Any advice for how to heal lower back pain quickly?

[Shallwedancetomojito]

Friday morning i had just gotten out of the shower and was then getting dressed, knickers went on first, as to which i bent slightly over and lifted my right leg to place my leg in....thats when i felt the right-sided lower back twinge, it wasn't extremely painful, but i immediately got up and sat down hoping id caught it to stop it in time. Fast forward to 3 days later today, and i still have it. I can kind of get around slowly in the house, but walking far is an issue and i have to walk really slow.

Has anybody had anything like this happen to them, and knows of any tips i could try out to help it to heal quicker?

So far I've tried lower back stretches and im taking glucosamine and chondroitin double dosage, which i started taking on Friday.

Massage, heat/cool pack and standing instead of sitting which I realise is often easier said than done

@seasidestarfish

My bf gave me a massage on the area Friday night, im sure even he has made it worse as he's so heavy-handed, as the area now feels bruised.

Yes standing instead of sitting is easier said than done, but i will try.

Heat/cool packs, what do i do with these? Ive got frozen peas i can use as a cool pack, i could maybe use a bag of rice and microwave it for the warm pack. But then what would i do with them?

I got a £30 back massager off amazon which has been amazing for my back

I have this - it's a disc that pops out a bit. Sometimes it pops back in quite quickly, sometimes it takes ages. An osteopath has really helped me in my worst times and I now have maintenance treatments with her - not sure if they are open yet (not in uk). I have regular physio too. Otherwise when it's bad I try to rest with back flat (or with my legs raised on a wedge-shaped cushion. I take gentle walks and do very gentle stretches. Heat and anti-inflammatories work the best otc though I'm lucky I have prescribed meds too. Hope it gets better soon!

I once had back pain and Google told me Epsom salt soak in bath. It didn't noticeably help.

A hot water bottle would do for warmth, Or a wheat bag that you heat in microwave. I think rice or linseeds in a sock would work for a no-sew home made one (be careful not to over heat or they will start to frazzle). Best recommendation I have is an electric heat pad - Beurer is a good brand. I would not be without it. They are good because you can lie flat on them.

I'd get some proper medical advice - you don't want to mess with backs and get it wrong. Like a poor massage. If it was just muscular, you would probably have noticed an improvement by now. As you haven't, it might be a spasm caused by a disc prolapse and need prescription drugs and complementary therapies to resolve this incident and help protect against future ones.

@ViveLEntenteCordiale With mine i don't think its a disc that's popped out. After doing some googling i think its to do with my vertebrae, more tendon related. I get sharp shooting pains if i move a certain way or put any sudden unexpected pressure on my right leg. Im currently sat now with a hot water bottle on the area before i go out for a walk.

@DocusDiplo I'll try anything at the minute, so i will get some Epsom salts from the chemist as im going there to get some Syndol as ive heard they're good for muscle pain.

@BinkySodPlop This has happened to me before a few times now, usually once every couple of years ill do something random, like last time it happened i bent over to pick a glass of water up off the living room floor. I think i just have a weak back that needs core strengthening, but the problem is when the pain goes away and im back to normal i kind of just forget about it again. Hence it happening again as then i don't do any prevention and strengthening exercises, like yoga.

When i was at school, i remember i had to wear wellies as it had been snowing, my mum wouldn't let me wear normal shoes. It was only a 5 minute walk to school but on a slight downward steep. Well, this certain day id decided to wear the wellies as told but once out of sight id change into my white mini heels id hidden in my bag. And thats what i did. I swapped them around and carried on walking to school all smug, just as i was ready to enter the school gates walking on the little icy slope down.....THUD! Straight on my lower back, i landed.

So i expect that is the cause of these now random back issues i sporadically get.

I have one of these heat pads i generally lie on my back pillow under knees with this at base of spine it's adjustable and helps allot

@jackandflo well I'm just on way to hobble to the chemist. So when I get the new painkillers I'm going to try out, I'll see if they have a heat pad too. Even though this morning I have had a hot water bottle on my lower back and it's not really done much tbt.

The heat should bring more blood to the area and aid healing it also relaxes the tight muscles that's why you get stiff ....said the postmistress to the Gardner 😁 Hope you feel better soon

@jackandflo Oh okay i get you. Here's me expecting instant relief. If that's the case ill keep on with the hot water bottle, although in this weather all i want is a cold shower. Its mad how a very small part of your back can affect so much of your body movements, it's just taken me double the time to walk to the shop and back. I'm hoping by the end of the week there's some improvement.

Thanks for all your help NM's.

The heat packs that come on a wide Velcro strap work very well for pain relief and they last for several hours. I’ve used Thermacare Heatwraps. You can walk around etc with them on. The sort that stick directly to your skin are much cheaper, but I don’t find they help much.

Osteopath.

Sounds like a back spasm from my limited experience. It can take upto 6 weeks to resolve but lying down or reclining is best I find ... also ice pack and full daily doze of paracetamol and ibuprofen. The ice numbs the area nicely but you have to keep re-freezing it so it helps to have someone around to help. And see a physio when you can if its not gone by then