back problems???

[Seascape]

Anybody have relentless pain? I notice for 2 years now aches in my upper legs. A hot shower and scorching hot water on my back is the only thing to kill this. And its VERY temporary. Pain killers (the real ones) are great to but those are hard to come by and pose addiction problems that i am smart enough to avoid now. The pain is not severe usually but just enough to make me gripe about it. Seems worse the less active i am. Winters are worse. Front upper thigh just aches. No throbbing to it. Constant sharp ache. I have only one back injury, a pull that required a doctor because i feared something serious. Recovered in less than a month. Back in early 90s i got into the pumpkin industry breifly and remember severe soreness. Sometimes crippleing back pain for a few days after we unloaded semi trucks of pumpkins. I was young and it went away in a few days but was in fact the worst pain in my life. But mostly i have been injury free. Anybody know of a particular back injury that causes constant upper front thigh pain?
mike

[lw4259]

call me foolish

This Forum is a great place for lawn care information. I would suggest you ask a real doctor an stop kidding yourself its going to get better. An xray or mri can tell you more than anyone here can. Now i know something about back issues i have had three surgeries to correct mine.

Lee

[hardboiled]

Lee is right, you should seek a Dr.'s advice. Your symptoms are similar to ones I had with my back. If you do a lot of sitting, youre hip flexors could be tightened up, which rocks your pelvis out of proper alignment and can pinch nerves, usully causing sciatica, which radiates pain in the back of your leg. But tight flexors will pull on your quads too, I think, and can even cause knee pain from pulling your patella too tight against your knee joint. Another possibility is the original pulled muscle in your back probably also damaged the ligaments slightly and now it is always prone to problems since ligaments are very difficult to heal. Loose ligaments will allow a joint to be sloppy and abnormal wear occurs and leads to pain, or further injury. Prolotherapy is a procedure that has worked on my knee, not entirely, but better than anything else I have tried. You can learn about Prolotherapy at www.caringmedical.com. If I have severe problems with my back again I will try prolotherapy for it first. Regular stretching and exercise keeps my back problems in check for now. Exercise prescribed by a good Physical therapist. So you should see a good Dr. first. Research Prolo and ask a lot of questions of your Dr. when you see him. In the meantime, I don't think it would hurt to recommend some gentle stretching of your quads and hip flexors to see if you get any relief. I don't recommend any back stretching till you see a Dr., as you may aggrivate a disc problem. Tai chi and martial arts are being reported on the news this week as a successful treatment for many back problems, they both involve a lot of gentle stretching. The therapists I'm currently seeing for my knee believe in a little different approach. Instead of stretching the problem muscle, the opposing muscles are worked to increase their strength and as a result the problem muscle is stretched safely and slowly and better balance is restored to the joint.

You can go to several Doctors and get just as many different diagnoses'. This is not intended as a diagnosis, just my experience. The best thing you can do is arm yourself with all the info you can gather about your condition to better pick the doctor you think can help you the best. I hope this info gives you a good start. Good Luck!

[Popper]

I think that it's lack of conditioning.... many aches and pains, including lower back and headaches are the results of lack of conditioning.

When working in a tough blue coller profesion like lawn care, it' very important to excersise regularly, this may not be your answer, but you can eliminate it by working out regularly and still having the same pain.

I have had bouts of leg and back pain in times where I didn't workout regularly f.y.i.

Running is the best back stregthener when you combine it with situps, lots of situps.

I have a nice routine going and I haven't had any pains since I started a month ago. I had some pains like headaches, lower back aches and legs being achy sore after working hard on very phisical jobs.

I bought a tredmill and started running about thrity mins a day, every day almost, and mixing in some calestiniks, situps, pushups, dumbbell curls and lunges and I now feel no pain after some very hard days doing leaf work. Leaves are hard if you push a wheel blower or use a backpack blower all day. I'll come home tired, start running and feel no more tiredness or aches.

[BravesFan]

Mike,

You probably hurt something jumping around and cheering at all those OH St. games.



Seriously, have a doctor check it out. Some prostate problems can cause lower back pain, as well as pain in the upper thighs.

Don't try to diagnose from symptoms though. It could be almost anything...even stress.

Dennis

[Seascape]

Ya i know i know a doctor may be in order. Guess i am just trying to arm myself w/ some info like hardboiled suggested. Just so lee knows .
mike

[hardboiled]

I'm sorry Mike, the link didn't direct to the right place as I wrote it.

Try http://www.caringmedical.com

[MAD MOWERS]

Mike,

Remember we talked a while back about our hard shifting trucks?
Well my friend, take your self to a body doctor.

Mike, ONLY a M.R.I. or Mylogram can tell you what is wrong with the back. My son has done M.R.I. for years. and now works at Standford hospital in Calif. He lived with us when my disc's went and he has since viewed me several times to watch my progress.

A lot of doctors don't like to do M.R.I. because of insurance cost, however get your self to a good specialist and get checked out. I didn't until I sustained nerve damage! Boy was I DUMB!

Now is a good time to go. Don't put this off any longer.

Best of luck to you, my friend!

[Yard Boy]

I feel your pain...literally. I've had lower back pain since the early nineties caused by two vertebrae pinching a nerve as a result of the cartilage or disc between the vertebrae trying to slip out. I remember the exact moment I first had the problem and what I was doing. I was bent at the waist with one hand supporting some of my weight while lifting about 30 lbs. with the other hand. I felt a little pop but didn't really have any pain immediately. Later the pain started to set in and I've had it ever since. I also recommed that you see a specialist. It sounds like you may have an advanced condition as the leg pain is usually something that occurs as the disc deteriorates further. Surgery would be a last resort in my opinion. Too many things could go wrong or may not help at all.

I've tried different things with different results. Here are some things that have helped me:

Chiropractor - works pretty well but once they start treatment they try to keep you forever.

Drink lots of water - water is lubricant for your joints. Everything works better when you are well hydrated.

Glucosomine supplements - supports repair and regrowth of damaged cartilage.

What kind of shape are you in? - A big belly and weak abdominal muscles can contribute to lower back pain.

Don't use hot water - Pain is caused by inflammation and heat stimulates inflammation. That's why the pain comes back worse.

I've been recommended by several specialists not to run - The constant pounding will only make things worse.

Swimming is very good - non-impact and actually gives you the benefits of a total body workout while reducing the effects of gravity.

Good luck Seascape.

Billy

[Old Shoe]

I feel your pains, probably all of them. You didn't say how old you are but I have a theory that all those things you do when you are young and foolish such as lifting that load that you should have had two people do, or straightening the large palm that wasn't quite straight in the hole, all come back to haunt you when you get older. It hurt and you just shook it off, and forgot about it.

This spring, I broke a bone in my foot. It just started hurting on the way home at the end of the day. All I could think I did was either jumpimg a brick wall 15 or 20 times in checking out a large sprinkler system instead of walking all the way around the house, or jumping out of the truck unloading palm trees that afternoon.

The best answer I had to what happened is the one my wife gave, "You forgot your age."

[LRL]

Mike

I hope you saw you doctor and he said everything is alright

Here is the cure for lack of movement

http://www.rmax.tv/warrior.html

Get the beginner and intermediate. If the doc has given you the OK to exercise, I guarantee that your pain will go away in a couple weeks.

Using this program I have rehabilitated a herniated disk I got from deadlift 375lbs, 120 times in one week. The fatigue caught up to me and the last rep was a doozie.

I also had a pinched nerver in my neck, which caused both my hands and arms to be numb 24/7. To the point where I would awaken 3-4 times per night in extremem pain. I got it the first day I started mowing lawns. This program cleared it up in less than 2 weeks.

Good Luck

[MGO]

SOunds like you may have a pertruded disc.....(I am not a doctor) but I had the same problem.....Doc sent me for MRI....found out I had a slightly pertruded disc.......sent me to Physical therapy and that took care of it...

[First Cut Poppa]

I've had back problems since I was 15 (now 48). It started while playing church basketball when I was out of shape, and the heavy exertion brought it out everytime in the years to come.

I've had prescriptions for it, chiropractice care ("We can't fix it in one visit, you'll need at least 10 visits...maybe 30..."), stretching on my own, hanging on an inversion table (helpful, but painful if you're already in pain), and having my sons pop my back by lifting my 220 lbs. off the floor while weighing only about 160 lbs. themselves.

I have learned to accept the pain as coming from 2 sources: being out of shape and getting older. The best advice a doctor ever gave me was this: "The main thing wrong with your back is your front." Meaning the gut! Until I do something about that, it won't improve.

I use a home remedy when it gets bad now. 2 Tylenol Extra Strength, 1 Reg. Aspirin, 1 Naproxin, and 1 Ibuprofen. Yeah, I know you're not supposed to mix meds, but doctors give sickly old people 10 or 12 scripts at a time, so I figure 4 OTC products once or maybe twice a day can't hurt too much.

Just my 2 cents.

[steve-o]

i am 46. had leg surgery and shoulder surgery, oh yea knee surgery. i have had back problems, but they went away. EYE GLASSES . we are getting old and can't do nothing about it. i say the hell with it and just deal with it . it sucks!!!!!!!

[Bikehigh]

I was gonna go mountain biking on Saturday, but when I woke up, boy was I stiff, and my back just ached. Though I walk miles and miles every day behind my mower, I opted to take the dog for a nice long walk, about 8 miles in two hours. Boy was it nice to walk without the constant drone of a motor! Yesterday, Sunday, I was feeling fine and went mountainbiking. Glad I did.

With the stuff we do cutting grass every day, I think we are very susceptible to repetetive use injuries, and also injuries related to constant vibration. I get numbness in my hands sometimes, and even in my feet. I think it's important to mix it up with other physical activites, including just walking for pleasure and stress relief. It's also important to take days off to let yourself heal and recover. Just give your body a break. If you like running, by all means do so, but boy is that hard on already abused body. You might want to see a sports PT about some stretching excercises, or ( don't laugh ) check out a couple yoga classes.

BTW, I'm 45 and feel the pain of what I dod in my youth too. I used to think it was fun to do he man stuff. Still do actually. Doctor? I can't afford to see a doctor for every ache and pain. Good thing I like to suffer.