Behaviours/ On Back Pain

Back pain is unrelenting and to manage it well you have to do what is right and works for you.

Some years ago at work, a heavy laden wooden bookcase fell off a plasterboard wall onto me.
It was anchored lightly to the wall with 3 (yes you read that correctly 3 was indeed the magic number) screws
with no toggles. Good work boys!

Obviously the bookcase, when laden with the twenty or so lever arch accountancy files, became far too heavy for the plasterboard wall. And so it was in January - about halfway through our financial year- that the bookcase broke loose from it's moorings to take a serious dive to the floor. I just happened to be in the process of stretching up to remove one of these lever arch files when the bookcase fell forward - I couldn't get out of the way fast enough
so I tried to catch and hold it in order to deflect its fall. During this accidental process I got caught/hit by the sharp corners of the plummeting lever arch files.

My neck and spine felt as if they had been compressed by the weight of the bookcase while my head and foot, after being dealt some weighty blows by the sharp corners of the falling files, received sharp blows that still pain to this day; nerve damage is the diagnosis. In turn, the compression to my spine resulted in 3 bulging discs that still give me gyp. Not to mention of course the resultant sciatica. It was a bit unfortunate for the firm where I was working at this time, as they had just the day before installed a brand new new printer, which was irrevocably
broken by the falling bookcase. Still printers are replaceable.

Now I am not whingeing about this - I guess it's just life and one has to make the best of it...

So the nub of this hub is the provision of some tips on how I manage my back pain. If any of these tips can help you that is good. Just remember I am not medically trained, so basically I am telling you what works for me - may not help you in anyway whatsoever.

I do think however that a person should be responsible for their own body, obtain the best medical and/or alternative health advice, then try and follow this advice within the scope of their understanding and budget. We are not all blessed with never ending heaps of the folding green stuff; so it seems to me that what we need to do is to understand and respond to how our bodies react to a given situation.

Basically you just have to do what works for you. If you find for example that after trying it out for a given time that physiotherapy just doesn't cut it, then don't spend anymore money. The same applies to chropractic and oestopathy although these last have worked to alleviate pain for me. I have also tried acupuncture although I am still out on whether this helps! I have never tried a massage but maybe that will be next on my agenda.

Keep moving - try not to sit for long periods of time in front of your computer without getting up to stretch your legs. Ensure that your screen, desk and chairs are all aligned properly to ensure maximum comfort and ease of posture for your back. Take responsibility for your body, read the OH&S information and design your work space to suit you.

I am not a walker but I have read and heard that this really helps - as it strengthens the muscles that hold your spine in place. My problem is that where I live is very hilly which prohibits me from walking too far or too long. Silly problem but one that affects me. What I have found however is that aqua-aerobics and pilates help. These gentle exercises strengthen the body and also produce a feel good effect. And from a commonsense point of view - and obviously not to put too fine a line on it - you wouldn't want to to aggravate your problem by going on long treks, running marathons or carrying heavy objects would you?

Also I don't think going to bed because you have a sore back helps much either. In fact I am usually up (not dressed until a couple of hours later, but up nevertheless!) by approximately 5.30am each morning. If I stay in bed much longer than this I am quite sore and stiff for most of the day. On the plus side it is lovely to see the sun come up and to have a nice quiet house to write in! Medical studies it seems, support my personal experience in this matter.

And painkillers in the short term are wonderful - they will help you to get back to normal quite quickly if your back problem is temporary but therein lies the rub for me as my problem is long term and I am stuck with it - unless a miracle happens to come my way.. and so I wait.

I try to keep strong mentally and ignore any discomfort unless of course it won't allow me to - then it is time for me to dip into something stronger like a painkiller or two. Even the odd red wine has been known to give me a boost!

I have been advised on occasion to adhere to a regime of painkillers but I don't believe this is for me (it may work for you ) - after all, we continually hear and read in the media that what is touted today as being the next best thing to sliced bread is bound to be tomorrow's latest cancer killing product. So my thoughts are that if I should start a regime of say two painkilling tablets by e.g. four times daily would this then equal kidney problems tomorrow?

What I have found though is that multi vitamins, anti oxidants and fish oil tablets have helped lessen the pain from the arthritis in my foot and the nerve damage in the head, both of which are directly attributable to the plummeting bookcase.

I love heat packs, wheat packs straight out of the microwave and onto the "spot' do wonders as do sleeping on an electric blanket and taking a hot shower with those yummy hot beads of water beating onto my lower back ....Amazing how much these simple actions help.

I know I have taken a simplistic approach but sometimes simple is best.

copyright: a.a.gallagher

May 2009