Hello Again,
Another medical/pain question for your medical types here, even if you ANAD if you think you know the answer I would like to hear. As some of you know, I have had a severe back injury that required 3 major surgeries. I found out that modern surgical techniques are more guessing than exact science and I have been left with life long chronic pain.
Sometimes (usually at night) I will have a bout with pain, it is very extreme and the morphine and percocets can’t keep up with it. One of the things that seems to give me great relief (if only temporary) is my wife will take her knee and basically “shove” it into my lower back putting a ton of pressure on it. This pressure works almost immediately and takes the pain away. Sadly it doesn’t last and when she removes the pressure, the pain is back. Now, it isn’t just the weight, but the actually pushing that seems to help.
Why does this work? I have though about it and can’t quite get a reasonable explanation, but I figure if I could determine why this works, perhaps I can rig something up to replicate what she is doing so I can self administer. Or perhaps armed with the knowledge why it works I can discuss it with my Doc and a surgeon and maybe they can figure out the cause of the pain by what relives it. Just a thought. Thanks in advance and once again, I apologize if it seems like I am complaining.
My first guess is that when she leans on your back, she’s decompressing a nerve root. It would be interesting to see an EMG or even an MRI done with her kneeling on your back.
Otherwise, you may be experiencing “counter pain” or “counter irritant” effects. A lot of the muscular pain relief ointments work this way - the menthol or pepper extract are thought to cause enough irritation that the brain more or less loses track of the original pain.
My first guess is the former, thinking that something is being decompressed. I really am not feeling any “pain” when she does this, just pressure. When I mentioned "rigging something up to replicate this I have thought about just setting some weight on my lower back, something like one of the kettle balls. The problem is the weight alone isn’t enough to produce the relief, it is the pressure being applied that does it. Not sure how to make something do that, at least something that won’t hurt me.
As far as your latter suggestion, this is how the TENS unit I use appears to work. It “tases” me just enough to distract the brain from the pain I am feeling. The TENS unit is a Godsend, but it can be very irritating after a while. I have investigated getting a spinal stimulator implant but what I have gotten from those whom I have spoke to that had it done is that it isn’t that much more effective than an external unit, and to get it placed I would have to endure another surgery and then it leaves you with a really creepy “bump” in your back.
I don’t know if it applies in your case, and I suspect it doesn’t, but there is something called “rebound tenderness” that kind of fits your description. Imagine you stub your toe on something. You might notice that the pain isn’t practically instantaneous – it happens a second or two after the fact. Apparently the blood is squeezed out of the impact area, and the pain begins when blood flow rushes back into it. If you have the presence of mind to immediately press your toe (pretty hard) back onto whatever you stubbed it against, and hold it there and release the pressure very slowly, you can greatly reduce the pain. I can say from personal experience that this works quite well.
Interesting theory. I will say that you are correct that on a fresh injury that does seem to be the xase. However, mine is 7 years old, so I don’t know it this is coming into play.
I have no idea what you mean by this; weight on a specific area IS pressure. If you mean she pushes in addition to putting all her weight on it that’s (a) nearly impossible, and (b) easily done with more weight.
I mean that if you just sat weight on my back it doesn’t seem to do much. It has to be actively “pushed” into my back with some force. Not enough to hurt me mind you, but enough to squish my gooey insides.
Hello. I have something similar. I think pressure that is directed with pointed things does the job temporarillly. I have been trying different objects: air filled ball, wooden balls, holf balls, dumbells. yoga balls and rocks. I have seen somthing recently in a movie that looks like a aluminum back brace on an old man. I have tried upside down hanging devices: only the one with solid back worked excellently. Big bag of ice over my back standing or lying on ice or on the back: face dow. Mine is also chronic: did it to myself by accident( sport injury). I am hoping a good chiropractor can fix it for me( so far: no good results). My last chiropracto was using a mini jack hammer like devide which had two rubber prongs( like a fork). Heat also works for me. Eating meats , getting chilled, lifting, pulling, or hanging by arms messes me up. I am suppose to be on pain killers.
So I think if you use the kettle weight, try to glue some small bumpy projections on the bottom and see how deep you need to go. Good luck.
I think that the time delay for the pain is a separate things actually. It’s my understanding that the c-fiber nerves that transmit the component of pain that really hurts have a slow transmission speed; it literally takes about a second for the signal to reach your head. The nerves that send the initial “I’ve been hurt” signal are faster.
**OBBN: **Off topic, but possibly useful: Have you tried any norepinepherine reuptake inhibitors, or combination norepi, serotonin reuptake inhibitors? I know that tricyclics generally and as an example, Nortryptyline (second gen TCA) are used for chronic pain, but you have to be much more careful with the dosing with TCA’s.
Personal trainer imput,
you have suffered a lot of muscle loss. it is time to strengthen yourself back up in physical therapy. Get every muscle that does not hurt stronger to support yourself while you work on the weak area slowly! Eat as much as you can…you need the energy to recover!
Try smoking weed to eat if you have to! im serious without calories you could lose brain function etc. especially with higher caloric needs for recovery. This is why when old people get hurt they are never the same mentally after. You cant heal back if you dont eat.
Until you start getting fat. I rather your back not hurt and you 10lbs to lose.
Sounds like a pinched nerve in your back. The pressure relieves it/ hurts more then the backpain if that makes sense.
When your up and ready walking around, slowly building it back up message me on here and i will give you exercises based on what you tell me.
Hey there! I am a 29 year-old, athletic female who has suffered with lower back pain since I was 19. I am not exactly sure where the pain originated from because it was so sudden; however, I do have scoliosis which could possibly attribute to some of the pain. In regards to your question, I have found that adding pressure feels REALLY good! My husband is 6’1 and approximately 280 pounds… and I will have him bend his knee and then prop his shin across my lower back. He then puts as much weight on me as possible. As he is doing that, I will push my lower back up against his shin. My husband thinks that I am crazy but it relieves so much of the pain. When he is not home… I will also slide myself down the arm of our chair with my back facing the chair and my head against the floor, legs up, lower back resting against the arm. This too… creates some pressure. Something else that you might try is stretching your back through a back bend with the aide of a cement block. You will need to have something like a bench press bench to create the arch in your back though. For example…place the block on the weight bench with a towel over the block so that you protect your skin. The block is going to prop you in the air nicely and the bench below will allow for your arms and legs to dangle. This will allow for YOUR body weight to create the pressure that your wife currently provides. Lastly… I totally agree with the trainer in regards to strengthening your back muscles. Naturally, our muscles weaken and if we don’t work on strengthening them, they become worse and worse over time. Strengthening your core is going to help too. Ohhhh… and sleeping at night. You most definitely need a bed that you are able to stretch out in. Anytime that I have slept within limited space, I can hardly walk the next day. But try laying on your side and scissoring your legs. This position will stretch your back and the higher that you raise your knee attached to the leg that isn’t right up against the mattress, the more that your back will stretch. Also… our local Wal-Mart has been selling blankets that are rolled up and held together by some plastic wrap. If you have a Wal-Mart in your area, buy some because they work perfectly for placement under your neck and lower back while sleeping. I hope that this information can alleviate some of your pain. I have basically gave up on the hope that the pain is going to go away… because it isn’t… but the more than you can stretch and strengthen, the better!!!
I have spinal stenosis, which is arthritis in my spine, slowly closing the gaps between the vertebrae where the nerves leave the spine. It causes some bad sciatica pain in both legs.
But I’ve found core strength to be the best way to alleviate the pain. I have access to a Roman Chair that I use to do 10 extensions per day. Then I get on it sideways and work the obliques - 10 times per side. Then I get on the floor to do leg lifts for my abdominals (better for my back than crunches). I also do some planking.
Before I started that routine, I was popping 2 Aleve per day along with some Hydrocodone pills every so often. Now I only need a couple Aleve per week at most. Sometimes none at all. IANAD nor a PT, but I’ve found this works for me. Strong core muscles really helped with my back pain.
I find opposing pressure works for my headaches. I’ll get a headache across my forehead, and pressing the back of my head against a wall or headrest gives relief. Strange but it works… at least temporarily.
A very IANAD response, different I think from above.
I play soccer and occasionally experience pain in my foot while striding and landing on the foot. I find that if I press hard on that foot, the pain goes away and stays away.
One possible explanation; I am ‘saturating’ or ‘tiring’ the nerves to the point that they cannot electrically send out further signals interpreted as ‘pain’.
However I can’t rule out the possibility that I am temporarily shifting the bone structure in my foot that relieves whatever stress is being applied to the nerves that signal pain.
Thanks for asking! I was surprised to see my old thread pop up again. Well, still combating the pain daily. I’ve been working with my doctor and have cut my opioid intake down considerably. In fact I’m really only taking morphine at night. I’m still in pain during the day, but I feel better not being drugged 24/7.
I’m staying to think that there’s really no hope in getting rid of the pain and it’ll be here until I die. I tried a highly recommended pain management doctor. Several epidurals later and I’m no better off. He wasn’t to put a spinal simulator in me, but I’ve declined the offer. I have yet to meet someone who had said it was worth it. Most saying it ultimately failed.
But, I’m still here. I guess it could be worse. Thanks to everyone here in the Dope for tolerating my nanny many threads on this subject. I don’t mean to villain, I’m just searching for the answer.
