Lower Back Muscle Strain
(3 discussions)
Two weeks ago I attempted to lift something extremely heavy and strained the muscles in my lower back area. I have I been to the doctor and I am taking anti inflamatory meds and muscle relaxers. I wake up, IF I can find a position to sleep, in pain. I apply a heating pad to get the area loosened up just to start the day. I sit in a hot tub a couple of times a week. I have spasms that bring me to my knees. I operate my own business that require me to lift and bend and move things around. I have my employees doing most of the work for now, but I still have to do what I can. Does anyone know how long it may take to get back to “normal”? The Doc said a couple of weeks…..HELP!!!
3 comments
ekrimen
>> Once you located a therapist, how did you determine she was reputable?
I didn’t. I had to hurt myself again twice after seeing the first two physical therapists. Very painful, disappointing, and frustrating. I found the last one from a referral.
In hindsight, here’s what I would look for in the future:
1. Look for a physical therapist that specializes in sports injuries.
2. Ask them what type of sports injuries they have specialized in, focused on, and have expertise in. If their answer doesn’t include your injury, then consider looking elsewhere. (Obviously, don’t ask them “Do you specialize in back injuries?” because they might give you a sales job and answer yes even though they may not really have a lot of experience in it.)
3. Try to find someone who has a Master’s degree in Physical Therapy. They might be hard to find, but I think it’s worth the effort because their degree demonstrates that they’re really into physical therapy and they’ve studied a lot about it and earned a degree for it.
4. As with anything, ask for several references and talk to the former patients. Ask them all sorts of questions about how they feel now, are they better, etc. I think this part could be the most important, because like me, you don’t want to spend your valuable time and energy going to a physical therapist who in the end isn’t going to be able to really help you.
Hope this helps! Good luck!!
— Ed
GayleO
Sounds like great advice. I certainly want to get back to normal as soon as I can! Once you located a therapist, how did you determine she was reputable? I don’t know much about medicine, other than I don’t like taking it and I hate seeing any doctor unless I am near tears. I don’t want to continue taking meds, just not my style! The doc could have told me anything during my visit and I would have gone with it because I was in so much pain!
Hope you continue to get better and thanks for your response!
Gayle
ekrimen
Gayle,
Sorry to hear about your back pain. I’ve had chronic back pain for years and I finally found a physical therapist who can help. Doctors aren’t going to help. (And I don’t believe in chiropractors.)
My suggestions:
1. Stop lifting for now — until you get some help. You’re just going to make it worse. (In the future, use your legs to lift, not your back.) Perhaps hire a temp to help lift things for you until you recover. It may take a few months to recover.
2. Ice the painful area for 20 minutes a few times a day to help improve healing and reduce inflammation. Heat will loosen up the area and that may not be what you really need right now.
3. Find a sports physical therapist who specializes in lower back injuries and has focused their studies on lower back injuries. I went to two sports physical therapists who helped me a little, but I injured myself again afterwards because the treatment wasn’t thorough enough. I finally found a sports physical therapist who specializes in lower back pain and who has a Masters degree in physical therapy. She really knows what she’s doing and gave me a bunch of exercises to help strengthen the “core” (middle) area of my body so that I could play sports again.
Good luck!
— Ed