Injured my lower back...any advice?

[johnnylightning]

Hey guys, wondered if anyone has had a similar injury and what you did to rehab it and how long your recovery was. I was loading my girlfriend's monster Saint Bernard into the back of my truck the other day to take him to the vet. He put his front legs up in the truck, and I just scooped his back end up and lifted him into the truck. One problem, this dog weighs about 200lbs and when I did it, I immediately started feeling pain in the lower lumbar portion of my back. It's been 3 days and I can't really tell it's gotten any better. Surely i didn't herniate a damn disc, but I dunno? It is difficult to walk normally sometimes, and then sometimes it feels a little better. But right now, as it is, I can't do shit...just lay around and try to wait it out. What would ya'll recommend? Should I try a chiropractor or go straight to a doctor and MRI? I want this fixed soon...I start medical school Aug 21 and don't want to be dealing with this crap. Thanks!

 

[Noxious]

I had a similar problem with my lower back last summer as a result of just wear & tear. Mine wasn't a herniated disc or anything,just a muscular problem.

I walked/gimped around for almost 5 months in discomfort before I took 3 trips to physio and had it worked on and was shown some stretches. Since then I've had almost no problems.

 

[slyfalcon]

go see the doc. back is nothing to mess around with.

 

[roccodart440]

Chiro and anti inflamatory (ibu's) 1hr before bed for 3-4 days. Start with 800 mg then taper 200 per day.

Inversion

Proiper sleep posture.

 

[inked1]

or physio

theres a number of possibilities, from muscle strain to disc problems. try and keep active and get it checked out

 

[AngryMuscles]

massages

 

[Ponderosa]

Sounds like you're young and you didn't mention a prior injury. I've had them all. In your case, I would recommend the following:

Rest. Sleep on the floor, preferably on your back with your legs raised. Ice the hell out of it. Take Aleve (at least 220mg 3x per day for at least 7 days). As you start to feel better, stretch it after taking a hot shower. No sex. No lifting heavy dogs.

To prevent this in the future: strengthen your mid-torso, upper legs, etc. And get the dog on a diet.

 

[DocJ]

If you're not having any radiating pain into your legs or numbness/tingling, it's doubtful that you have a disc problem.

 

[Who is Mike Jones?]

Chiro and anti inflamatory (ibu's) 1hr before bed for 3-4 days. Start with 800 mg then taper 200 per day.

Inversion

Proiper sleep posture.

fuckin chiro worked wonders. He had this ultrasound machine he used over the muscle. Machine had me feeling better after about a half hour treatment.

 

[getfitdoc]

lower back traction with bands

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1105903