Something strange happened yesterday. I was riding a bicycle, along with my son also riding his tricycle. He finally got tired and asked me to carry his bike home, which I did by riding my own bike with his tricycle in my right hand. So far so good. Then, as I arrived home, still sitting on my bicycle, I leaned to set his tricycle on the ground. As I did that, I had sudden back pain and it is not going away. I have hard times bending in a certain way and walk with a funny gait. What could this be and should I be worried? thanks i
Welcome to middle age, pal. This is a back spasm, well known to all blue collar workers. I suggest you follow a routine of taking anti-inflammatory medication (I take aspirin, lots of people take ibuprofen), heat & ice, rest, and light duty for about two weeks. If you don't do that, the guys in the metal trades taught me, the pain will be longer and worse. As I get older (I'm now mid-50s) I still get back spasms but by now they are pretty mild because I never lift anything stupid anymore.
If you think about it, you loaded your back all funny riding your bicycle with a weight in one hand only. Some muscle was overworked and spasmed when you bent over. It might be a slight muscle pull, a strain, whatever, doesn't really matter except to a surgeon. Take ibuprofen religiously unless you take it a lot (don't overdo ibuprofen, it will hurt your kidneys badly) and take it easy, and try soaking in a hot tub or lying on a heating pad. Make your kids wait on you.
About the only treatment that you left out is the use of prescription muscle relaxants [I use Robaxin] to help relax the muscles enough to let the _other_ treatments be effective.
I've found that, for me, the worst spasms come about 3 days [72 hours] _after_ the heavy exertion that actually caused them. If I take the med right after the exertion - knowing what's to come - it's far more effective in preventing the spasm than it is in treating it later.
Igor, think back to what you'd been doing a couple of days _before_ the spasm hit - were you doing any heavy lifting at an odd angle?
Yes, I was loading a pallet with 12 of the high voltage capacitors that I sold on ebay. That was 12 caps, out of 15 that I bought (I kept
3 for experimenting). The caps are 50 lbs each, 1 uF, 22 kV. At some point in time I had to move a pallet loaded with four of them (200 lbs) from an inconvenient position. That could have accounted for this spasm.
i
That's the killer. I could unload lumber all day and not hurt my back. Lift a big sack of grocerys out of the trunk with my feet at right angle to the load and I am seriously fsked up...
From the overall description, this certainly sounds like a back spasm.
One other possibility might be a kidney stone. These can often feel REMARKABLY like a badly pulled lower-back muscle. The exception is that, with a bad back, you can usually find SOME position to contort yourself into that relives all or some of the pain, at least temporarily. No such luck with a 'stone' ... it just hurts ALL the time (which doesn't keep one from writhing around TRYING to find a position that gives relief).
Stones can hit you at totally random times. They can grow in place for months or years, with few if any symptoms, until something causes them to start moving. Stones are often remarkably sharp shard-like little pieces, with many spikes, horns and edges to get caught on things as they move along. Such movement, forcing themselves through tiny ducts, is usually what causes most of the pain. When they get caught in a duct they can cause a blockage, and a 'backpressure' can build up causing further discomfort. NO FUN AT ALL!
While they can, and often do, begin their journey for no apparent reason, sometimes vigorous activity dislodges them and starts them on their way.
Simple tests in a hospital or doctor's office will usually identify a stone. Often they will pass by themselves in a few hours (if you're lucky) or days. If not, various medical procedures are available to deal with them.
Lot's of good advise--I'll put in my 2¢ . The sequence of bend over, turn to one side, set something down, and straighten up while still turned to the side. Did it once setting down a bucket of water. Not heavy, maybe 15 lbs. When I straightened up it HURT in my lower back. Did Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Ketoprofin, heat, cold, etc. Still hurt a few days later, so I hit the chiropractor. Way it was explained to me is that that particular sequence can cross up the vertebrae in the lower spine, and if you straighten up before turning back to face forward they can lock out of alignment. The weight of the load doesn't really matter. Some heat, a stretch/twist and a pop, fixed.
Do you have pain radiating down your leg? If so, you have most likely crunched a disc, and a nerve is getting pinched. If no, then most likely you have a muscle that is cramping up. That should go away a lot quicker. I used to get this in my neck a couple times a year, and taking calcium supplements completely got rid of them.
I never understood this, isn't the inflammation the immune system kicking in to fix the damage area (by increasing the bloodflow among other things) ? Why would you want to stop that? I suppose in severe cases the body can get confused and inflammation can turn into a bad thing, but for plain jane problems like this its seems a good thing, doesn't it? I don't know, but I would think if it was a bad thing your body wouldn't go to all this trouble to begin with...
2.) Do you carry a rather thick wallet in the rear pocket on that side?
If the answer to both is "yes", then you MAY have pinched a sciatic nerve.
I used to do it all the time to my left side - which happened to be the side I carried my wallet on.
Doctor explained that the wallet usually sits over the sciatic nerve in the back pocket and irritates it.
Everything that has been recommended - prescription muscle relaxants (I use Norflex), pain killers such as Acetminophen or Ibuprofen, and heat - coupled with time - all help
I fixed the wallet problem by moving it to a side pocket, but my sciatica has returned with a narrowing of my spinal column at the L-5 - aka "Spinal Stenosis" - which puts pressure on the same sciatic nerve, so I'm having an occasional attack of sciatica when I don't bend and stand "just right."
What works for me when I have a back spasm is sucking in my gut, i.e., tightening my ab muscles and keeping them tight until the spasm goes away, which usually takes only a few seconds. I suspect the reason it works is that the abs stabilize the torso enough to allow the back muscles to relax. Of course, it helps to have strong abs. Now that I've spent some time strengthening my core muscles, spasms occur only rarely and when they do occur, they respond to the suck-in-the-gut trick with no need for any further treatments such as those mentioned by Grant. YMMV.
As for preventing spasms, in addition to being smart about lifting things, I have three recommendations: strengthen your core (ab and back exercises), stretch on a regular basis (especially the hamstrings and lower back), and stay hydrated. And if you have a beer belly, you might want to do something about that as well. ;-) HTH.
In article , * wrote: : :Two questions...... : :1.) Does the pain seem to radiate down the leg? : :2.) Do you carry a rather thick wallet in the rear pocket on that side? : : :If the answer to both is "yes", then you MAY have pinched a sciatic nerve. : :I used to do it all the time to my left side - which happened to be the :side I carried my wallet on. : :Doctor explained that the wallet usually sits over the sciatic nerve in the :back pocket and irritates it.
To relieve the condition, the doctor emptied your wallet, right?
Probably not. Sounds like a muscle spasm. If you have pain running down the leg than it may be a disk problem.
I used to get these. Usually by some awkward position and reaching for something. Not necessarily heavy lifting.
I found two ways to deal with them.
Use a heat pad, sleep on the floor for the three or four days. (It was extremely painful to try to move when in bed) Things returned to normal in about ten days.
Go to the clinic and get a muscle relaxant prescription. Take pills per schedule. Use a heat pad, sleep on the floor for the three or four days. (It was extremely painful to try to move when in bed) Things returned to normal in about ten days.
In subsequent years I found #1 to be the best solution.
And there are patches - HOT-COLD that are menthol IIRC - that really helps!
Martin
Martin Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH & Endowment Member NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member
Another two cents worth! As most of us age we tend to reduce our consumption of dairy products , quite often due to lactose intolerance.This one item has not been mentioned yet there is a simple and effective way to reduce the muscle spasms that are associated with aging and calcium deficiencies due to diet. These spasms are a catch 22 proposition since as we age lactose intolerance becomes more prevalent therefore we reduce one of our main sources of dietary calcium and generally our muscle tone diminishes as well. To combat this and to avoid muscle cramping you need to increase your calcium intake , but just taking calcium will not serve the purpose alone . You must take a calcium supplement that has magnesium with it or the calcium will not be absorbed by the body. If your diet does not supply enough absorbable calcium the body will start depleting the calcium reserves from your bones and you will eventually end up with osteoporosis and spasms.
As a side bar comment anyone working with lead / zinc ( welders especially) should never allow their bodies to end up in a calcium deficient state since the body will start storing lead in the bone structure a little bit at a time where the calcium should be. When your body has a severe demand for calcium the stored lead will cause lead poisoning. Your next stop will be cleation.
A couple of things to add to what's been said (all good stuff):
I go for alcohol as a muscle relaxant. Pick your favorite. The idea is your muscles are hurt and clenched up as a result of the injury--relaxing them helps them heal faster.
I've gotten useful help from a chiropractor or masseuse, but I find their help less effective the longer I wait after the injury.
I don' t know about you, but in my case I had problems because I have a desk job and do blacksmithing on weekends (i.e. moving heavy things at times). My chiropractor got me to doing morning exercises to strengthen my back and stomach muscles, which helps a lot. So does paying close attention to correct lifting practices.
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