ARGH! Back is playing up. Should I go to the gym?

[PavlovtheCat]

Had discectomy in June. All is good. Been going to the gym following physio plan and getting fit. I have started body balance, and a quite intense routine of fitness now, doing really well and have found my back getting steadily stronger and it has been 'going' much less than it has in a long time. I still have pain, all the time, but my mobility has been getting better.

I have gone to the gym with twinges before, as I find exercise helps work through the pain and the muscles all stretch, and get warm etc.

I have had the day off due to child sickness, and have been absolutely looking forward to going to the gym ALL day. My back has been a little more painful for a couple of days, nothing horrendous, but in the supermarket this afternoon, it gave out completely.

I can walk ok, but I can't get up from sitting, from standing to sitting, can't bend, lean, twist without it going. but I just tried marching, and I can do that (ie, cross trainer!).

I can go to the gym right long shot but hopeful ? maybe not skip balance as that will be lots of bending and twisting (although I mostly leave those ones out) but for a bit of a sweat and a swim/sauna? yes?

I know the fucking answer. Great. I am never going to get fit.

Oh no! Do something else instead? Something gentle? It really depends what's 'gone' on your back, and whether movement will help or hinder but its still very early days. What would your surgeon or physio say?

magos I wrote an epic post. DS spat milk over the computer and I lost it all in a panic (DH's macbook air pride and joy, I will be D.E.A.D if I break it!), but all is well.

I recognise some of the symptoms as prior to surgery, but those may be muscular pain due to inflammation of muscles, which I had before surgery due to it all being aggravated.

What would the neurosurgeon say? I have seen him once, for 30 mins, prior to surgery, then for 2 mins after surgery and not since! I am still waiting for my 12wk post surgery review, and it is now 14 weeks, been told it will be another month at least before I get an appointment for review. He is useless in patient care, other than being a fab surgeon.
Physio has thought back going is due to muscular atrophy and part of my physio is working on that, however, that's on the basis of it 'going' as it giving way as I get up or sit down, which it does randomly, but once I have composed myself it resolves and no residual pain. So, this 'episode' is different to that, as it's gone and from that it's causing muscle spasms now. Not drastic, nothing like before, but enough to make me wonder if I should just head to bed and reach for the diazepam (if I take it quickly it should stave off the spasms a treat). Physio would normally say 'back pain is ok, is inevitable even, but leg pain is a red flag' and I do have some leg pain which I am ignoring lalalala but nothing major.

The problem is, I have a misaligned vetebrae. I just don't know how misaligned and if this is due to that or weak back muscles. As the x-ray to check the extent of it was done 3wks before surgery, and all the surgeon said was 'i'll contact you if it's significant enough to consider fusion during this surgery'. After surgery he said is minimal enough to avoid surgery, but that was all. And it was 4 hours post surgery so I couldn't ask any questions. And until I see him for my follow-up, all my concerns can't be addressed and I won't know for sure what's going on.

it makes no difference anyway. the decision is made for me. DH has not returned from going out. I was meant to be there for 6pm (meet a friend there), class is at 7:30pm, and I got to register before. I prefer to work out first, as it loosens the muscles before the class. I guess I could still just go and work-out/do a gentle swim and skip the class.

Normally I would not hesitate and go straight to bed, but I don't want to be that person any more and I have tried so hard to do the gym regularly but something always gets in the way, and I really enjoy it!

I would go for the just a swim option.it's gentle but it keeps you in your routine.

denial yeah but. I don't burn sweat and listen to my stomping music in the pool (will do soon though, getting a waterproof arm sleeve - yeyy!).

A swim and a sauna. That's what I will do. When DH gets home if he ever bloody does

burn sweat? that doesn't even make sense. sweat. just sweat. I have got quite addicted to making sure I have sweat on my face/down my neck that has to be wiped away before I am done. It feels cleansing.

waterproof arm sleeve? waterproof headphones? intrigued......I could swim much longer if I didn't get so damn bored

Can you do front crawl? If so do try doing that with a pullbouy float between your legs. That way there isn't too much strain on your back. I do a form of interval training by swimming one length at a time as fast as possible without taking a breath. It would cause breaking of sweat if you weren't wet! Then a jacuzzi and a steam...

My physio/Pilates instructor does a fabulous massage, can you ask yours for this?

Huge sympathy to you, you do sound tons better than me though!

matildathecat how you doing?! oh I would love a massage, they won't touch me, got knows why, they just won't do massage I didn't go to the gym in the end, not even for a swim. I just went to bed and stayed there from 8:30pm to 8am this morning. I actually felt worse this morning for it! Today, pain levels ok enough, but back keeps giving way if I don't keep my back super ultra straight when bending, sitting, standing, twisting, leaning...

denial I shall link to them...

here

DH has also found an MP3 player somewhere or other, can't remember who did it, not Apple I am sure, but someone else, and it's waterproof to 10m or something like that. It's like £50, but then you got to buy the headphones on top.

BUT, look at the one that attaches to the goggles, so not in your ears at all. How COOL!!!

or these!!

I had crap Physio after my discectomy and then got re-referred after a year for some more Physio as my back kept going. They stuck some acupuncture needles in my buttocks and it really helped. It wasn't actually acupuncture and I can't remember what it was called but it made my muscles stop spasming. Since then I have taken it easier in terms of lifting etc and not had too many problems. It goes if I have to carry my 2 year old but thankfully I rarely do that. Can't comment on the gym aspect as I only swim as I find anything with hard impact uncomfortable now (and I don't have time to fit it in with three young kids!)

brambly I can't do anything high impact at all. I can't even wear 'normal' shoes any more, I can only wear my trainers with an extra cushioned sole in at the moment as even walking impact is too hard, it jars my back and makes it much more likely to 'go'. How long ago was it that you had surgery? Will it always be like that then?! had hoped maybe one day might be able to get my heels out again for a rare treat? no? I know the answer already I think I talk about the gym like I am doing a proper workout! I don't though - I do cross trainer for 30 mins - ultra low impact as feet don't leave the ground, back is kept nice and straight. If I am feeling like my boredom threshold is high, I do the bike (the one with the backseat, not just the base seat) for 20 mins but that's soooo dull I can't bust some sweat doing that either. I also then do some work on the swiss ball, some machine that is meant to give me fab butt muscles and inner thigh muscles (still waiting for that). Then body balance which is thai chi, yoga and pilates, no impact whatsoever, or swimming.

matilda did you have your surgery? I have spoken to you since haven't i? I have paid for private physio and no appt to go back, I should probably chase my GP referral for NHS physio, GP is soooo slow. I love doing underwater swimming as far as I can, I can do just shy of 20m, so probably 15? I like the idea of crawl with a float, when my back is bad, I have one of those actually. I will try that.

I had my surgery in May last year and I would say that for the first year I found it still went a lot. In the last few months i have had fewer problems. It mainly goes if I lift or twist in the wrong way (toddler), run (out of necessiity), stand or walk all day (day out). Fingers crosed for you.

Thank you for giving me some hope this might end for good one day! well, almost, I see that running might not ever happen. I am slowly learning that! (not quite though, I do live in hope...)

Hey Pavlov,

Starting a new thread, hope you'll join in!

Of course, linky to it, hope you are ok.

New thread for the back pain gang.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/1871592-The-Back-Story