To think once you develop back pain it never goes away?

[FairTurtle]

I've had this now for 6 weeks, out of NOWHERE. It's constant. I've seen a chiro and an osteo and it's still no better. GP isn't concerned. NO HISTORY of back problems whatsoever. I'm 28 and healthy besides this. Wtf??????? Yoga poses and core strength exercises aren't helping.

Glad to give you hope. I've had problems with back on and off since I was 9 (and fell off a platform in the playground and landed on my back, made worse during puberty when I slouched to hide my breasts), mostly manageable once I was an adult until that pregnancy and then wonderfully fixed!

I went to an amazing massage therapist who sorted mine out. She was recommended to me by a friend who could barely walk up the stairs and now she's back at Zumba. She did something called no hands massage - which is better than it sounds - it's proper massage, not some woo woo stuff.

A standing desk and stool fixed my back pain 🤷‍♀️

Any time I spend a work day in a "normal" chair my back is twingy and sore by about 4 hours in.

Agree with pps that walking and other exercise will also help massively.

Where exactly does it hurt?

i don't remember life without back pain, but mines through injury. Broke 4 verts when i was 21. nothing i do really helps, i have good weeks and bad weeks but i refuse to let it stop me living my very active life so i just crack on

I had surgery to fix mine

@NeverEnoughPants Interesting! But um...does she touch you, even if without hands?

I've had a microdiscetomy for a bulging disk followed by a TLIF 2 years later, and I'm still in agony.
I am in constant pain and cannot remember thr last time I was pain free. Its debilitating and impacts my life from sleep to work/social/travel.

I agree! I slipped 2 discs years ago when I was 33 and have been living with back pain every day for the last 6 years!
It’s just ‘one of those things’ apparently. There is an option of surgery which will maybe be for one day later down the line, at the moment they say the chances are high that it will leave me in a worse state than I am now and as I’m currently managing it at home (with appointments with my physio/chiropractor/osteo when required) and am able to work etc it’s absolutely not worth the risk. I walk every day for a few miles as the days when I don’t I have felt the telltale disc pain signs.
otherwise it’s predominantly neuropathic pain.

She used forearms mainly I think - it was definitely proper massage - I went for pain, I go back because it's really good.

@MishkaNorushka Lower back mostly, but also mid sometimes.

1. Get yourself an adjustable, proper office chair.
2. Give yourself a desk stress risk assessment. Feet on the floor, back supported, screen at eye level, arms level to waist.
3. Firm bed
4. Supportive car seat
5. See a podiatrist to make sure your feet, and in turn, knees and hips are supported.
6. Lift your feet up properly, no shuffling
7. Posture, shoulders back, tummy in, back straight
8. Physio/Pilates tailored to you
9. Anti-inflammatories and tummy stuff. You have to take them regularly for the full effect.

Good luck. Deal breaker for me was work chair/desk, bed and posture.

Hurt my back originally in 2002 (herniated discs -getting out of car FFS). Managed it very well for 20 years with only minor twinges.

Hurt it again in 2022 - was cyclical pain. Put on HRT (helps with MSK issues). Fine again in about 8-10 months. Now less than 2 years later back fine. No on-going pain. Can do all sorts except contact sports (no rugby or roller derby for me now ☹️)

Physio said I was best patient ever. Stay mobile, do exercises, protect and strengthen core. I go for sauna, spa, stream, swim weekly which really helps.

WFH set up is top notch. Proper chair, monitor riser etc.

So no not a lifetime of pain - a lifetime of being proactive about looking after yourself to prevent back pain is ahead!

Actually just one session. Which I appreciate sounds weird so I'll explain.
The first 2 hours after the session there was no pain at at, then it returned slowly over the next day. But after that it just eased off over the course of the next month. For the next few months it would twinge or hurt again for a short period, and then over time it just stopped happening.
I had acupuncture and a tens machine on at the same time during the treatment, and this was at my GP surgery. The treatment itself was incredibly painful, I suspect it was the tens machine that was the worst of it. I wasn't keen to do it again initially. But given how successful it was, if I had needed to, I would've gone back and had them do it again.

I got a sore back. I went to the physio and did the exercises. It went away.

@Spinningroundahelix Glad it went away! How long did you do the exercises for, for it to make a difference?

@OttersAreMySpiritAnimal Thanks for responding! As in, the TENS machine was your own, that you just wore to the appointment? Or it was provided by the acupuncturist?

Back issues here all in my lower back, Im 38 but really its been since i was 26.

I've just kinda lived with it i suppose but it was getting harder, standing for long periods of time walking long distances really aggravated it.

About a month and a half ago i started walking 10000 steps every day and the difference has been quite frankly amazing, 2 weeks ago i started weight training ( in a controlled environment with a coach watching my form and posture)

And id say its cleared, haven't thought about it for a long time now. the only time it really niggles is when im standing for longer periods of time and id say thats my posture

I saw a private physio for 8 weeks and continue to do the exercises. It does take longer I'm afraid.

From crippling, "I'm almost paralysed", slipped disc & emergency surgery in 2021, to "better than 15 years ago" now, so absolutely not.

But 2 weeks for core strengthening etc is nothing, sorry.

For me it was at least 6 months, ideally physio/gentle type exercises first and then weightlifting with a focus on back and core and posterior chain, and I still need to lift at least 1x/week to keep it healthy. If I do, zero issues. If I don't, the pain starts to recur.

It's highly likely you can fix it, but it'll take commitment to the process for the long term...

Good luck!

Thank you all. Very appreciate of all the responsive. This thread, plus my own research, medical opinions etc all point to exercise being the cure. It feels like a bit of a sick joke, since the Long COVID makes this so difficult. But I will try.

Op have you ever had a c section or spinal block? Maybe an epidural?

Don’t push through!

There’s new and emerging research because of long covid and it would be worth your while joining support groups to stay up to date. Look for a physio working specifically with long covid too.

Mitochondrial dna depletion in the core muscles has been identified as a factor in long Covid. Exercising past a certain point causes further depletion and makes everything worse.

This is relatively new research, and the old advice to just push through with the exercise until it feels easier is being turned on its head.

Exercise is the key, OP, but it takes time. I suffered terrible back pain after slipping a disc in my 20s. Exercise was painful and although I did some walking, pilates and yoga I didn't want to do much else. So I tried acupuncture, physio, massage, etc etc and thought nothing would fix it.

In the end the only thing that properly worked for me was taking up running. I did couch to 5k and never looked back - have done several marathons now and my back pain has been gone for more than a decade.

Yep I did mine at the gym, caused nerve damage in my left leg, confirmed L5 S1 herniation. Was given some physio stretches to do. Ever since then over the years I have 'flare ups.' I do tons of core strengthening, pilates, weight training, cardio etc. so it's annoying when it does happen. The worst is when it's a sciatica flare up - I'd take a back spam any day over one of those!