My hubby was sanding/painting our ceiling last week when his back started hurting really bad. We put some topical pain reducer cream in the evening and he would be fine sitting at work but whenever he does any kind of activity( putting up a light or even takng out some screws/moving the copier today) it starts up really bad again. To the point where he is in bed after work. It was one side on his upper back, then it was whole upper back now his lower back starting to hurt. He is going to the doctor next week, not having an insurance we were trying to see if it will go away.........but it looks like not:(. I KNOW nobody can really tell if it's this or that, but I just wanted to see if maybe somebody had any similar experiences. I always think of the worst case senario and this waiting is just hard.
TIA
I would try the chiropractor, maybe an adjustment will help. He could have just pulled a muscle that is causing the muscles next to it to knot up. Or he could have a disc out of adjustment and pinching the nerves. Most will work with a payment plan and/or give a discount for paying that day. I would not wait too long to see any doctor though.
Get the Thermacare back patches. I threw out my back a couple years ago to the point where I could barely move without total agony and those, combined with Aleve, made a huge difference. I always keep Thermacare patches on hand now just in case.
Hopefully this will help until he can get in with a doctor. I'm afraid he really does need to get in to pinpoint exactly what's wrong.
It could be anything from a herniated disk to a back sprain, pinched nerve or pulled muscle. It sounds like muscle pain/spasms/sprain though due to the type of pain and how it started through stress/injury. Herniated disk and pinched nerve would typically effect one area. Poor guy, back pain can be very debilitating. This happened to my husband and it was awful for a few weeks, he had to go to the er for meds, but it healed rather quickly. Though his back has never quite been the same. In the future, he should wear a brace when doing any sort of physical work.
He could have sprained his back, he could have herniated a disc....He could've pulled a muscle...there are sooooo many variables that no one will know for sure except a doctor.
I would contact a doctor and ask them how much they will charge you for a visit if you are paying cash. They usually give cash discounts.
GOOD LUCK!! I hope it's nothing serious and just a pulled muscle!!
Sounds kind of like what happened to my husband a few weeks ago. We were re-caulking the bathtub, and spent the whole evening bending over, straining across the tub, etc. The next day my husband woke up and could barely move. He said it felt like pinching in the middle of his back between his shoulder blades. He was pretty much out of commission for a few days, started feeling better, then helped me flip the mattress on our bed..same thing all over. He's fine now, but from what I gathered, he pulled muscle straining so much, then re-injured it later. Some of the pain radiated to different parts of his back, but he definitely knew where it was coming from.
Does it hurt when he breathes in? If so, it may mean that he strained the muscle that connects across the body from the diaphragm to the back. It can pull easily if you hold your breath while lifting something heavy. If he does think it's a pulled or strained muscle, ibuprofen and heat/ice on/off helps.
On the complete other hand, since I'm not a doctor, if he's having some kind of chest pain, radiated pain in arms or legs, headaches, or other symptoms, it could mean something more serious. My hubby took about a week and a half before he was out of pain. If he would have had other issues, I'd have insisted on him going to the doc. Hope your husband feels better soon!
Since he was working on the ceiling which can be akward and the pain comes and goes and spreads, it sounds muscular to me.
Try getting him on a regular regimen of Motrin/Ibuprofen for several days in a row. He can certainly take 800mg (I am a 135 lbs woman and had that amount prescribed to me) which is normally 4 of the over the counter tablets every 6 to 8 hours. Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory so it will actually help FIX a muscular inflammation problem not just dull the pain (which it will also do). He should feel better temporarily almost immediately and should notice real improvement over the next few days.
Also try to relax as much as possible, a nice massage and a warm bath every day or just standing with the shower stream on his back can feel nice.
A few years ago I hurt my back really bad lifting heavy things while cleaning out my mom's house. The pain was awful and made it almost impossible to sleep. My chiropractor suggested I try Aleve (after trying every other pain reliever) and it worked for me. You have some good suggestions here but I would also consider Aleve. It saved me and helped me get some sleep. My back pain went away after several weeks. Good luck!
Updated
I'd get 800 mgs of ibruprophen in him (make sure he eats first - you don't want ibruprophen on an empty stomach). It will help with swelling and hopefully take the edge off the pain.
So sorry, L.!
Dawn
I thought pinched nerve
His back muscles are in spasm. It happens a lot to my husband when he does work over his head. He needs to stretch his back and then apply cold/ cool packs. A spasm is the muscle that tenses up from overwork so much that inflammation begins in the muscle due to the overwork.
Stretching, cold and ibuprofen. And rest for 2 days will help a lot.
Of course, no one can diagnose without seeing his back and talking to him, but I don't think it's serious like a herniated disc....etc....those usually happen from sudden, blunt force movements.
Good luck!
It could be any of the below suggestions or even a kidney stone. No way to know without a doctor's diagnosis. If it is a stone, let me know after it's all said and done and I can talk to you about how to prevent them.
God bless,
M.
Sounds like he may have a protruding disk. I have 3-4 in my back/spine area and they can be the most painful thing in the world. If I had had access to a gun when I fell off my deck a few years ago I would have been very very very tempted to use it. Childbirth has nothing in disk pain. My C-6 nerve was impinged and the pain was horrible.
For disk injuries the only miracle is to start a Medrol pack, steroids. The patient takes the first line of pills the first day, the next line the next day, etc...until the last day they only have 1 pill. By the second day I was pain free and by the last day I felt totally wonderful. I did gain about 100 lbs within the next few months and the doc said it was from the steroids but I felt so much better and was able to live again.
I would say he might make his appointment with a doc that understands disks and what to look for. The docs at the ER just kept giving me pain shots and telling me I was just a hypochondriac and that EVERY time I went to the ER I was in the MOST pain I had ever felt....I was in the most pain I had ever felt. Once I got in MRI of my neck and back they saw where the nerve was impinged and how messed up my back was. I have little pain from it now if I take care of myself. I did not have the means to have the surgery they wanted to schedule me for the next day.
I use ice on the painful areas. It kills the pain, 10 on and 10 off. I do stretches when at all possible, door push-ups, putting a pillow under my chin and pushing down, if I can lay flat I put a rolled up towel under my neck and arms out to my sides, knees bent and laying as far out to the side as possible, kind of like a squashed frog face up....lol. It helps if he can get totally relaxed so his muscles will be easier to relax. There are so many nerves going along the spine and the tightness in the muscles will irritate them even more and cause more pain.
If heat makes it feel better, a LOT better, like nearly no pain until the muscles start tightening up then it is probably a pulled muscle and ice may not help that very much.
Pinched nerve maybe or a sprain. Nothing a doc can do for it but ice and heat and pain / muscle relievers. He needs a xray but it should be ok love. Good luck
sounds like he pulled something worst case senerio he has a herniated disk and has aggravated it. good luck hope he feels better soon i know how bad it sucks to have a bad back!
A good massage therapist and some good stretching excercises should do the trick (I know because I've been in practice for 12 years and have helped many back injuries). Doctor's usually give you meds and send you home (temporary fix). Good luck!!
Yeah, could be anything, from something harmless and temporary like a pulled muscle to something serious like a prolapsed disk.
For back pain I do go to the chiro first and see if an adjustment helps. It's cheaper to pay my chiro out of pocket than the co-insurance for my crappy health plan if I went to the doc...
When I injured my foot my doc told me to take 600 mg of Ibuprofen to reduce inflammation. 400 mg just acts as a pain reliever but will not reduce the inflammation. Check with the pharmacist but he maybe able to tolerate 800 mg. Does he feel like it is muscular? If so stretching may really help.
Hot shower and Motrin should help.
