Chronic Back Pain relief!!

[Auggie68]

Ive been suffering from a chronic low back sacrum stiffness for almost a year now. According to MRI i have L4 L5
disk degeneration. I have upped my hgh to 2.5 IU daily and wonder if this helps or hurts my cause. What are some things you guys take for daily pain that wont be bad long term. Ibuprofen and Tylenon mixed work pretty good but probably not good long term. BPC 157 didnt help either

 

[ERO]

Serrapeptase and Nattokinase help with inflammation and pain. I get them on Amazon. Its probably not going to totally eliminate your pain, but it should help and its cheap. Might be worth giving it a 30 day trial and see.

 

[Vince]

This is my opinion. The best exercise for back pain, I believe is low squats. It has done wonders for my back. I even squat all the way down to the floor, with no weight. I believe it's great for my knees and also my back. I also like to do one legged squats, again all the way down to the floor.

 

[lukas_az]

I do have bulged discs/sciatic pain, arm pain from discs etc...quite chronic, comes and goes for 1+years or so, but here is what made this go away 90% at least, can't say what helped the most
a) good PT
b) weight loss
c) curcumin (doctor best, 2x a day before bed)
d) pregnenolone 30mg before bed
e) bromelain
f) topical: DMSO GEL in the AM - this will cause a strong burn sensation for 30min or so. do your research about DMSO before using. it needs to be 70/30(water). I do use this brand:

Amazon.com

g) DMSO 5ml 1x a day internally (again do your research, dilute it) - if you want study dmso further read Hartmut Fischer DMSO book. overall DMSO is an amazing very versatile substance

 

[DorianGray]

I've had the same problem since '94. I get mild, transient paresthesia in my left leg too. I'm able to just tolerate it but occasionally take 3.5mg Norco + 200 mg Ibuprofen if I really feel uncomfortable or want to take a long hike. Best thing you can do is maintain flexibility and best for that is yoga. And walking. I've tried PEA also, but results were uncertain for me but it's something different you may want to look in to as everyone is different. See here:

Palmitoylethanolamide for the treatment of pain: pharmacokinetics, safety and efficacy - PMC

Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) has been suggested to have useful analgesic properties and to be devoid of unwanted effects. Here, we have examined critically this contention, and discussed available data concerning the pharmacokinetics of PEA and its ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

I've taken fisetin as as a senolytic and it was notable in that it completely eliminated my back pain for a few days. I only did that twice and it was high dose, not something you should do on a daily basis at all. But it was certainly curious and unexpected.

So, my therapeutic regimen for decades has been:
yoga
walking
analgesics as needed
ice for acute stages

Oh, forgot to mention also a medium- large therapy ball you can lay over which opens up the disc spaces this helps some low back sufferers more than others. Another-
Take a neutral back position whenever possible-this is where you lay on your back, bring legs up 90 degrees passively resting them on stool or couch. (like butt up to front of couch with legs resting on seat.)
I have an inversion table I use sometimes too.

I used to get free massages from a physical therapist but since she retired after doing PT for forty years and being married to me for the same amount of time, I'm not so lucky now But I still get free advice. Which I don't need though now

 

[PhilM7]

I had lower back pain for several years and treated it with 2 ibuprofen per day. Ironically, the pain vanished after being on Clomid for 6 weeks. I no longer take ibuprofen. I am not sure if higher T levels repaired a lingering back injury or if it was simply a coincidence that the pain stopped.

 

[andrewBwinter]

Read Dr. Stu McGill's book "The Back Mechanic" Two weeks of exercises per his direction as the "McGill big three" eased low back pain from powerlifting by about 75%. Once I felt better I stopped and the pain went up again, but hey, at least I know how to treat it

EDIT: I'm doing a new course of his exercises to address a weird curve in my low back due to OA in my left hip. Legs are out of balance (length due to ball and socket space reduction) and the back is taking up the difference.

 

[Deleted member 43589]

Ive been suffering from a chronic low back sacrum stiffness for almost a year now. According to MRI i have L4 L5
disk degeneration. I have upped my hgh to 2.5 IU daily and wonder if this helps or hurts my cause. What are some things you guys take for daily pain that wont be bad long term. Ibuprofen and Tylenon mixed work pretty good but probably not good long term. BPC 157 didnt help either

In 2016 I went to the doctor for a non-related problem and my doctor eventually asked me if I had any other issue I wanted him to look at. Yea, my low back is very strong but I it gets very tired and sore all the time, especially standing up for any period of time. So he took x-rays and showed them to me. I was shocked to see the ex-rays. The disks in both the L4 and L5 were flat and it was bone on bone. Some osteoarthritis had set in. So I took the x-rays to a spine specialist and he affirmed what my primary care told me. About 1-2 times a year I have some bad pain. But for the most part I can do what I want I just can't stand long. I was advised to keep the effectors strong to support the lumbar. Be careful loading the spine with very heavy weight. Amazingly enough I started taking gabapentin 200mg at night when I do have pain and by morning it is gone. I have done quite a bit of HGH and it did no good, cortisol injections didn't really help and BPC 157 was doing nothing. But the gabapentin did the trick. Been over 6 years since I was diagnosed and it has not gotten worse which is good.

As we age this happens to some degree mostly depending on genetics. Most people never have a lot of problem with it. My father had it as did my younger brother. My dad had surgery which did not turn out so well and my brother chose to drink and do opioids which did not turn out so well either. My surgeon did say to avoid doing any kind of surgery unless there is absolutely now other way out of the pain. Pain management clinics do treatments that can help. But again, keep the erectors strong to support the spine. Hyper-extension work really well as do RDL's and arched back good mornings all working the hip complex.

Attached is one of my x-rays

 

[locutus]

Read Sarno's book. i read all 3 of him. tldr; your back pain is not structural.

Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection: Sarno MD, John E.: 9780446392303: Amazon.com: Books

Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection [Sarno MD, John E.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection

www.amazon.com

 

[FarmerJacked]

I do have bulged discs/sciatic pain, arm pain from discs etc...quite chronic, comes and goes for 1+years or so, but here is what made this go away 90% at least, can't say what helped the most
a) good PT
b) weight loss
c) curcumin (doctor best, 2x a day before bed)
d) pregnenolone 30mg before bed
e) bromelain
f) topical: DMSO GEL in the AM - this will cause a strong burn sensation for 30min or so. do your research about DMSO before using. it needs to be 70/30(water). I do use this brand:

Amazon.com

g) DMSO 5ml 1x a day internally (again do your research, dilute it) - if you want study dmso further read Hartmut Fischer DMSO book. overall DMSO is an amazing very versatile substance

Try using Aloe Vera gel on top of the DMSO. I get no burning!
So place the DMSO gel. Then place Aloe Vera gel on top of the DMSO.
I got this from a DMSO book by Amandha Vollmer. The most knowlegeable person on DMSO.

 

[Deleted member 43589]

Just an update to my low back issues. My PC x-rayed my low back this week and it didn't look much different than it did in the x-ray above. No better, no worse. He was absolutely shocked that I was able to even go to a weight room, much less lift weight. Anyway, he set me up with a neurosurgeon who apparently is able to put new disk in and it is done through the side of the body and not the front where they have to pull out your intestines. So I am at least going to talk to him as soon as I get a recently found DVT dissolved. As of now an occasional Gabapentin and aspirin helps.

 

[locutus]

read John Sarno books all I say. my issues improved massively since I started his program

 

[markusbdc]

In 2016 I went to the doctor for a non-related problem and my doctor eventually asked me if I had any other issue I wanted him to look at. Yea, my low back is very strong but I it gets very tired and sore all the time, especially standing up for any period of time. So he took x-rays and showed them to me. I was shocked to see the ex-rays. The disks in both the L4 and L5 were flat and it was bone on bone. Some osteoarthritis had set in. So I took the x-rays to a spine specialist and he affirmed what my primary care told me. About 1-2 times a year I have some bad pain. But for the most part I can do what I want I just can't stand long. I was advised to keep the effectors strong to support the lumbar. Be careful loading the spine with very heavy weight. Amazingly enough I started taking gabapentin 200mg at night when I do have pain and by morning it is gone. I have done quite a bit of HGH and it did no good, cortisol injections didn't really help and BPC 157 was doing nothing. But the gabapentin did the trick. Been over 6 years since I was diagnosed and it has not gotten worse which is good.

As we age this happens to some degree mostly depending on genetics. Most people never have a lot of problem with it. My father had it as did my younger brother. My dad had surgery which did not turn out so well and my brother chose to drink and do opioids which did not turn out so well either. My surgeon did say to avoid doing any kind of surgery unless there is absolutely now other way out of the pain. Pain management clinics do treatments that can help. But again, keep the erectors strong to support the spine. Hyper-extension work really well as do RDL's and arched back good mornings all working the hip complex.

Attached is one of my x-rays

Are you aware that you also have a grade 1/2 spondylolisthesis?

 

[Deleted member 43589]

Are you aware that you also have a grade 1/2 spondylolisthesis?

Thanks. Yes, my private care physician told me that Thursday. Again, he doesn't understand how I am able to function. The above x-ray was done in 2017. Not sure how long this had been going on as I had low back pain for years. I squatted 950lbs in a competition in 2002. I was going pretty heavy up until about 2010 when I had quad reattachment surgery.

 

[Guided_by_Voices]

An inversion table and a lumbar extender both helped my back tremendously, but I know other people who have tried them without success. They are both fairly cheap and may be worth a try. The regenexx stem cell people seem to be quite knowledgeable on back issues in general and may be worth consulting with even if stem cells are not recommended. Anyone contemplating major surgery should spend time with some people who had the same surgery and were damaged by it in order to get a good perspective on the risk/reward. One of the major things I learned when I had my back issues (besides the importance of stopping the things which trigger the problem and letting it heal) was that diagnosis from imaging is notoriously unreliable and many doctors will see a problem on an image and assume it is the problem when in fact it is not. This is also apparently a major issue with meniscus tears as well.

 

[Deleted member 43589]

Yea, my father had similar issues to what I have and had surgery at about 78 years old. He never recovered from it and died a few year afterwards.

 

[bonder]

I've had chronic back pain for a decade now, and I hear you on the "It's in your head" thing. My GP has always believed me, because I turned up at the surgery the day after my injury, and could barely move. I'm very lucky. However, the facilitator of my group therapy group clearly thinks that it's all in my head, as does my NHS care coordinator (for psych stuff). So frustrating!

There are some people who feel pain for psychological reasons, but so what? It still hurts! What's more likely, however, is that you're suffering from central sensitisation or peripheral sensitisation. Look 'em up. Fascinating stuff, and it explains so much.

Basically, central s. is when the central nervous system has become extremely sensitive to signals from nerves, so things that wouldn't hurt other people get magnified by our nervous system, and hurt a LOT. Basically, it's like someone has turned the volume on our nervous system up to 11.

Peripheral s. is when the nerves that transmit signals to the central nervous system become oversensitive. Even the littlest thing causes those nerves to send a "THERE'S SOMETHING BAD GOING ON" message to the CNS, which the brain translates into pain.

If you're really lucky, you can develop both of these things!
There isn't a cure for sensitisation yet, but research is ongoing.

Another interesting thing: emotions affect your pain. Anxiety, stress, anger, depression, etc. "turn up the volume" on the pain, while "love, happiness, excitement, etc. "turn down the volume".

 

[Deleted member 43589]

I agree with you 100% bonder. This pain I have is definitely not in my head. I wish it was because it would be easy to overcome. My back hurts 24/7. If its not my back it is both shoulders and my left knee. I can hardly lift my right leg because the low back pain is excruciating. Dropping something on the floor makes me angry because I know the pain in picking it up. In my case, my pain level affects my emotions. I am a pretty mentally tough person and my pain threshold is very high. When I say something hurts, 99% of the people could not go through life with what I feel. I just look forward to the day a solution comes around to solve this. But psychology is not a real solution, this is not psychosomatic and I refuse to take any kind of opioid.

 

[andrewBwinter]

I agree with you 100% bonder. This pain I have is definitely not in my head. I wish it was because it would be easy to overcome. My back hurts 24/7. If its not my back it is both shoulders and my left knee. I can hardly lift my right leg because the low back pain is excruciating. Dropping something on the floor makes me angry because I know the pain in picking it up. In my case, my pain level affects my emotions. I am a pretty mentally tough person and my pain threshold is very high. When I say something hurts, 99% of the people could not go through life with what I feel. I just look forward to the day a solution comes around to solve this. But psychology is not a real solution, this is not psychosomatic and I refuse to take any kind of opioid.

@BigTex I found this book to be extremely effective for managing my low back pain from lifting heavy. It provides steps for simple self assessment and the theory is super simple. Daily motion contributes a lot to aggravation of existing conditions.

Powerlifter Brian Carroll considered killing himself due to his low back pain and now he collaborates with Stu. I have three of Stu's books and they are all beneficial.

Maybe start with this one:

Amazon.ca

 

[Deleted member 43589]

Tell you a story @andrewBwinter.....much of these problems are old age and genetics. My father had surgery at 79 for low back problems similar to mine. His osteoarthritis had gotten so bad the vertebrae were crumbling. My brother had it at a much younger age. He was completely disabled and we constantly fed Opioids. My dad never recovered from the surgery and eventually died my brother was not only addicted to opioids but had also become an alcoholic trying to mask the pain. He eventually committed suicide and died the year after my dad died. I have much more pain that either of them had as my knee, and both shoulders are also in pain. My doctors are completely amazed that I was ever able to powerlift much less continue lifting up until today. They are also amazed that I have tolerated the pain this long. I had to retire from my job as a football coach because I could no longer tolerate standing up for so many hours, It got where I could hardly make it through a football game so they put me in the booth. I will look at the book but not so positive that there is much that can be done. One of my doctors suggested I take tramadol but I quickly turned this down. I am pretty much dead against surgery of any kind. I cant take aspirin which seem to be cutting some of the hard pain because I am now on Eliquise (blood thinner). Tried some Tylenol arthritis strength last night and it seemed to help some but it is pretty harsh on the liver. So I am running out of options. So far in my life pain is something I have learned to live with. Anyway, thanks for your suggestion.