back pain misery

[unhappygirl12]

Hi
I have had bad back pain for weeks now, it is really getting me down. It seems to be located in my upper and mid back but at times it moves to my lower back and today I can feel it in my neck and shoulders. I am going through an extremely stressful period in my life at the moment and this back pain has got worse. I felt some twinges of pain weeks ago but just ignored them rather than looking after myself and now it feels like my back muscles are just so tight it is driving me mad. I am sure it is muscle pain but at times I worry it is something really bad and it just makes the pain more unbearable. I have tried to relax and it doesnt seem to work as I am just too anxious. I really want to do the right thing to get rid of the pain but feel really scared all the time and depressed. Has anybody got any tips for relieving the pain?

[nomorepanic]

Maybe a massge or heat pad would help?

[Jsp]

I also have chronic back pain but it's due to a curvature at the bottom of my spine, which presses on my sciatic nerve and gives me pain all down my leg. I'm suffering terribly at the moment, sitting, standing, walking and laying all hurts :( Have you been checked out for anything such as this? Things such as curves are not dangerous or life threatening, but can just be a pain, literally!

Seeing as you mentioned that the area feels tight, you may benefit by doing some stretches. Lay down on your back and pull your leg by the knee, up towards your chin on the opposite side and hold for about 20-30 seconds. Repeat on other leg. Another great stretch is trying to touch your toes and hold that for about 20-30 seconds. Thirdly, my favourite stretch, lay on your back with your feet flat on the floor so your knees are in the air. Cross over one leg onto the other one, so your foot or ankle is resting on the other knee. Pull the leg up towards your chin and hold for 20-30 seconds.

Heat treatment is also great for loosening up any tight muscles. Warm up a hot water bottle and wrap it in a cover (I put it in a pillow case) to stop burning, and place it on your back where it hurts. This loosens up the muscles, takes your mind away from the pain and lets blood rush to the area, healing any damage done to muscles or the spinal cord.

Drugs such as paracetamol and ibuprofen will also help. Ibuprofen is more effective if you are able to take it, as it also has anti-inflammatory benefits and brings down any swelling.

If this back pain is persistant, you would benefit from seeing a specialist such as a chiropractor. These are usually expensive, for around £35 per treatment, and may require scans on top of that, but there are some cheaper places and deals on frequently. They will try and find the source of what is causing your back pain and give you treatment, wether it be self care, manipulation, massage or other alternatives such as acupuncture.

[unhappygirl12]

Thanks for the messages, i am going to see my doctor in a few days but plan to do some home care for my stiff muscles so that I can hopefully see some improvement before I see her. I have less pain today and been moving around more and it seems to help but sitting still is when it hurts the most as i have developed a really bad habit of hunching my shoulders.....have no idea why i do this, more than likely stress, but am trying to keep adjusting my posture but have been hunching them for weeks now so it feels uncomfortable to put my posture back to something more normal. It is frustrating. I am going to try the stretches later on, thanks for telling me about them

[StressCase]

Hiya

I found hypnotherapy worked for my back pain. I find my back pain only flares up when I am stressed and anxious. I think this is because muscles are tense when the body is in an anxious state and it is very easy to injure them like this. I suffered for over 9 months with horrendous pain but I'm now fully recovered.

HTH