Tripathi

both.....

If it's a muscle strain, you might find that initially applying ice to the affected area (wrapped in cloth, not directly to the skin) for ten minutes or so every few hours might lessen the inflammation. When it's getting a bit better - after a couple of days - start applying heat.

Keep moving as the old idea of "bed rest" usually causes the muscles to lock up but don't do anything even slightly strenuous.

Painkillers will help!

Sorry, Mae, but you've a few days of sh:t ahead of you and you'll just have to get your menfolk to wait on you until you want to tell them that you're better.

After you're better, you're also going to have to get on an exercise regime fore your core muscles so it doesn't happen again.

Bummer, isn't it?

Neil :)

and it sounds like you might be, keep onto your Family Practitioner for muscle relaxants for at least the first day or so to stop you crawling up the walls. If you [b]are[/b] getting spasms then you may want 24hrs of bed rest but not much longer.

and sorry to hear it. I sure don't know how to fix it, but I would have a bottle of Wild Turkey 101 on hand at all times! :D

S/He should have added a script for 800Mg. You can safely take 4 of the 200Mg every 6-8 hours. Worked wonders on my compressed vertebrae. It helps to reduce the inflammation.

Up here, in Canada, you can buy an across-the- counter medication called 222, which is 325mg of actacylic acid or aspirin and 15 mg of codeine phosphate The codeine works for the pain and the aspirin while also being an analgesic, also has mild anti- inflammatory properties.
There are 272s & 292s which have more codeine but those require a prescription. Ther are more heavy duty anti-inflammatories but many of them are corticosterol; try getting them to prescribe a non-steroid anti- inflammatory because some of the side effects of cortisone can be vey serious and/or unpleasant.

Don't be surprised about throwing your back out while sleeping. People have thrown their backs out just by going to the can. It can hit any place, any time and during any activity, even sex. ;)

Hate to tell you this but you've probably got at least 3 days of pain and discomfort ahead of you. Put the shovel down; no point in aggravating your back anymore than it already is.

[b]Dawg[/b] ]:)

My back often bothered me and it didn't take much to hurt it. I hurt it once just putting on pants while standing up. I twisted a bit wrong and that's all it took. Of course that happened the day before we took vacation and had to fly coach from Detroit to Las Vegas. Such fun.

As far as I know there's no easy fix.

Neil is right about doing exercises. I don't like doing them and when I don't I end up getting hurt doing something simple. The last time I hurt myself was just before we got the treadmill. It turns out that walking appears to be a good exercise for a back like mine. Since I've been walking, almost everyday, I haven't had any back trouble. I have to work-out to avoid pain. Sux.

a bottle of them, that is. Trader Joes Time Release Vitamin C. should help a bit.

I'm a big believer that there is usually a physical cause. Vibrating things are good but it helps to get at the root causes:

1) Lack of a specific nutrient, either externally taken vitamins or those circulating in the blood.
2) Lack of circulation causing the above.
3) Toxins. Less likely but could be a contributing factor combined with the others.

What to do:
try dift position in bed can help.
do stretching exercises in bed before you go to sleep and before you get up:
put a pillow under your stomach then lie on your stomach.
put your arms flat above your head on the bed and stretch apart.
spread your legs till they feel most comfortable, flat on the bed.
start by flexing your shoulder joins so your back muscles move around, on both sides.
slowly make all the muscles in your arms flex slightly and make this go up to your fingertips and wiggle them around.
then start downward from your groin, your thighs, calfs down to your toes, wiggle them.

Repeat this several times as a wave traveling slowly up and down your body. This increases the blood flow to your body, and repeat this after you wake up, it will help you from feeling stiff when you get up.

Kind of like Tai-Chi in bed.

when you get up do some minor stretchings also. don't sit too long at work. be sure to take breaks and walk a bit, stretch some more. Some kind of heavy aerobic exercise for short periods should also help. elliptical or stepper machines, or exercise bike. for 15-30 mins.

Supplements:
any that would help with circulation could also help. but they won't get into your body as well unless you are exercising.

oil type foods / food supplements: I like the mixed tocopherol vit E. made from wheatgerm oil, this will work with oils in foods you eat and helps increase circulation in small capillaries where flow is most likely to be slightly impeded.
take CLA (basically concentrated sunflower oil) or flax seed oil supplements. DON'T go on diet without any oils. your body will actually synthesize them from carbohydrates if you don't get enuf. your brain is 1/3 fatty acids.
AVOID ALL hydrogenated oils. like cholesterol but worse they'll (slowly) clog small blood vessels.
I'd also avoid aluminum, in form of baking powder (baking powder is aluminum plus baking soda, sodium 'acid' pyrophosphate the 'acid' is actually 'aluminum'). If god had meant for us to eat aluminum, he would have made us into cyborgs. And whenever I've skipped this rule I've noticed slight back cramps.

Lots of veggies (even ifyou're not a vegetarian).

Clean out anything moldy around the house. Shower mold, clean out rotten fruit in the fridge.. While not specifically bothering my back (more sinuses) they can't be good. Tiny amounts of mold toxins are inhaled. While amounts are small they can be very powerful. And they don't all cure like penecillin.

Good luck!

The key is to keep the muscles from going into spasms. First, take the muscle relaxant as prescribed. I know it makes you groggy, but that's the point. I imagine you got either Flexeril or Skelaxin. Both can be broken to take in a smaller dose if you need to be coherent.

Next, heat and/or ice. Go for heat. Yes, it increases swelling but my physical therapist said that it increases the blood flow, which heals the muscles faster. Gentle massage will also increase the blood flow.

GET MOVING!! I assume it's muscular, and if so, low impact is good. REmember, low and slow is the key.

Stretching. Again, you want to keep the muscles warm.

Essentially, you've had a charlie horse in your back, and you need to re-train the muscles to quit knotting up and go back to normal. I have that problem in my neck to the point that my left hand will curl up into a ball, so I have exercises that I do several times per day at my desk. Did you know that IT people are something like 5 times more likely to have back and neck spasms than the rest of the working population? Think about how we sit. Get up, stretch, and move those muscles every 45 minutes!!! At least, that's what my therpist says, and I'm off all meds now!

All Y'all?

:p

No worries. I wouldn't mix booze with what I'm taking. First, because I'm not a moron. :) And second, because it would be redundant.

As much as I appreciate schadenfreude, I'm glad you aren't entertained by my suffering. I feel so special. :x

I'd never thought about it, but Mae's right as far as I know. Anger/irritation brings out the "all y'all." For example, "if I hear one more word about password hacking, I'm gon' kick all y'all straight the BEEP outta here." *snicker*

needed a prescription.