Too much time at the computer doing digital design has brought on some rather painful back spasms (day three and counting…). So, until those resolve, things may slow down here a little… Guest bloggers are welcome to drop by if you’re so inclined, otherwise – check out the blogroll.
Get well, Kate. If only we could get you an MRI. Today. At a private clinic. And start your recovery. Today.
Physiotherapy Kate!
Also, lay on your from and push up with your arms, hips on the ground, bending your back. Breath in as you do this, then at the top, slowly breath out and it will really work on your back bringing relief.
Robert’s suggestion is alike to the daily exercise recommended to me about twenty-five years ago when doctors discovered a congenital deformity in my lower spine which pushes me toward herniating a disc (but never quite there, luckily.) This is what gives me muscle spasms in the back if I don’t do the exercise, so if your cause is similar it might give similar relief from the spasms. Another thing I find helpful for the muscles is the hot springs at Watrous, but I expect you already know how much, if any, relief you can get from soaking in hot water.
Try a stand-up desk. Works well for me.
Medical marijuana to the rescue.
Sorry to hear of your troubles, Kate. How is your pelvis healing after that mishap with the dirt bike?
Hope you recover quickly and best of health again to you.
Get Well Soon.
Take whatever time you need. We will wait for you.
Kate, just follow Health Canada’s recommendation and get thoroughly plastered. Guaranteed to loosen you up and make you forget all about your back or any other problems for that matter.
Yeah, I’m with Perterj, get plastered for as long as required. Great for graphic art as well, loosens the up the mind muscles. 🙂
Robaxacet—generic— its not to kill the pain (it does)… it is to relax the muscles—-which causes my disc to squeeze some nerve… hope you are well soon.
Agree with Rob — exercises, foam roller, and the stand-up desk idea especially with a foot rail is also a good one. Most clerks’ desks prior to the 20th century were stand-up exactly for this reason. Military-like posture is also important, and if you do sit, uncross your feet and put a pillow (lumbar support) in the small of your back.
Get well soon, Kate.
Speaking as a physical therapist and as a former back pain sufferer, unless its a fracture or a disk it will go away in two weeks. Doesn’t matter what you do, two weeks.
Wrap a towel around your middle good and tight, supporting the abs will make it less painful to walk to the loo and the dinner table. Heat helps, ice also helps.
After you heal, look into getting some Myofascial Release, also known as Active Release. I used to put my back out about once a year from the time I was around 15 years old. Then I got some myofascial done on a leg scar and the back injury issue -went-away- right then. That was in 1994, I have not had a back injury since. So, worth looking into IMHO.
Drop me a line if you want to find out about some ergonomics for computer use, its a sideline of mine.
Get well soon, Kate. We need you here as often as possible.
Windows has some surprisingly effective voice-to-text functionality built-in, but you have to look to find it. Spend a little while training it, and you won’t need a keyboard to post blog entries.
Dear Kate, you may have been sitting too much. Here’s what helped me. Over a couple of years I had developed such serious low back pain that I could not stand for long. I tried the usual: weeks-long series of chiro visits, obus forms, sitting on a ball, exercises, I even went to the GP. Nothing helped. I do all my work sitting at the computer. Then I read about the dangers of being too sedentary. After much consulting with Mr. Google I found “ergo desktop” computer stands which are made in Ohio and they do deliver to Canada. My iMac is now on an adjustable stand. on my old ikea desk. I can instantly adjust it up, to stand and work, or down if I think I need to sit ( I very seldom sit now). This has made all the difference, my back doesn’t bother me at all, and I stand to do my work. All your fans and friends send you best wishes for getting back to your feisty self very quickly.
Kate, I have to second The Phantom’s recommendation of Active Release, which was – by orders of magnitude – the single most efficacious treatment, whether medication or physical treatment, that I’ve ever had in my life for anything.
What happened was, about fifteen years ago a diabetic friend of mine, a very large fellow, had a blood-sugar issue began to lose consciousness while sitting on one of those high stools around an island in a kitchen. When he started to tilt face-first I jumped forward, just in time, and hooked my arms under his, facing him, and carried him to a sofa in an adjoining room. The next day, my back started to seize up, and by the following morning I was in more pain than I’ve ever been in. As soon as I was able I went to a chiropractor, but found no relief. On the recommendation of a friend I tried the Myofascial Release — basically, in this case, a large, strong woman dug her thumbs in *hard* around the front edges of my hip bones and my lower back in a practised way. When I stood up about forty-five minutes later I was – literally, no exaggeration – pain free, and with full movement. The soreness/spasms came back a bit a few hours later, but it was at about one-tenth the intensity that it had been. A couple more treatments and I was fine again.
Seriously miraculous, it was. I’d strongly recommend it to anyone experiencing painful back spasms (assuming of course that there’s no underlying issues like palsy, or Dunlop’s or…spantitten, etc.)
Kate, your choice on the above recommendations. Follow that up with a week of hunting. All the best.
I heartily second the suggestion for a stand-up desk. We’ve jury-rigged a couple, and they have changed our lives, as we work at them all day every day. Alternating days with left-hand/right-hand mousing also helps greatly. (Only takes a day or so to learn, surprisingly.) Get well soon!
Morning Kate,
May I recommend “8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back: Natural Posture Solutions for Pain in the Back, Neck, Shoulder, Hip, Knee, and Foot” by Esther Gokhale.
Here is the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Steps-Pain-Free-Back-Solutions-Shoulder/dp/0979303605/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top/184-6755946-0927936
Especially note the reviews of John R. Adler, MD, neurosurgery, Stanford University Medical Clinic and Helen Barkan, MD, PhD, neurology, Mayo Clinic.
And here is her website: http://gokhalemethod.com/8-steps-pain-free-back
She also has a DVD available.
And here is her appearance at Authors@Google: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yYJ4hEYudE
All the best and wishing you a speedy recovery,
Joseph Richard (a fellow Happy Warrior).
Thanks all for your comments and suggestions, I’ve been on the steady improve (Robaxacet mostly) so things got back to normal pretty quickly.