What do you do when your lower back muscle hurts?

I see my chiropractor.

Or, when I was pregnant, I did pelvic rock exercises.

I'll bet a large percentage of KT members tell you they've had lower back pain at one time or another.

I take a Naproxin.

Or two Aleve and a hot shower.

I take ibuprofen. I have chronic back pain from a disk problem and my doctor said if it gets bad again she will order an MRI.

I have horrible backpain. I am missing 4 discs in my lower back but because of my age they are leary to do surgery until I am in my fifties so only 15 more years of pain! :0)
For right now I take Ibuprofen, take long hot baths and take a prescription pain pill at night so I can sleep.
Try taking a long hot bath and just soaking.
Best of luck!

Try ice instead of heat. It could be that you have something inflamed. Do you sit alot for your job and such? I do. I've had lower back pain a couple of times that required me to see my chiropractor and later my doctor. I ended up going to physical therapy. They said that ice works better and I tried it and it did work. But to keep the pain away, I was given various exercises to do and these really helped. I still do it. The first thing I had to do was lay on your belly on the floor like you are watching TV. You know the way kids do it. I'd have to hold it like this for something like 3 minutes. Rest for a minute and repeat. Believe it or not, that worked great. There's lots more - I could try to find the book of excercies they gave me to do but I don't have time now. But first you need to try the ice and get rid of the heat. Heat can make it worse.

Thank you for the advice. Scissors...I have an ice pack I keep in the freezer that will fit across my back. I'm going to try that and the exercise you suggested. I've read on the web that sometimes it can take weeks to heal.

Yes...I do have to sit at work at my computer but I am sitting for short periods and then I stand and walk around a little. The walking seems to help too.
SamKaren
your resident DJ

I agree with scissors...ice and stomach exercises. Just holding in your stomach for five to ten seconds, relax and contract again...Can be done while watching T.V., eating or on the computer...helps a lot.

I have also got some breathing techniques from a lady who does yoga.

SamKaren
your resident DJ

Lifting weights sure helped my back!

used to use advil but not kidney friendly for me, so it's heating pad (but have to be careful with that, too (since i had radiation)

i do use a stool to do the dishes, and sit while folding clothes..just avoiding the stress...

Get a massage.

I agree with Scissors and Georgysmom - ice and stomach exercises. I also take an anti-inflammatory for the first day or two.

Be careful with massage when you're in pain unless you know how you react. I had a massage from a very reputable woman when I was had back pain, and it made it much worse. Same for my sister with neck pain. We've both had massages when not in pain that felt great.

I live with lower back pain in the muscles if I do too much physical work at one time. Like vacuuming. Mine goes away if I sit awhile and let it rest. I agree with lindakathy--get a massage.

I have both lower back and chronic shoulder/neck pain. My husband is a tennis coach and plays tennis twice a day, six days a week. He rides his bike 25 miles on his day off. As such, we both have pain issues, his knees are a mess.

We've tried heat and cold and Tiger Balm and every other rub on ointment, liquid and cream on the market. It wasn't until a tennis buddy gave DH a tube of stuff that we stopped dead in our tracks and yelled "Wow! that stuff really works!", did we finally feel like we found a solution short of surgery. Geez, I sound like an infomercial.

The product is Deep Tissue Ointment from Dr. Schultze (herbdoc.com) and is not cheap ($20 for a 1 oz. tube), but so worth it to us. We're getting ready to order our third tube so that we can each have one of our own. Old age sucks! :-(

My lower back pain has gotten so bad that I could barely get out of bed this morning and ended up staying home. My back pain is a bit different from yours Karen as once I'm up and moving I'm pretty much okay (unlike my shoulder/neck pain). But it's the rolling over to turn off the alarm and then getting out of bed that is killing me. I'm nearly paralyzed. Scares the cr@p out of me. What if I needed to run from a fire or something. Once I'm up and about, I can hike mountains and walk for miles. Such a mystery to me.

Two things I did buy years ago that really helps, mostly because it gets your blood moving, muscles loosened up and tissues invigorated, is the Jeanie Rub massager and a Shiatsu machine.

The Shiatsu is for the neck only though I do recommend it on the calves for people with Restless Legs Syndrome.

The Jeanie Rub is a bit pricey but industrial strength. When I bought ours 20 years ago, it cost $110. Way too much for us at the time, but I was desperate with neck pain. I see today's cost for the same model is $216. Yow! but it's what the pros use and very effective.

Hope that helps.

Jodi-

Here is a link that might be useful: Jeanie Rub

My orthopedic surgeon prescribes a drug , mobic for me. You have to take this medication with caution. In my years of taking this drug, I feel much better by the second dose. You take the smallest amount for the shortest time that gives you relief. This is my miracle drug. My pain comes from the sciatic nerve, so it may not work for all back pain.

Constantly, and right now it is in flare mode. Also I think I must have pulled a muscle a couple days ago in my left hip area and that is extremely painful. Added to that I have bad neck and shoulder pain which is getting worse. I can't take any of those meds like Vicodone, etc. I am taking Celebrex and it is beginning to cause stomach problems, like so many of the others I've tried.

I'm going to check into those things Jodi mentioned.

Sure makes it hard to keep up with things that need doing!

Sue

I had some low back pain during the summer. I had massage, I went to see the chiropractor but the thing that really helped was seeing the physical therapist and learning exercises to strengthen the muscles supporting the back. The physical therapist said that unless the underlying problem is addressed, going to the chiropractor or having a massage will not give long term relief.
I still do the back exercises.
I hope you feel better soon.

Had a laminectomy 2 years ago to relieve the pressure on my sciatic nerve. Had never experienced pan like that before. Holy cow! Suffice to say that there was great relief after the surgery but, like they say, once something is broken, it's never like new again. The excrutiating, disabilitating pain was gone but to this day my left leg is still numb from my buttock fold to my foot! I can walk without a limp now and am grateful for that. I have terrible days and my nights are the worse but for the most part I do ok. Aleve and Motrin are helpful. I also walk as much as possible (which kills me but I do it anyway) and I make sure I stretch my hamstrings and calf muscles. I was a Physical Therapist Asst. for many yrs. and know that the one best thing you can do to keep your back healthy is to have a strong core. Find a way to work on those abdominal muscles. They support your back. I also know (from experience) that to some of us, abdominal exercises aren't easy to do when your back is killing you! Good luck to you all with your back discomfort!

Always! I have compressed discs and a lot of degeneration.I was told by my chiropractor to use ice packs and heat.Ice for 15 min. then heat for 15.
I feel your pain.LOL

Yep. I have scoliosis, and it is worse in my lower back, with arthritis added. My doctor suggested that I sleep on my side with a pillow between my knees. I use a body pillow. Makes a huge difference. I've also had physical therapy and try to do the exercises every day. They do help.

Since my situation is chronic, I have a back brace. Only $30 from eBay and very effective. It is basically elastic with (vertical) stays to keep it rigid across the back.

Hope you are feeling better.

I just had surgery in December for herniated disk and it was the best thing I've ever done. I was in so much pain that I couldn't drive and everything hurt. I felt better the instant I woke up and highly recommend the surgery for anyone in the same boat as me. I was off all pain pills 4 days after the surgery.

If it isn't that bad, I recommend an anti-inflammatory, ice packs, and stretching. Pilates based stretching always made me feel better-- especially the "roll like a ball".

Good luck everyone. I know how horrible back pain is.

Well on a scale of 1 to 10 I am about a 5 right now. I've been taking Aleve and it seems to help. I am walking and it seems okay at that point. My only problem right now is getting out of bed because my back gets stiff. I can put my socks on too. Last week I couldn't cross my legs but I can at this point. I'm guessing its slowly healing.

SamKaren
your resident DJ

I was going to say what Orie said. When you've got the pain under control, work on on strengthening those abs and keeping your hamstrings streatched and loose. I'm currently dealing with some nerve and hip issuses and sitting and lying in bed are killing me right now. I've started sitting on my excersize ball instead of the chair at my desk. It realieves so much pressure, and just maintaining my balance helps to strengthen my core.

I take Anacin or Aspirin and work through the pain with stretching exercises. They are some spine "lengthening" exercises you can even do even before getting out of bed.