Found myself in the hospital last week for uncontrollable back spasms. I thought it might have been kidney stone related but it wasn't. Doc thought it might be a herniated disc but it wasn't. Turns out my L3,4, and 5 vertebra are jacked up and my L5 is swollen and out of place. The majority of the issue is paying for the sins of my past - sports, bike wrecks, and an accident when I was young.

I've spent the last few days trying to recoup. The pain is mostly managed but the shooting pains are, well, painful. At least the spasms are gone now.

Chiropractor says that I'm in the beginning throws of chronic back pain and need to do the following:

Get the swelling down and get things back where they're supposed to be. Lose weight, change my diet, get back in shape, then maintenance.

I also have a friend who is going to recommend his ortho who specializes in spinal injuries to see if there is some supporting surgery that will help.

It's frustrating as you grow old and realize your body isn't going to stand up the way you hoped it would.

Stupid bones!

First, your pain is real and I suffer from back pain and have lots of issues just like you. I'm no doctor and this is not advice, but I found relief when I have a pain flare up by recognizing that stress and worry can set me off.

I read this book and it helped me a lot. If you don't want to read it, the basic premise is, you need to have a conversation with your brain and figure out what your subconscious is trying to say to you.

https://www.amazon.com/Healing...%2Caps%2C3000&sr=8-1

Hope your pains get better soon. Getting old sucks. Used to be bullet proof and pretty much went my whole life with little more then needing an adjustment to pop something back in when it got really bad. Always have done hard heavy physical work and never thought twice about it. Now my knees and ankles are wore out and I hurt everywhere. Helped a buddy lift and load 4 of his deer feeders with 40lb bags of corn and slipped several discs and or irritated the hell out of them. Took a few weeks to get over that.

Don't want to be a downer but it only gets worse with age..lol...

I've had back surgery for herniated discs, which was 100% successful. Having said that, consider surgery a last-choice.

For a good outcome, you need to be a good candidate and have a top-notch surgeon. Just because your back hurts does not make you a good candidate! Some problems are best solved with exercise, losing weight, etc, and do not get fixed by surgery. Likewise, other things can be greatly helped with surgery and will never get better with exercise or weight loss.

For me, walking is a huge help in preventing back pain from non-disc issues.

When I feel that I've overdone things, usually I know for a day or two before my back totally spazzes out. That's when walking, soaking in a hot tub, and avoiding things like lifting or lounging on a soft recliner can help.

Two Aleve as soon as I know it is tweaked seems to really help speed recovery.

Good luck!

when i was in my 30s, i was walking up a short flight of steps between floors. Before reaching a landing, pain shot up my back, I could not move. Thankfully, it was only for a few seconds. I knew then back pain was real.

It hasn't returned ever since but I still remember that incident.

Been there. Had spinal fusion eventually and all is well now.

See a Neurologist.

One word, Flexeril...Get some!

Then, as soon as you doctor recommends, stretching, especially the hamstrings, glutes and lower back. Then begin to work on core strength, and adopt an improved diet/lifestyle to promote weight loss and good conditioning. Hope you're on the mend and able to be up & around/active soon!

It's a new feeling to be sore while sitting. 2 sessions with the chiropractor have been really good. Working through issues and unmasking other issues...

I’m lying in bed awake with back pain now. I fractured L4 in a fall on Mt. Hood / Oregon years ago. Two fusions later and I deal with chronic pain on a daily basis. Stress, over doing it, and even a cold or the flu makes things damn unbearable. Take care of yourself!

Prior to my Mitral Valve repair and triple bypass in 2018 I was given a neck to knee PET scan. The results were "interesting". The lesion on my right lung was "probably scar tissue but can't rule out cancer". Then there were the "arthritic changes, both hips". Finally there was "deformed L5, probably a birth defect".

The lesion was followed up by 3 years of CT scans and with no changes the final conclusion was Scar Tissue.

L5 I can't do a thing about that. I get lower back pain in the mornings but it's mild and a long hot shower gets me nice and loose.

What I was able to address is the Arthritis. My nephew is married to a wonderful NP so she educated me about Sugar. First, Sugar causes Inflammation and it's a direct link. Cardiology is starting to come to the Conclusion that Sugar may be the primary cause of Heart Disease, not Saturated Fats. Because when the blood vessels surrounding the Heart are inflamed they collect Plaques. As Arthritis is in large part a response to inflammation Sugar also has a major role in that.

Back in 2018 I had Arthritis in both thumbs and both radial heads in my wrists so bad that just using a pen to sign my paycheck was quite painful. Cutting down on my Sugar intake has my hands today almost normal. Heck I can even rack the slide on my 45 caliber 1911's and shoot them without pain. More recently I have been having issues with Atrial Fibrillation to the tune of having spells of AFIB every day. So for the past 4 weeks I've been cutting back even further on Sugar. Today I am at 4 days without any AFIB. While that doesn't sound like much AFIB cuts your cardiac capacity by 70% or more.

The point of all this is simple. If you have a "sweet tooth" cut way back on your sugar intake and you WILL be amazed at the results.

How to do it. First, doughnuts are off your diet completely. Second, candy and Cookies are off your diet completely. Third, soda pop is off your diet completely. Note, artificial sweeteners are just as inflammatory as Sugar, so sugar free soda pops are off your diet completely. Breakfast Cereals, look at the added Sugars on the nutrition label. Anything over 4 grams is off your diet completely. All I have found to meet this standard are Corn Chex and Rice Chex, the totally plain versions. Fruits do not have processed Sugar but they still have sugar so fruit treats should be limited to just 3 or 4 per week. Ice cream and frozen treats are off your diet completely. Tip, I drink decaff tea, lots of it. It's all a home brew and sweetened by just 4 tablespoons of honey per gallon to only 30 calories per 20 ounce Yeti.

Yeah you will lose weight. At the end of my Freshman year at Ohio State I weighed in at 150 very fit lbs. Last Friday I weighed in at 146.1 lbs. and all the fat I was carrying in 2015 is gone.

I will also note that simply Walking is a superb exercise, in fact it is what the Homo Sapiens was evolved to do. Running is basically for emergencies which sort of explains the panic on the faces of so many runners. Back in 2015 I started walking and worked my way up to 6 miles a day and walked off 50 lbs. in just 4 months. You can start with just walking 1/4 mile and slowly build up your distance until a 3 mile walk is an easy stroll because pace really doesn't matter, what matters is doing it daily. Doing this will improve you core strength, your Aerobic fitness and you'll find you'll have days when you actually feel 20 years younger. Note I suggest you get a Garmin Forerunner watch because they are fantastic for tracking your activities. However I will also note that the laser based heart rate monitor is crap, I use a Chest band so I really do know what my heart is doing.

PS; I am now 69 years old and AFIB really interfered with my walking last summer, fall, and winter. Now that I have found a workable solution I look forward to resuming my daily 3 mile walks. Because it's very enjoyable to go out on a nice day, great some neighbors, and walk off some energy in my dog.

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The point of all this is simple. If you have a "sweet tooth" cut way back on your sugar intake

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I will also note that simply Walking

Both of these are part of the plan. I had already started walking before the trip to the ER. Right now, prolonged sitting or standing is uncomfortable but improving.

Soon Loki and I will be back in the park!