OUCH OUCH OUCH OW OW OW OUCH OUCH OW

[hippipotami]

Please please help me.
Somehow I have managed to do my back in. It is agony.
DH is at work and cannot come home (have phoned him and asked)

My back hurts right at the bottom where it joins my bum. The pain is on the left hand side.
I cannot stand up straight, nor can I walk unless I am bent over and half-bend my knees. Not a good look and it really hurts

Have slathered it in deep heat, what else can I do?

I don't have time for this today, need to prepare food as having my sis over for a bbq tommorrow, and need to go into town to buy a pressie as dd has a birthday party to go to tommorrow.

Can anyone recommend any stretching excercises, good painkillers or other coping strategies??

thanks!

Ok

stand infront of something like a sink or fireplace
leave a small gap between you and whatever it is your holding on to
push your arms out straight and lean back as far as you can

do it as many times as you can leaning back as far as you can too.

i'd take regular ibuprofen ( as long as you're not asthmatic or have ulcer) and also paracetamol as cocktail, and that hopefully will help.
Also keep moving around as much as possible, as often pain increases when remaining inactive for any amount of time

Lie on back, pull knees slowly into your chest.

Lie on back, slowly twist one knee over the other leg whilst twisting your upper body and arms the other way. Repeat other side.

These are the main 2 my osteopath told me to do for my lower back.

Voltaren is better than deep heat, dose up on Nurofen too.

i am asthmatic and have been able to take nurofen for years BUT if you haven't taken it before then it's best not to. same for aspirin and voltarol - had that when having stitches and ended up on nebuliser!

it's best to ring local pharmacy if you can and speak to them.

hope you feel better soon x

keep on moving, use cold (frozen peas or similar wrapped in a tea towel) and ibruprofen. If it is still really painful on Monday you can get stronger painkillers from the dr and I would advise a chiropractor.

Sympathies - this happened to me a few weeks back, and I was stuck at the top of the stairs! I had to call DH back from work (I had my mobile on me luckily)

The exercise I had was lying on my back, slowly stretching one leg out and then the other, but I don't think you should do this until the inflammation has gone down.

Wow, you guys are great. I had a go at nbq's stretching excercise and that did indeed help. Was not able to get back to this since then till now. Have tried to keep moving as much as poss - made huge mistake of sittin down for lunch - could not get up again and was stuck! DH came home from work early (love him!) and gave me a back rub and helped me put my tens machine on. That has helped enormously.

Thanks to all of you for your stretching tips, will gently try them tommorrow.

I am almost able to stand upright, but still automatically bend my knees. I look as if I should be on skis!

Am supposed to give blood tommorrow morning, so have not taken any painkillers. Am afraid I won't make it up on the bed to donate though, and if I make it up I certainly won't make it down!!

Thanks again all, am off for a warm bath now. Dh thinks that will help too.

Glad the stretching helped. The ones I use are great for doing before you get out of bed in the morning. That's when my back is at its stiffest.

Soupdragon, your stretching excercises were fab. Did them this morning, and have been reasonably mobile all day. Still sore, but no longer agony, and I can straighten up now.

Thanks again!

I hobble about like an old crone until my back "warms up" if I don't do them glad you're better today. Consider seeing an osteopath if the problem lingers though.

Will do (see an osteopath that is).

I am dreadful first thing in the morning, I have a persistent sciatica problem which manifests itself first thing after getting up, and heel spurs, so I truly resemble an old lady for a while. Luckily it all loosens on the school run and am pretty 'normal' the rest of the day.