So here I sit.....

[CaptainTom]

with a really achey back. I don't know what I did, but something has caused it to go into spasm and I can hardly walk.
I have a shoot tonight, and an all day corporate gig tomorrow, and another gig on Thursday. I know it's my body reminding me to lose 100lbs, but why right now ?
I have some pain killer drugs that should get me through the next couple of days.
Does anyone else suffer from this sort of thing, and if so what do you do ??

[Night Owl]

I'm dealing with a strained muscle in the vicinity of where my ribs on the right side hit the sternum. To add misery, my insolent muscle has taken to spasming, causing my right side to involuntarily jerk downward. I've been prescribed 800mg ibuprofen and Flexeril (muscle relaxant). Works like a charm, though it makes me awfully drowsy.

[123canon]

the dr. that rebuilt my ankle recomended a cheap inversion table from academy ($99) and believe it or not it has helped me more than i can say. hanging once a day has eliminated the spasms and general ache. i'm a believer now!

[phillip ino]

Originally Posted by CaptainTom

with a really achey back. I don't know what I did, but something has caused it to go into spasm and I can hardly walk.
I have a shoot tonight, and an all day corporate gig tomorrow, and another gig on Thursday. I know it's my body reminding me to lose 100lbs, but why right now ?
I have some pain killer drugs that should get me through the next couple of days.
Does anyone else suffer from this sort of thing, and if so what do you do ??

You are having spasms because your muscles don't want to relax that area in question, which might make matters worse. It's reactionary. I feel for you. Back pain is horrible and unfortunately cannot be ignored. To be honest, the best thing for you is to rest and not irritate what it is that is causing the spasms, thus making you worse overall. Go see a doc.

[Bruce M. Morris]

Icy Hot compresses and get an assistant to carry the gear for the next couple of days...

[bondarnes]

Hey Tom, let me know if you need help with any of your gigs.

[Jenny Z]

Same here, my dad goes through the same thing quite often, and I know it sucks. Let us know if you need a gear gopher :)

[SaSha]

Since it is keeping you from walking I am thinking it is your lower back, which is the worst place to have spasms.
I hurt my back for a month lifting weights, since then
I do a little swimming but mainly chill/float in the water, good way to keep you off your feet and from sitting in a chair.
Massages from you intimate one :)
If you do see a doctor hopefully you will get some muscle relaxers to get you through the spasm period.
Pain killers only if neccessary especially if they are the ones that hinder your work.
By all means hit the hot tub too.

[Breezy]

I have major back issues.
And I have learned to deal as the military won't do surgery "yet". So I am of no help as the drugs never seemed to work, they usually just knocked me out.

[dbphotos]

Not that I've taken the advice but muscular problems in the back usually are a result of weak stomach muscles... my problem. If it's a disc issue, I've gotten some good relief with decompression.

If muscular, ask the Dr. for Skelaxin. It's a great muscle relaxer with no narcotic affect.

My non-medical .02 cents.


P.M. sent.

[andyz]

Buy a roller bag. :)

Seriously, odd you mention this. I woke up Saturday night with an unusual backache. I took 3 doses of my meds (actually leftover from my last kidney stone) over the next two days and just didn't push it and I didn't grab my bag to go shooting last weekend.

I hope you get over it. No fun.

[mike_sax]

Sorry to hear this Tom.

PM sent.

[Roy]

My Son just got over having back spasms. He got it after doing some weight lifting. He went to have an MRI and they found a herniated disc so they gave him some anti inflammatory drugs and pain killer. He didn't take the pain killers long and the disc was reducing in size but he was off work for about a week.

Tom, if I can help you with the gigs, let me know. Hope you get well soon.

[C!LLY]

I have really major back issues and am having surgery next week. If it is spamsming then I would say it's a muscle and to alternate hot and cold and rest it the best you can and maybe get a good massage.

[Duffy Pratt]

You've gotten some good short term advice here.

Be careful with painkillers. If you kill the pain, you allow yourself to continue to aggravate the problem. The pain is telling you to stop injuring yourself. Painkillers allow you to ignore that signal without solving the problem.

For a longterm solution, I recommend Bikram Yoga (though any form of Yoga will help). I've been doing Bikram Yoga for about 5 months now, have lost 46 pounds without dieting, and my back has never felt stronger or healthier, even when I was a kid. My brother had back surgery several years ago, and he is always very careful about his back. He started Bikram a little while after I did, and he says that for the first time he feels like he is on the road to a full recovery. Almost everything in the Bikram series is aimed at making the back both stronger and more supple.

This yoga is not for the fainthearted. The classes are 90 minutes long, and they take place in a room heated to 105 degrees at 40 per cent humidity. I've seen a couple of professional athletes come into our studio in Sugarland and get wiped out in their first session. But the things it can do for you are nearly miraculous: in addition to what I already said, I'm off my blood pressure and triglyceride meds, my acid reflux is gone, my plantar fascia-tis is gone, and I'm getting some motion back in my big toes which my bunions had basically crippled. And those are just the most striking effects after 5 months.

Duffy