of weeks. And almost impossible to get a gp appointment at the moment.

Should try and get a gp appointment or can I assume that the back pain will just get better. The NHS advice says back pain just gets better and nothing can be done.

So aibu to be in pain and not know what to do?

Keep moving. Take regular short walks. Do not take to your bed.

Ibuprofen to reduce inflammation.

Look into core strengthening exercises to prevent future bouts.

Have you ever tried yoga or Pilates? Worth considering.
Lots of stuff on Youtube to get a sense of it.

They can both give considerable relief plus insight into how you may be inadvertently causing it through postural stresses.

Amitriptyline changed my life for my back….

an osteopath is a good person to see rather than a physio I would say. Keep moving through it, lots of walking, and some gentle stretches - maybe a child’s pose on a bolster if you have one, some spinal twists. And yes, Pilates to strengthen and support the spine by strengthening the core and glutes is essential for back health as you get older. But you probably need to check out this is nothing serious first then start pilates

I have had a pain in my neck and shoulders for months. It’s a shooting pain up the sides of my neck and in the trapezius muscles. Too much sitting at a desk on a phone and laptop.

Nothing helped, heat, ice, massage, rest, painkillers, tens etc. I’ve spent a fortune. Then I started doing Hiit again. 4 sessions of hiit. So 3 hours of exercise. And it has improved 90%. It’s almost back to normal. I reckon 2 more sessions abs il be cured. Bloody amazing. So the NHS are wrong - exercise (in my case) has cured months of back and neck pain.

Yoga. I suffered with back pain in and if for years, due to a combination of injury and health problems. I'll link some videos that have been amazing.

Acupuncture can also work (I used to go to stop my neck and back getting tense from desk work), but since Covid I’ve found it tricky to get a regular slot. But it may work for you, it’s certainly helped me in the past.

Pilates will help long term / it completely sorted my back out. I put it out doing yoga due to all he forced stretches.

They're all yoga with Adrien. Brilliant routines and very easy to follow.

The most important thing with back pain is to keep moving. Good luck.

Thanks everyone and sorry that others are suffering.

I'm currently lying in bed because moving is so painful. So a question, how do you force yourselves to do gentle exercise when even gentle stretching and walks is so painful that you start crying.

I've done lots of yoga in the past but even the most gentle pose is absolutely agony at the moment

If you sleep on your side try sleeping with a pillow between your knees - it’s surprising how much it helps.
If you can’t do exercise try very basic stretches - lie on the bed/floor and bring your knees/knees up to your chest. Don’t rock them back & forward just bring it up & keep there for a while

An acupressure mat worked wonders for me.

Completely second the pillow between the knees when in bed! Also sitting with a 'roll' in the small of your back when sitting (I find a hand towel or scarf rolled up works perfectly). My lower back pain is around the sacroiliac joint and disks 4/5/6. I went to a private physio who did a thorough examination and manipulated my back and honestly I could have danced out of there, I felt incredible! She gave me a series of exercises to do which I did, then I knocked it out of balance again lifting the kids and nothing shifted it - the exercises made it feel worse. I went back and she manipulated it again and again, I felt like a new woman! She's requested an MRI scan to my GP just to check my disks, which he's agreed to and has referred me for. I was also told not to sit with my legs curled up. The best exercise I was given was to lie on my stomach, legs stretched out, put your hands in front of you on the floor (like you're doing push ups) and push your shoulders and head up for 10, then back down and rest for 10; repeat 10 times

Another TENS fan here. I have two bulging lumbar discs & osteoarthritis in my hip. I can pop my TENS on, whack up the intensity and go for a walk - moving & exercising but without the pain stopping me or making it a struggle.

You have to keep moving, taking to bed will unfortunately make it worse. Physiotherapy is what you need, not good that you have to wait so long but you can look up exercises in the meantime. Start with really easy gentle stretching, stand up and bend over, can stabilise yourself with your hands on a wall but just bend for a while and relax your back.

Move move move and move some more, try hanging as well if you have a door frame or scaffolding handy. The pain is caused usually by spasm of muscles, if you stretch them out it relieves the spasm, unfortunately rest just allows the spasm to continue.

See if you can do any of the stretches on Youtube while in bed.

How much have you been up & about today, OP?

Osteo and Pilates have worked for me over the years. Still have relapses but shifts quickly. Definitely keep moving. Hot baths provide some relief too.

In some areas you can self-refer to NHS physio without needing to see a doctor. Unlikely to be quicker than private physio, but I'd do it asap if you're able to just in case.

Keep moving gently if you can possibly manage it - take painkillers to get you moving if that helps (obviously no more than maximum doses but you could alternate ibuprofen and paracetamol).

Oh, and go to A&E directly if you lose bowel or bladder control. (Unlikely but important.)

Long term swimming and Pilates are both excellent.

Have you actually done anything to cause an injury to your back or has the pain appeared for no apparent reason?

I'm asking because my gall bladder pain started as random back pain. I also had a family member with pancreatic cancer, the first symptom was unexplained back pain.

Push to get it checked out. Especially if it doesn't get better if you lie down.

You don't want a physio, you want an osteopath. Whereabouts in the country are you? I'm SE and found a very good one for £50. They helped me after just one session so it was well worth it, and then I did some further top up visits, (but I was in so much pain I couldn't walk).

physio is the best place, but that's no use if you can't get an appointment.

keep the back warm and keep moving.

bob & brad can be very helpful.

good luck

I would try and get a GP appointment and/or see a physio before you start doing anything
It's unlikely but if I had done Pilates or yoga I would have made my back ten times worse
What I needed was strong bloody drugs (diazepam and morphine), an MRI scan and surgery

Make sure to take painkillers regularly, don't lift anything while bending or twist (squat instead) and get some thermacare lower hip and back wraps which are heated

If you’re struggling to move without pain what position are you in?

So no lying propped up on cushions. Actually in the acute phase of my back injury I was told to lie on the floor on my tummy (with ice on my back). Then moved to child’s pose stretches and cat stretches. Sitting was agony.