OT Back Problems OT

JohnInCarolina

g8golfer said:

@JohnInCarolina I have mostly love handles no belly. My pants are 34/30. I get u a pic but I warn you I could be the sexiest man you have ever seen. 

I've already seen @bgebrent, go ahead and send me a pic.

g8golfer

Here is my wife Leigh Ann and I at the gun range 

Ag83

I used to get severe back pain during and after yard work. Sometimes would last for days. A friend at work advised me to go to the Dr. Scholl's area in the Walmart pharmacy. Find the machine where you take off your shoes, get on the machine and follow the directions (no charge to use and should take less than a minute), and then buy the inserts it recommends. I did that and it worked absolute wonders for me. I might get a little minor soreness now while working but it goes away immediately after I finish. Those things worked absolute wonders for me. You may want to try that first and see if it's something that simple. Good luck regardless; back pain sucks.

JohnInCarolina

It sounds to me like getting your core into really good shape, doing exercises, PT, etc. would probably go a long way towards preventing recurrence here.  It might also help your swing, so look at it that way if you want.

That being said, if there's permanent damage there then you probably want to know.  A visit to your PCP, as @Eggcelsior suggested, is a good idea in my opinion.  At minimum they will be able to discuss options with you going forward in getting a better assessment of what's going on.  

Don't mess around with back issues man.  It can really take you out for extended periods of time, and affect a lot more than your golf game.  Just my $0.02.  

Hokie_Smoker

I have struggled with lower pack pain, sciatic nerve problems, I went to a specialist and he recommended physical therapy and for me to get a inversion table.  I do the stretches I learned in physical therapy several times a week, use the inversion table every now and then and bought a standup desk for work.  I think the standup desk has done the most for my back. 

steel_egg

g8golfer said:

So if I do go to a doctor what kind of doctor do I need to go to? 

I'll jump in here. Go see a nuerosurgeon. I general surgeon can do what is needed but You don't want a jack of all trades Messing with your spinal cord. 
Move hd back pain from sports most of my adult life. Been going to a chiro for years. 3 years ago a ruptured a disc that was proabbaly bulging for years. He said I need to see a surgeon and he can't help me. 
Surgery was a couple weeks later. Was great for me but I still have sciatica issue. I'm overweight and I just recently got a Varidesk at work. Has helped a ton with the day to day. 
Remeber, surgeons want to operate and general docs want to treat with pills. See a second surgeon if he says operate right off the bat. 
Good luck. 

g8golfer

@JohnInCarolina I know your a liberal and I try not to ever listen to anything you say but this time I'm going to take your advice. My core is weak and I need to get it back in shape. Going to see a specialist and see what are my options. Thanks for the advice. Older and wise.  

jaydub58

If you do consider surgery, please, from my personal experience, make sure you exhaust all possible answers first!
BTW, nice rifle range pic.  Looks like a Russian M91/30.

JohnInCarolina

g8golfer said:

@JohnInCarolina I know your a liberal and I try not to ever listen to anything you say but this time I'm going to take your advice. My core is weak and I need to get it back in shape. Going to see a specialist and see what are my options. Thanks for the advice. Older and wise.  

I may have very different political views from your own but we're all friends here and I hope your back gets better man!   Good luck!

rpeters

g8golfer said:

@DoubleEgger I'm game for PT and surgery at the last resort but having to take pills I hope not. 

I went to my general doctor, then she referred me to a neurologist. He gave me a few options: surgery, PT, pain pills or cortizone injections. The last 3 options, he said if I did that, I would probably be back to see him in a few months. I got a couple opinions from other doctors and ended up with one of the best doctors in Lexington.

Biggreenpharmacist

g8golfer said:

@JohnInCarolina I know your a liberal and I try not to ever listen to anything you say but this time I'm going to take your advice. 

Thats awesome!

fishlessman

g8golfer said:

@JohnInCarolina I know your a liberal and I try not to ever listen to anything you say but this time I'm going to take your advice. My core is weak and I need to get it back in shape. Going to see a specialist and see what are my options. Thanks for the advice. Older and wise.  

if you're on obamacare though you're only covered for aromatherapy for back pain

HeavyG

I've known a few people with sporadic back problems that prior to any surgical intervention worked with physical therapists which fixed the problems in all but one case. Core muscles are important. A roman chair could be your friend.

A couple also found that yoga was very helpful but that may be too liberal for you.

Good luck.

Chubbs

I couldn't play my play day at Augusta National in May because of mine. I feel your pain. I am in my 30s too. 

I went to orthopedic, have spinal stenosis and herniated disk L5/S1. Surgery is inevitable. Just buying time with meds. I did 5 weeks of dry needling therapy which helped. Had to do it first so insurance would cover part of MRI which is what you need. Good luck

fishlessman

HeavyG said:

I've known a few people with sporadic back problems that prior to any surgical intervention worked with physical therapists which fixed the problems in all but one case. Core muscles are important. A roman chair could be your friend.

A couple also found that yoga was very helpful but that may be too liberal for you.

Good luck.

after taking pt for 5 months i did this one morning before getting out of bed, one of the pt routines. was in bed 3 more days then in crutches for a few weeks, then walked like i had a sour pickle slammed up the backside for months til the sciatica disappeared

Eggcelsior

steel_egg said:

g8golfer said:

So if I do go to a doctor what kind of doctor do I need to go to? 

I'll jump in here. Go see a nuerosurgeon. I general surgeon can do what is needed but You don't want a jack of all trades Messing with your spinal cord. 
Move hd back pain from sports most of my adult life. Been going to a chiro for years. 3 years ago a ruptured a disc that was proabbaly bulging for years. He said I need to see a surgeon and he can't help me. 
Surgery was a couple weeks later. Was great for me but I still have sciatica issue. I'm overweight and I just recently got a Varidesk at work. Has helped a ton with the day to day. 
Remeber, surgeons want to operate and general docs want to treat with pills. See a second surgeon if he says operate right off the bat. 
Good luck. 

I have worked with many spine surgeons/general docs and surgery is the last thing the recommend unless s/sx dictate otherwise. First-line is PT, unless you've waited too long and it's no longer an option due to damage. I agree on other points, though.

Hook_emHornsfan_74

I just went through this in February. I herniated my L4/L5 which caused me pinching nerve down my leg. Couldn't walk with out walker.  Tried chiropractor first but I think he hurt me even more.  Went to neurosurgeon and he said I needed surgery which I did. 1 million times better. 

g8golfer

My wife is a nurse and she is going to get me an appointment with a neurologist next couple weeks. I will keep u guys updated. @JohnInCarolina is a great guy I love messing with him on his political view. 

Gulfcoastguy

I had bad sciatica and went to a chiropractor. It took 16 office visits but it finally went away. After the first two weeks he put me on an PT program in his office and gave me a serious lecture on losing weight. I still go to see him once a month. A childhood and early adulthood of heavy manual labor left it's mark. By the way I also endorse yoga IF you go to a beginners class first and don't just try dvds. Many of the stretches and exercises that physical therapy uses are ripped right off yoga, they just change the name from "something Hindi"asana to something that gym rats would be comfortable with.

YukonRon

g8golfer said:

My wife is a nurse and she is going to get me an appointment with a neurologist next couple weeks. I will keep u guys updated. @JohnInCarolina is a great guy I love messing with him on his political view. 

Can't remember your location. In Somerset, Kentucky there are a couple of back specialists that get patients in from around the globe, due to their reputation. My BIL had to have surgery for ongoing complications that were never addressed or cured from his previous physicians. These guys in Somerset, fixed the problems, basically rebuilding his back, 11 hour surgery, extremely complicated measures were involved, and within days he was in PT and a couple months after that, he was a new man and has not had any problems since. If that is a possibility, see if your wife can find out who they are and investigate.
It was the most amazing turn around, I have ever seen, in my life.

KiterTodd

g8golfer said:

This is kinda off the wall so I'm just trying to get a feel on what I should do. ... Tell me what you guys think? 

Thanks Gary 

Gary, buy the book by Dr. John Sarno called "Healing Back Pain."  It's $8 on Amazon (link) so it's cheaper than your co-pay or a bottle of vitamins.  Get it.  You don't even have to read the entire thing.  Read the first chapter, skim the rest.

It'll change your life.

Feel free to talk to doctors and listen to many of the good tips here, but you'll be doing yourself a disservice if you don't read this.  Specially at your young age.

DoubleEgger

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5UUyVz2DISY

DaveRichardson

@g8golfer - 20+ years in Orthopaedics and sports Medicine here....  Several years in College and NFL coverage.  Played HS and College football.....

Couple of questions:  Are you having pain down the legs or in the groin?  Both legs or just one leg?  Numbness or burning sensations in legs/buttocks/groin?

From just reading, sounds like you have a disc at the L4-5 or L5-S1 that has dessicated/degraded, causing nerve irritation.  Or you have Spinal Stenosis at one of the prior mentioned levels.  Doubtful that golf is the main culprit; might be a contributor, but not the main cause.  Most chiros that I know are complete idiots that couldn't properly diagnose themselves out of a paper bag.

Definitely need MRI of the lumbar spine.  See if the Chiro will order since they have seen you and you have had recurrent issues.

Conservative treatment will be non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, maybe a Medrol pack for a week to calm some swelling.  If it is a disc issue, I would try Epidural Steroid Injections for 1-3 injections to see if that calms it down.  They have saved my bacon a time or two.  Physical therapy is also recommended for stabilization and stretching and strengthening.  How are your hamstrings?  I bet they are very tight!  Get stretching!  Also work on Core Strengthening and stability.

If these don't work, then I'd check with a surgeon LAST.  I've never known a surgeon that didn't like to operate.....  But its not the first line of attack!

PM me for my number and I'll be happy to talk to you.

g8golfer

@YukonRon thanks for the info. I will have my wife make some calls and see who the doctor is. I'm in Paintsville, KY about 2 hours east of Corbin. 

g8golfer

@KiterTodd I will download it tonight and give it a read. Thanks. 

kweitz

I'm a Nurse of 18 years, mostly ICU and ER, most recently ( the last 10 years ) a vascular access specialist ( I put IV's in people). I'm 55, ex paratrooper and long distance runner. Had MRI of L-Spine in 1998, neurosurgeon wanted to do a discectomy on L4 L5, which had herniated. I chose not to have surgery. I strongly suggest that you do PT, chiropractor, limit pain killers, and strengthen your entire body. I will let them cut on my back when I'm dragging my leg behind me and pissing myself!

g8golfer

@kweitz surgery and pain killers is the last thing I want that's the reason I did the chiropractor first. 

TN_Egger

Between the sleep apnea and the bad backs, y'all are one messed up bunch of folks.  (BTW...I just picked up my cpap machine yesterday.) Could there be a connection to our egging habit?  

kweitz

sounds like chiropractic helped. A good physical therapist is worth their weight in gold, maybe try that too. I guarantee that if you have an MRI, a surgeon (orthopedic or Neuro) will find something to cut. To me, most definite last option. 

ColtsFan

Herniated L4 here. It's been an issue since my mid 20's (37 now). I'm a bigger guy 6'1" 240ish. First instance dropped me to my knees... Most pain I had ever been in. Spent 4 days in a recliner with a heating pad, damn near crying every time I'd get up to piss. 

Long story short, I was seeing a chiropractor every 6 months or so for a round of adjustments, usually 2x week for 3 weeks. Then I'd be good. 

The best thing I have ever purchased is an inversion table. I use it daily for 5 minutes and I feel great. I haven't even had a minor flare up.