BACK SPASM! (HOBBLING AROUND MY APARTMENT)

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help! a few hours ago i had some sort of back spasm while pouring a glass of water in my kitchen. i ended up crawling to the couch on all fours. it hurts terribly to bend, right in the small of my back. by now, i can stand and hobble around like a geriatric, but the pain is still there. i am afraid to go to sleep because i don't want to wake up unable to move! advice/remedies anyone?

― Emilymv (Emilymv), Thursday, 13 November 2003 05:59 (twenty-one years ago)

when this happens to me, i lay flat on the floor and bring my knees up to my chest. helps to stretch the lower back a little.

also, get to a chiropractor, soon as you can.

― Jay Dee Sah Mon (Kingfish), Thursday, 13 November 2003 06:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Do what Jay Dee Sah Mon says, also:

1.Lay on the floor on your back
2.keep one leg flat.
3.Bring the other leg up and place your foot on the knee of the flat leg.
4.Use your opposing arm to pull this knee as far to the opposite side as it will go. Keep your foot flat on your knee.
5.Repeat for other side.

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Thursday, 13 November 2003 06:05 (twenty-one years ago)

i have done those exercises a few times already (my roommate apparently has had this happen before, and suggested it) and have taken 6 advil. would icy hot help? it is disgusting but i will try anything. during the last stretch, i heard some frightening popping noises in my lower back. is this bad or good? an advice on a safe sleeping position?

― Emilymv (Emilymv), Thursday, 13 November 2003 06:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I have the very same thing, though not to such a cripping degree that I have to crawl. A couple exercises/stretches I do help a lot.

Sit cross-legged like, and with one arm raised, bend over to the side till you feel a stretch in your side. Repeat on the other side.

Next stretch: turn/twist your body (while still sitting) as far to one side as you can, also turning your neck in the same direction. This stretches out your spine, and is my favorite.

Don't forget to stretch out your hamstrings, as everything is connected.

Exercises to strengthen your back (though prob at this point you don't want to be exercising it): lying on stomach, simultaneously raise left foot/right arm out, you should feel it in your back. Do on the opposite side. Repeat as much as is comfortable.

Then, raise yourself onto your elbows and on your toes together for about 30 seconds, with straight back, and tighten your stomach.

― Leee Majors (Leee), Thursday, 13 November 2003 06:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Popping is not necessarily a bad thing, just like popping knuckles.

Sleeping-wise, I find on my stomach is usu. adequate, though with a cushion under my stomach.

― Leee Majors (Leee), Thursday, 13 November 2003 06:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Though I've had suggested to get one of those body length pillows so that say your left half of the body is resting on that to take pressure off the right lower part of your back. It's hard for me to do b/c I don't have one of these pillows and I toss a lot when I sleep.

― Leee Majors (Leee), Thursday, 13 November 2003 06:13 (twenty-one years ago)

crap! it is nearly impossible to sleep on your stomach if you are a girl with average to large sized boobs. maybe i will just avoid sleep tonight. though that may make it worse. thanks for the advice! keep it coming!

― Emilymv (Emilymv), Thursday, 13 November 2003 06:14 (twenty-one years ago)

I toss a lot when I sleep.

must...resist...

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Thursday, 13 November 2003 06:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, god, we're in the same boat; I woke up with my neck horribly fucked up. If I try to turn my head, I'm in AGONY. Gah!

― Layna Andersen (Layna Andersen), Thursday, 13 November 2003 06:21 (twenty-one years ago)

must...resist...

a haha hahahaha HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

― atomic horseradish (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 13 November 2003 06:23 (twenty-one years ago)

layna- did you sleep strangely? if not, be sure to feel your lymph nodes. i once had terrible neck pain and then realized that they were very swollen. i looked like hulk hogan! it turned out to be mononucleosis!

― Emilymv (Emilymv), Thursday, 13 November 2003 06:30 (twenty-one years ago)

also, use an ice pack. 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off. repeat.

― Jay Dee Sah Mon (Kingfish), Thursday, 13 November 2003 06:42 (twenty-one years ago)

"back spasm (hobbling around my apartment)" is totally my first dancehall/noise crossover single.

stretching, aspirin and sleep

― rgeary (rgeary), Thursday, 13 November 2003 07:13 (twenty-one years ago)

In light of the ample boobage, sleeping on your back with a cushion underneath helps out a little bit. You'll have to adjust it to suit yourself; I've found that putting it right in the middle seems to take a lot of pressure off. Same caveat applies about tossing. (What's so funny?)

― Leee Majors (Leee), Thursday, 13 November 2003 07:18 (twenty-one years ago)

;)

― Leee Majors (Leee), Thursday, 13 November 2003 07:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Hahaha rgeary, that'll be a big hit.

Emily, I actually went to the dr because I have a cold too, & various friends feared meningitis. It's apparently just an evil horrible strained neck, probably from sleeping funny.

I just took a muscle relaxant, I don't think it's doing anythio;nio;ahn adone aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa s;

― Layna Andersen (Layna Andersen), Thursday, 13 November 2003 07:19 (twenty-one years ago)

so jealous of your muscle relaxant! i writhe in pain! no relaxation!

― Emilymv (Emilymv), Thursday, 13 November 2003 07:22 (twenty-one years ago)

a website that illustrates my second stretch, the Spinal Twist:
http://www.sivananda.org/teachings/asana/sptwist.html

― Leee Majors (Leee), Thursday, 13 November 2003 07:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Lie on the floor to keep your back straight and alternate every 20 minutes putting either a pack of frozen peas or a hot water bottle on the affected spot.

I've done this before, it was nearly a week before I could walk again, with the help of muscle relaxants.

― Citizen Kate (kate), Thursday, 13 November 2003 09:16 (twenty-one years ago)

The trick is to live with someone who has an affliction many times worse than yours. When my back went a couple of years ago, my flatmate at the time had plenty of pain killers to hand due to suffering from ankylosing spondylitis.

― robster (robster), Thursday, 13 November 2003 09:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, my flatmate at the time had an unbelieveable amount of painkillers around the house due to being a TOTAL LYING ATTENTION SEEKING HYPOCHONDRIAC. God, how he hated it when I was sick for real.

― Citizen Kate (kate), Thursday, 13 November 2003 09:41 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.macalester.edu/~art/2d2001/spasm.jpg
http://www.ctheory.net/book_images/covers/spasm.jpg
http://www.neuro.wustl.edu/neuromuscular/pics/people/patients/pbssm2.jpg

― Andrew (enneff), Thursday, 13 November 2003 11:59 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.pxdirect.com/images/hobble.jpg

― Andrew (enneff), Thursday, 13 November 2003 12:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Emily if you need help carrying heavy things or not so heavy things or opening doors or something call me!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 13 November 2003 14:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually, you should make Sammy and Marci carry you around in a makeshift rikshaw(sp?)!!!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 13 November 2003 14:25 (twenty-one years ago)

a la...
http://www.africaserver.nl/wozow/tentoonstelling/koloniaal/graphics/kdj-31.jpg
FAP!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 13 November 2003 14:33 (twenty-one years ago)

make sure you dont take any more pills!!
this is truly horrid though. Backpain suxor!

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Thursday, 13 November 2003 14:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Emily this is the curse placed upon you by "walking Michael" and his "powers"!

― Dale the Titled (cprek), Thursday, 13 November 2003 14:54 (twenty-one years ago)

If your back doesn't feel better in any way tomorrow, I would recommend seeing a doctor, who might be able to prescribe you some better pain killers/muscle relaxants, and also should be able to determine what sort of damage you have done. They may be able to refer you to a physiotherapist or chiropractor, who should definately be able to give you some more stretches (specific to your injury).

These sort of back problems can become chronic if you don't take steps to strenghthen/stretch your back and/or see a physio.

― marianna, Thursday, 13 November 2003 15:16 (twenty-one years ago)

pills! pills! pills! pills for all! hooray!

― Jay Dee Sah Mon (Kingfish), Thursday, 13 November 2003 15:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh my god, I bet walking Michael has the VOODOO DOLL!!!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 13 November 2003 15:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Marianna OTM. Also, best sleeping positions for long-term back health are either on side or on back.

― Jeff Wright, Thursday, 13 November 2003 17:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Good thoughts for Emily! Any improvement yet to report?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 13 November 2003 17:57 (twenty-one years ago)

vioxx

― Dean Gulberry (deangulberry), Thursday, 13 November 2003 17:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Get well soon, Emily. I find the best resting position when I have had back problems is flat on something reasonably firm - even as firm as say the floor with a duvet on it.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Thursday, 13 November 2003 20:32 (twenty-one years ago)

update-i am still quasi-quasimodo, however, i have been able to shower today at 3:45. the pain seems to be subsiding, ever so slowly. my friend hilary is on her way to bring me some prescription drugs of some sort! maybe tommorrow i will be able to leave my apartment.

i don't think walking man michael has evil tendencies, but maybe he does have the voodoo doll. mostly i suspect leaves of grass or the most recent ex!

― Emilymv (Emilymv), Thursday, 13 November 2003 21:21 (twenty-one years ago)

He's an ex already! *makes sound of vehicle rushing by very quickly*

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 13 November 2003 21:22 (twenty-one years ago)

That was supposed to be a "?" not a "!"!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 13 November 2003 21:23 (twenty-one years ago)

three months pass...

aarrrghhhhhhhhhh! I killed my lower back today when I put over to put puppy's leash on. SO PAINFUL. My clinic fit me in this afternoon, since I called my dad & he had me convinced I'd gotten a herniated disk & I flipped out. (Dad works as a lawyer for an insurance company. He immediately thinks of the WORST possible cause of anything & predicts nothing but disability insurance and pain for months for anything (; )

Anyway, I went, they did lots of tests, the theory is that I have pulled some muscle that runs from my hips all the way up my back, and helps you straighten up. I have muscle relaxant pills that he warned me were really more like sleeping pills, but advil seems to be taking the edge off right now. I also called my sister, who told me to try giving birth & then come back & complain to her. ;-)

I will try some of the lying poses recommended above-- I don't think I'm for any yoga twists just yet.

― lyra (lyra), Wednesday, 25 February 2004 02:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Heal up, Lyra! That sounds very unfun.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 25 February 2004 03:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Puppy at least thinks it's fun. I can't bend over to pull his nose out of trash cans & other places it shouldn't be, can't bend over to roll him over when he doesn't listen, and am too slow running to catch him when he decides it's time to race down the hallway away from me. ;-) It's like free-for-all day for him!

I am beginning to see the advantages to a dog who is more than 15" high.

― lyra (lyra), Wednesday, 25 February 2004 03:50 (twenty-one years ago)

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