My back hurts so f**king bad

I've struggled with lower back pain since effing high school lol. Basketball, Squats, anything involving that particular up-down movement kills me every once in a while. Sucks.

2 Motrin 2-3 times a day for a month with no exercise will clear it up.

Originally Posted by Brian SD

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Do you think low impact excercise, like jogging or eliptical machines will help?
[...]

Not a bad idea. jogging that is. Whenever I throw out my back (happens about 2-3 times a year), I like to go for a little run.
The theory is that the thousands of small impacts help shake up and unpinch whatever is pinched and/or cramped up.
I usually recover faster than if I'd sat on my butt all the time instead.

I would advise against any weight exercise that stresses the lower back and probably also the upper back.
Actually I wouldn't do any weights at all until you are pain-free as pretty much anything uses the lower back for stabilization.

Of course, everybody is different, and if soccer hurts you, running may not be for you, either.
Nobody has ever died from just taking time off from training for two weeks. That just might do it for you. Then when you go back in, start with 50% of your previous weights, just to get a feel. Then you can try 75% next time, and move up in 5-10% steps until you're back in business.

I'm not a doctor but I play one on the Internets...

i would not life for 5-10 days and take high dose NSAID for 3-4 days.

Originally Posted by thekunk07

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i would not life for 5-10 days and take high dose NSAID for 3-4 days.
+1

I'd try some hot baths with epson salt too.

Does the pain feel different from normal pain? Any referred pain, or is it all in your back?

I herniated a disc while deadlifting and it was spectacularly obvious that someone very bad had happened. Had electric pain and numbness down my leg, which went away and came back a few days later. Within five days of the injury I couldn't move one of my feet and had pretty much continuous sciatic nerve, groin, and hip pain. Ended up having to have surgery to fix it. Nerve pain is very different from usual pain, basically impossible to ignore. Anyone that can gut through nerve pain is some kind of hero (and I've competed on a broken foot).

Hot baths with epson salt, one of those high power shower heads work well to. When my back hurts or I'm sore somewhere, I usually go through a workout thats about 45 minutes of stretching. I wouldnt lift for about 2 weeks, just sretching and light cardio.

Have you tried stretching your hips, quads, glutes and hamstrings?

Advil liquid gel (or some other type of pill... I'm not a fan of prescription muscle relaxers though)
Stretching (not just your back, but your legs, neck, etc, etc)
Myoflex/tiger balm etc
Alternating warm and hot compresses
Weed before going to bed if it hurts to lay down

And obviously, avoid doing exercise for a little while.

^^ Not a doctor, just a hockey player who's been hurt enough times to know how to cure himself.

Chiropractors are great too. I had a severely pinched nerve in college from powerlifting heavy multiple times a week. Find one that is an athletic trainer too. It fixed me right up.

Originally Posted by Rikkar501

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Foam rolling helps my back when it's really tight from deadlifting.

This. Ample stretching. And when it just won't budge, Chiro.

Worst cast scenario: try Acupuncture.

I had severe lower back pain, tried chiro, tried kinesiologist, nothing worked. On top of that, I hated needles.

Eventually I was just like "eff that, I'll try anything" and ended up trying acupuncture which reduced the pain by about 50% just on the first session.

I came back every day (ended up costing quite a bit) for a month and now my back's almost back to normal.

When I herniated a disk (@ 22 ), I was told to get a medicine ball, since your back/disks don't get much blood-flow because of the compression. Light bouncing on a medicine ball pumps your disks/gets the blood flowing to your back. Foam rolling helps a lot too. May help a bit. Agreed on the tiger balm + aleve, tylenol, etc. When I could hardly move around, I just took a hot shower, and was usually loose enough after that to do a little stretching/exercise.

Muscle relaxers probably not worth it. Took Flexeril/Cyclobenzaprine, felt like it did nothing.

Lots of advice. Thanks all