DH in agony with back pain - any ideas ??

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He's pulled his back a few days ago and he's in alot of pain. he's been taking paracetamol 15-30 mg codeine evry 4 hrs and 600mg of ibuprofen every 6 hrs, he's had warm baths hot water bottles deep heat rubs but is nearly in tears with it!!Any ideas would be greatly appreciated in how i can help him !!! thanks in advance.

back pain has got to be one of the most depressing pains to have. I dislocated my hip from my back several years ago and the pain was undescribable. As its a weak joint I do have other niggles with it too and have sprained it as well. First of all he needs to rest completely and avoid sitting down. Why sit if you can lie? Make sure hte back is completely supported and pay a visit to your GP who should refer him for physio

Lying on the floor sometimes helps.

I invested in a TENs machine - which helps me a lot when mine is bad (in fact, it's sometimes the only thing that gets me up on my feet again).

Much sympathy - back pain is true agony.

My dad always suffered with a bad back, he had a slipped disc. He needed physio therapy to help him.
Gentle movement to stretch it should help but by the sound of it, he won't be able to do that. Not much help I know.
Best thing will be get him to the Drs so they can prescribe stronger painkillers. Diazepam are good for muscle spasm which might be what he has.

could he have a slipped disc?, it sounds like he is in a lot of pain.

My DH is in the same boat. I won't let him pick up ds at the mo. He has on and off back problems. He is seeing his osteopath 3 times a week at the mo. he is also taking pain killers and anti inflamitories. The trouble is the pain killers mask the pain and you feel able to move more freely than perhaps you should. I would deefinitely recommend a trip to a good osteopath (can recommend one in london) and a trip to your GP for a referral for an x-ray.

What about ice instead of heat? Ice can reduce swelling, which often occurs around the site of an injury as it is the body's natural defence mechanism - the swelling protects the injured part IYSWIM. But the swelling can impinge on nerves, so bring the swelling down and you can sometimes reduce the pain. Alternate heat and ice is a good failsafe. If he injured his back a few days ago and there is no sign of any improvement then he really needs a diagnosis of what exactly he has done. I was once taught emergency positions for a bad back - and also advised that moving is really important as it keeps the blood supply / fresh oxygen moving around. Of course complete rest is sometimes necessary, but not for too long. Can you find ways of making him comfortable with pillows propped under his knees - whether he is lying on his side or on his back perhaps with knees drawn up?

Basically it is really hard to self treat back pain if you don't know the root cause, and what helps in one situation may aggravate another. One common thing to all back pain though is the fear of pain itself, which makes you more tense and therefore increases the pain. That's where pain killers can help so much.

Personally I always try osteopathic treatment - has always helped me. I really sypathise with both of you. HTH.

Am also trying to persuade dh to have private pilates classes- as is the osteopath

Osteopath without a doubt. Mine's worked miracles on a number of occasions. And I'm now doing Pilates to try and avoid recurrences.

I no longer take pain killers fo back pain because I need to know if it's hurting so I can stop doing it. The only time I consider talking them is if I can't sleep.

If he's in that much pain then check with the GP. But my DH's back pain (which he'd had on and off for years and years) got sorted out with a course of chiropractic treatments -- he now goes once every couple of months to keep topped up but is basicaly pain free.

Thanks everyone. he's back in the bath again and speaking to he out of hours dr , i agree with the diazepam suggestion, doubt he'll get any now though !!!

That's really rotten - dh was in a bad way about a month ago, he had to spend two weeks on the floor. He admitted it was his own fault, he has a weakness in his back and he hadn't been doing regular physio. He started off on diazepam and a hot water bottle really helped. Hope he is on the mend soon.

I'd get it checked out again but in the meantime you could try a bit of reflexology (sp?). DH has a dodgy back and my Mum suggested gently rubbing/pressing on the soles of his feet on the inside of the foot from the big toe down to the base of the heel. We were both a bit skeptical but dh eventually let me try it and it REALLY helped. I think the idea is that you work down that area until you find a tender bit (on the sole of the foot) then you gently rub that bit until the tenderness goes before moving on to the next bit. Might be worth a try! Hope he's feeling better soon.

I had a bad back a couple of years ago. I spent a small fortune on an Osteopath and then a Chiropractor. In the end an MRI scan found a slipped disc. Neither the osteopath or chiroprator identified this.

Anyway pilates exercises helped a lot. I also had to do an exercise specificaly for slipped disc (Mckenzie Technique -sp?)which apparently encourages the disc back. Hot baths in Epsom salts help reduce swelling. Heat and Ice treatment both help. Massage is brilliant and on really bad days I would have a few glasses of wine with my pain killers. Downside of this is you can actually do damage as you more free with your movements. You really need to to get him to see a gp and ask for an MRI scan and a referral to a physio.