With the change in seasons and increase in activities, should I be worried about being sore?
- Posted on November 29, 2011
-
More Common than You Might Know
In the fall of the year, it is easy to suffer a strain of your low back while putting away lawn furniture, winterizing motors, doing yard work, or hunting for that 'Big Buck'. We often hear a history of someone initially feeling a 'pull' in my back, but it wasn't too bad, so 'I loaded one more pile of wood and after driving home, I could hardly get out of my truck!'. This type of acute pain is scary because one never knows how long it will last. If you have experienced similiar episodes, you may be less inclined to be concerned, but if this is your first, many people don't know where to begin self-treating the problem.
To Go or Not to Go
First, you know your body best, and if you feel you need to be seen by a doctor, then by all means, call your physician or go to the emergency room. However, if you can walk, manage your excretions, eat, and drive yourself to the hospital, then it really isn't an emergency by medical standards. The standard response to arriving at the emergency room with acute back pain is to provide you with pain medication and send you home with instructions to follow up with your physician in a couple of days if you are not feeling better.
Symptoms, Activities and Comfort
Most back pain of this nature involves inflamed (swollen) structures, more typically ligament or joint capsule than disc or nerve, and inflammation responds best to oral anti-inflammatories, gentle movement and rest. When this happens, I encourage people to take an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory if this is something he/she tolerates. It is then recommended to lay flat on your back with legs over a couple of pillows for ten or fifteen minutes and then change to laying on your stomach with your pelvis over one or two pillows for ten or fifteen minutes. I encourage deep breathing because this will gently mobilize the joints of the low back and breath holding often induces muscle spasms. Over the next couple of days, depending on how you are feeling, I encourage walking ten minutes at a time on level surfaces, as inclines or uneven surfaces can recruit muscles that will further strain the back. I also discourage sitting on soft surfaces and advise people to sit on firm surfaces that position the hips higher than the knees. This may require placing a boat seat cushion or patio cushion in your favorite chair to make it more firm and to elevate the seating surface. Keep in mind, some of the most offending seating surfaces are in our vehicles, which is why so many people get into their cars feeling good and get out feeling crippled.
Prevention and Precautions
If after following the above for 1-2 weeks, assuming you are tolerating your normal work or have the luxury of modifying your duties while you are not feeling well, you are feeling at least 50-75% better, then you most likely do not need to undergo any expensive testing. You may benefit from attending a couple of sessions with a physical therapist to discuss why this may have occurred and to learn ways of preventing a recurrence. Frequently, people just need to learn a few exercises to maintain flexibility and to properly move at their hips to prevent such episodes. If you are absolutely no better or symptoms are worsening after 5-7 days, then it is recommended you see your physician and he/she can best help you determine what the next step should be.
Keep in mind, if your back pain involves loss of bowel or bladder control, loss of consciousness, or comes on acutely with no cause, it is a true emergency. Most other cases will either 'run their course' or require some medical intervention, but it is our experience at Back-in-Action, that most cases get better and can be managed. Call if you have questions, schedule a free physical therapy screening to learn some preventive exercises, or send us a question on the web-site. We'd rather keep you in the action than have you need to get 'Back-in-Action'.
Categories