Written by admin on 2009-03-20T12:52:05+0000">March 20, 2009 – 12:52 pm
Spinal flexion exercises (forward bending) are dangerous and are contra-indicated when there is a history of lower back pain. Some modifications may be performed with the patient lying on the back.
• Place a small pillow or rolled towel under the lower back, at the waist.
• Perform a partial sit-up, elevating the trunk to 45 degrees only. Hold for several seconds, then lie back to rest for a similar period. Repeat several times. The arm position can initially be by the side. Then the arms can be folded behind the head. Similarly, a leg lift can be added. These exercises tone the abdominal muscles and certain muscles at the front of the spine (psoas).
• Raise one extended leg to 45 degrees. Slowly lower the leg as the opposite one is raised to 45 degrees. Repeat alternately. With improved strength, alternate with neither leg touching the floor. But be careful.
• Elevate each leg 10 times, counting slowly at the rate of one count per second. After 5 days increase to 15-20, depending on your age and condition.
With a lower back problem, don’t exercise until you’ve been up walking around for an hour or two.
Two common homoeopathic remedies for back pain are:
Rhus tox is for those who only feel good after they’ve been walking around for a
while.
Bryonia is for those who feel better after a rest.
Which type are you? Of course there are many more to help you, but you should consult an expert.
Psychologically, a backache indicates lack of support. Most back pain has other stress components.
I suffered an injury to my back at the age of forty-one. Since my injury related to work, my GP put me on compo and a professional quick-fix process began, only to worsen my condition and cause my health to deteriorate. In addition to my lumbago, I now have sciatica, more and more fatigue, headaches, pain to all muscles and joints etc. Reading your (first) book was a real eye opener as to how one thing can lead to another.
All my life I was fit, healthy and industrious and was rarely sick at all. Until the day when I injured my lower back due to strain at work. I considered this a minor discomfort and I did not pay much attention to it. I kept working normally for another twelve days until pain incapacitated me and I required medical help.
I received physiotherapy, sedatives, painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs,
X-rays, orthopaedic surgeon’s opinions, psychiatric treatment, exercises and manipulations from the doctors. I was made to believe that my problem would improve. It didn’t happen. Two attempts were made to return to work, then my boss sacked me, as my condition did not improve.
I was put on a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory which caused a duodenal ulcer to flare up. I was given two kinds of ulcer medication, then benzodiazepine, and ulcer medication again. My back didn’t get better and I was given a variety of strong prescription painkillers to control the pain. I also suffered from severe headaches that I had never experienced before my back injury.
My headaches became more severe and affected the right side of my face from the eye to the ear. Painkillers became less effective, my doctor ordered X-rays and a CAT scan. All tests were negative. My head pain was intolerable and I overdosed with painkillers to find some relief. I was given antihistamines and corticosteroids but they did nothing and for the first time in my life I was screaming and crying with pain. I wanted to die.
At last I was given a very strong painkiller that did control my pain but it took two to three hours to be effective. I realised that it was only masking my problem.
My overall condition was bad both physiologically and psychologically. Another doctor diagnosed my head pains as trigeminal neuralgia. He prescribed anti-convulsive medication; and I was also taking a strong painkiller, along with medication for my ulcer.
After five months my head pain started to settle down. I was totally exhausted all the time like a zombie. Add insomnia, irritability and apathy. Then my heart started doing unusual things. Fast beats, slow beats, and missed beats at regular intervals. Tests and diagnosis were negative. They gave me heart medication. It helped me at first, then not at all. Then I tried going off all medication, trying to break out of the vicious circle, and only taking a moderately strong painkiller when really necessary. I noticed I was becoming more and more constipated. I started to experience pain in the abdomen, painful and itchy rectum, and regular passing of blood, with bloating. My doctor could not find a reason for all this.
As my back still didn’t improve, my doctor gave me a non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory suppository to add to my horrors. My heart condition did improve but not my back or my fatigue.
Since no evidence was found for my continual exhaustion my doctor labelled me as having a depressive neurosis. I made conscious efforts to keep up my exercises but ended up with agonising muscle and joint pains that took a long time to recover from. During the exercises I felt as if I was running short of air as if my chest were tightly bandaged. The harder I tried, the worse I became.
I was forced to apply for an invalid pension of $60 a week. My pulse began to run high for no apparent reason. At times painful ulcers appeared in my mouth and gums. I had a swollen anus and hives. The most bizarre symptoms you can only dream of. I did not know whether I would die or go insane first.
Then I developed a high fever and my right testicle swelled up to an enormous size and I felt like I had been kicked there. The doctor gave me codeine but it didn’t work. Nothing helped. Only the strongest painkiller eased the pain. I started on antibiotics, the first one didn’t work, but the second was more effective.
Suddenly I developed pain in the lower abdomen and my urinary tract was inflamed. I felt the urge to urinate but couldn’t. It was very painful. Passing large clots of blood caused frequent blockages. This lasted three days. More antibiotics, then non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication. SHU my temperature soared.
Three months later these symptoms cleared but I was running a chronic low fever. Even a year later, I have occasional fevers, my urine is murky and visible pieces of mucus float in it. I am always fatigued and spend days in bed unable to think, with hot flushes and cold sweats.
An article in the paper about a mysterious disease called M.E. raised my curiosity as many of my symptoms were described there, including a puffed face, loss of libido etc. My doctor says he does not believe in this disease, but I contacted the M.E. Society and they found me a doctor who tested me and found that my immune system was in trouble and I needed extra help.
I started taking a regimen of micro nutrients and in two weeks I am feeling more alert and confident.
I am trying to put together my experiences of the last four years. It is like a chain reaction the way one thing has led to another. I do believe but can’t prove that my post viral infection and my other symptoms were all triggered by my back injury.
My thanks to the gentleman concerned for permission to print his story. It could have had such a different ending with a few adjustments earlier in the piece.
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