Please help, I threw out my back!

[fiddledeedee]

We are supposed to leave for our anniversary trip early tomorrow morning, and my back has gone out today. It hurts so badly, I can't move. Generally I see a chiropractor, but it's Sunday, and we are due to leave at 6am tomorrow.

 

I've been taking 800mg of ibuprofen, and icing my back. And Biofreeze. Any other ideas to help? We are ....poor, and this little trip is the first vacation we've had in 6 years. I don't want to be the one to cancel it :crying:

[Claire]

Keep icing. I think 20 minutes every hour is about right. Also, try to move even if it hurts. Just keep moving it gently. The worst thing you can do is immobilize the muscles. Try moving while the ice is on it. If the ice lets you move more, then move more.

 

You may want to take aspirin and acetaminophen too. (My understanding is that you can take multiple pain-killers, as the negatives of each one are different.)

[Maura in NY]

You poor thing! I think Claire is right. Try to keep moving as much as you are able and alternate/overlap different pain meds. Aleve also works sometimes, and you can take a double dose for the first one. After the first 48 hours, heat is better than ice.

 

Do have have any stretches from your chiropractor that are specifically for times when your back goes out?

 

I hope that you are able to go on your trip! My husband has had back troubles virtually his whole life (a potential downside of being very tall, I guess?), so I know, at least vicariously, how rough it can be.

 

Peace,

Maura

[Tess in the Burbs]

is there any way you could call your dr on call? most offices have a nurse to answers after hours calls. ask for a steroid and promise to come into the office as soon as you return. when we left for disney last year I literally went to the evening dr office to get this and was walking fine in 24 hours. the muscle relaxer and pain meds helped but the steroid really got me moving/healing for our trip.

 

have fuN!

[dalynnrmc]

It completely depends on the reason(s) and situation behind the injury.

 

Is there a chronic condition, or a past injury, that causes this to happen for you regularly? (If so, I second calling the doctor and continuing with the OTC meds, etc that you are doing already. One might even look up your chiro's home number for some quick advice.)

 

Or, did you do something specifically to cause this sudden pain? (Even if you usually deal with soreness, etc, if you're usually fine and something HAPPENED - like you strecthed too far or picked up something heavey, etc - this is situational.)

In this case, it would be helpful to know what you were doing when it happened, exactly where it hurts now, what actions now cause it to hurt and which actions don't seem to bother it.

 

I'm a massage therapist and may can recommend some stretches, etc to help, if the situation is within my scope of practice and I can glean enough info from you. :) Prayers for sure!! Feel better!! **gentle hugs**

[Sharon in SC]

You may want to take aspirin and acetaminophen too. (My understanding is that you can take multiple pain-killers, as the negatives of each one are different.)

 

One word of caution here - you can *not* take aspirin with non-steroidals (Motrin, Aleve, anything with ibuprofen, etc)! However, you *can* take Tylenol with Aspirin and Tylenol with Motrin (or the like). I concur with staggering the meds. In acute situations, I recommend taking Tylenol and Motrin together for the initial dose. (So, in your case, take Tylenol now if you haven't already done so since you already have Motrin on board). Just make sure that you never dose yourself prematurely timewise from when you last had any particular med. Typically, this means you'll be able to take *something* about every 3 hours alternating Tylenol and (Motrin) from one dose to another thus neither of those are taken more often than about every 6 hours which is the way it should be.

 

Past that - I also concur with considering a phone call to the doc or since you're leaving town a trek to an urgent care if your situation warrants it. There are some acute back issues that simply will not "let go" except for prescription muscle relaxants, etc.

 

Hope you feel better soon!!!!!

Sharon

[GailV]

Make sure to stay well hydrated. I know the concept stinks when you're there on the floor with a bad back ("ew, if I drink more water I'll have to crawl to the bathroom!"), but it does help. Or perhaps it's better to say that being dehydrated definitely won't help.

 

I find enzymes help me -- things like the enzymes in pineapple and papaya. I've been known to send dh to the store with orders to find some fresh pineapple. You can get enzymes in pill form, too, but the only brand I'm familiar with is pricey and sort of hard to find (but, man, it does the trick -- Repair by Enzymedica).

[fiddledeedee]

Thank you for the helpful replies. The pain started this morning, and progressed, we had traveled to a baby blessing, and came home. By about noon I was already barely able to move, it's gotten worse ever since. Nothing is touching the pain. I can't walk, it's too painful. Basically I can lay on my back.

 

I think I will try and see if I can see a doctor, it's so bad, I can't remember it hurting this bad before.

 

What timing! Darn back!