[Back history and disclaimers: I have had sporadic non specific low back pain for much of my adult life. Medical professionals prescribe stuff that is not always entirely satisfactory. This is a query about how you respond to the warning signs.]
If you know about non specific low back pain you know that sometimes feelings can be a warning that pain is eminent if you do not act cautiously. Do you do anything else other than act cautiously?
This might be useful information for you.
I have chronic low back pain (I suppose it’s specific because I know the cause - two ruptured discs) and mostly I do nothing at all when it flares up, because I have found that IME it’s either going to go nuclear, or it’s not. Typically I am quite physically active, and I don’t curtail activity unless the pain gets debilitating or severe. And when I say “go nuclear” I mean I can’t walk, potty or dress myself without a great deal of [del] excrutiating pain [/del] discomfort for up to a week.
Couple of months ago I had the definite warning signs, several days of sciatic pain and a ton of work and busy stuff scheduled for the following week and I totally did not have time for any back crap. I had a Flexeril scrip along with some Vicodin left over from a previous episode* and decided to numb the crap out of myself for the weekend and do nothing but get stoned on prescription meds. By Monday morning I felt fucking fabulous, rested, and ready to go.
*Note that these were meds that had prescribed to me, and I took them on the recommended schedule. Also it’s entirely possible that my feeling better on Monday was pure coincidence.
As I mentioned in my OP, prescription meds are not entirely satisfactory, a single Flexeril will put me to sleep for about 20 hours. I’ll have to check to see if there is a smaller dose. My back problem sometimes gives me a warning. All day it is reminding me to stoop cautiously, don’t lift etc. I was wondering what others did with this sort of feeling.
Well, you asked what other people do…not for suggestions for what *you should * do.
My back hurts 24/7 but it’s usually maneagable. For the most part when it goes nuclear I have no warning at all. I roll over in bed to turn off the alarm, or bend over to pick something up, and BOOM there it went.
I know the cause of my pain, too, but when I get twinges, I try to do some gentle stretching, apply a heating pad or heat wrap, pay more attention to posture, and take NSAIDs. Usually, that all helps.
I have had a long time nagging sciatica pain in one spot but I only seem to feel it when I’m sitting on one certain chair. I’ve had other painful backaches where I was OK sitting on the couch but it hurt so bad to stand up! If no one was around to help me up, I would have to take a deep breath, count to three, and then launch myself upright - YAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOWWW! I was OK then standing and walking (though it still kind of hurt), though I’d have to walk like Quasimodo for a minute or two.
You need to strengthen your back with exercise, before it develops into a more severe issue. Do situps, or toe touches, or squats in the gym if you like that sort of thing. Anything to gradually strengthen your back’s weight-bearing ability.
I have read in many places that the reason a lot of people have back pain is because they aren’t very active, they have sedentary jobs, and their back gets weaker and weaker over time. Then the little tweaks set in, and they become even less active to baby the injury, which causes a negative feedback cycle where the pain gets worse and worse the less active you are. Then boom, slipped disc. Now you’re in pain for decades and unable to exercise anymore, even if you wanted to. When, if you’d exercised instead of sitting around more in the first place, it would never have gotten progressively worse. A stronger back is a healthier back.
I think it stands to reason according to my personal experience, as well. The less I exercise, and the longer I sleep in/sit on my ass, the more little twinges and spasms I feel. Whereas if I spend a day doing a lot of walking or do bending exercises for 15 minutes, my back actually feels better. You have to get out of the habit of sitting around doing nothing and babying the little tweaks before they turn into something worse. With weaker back muscles, I’ve been led to believe that it’s more likely for injuries like slipped discs to occur.
No specific cites, sorry. This is just accumulated over years of reading on the internet. IANAD, this advice is worth what you paid for it, please don’t sue me, etc