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back pain

Started by thedeeredude, April 11, 2009, 10:26:14 AM

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thedeeredude

I have been having terrible back pain lately, went to the doc got x-rays and found out I've got mild degenerative disc disease.  I am going next week to see a specialist about.  Anyone else have this?  I've worked a fair share of labor intensive jobs (still at one) since I got out of high school 4 years ago so I don't know if that contributed to it or not.   This was the most pain I've had in a while :-X

Dan_Shade

back pain isn't any fun at all.  It can be completely debilitating.  Best of luck with the specialist.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Jeff

I have been diagnosed with it, but have had very little trouble with it in the last few years as I now know what the major cause was.  Sitting.  When I was in the saw booth 10 hours a day, I would have episodes every few months that would be bad to extremely bad. Once it took three guys to get me in an ambulance.  Since leaving the sit down sawmill job, I havent had a single one of those debilitating episodes.  I can blame my back for my first LogRite tool purchase.  Chet and I went to a Paul Bunyan show, and my back went out on the way down.  I was hobbled up pretty bad.  I bought a hook-a-roon because it was the perfect length to use as a cane.

Working at home on the computer, I never spend more then a half hour at a time sitting. That has been the secret for me.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

ErikC

 Sitting, or worse riding in a car does me no favors either. Always more bothered if I stay too long that way. A friend of mine with a really bad set of back problems different than mine is the same way.
Peterson 8" with 33' tracks, JCB 1550 4x4 loader backhoe, several stihl chainsaws

Meadows Miller

Gday

Sorry to hear tht Mate  ;) But i think we have All had it at some time in our working lives  :o :) ::) Ive had it myself Pretty bad when i was 16 yo Stupid Me decides after loading half a pallet of 90lb bags of concrete two at a time and i got to the last three on the pallet and Think well they arnt that bloody heavy ill Just pick up the last three in one hit and turf them ontop of the ute load  ::) ::) ::) ::) well i got them up no worrys and as i was spinning around and just as i lett go off em to land ontop of the load POP POP  :o :o :) :) ::) ::) My L3 &4 Discs Collapsed well Dad came back out of the H/ware office to find me doubbled up over the back of the ute swearing and carring on like an idiot and asked what have you done now  ??? :o ::) It took me nearly 10 trips to the chiropractor to get it sorted out  ;D 8) ive been back plenty off times since as every 2 to 3 years i seem to do somthing stupid  ::) and i still go on a regular basis as if i let it goo too long between visits it tightens up on me realy bad  ;) I swear by my Chiro as he keeps things in line and loose my main pain mainly comes from when the musle takes over and tightens up everthing  ;) But Like i see things in life  It could allways be worse  ;) ;D 8)  You just have to keep ontop of it and dont leave it too long as soon as you feel it tighten up again get strait onto it Mate

Jeff dad has allways said to me by the time you get an auto mill with a nice cab on it you will need to by a crowbar aswell to get you out of it  ;) :D ;D ;) But i dont think he ment it like the dramas you have had in the past but i can see it happening too me too Mate  ;) but i know how not haveing enough movement can cause you just as many dramas as having to be on the move alll the time as i cop it both ways myself also  ;) ::) ::) ::) :) :) :)

I wish You Good Luck and a speedy recovery Mate

Reguards Chris
4TH Generation Timbergetter

Dan_Shade

I've found with my back pain, stretching and walking make a big difference, but every now and then it will seize up and I can't stand up straight.  I have a few issues with sciatica, where I get numbness down my leg, sometimes to my foot.  the further down the leg it is, the worse the nerve is being pinched.

It's also a good idea to wear a back brace when doing any lifting.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Maineloggerkid

I have some mild back issues from a fall off a skidder a couple winters ago. Just after an ice storm I fell off the step onto the ice chains, then onto the ground. I could barely get in and out of the thing the rest of the day, and now I still get aches when it rains or storms.

ALWAYS use the 3 point dismount system.A sore back is my little reminder. :-\
JD 540D cable skidder, and 2 huskies- just right.   

Loggers- Saving the world from the wrath of trees!

arojay

I have been seeing physiotherapists, chiropractors and massage thereapists for a number of years for a hip condition that I have a result of a hockey injury and a seperate work injury.  Many, but not all, back injuries can be relieved with exercises of the Pilates type.  They tell me that our abdominal and hip flexor muscles, core muscles, are the foundation of our bodies, but they are voluntary muscles unlike back muscles which are involuntary.  The difference is that we have to train our core to enage when we are moving and relieve much of the stress on our backs.  They had to trick me into doing the exercises by not calling them Pilates. 
440B skidder, JD350 dozer, Husqvarnas from 335 to 394. All spruced up

sawdust


My wife dragged me off to yoga three years ago. Now there are 6 of us guys in the group. My back is waaay better. And like Jeff said, sitting too long is the worst.

ah,, so is trying to carry a 470 lb patient on a stretcher.

dc
comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.

Stephen1

I stretch every morning, then exercise for 30-40 min, then stretch again, after that I am good for the whole day. I also go to a chiropractor once a month, some people call them Witch doctors but they  do work. They are the natural way of helping your back. I let him crack my elbow as I also get tennis elbow from the chainsaw and chiseling.  My real job is sitting for 6-12 hrs a day running a train. I am told, sitting, is the worst for the back as you do not use any muscles.
    Be wary of "degenerative disease", we all have it in some form or other. Also be wary of any talk of surgery, run away as fast as the pain killers will let you. Do your research on the internet on back pain, surgery is not the answer.
    My wife was diagnosed with problems with her c6-c7 vertebrae, the specialist wanted to operate and fuse the 2 together. The day before the surgery she chickened out. Well she suffered with a sore neck for 5 years on and off, until a friend convinced her to go for osteopathic massage, she will go to this lady 1-2 times a year and has been pain free for 4 years now, definitely makes you wonder what the specialist had in mind$$$$
Good luck !
IDRY Vacum Kiln, LT40HDWide, BMS250 sharpener/setter 742b Bobcat, TCM forklift, Sthil 026,038, 461. 1952 TEA Fergusan Tractor

OneWithWood

Yep, we all have some form of degenerative disk disease.  Doctors know that if they can put a label on your pain you feel a bit better.  The pain is real and a number of us know that as we age it gets harder and harder to sit in one position for any length of time.  When I am working in the office I am on my kister for hours at a time.  Usually I am engrossed in some analytical problem so I don't notice how much my back hurts until I go to stand.  Some times it is all I can do to get out of this chair.

I have found that laying on my back, flexing my abs and holding it (not a leg lift but close) relieves the pain.  Losing some of the belly helps too.  ::)
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

thedeeredude

I was at the specialist today.  Degenerative disc is not the issue, probably just a strained ligament or muscle around my tailbone.  I didn't like the short answer I got from the family doctor so I went on my own.  I got a shot of cortisone   and lanacane.  It feels better now.  I'm going to a couple physical therapy sessions to learn some stretches I can do to help control the pain.  I'm not too happy with my family doc though. 

Dan_Shade

don't get too upset at the doc, they are just highly trained guessers...

i'm glad to hear that you're felling better, Aaron.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

thedeeredude

I still think I need a few years break from working ;D

Dan_Shade

do you wear a back brace?

it can help.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

clif

The first thing the chiropractor told me was to take the "shim" out of my back pocket ( billfold).  That has been over 25 years ago and was the best advice I have ever received. 
Mighty Myte Mark IV Band Saw Mill .  " Don't let the past hold you back"

ErikC

Quote from: clif on April 22, 2009, 02:18:46 AM
The first thing the chiropractor told me was to take the "shim" out of my back pocket ( billfold).  That has been over 25 years ago and was the best advice I have ever received. 

I took my wallet out of my back pocket after I got hurt a few years ago on doctor's advice as well. Never even thought about it. Definitely helps.
Peterson 8" with 33' tracks, JCB 1550 4x4 loader backhoe, several stihl chainsaws

thedeeredude

No, I don't use a back brace.  I keep my wallet in my front pocket, never had it in the back pocket. 

Meadows Miller

Gday

The wallet makes a differance  ;) But i usually dont carry one around with me as it usually dos'nt have any money in it  :o :) ::)  ;) :D :D :D ;D ;)

Dad swears by his back brace and uses it alot when lifting ect and he also uses it when hes driving the truck  ;) ;D

Reguards Chris
4TH Generation Timbergetter

Ron Wenrich

A couple of years ago, I had shoulder pain, migrating chest pains, neck pains, back pains and sciatica.  I have a pretty high threshold for pain, but I thought about quitting the day job.  I don't have a family doc, so I went to the chiropractor.  He helped me out in the past.

It seems that I don't have any cushions between my neck vertebrae and part of my back.  Its pretty common for my age.  He ended up putting me in some traction, where I sit with a sling for my head, and 20 pounds of water on the other end.  I do it for 20 minutes a day.  It took a couple of months, but the pains were gone.  I still do the traction, but not everyday.

For my middle back, I do some stretching.  That seems to help out the most.  That and not working.   :D
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

LeeB

Just went to the cracktopracter this morning. Still stiff nd sore but feeling much better. been going to one for years. Sure am having to go a lot more as the years go by though. >:(
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

mad dog

 I am being treated for ankylosing spondylitis.On tuesday I could not move My neck at all.I have changed My diet less beer >:( red meat,peanuts,shell fish.If it helps it will be worth it 8)
mad dog 78 acres,pasqualli tractor,L-15 woodmiser

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