Crick in your back?

audiobliss

A few years ago I woke up one morning with a crick in my neck. Scared me to DEATH as I had never heard of that before. I had NO idea what was going on. Needless to say it slowly worked itself out over the rest of the day.

Fast forward to this morning. I wake up, and I can barely move at all without some fairly sharp, stop-you-in-your-tracks pain shoots out from the middle of my back (not upper, not lower). My back was bothering me just a little yesterday in the same spot, and now this morning it's like this.

Anybody had a crick in their back? Here's hoping it goes away really soon.

bobman1235

Yup. I was always skeptical of chiropractors, but I gotta say my back feels about a thousand times better now that I go to one once a month.

Face

Pop some ibuprofen, take a hot shower, and relax. It should work itself out.

Some other things to consider, a heating pad to the affected area, and as long as you don't have sensitive skin, capsaicin: http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&safe=off&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS310&resnum=0&q=capsaicin&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=sNyGSvK5J4KJtgfPxNTnDA&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4

Chiropractors can be hit or miss. I always felt worse after going to one, but others, like Bob, swear by them.

treitz3

Yup. Since the year 2001. It still reminds me every once in a while that it's there. Aleve works well sometimes. That and Flexerill [prescription] are the only things that work for me besides a TENS unit [also a prescription].

Sorry to hear of your back pain. IMO, it's the worst pain you can have that you sometimes just can't shake. Best wishes to getting back to 100%. I mean that too.

nikolas812

audiobliss wrote: »

A few years ago I woke up one morning with a crick in my neck. Scared me to DEATH as I had never heard of that before. I had NO idea what was going on. Needless to say it slowly worked itself out over the rest of the day.

Fast forward to this morning. I wake up, and I can barely move at all without some fairly sharp, stop-you-in-your-tracks pain shoots out from the middle of my back (not upper, not lower). My back was bothering me just a little yesterday in the same spot, and now this morning it's like this.

Anybody had a crick in their back? Here's hoping it goes away really soon.

Ironically. This just happened to me for the first time one week ago today. It lasted all week. 7 days. Couldn't believe it.


I did exactly what Face recommended.

I took 4 200mg ibuprofen in the morning and 4 more at lunch. Just so I could work.

Took a hot show in the evening and relaxed...




Nik

audiobliss

Thanks for all the responses, folks. I'm hoping this doesn't become a regular occurrence, so hopefully no chiropractor bills.

nikolas812 - For 7 days straight! Oh gosh, how did you put up with it? That's horrible. Now you've got me worried...

teitz3 - Since 2001? That's not ideal. Thanks for the well-wishes!

I'll definitely be popping some ibuprofen!

F1nut

I'm hoping this doesn't become a regular occurrence

Welcome to getting older. It doesn't stop until you expire.

WilliamM2

teitz3 - Since 2001? That's not ideal. Thanks for the well-wishes!

Not to scare you, but you may want to have it checked out. Mine started in December 2007. Appeared suddenly out of nowhere. Constant stiff neck, likes to lock up about once a week. CAT scan revealed three compressed vertebrae in my neck, probably a result of a bad car accident in 1987. I was told it can take decades for this type of damage to start acting up.

I've been seeking treatment the whole time, physical therapy, spinal manipulation, spinal injections, nothing seems to work for long. Daily stretching has reduced it a little, and may be keeping it from getting worse. The Norco's I've been prescribed work great on the really bad days, but obviously I don't want to take those everyday.

treitz3

I know this won't help you with your pain but it may help put things into perspective.

When you can breathe in and out without effort and pain, when you can offer a gift to the porcelain god without killing yourself, when you can actually sit down on the porcelain god quicker than 3 minute span, when you can sit or stand for more than 5 minutes without the pins sticking your back and when you can still half-**** walk like a normal person?

You are doing good. A back pain can make things you take for granted everyday and make them the hardest thing you have ever had to do before.

treitz3

WilliamM2 wrote: »

Not to scare you, but you may want to have it checked out.

I have, thanks. 3 Botox shots while using a type of "body oscilloscope" did me the most improvement. All I did was the typical lift and twist with a 40 lb. box. [I was used to lifting 80-100 lb. boxes up and over my head for years.] After 30-40 minutes, I tried to lift a piece of paper and that's when I discovered I was in trouble.

3 months later I still had to use a wheelchair on occasion. There's really nothing that triggers it in particular anymore. It's just the common things you do everyday that can trigger a spasm. Sometimes it will be even the lightest of chores while at the same time, lifting a 100 lb speaker to a different location or moving a 80 lb. amplifier is no problem at all.

There's no rhyme or reason to why it happens....it just does. Like Jesse said, it's just part of getting old. For me? Old came a little quicker than expected. A lot of it has to do with family genetics as well. All of the Reitz men have basically the same issues with their backs going back for generations. All of us deal with it in different ways and there is no "one" magic thing to correct the issues.

WilliamM2

I have, thanks.

Sorry, that was actually intended for Audiobliss.

Does sound like you have a much worse situation than I do, sorry to hear that. In my case the pain isn't that severe very often, it's just very annoying that it never completely goes away. It's also causing a constant ache in my shoulders. I am still able to go to work each day, and get everything I need to done, so I'm thankful for that. It does affect one of my hobbies though, I had planned to go motorcycle riding today, but woke up with a very stiff neck this morning, maybe tomorrow.

They do tell me that surgery is an option, but with a dismal 15% success rate, and a 25% rate on the second try, it may only make things worse. I will avoid that unless it becomes debilitating.

Face

Another gimp here. 2 herniated disks, 2 bulging disks, some narrowing of the spine, and an impinged nerve. Fortunately, after almost 2 years of physical therapy, I'm almost back to normal.

Willow

treitz3 wrote: »

I know this won't help you with your pain but it may help put things into perspective.

When you can breathe in and out without effort and pain, when you can offer a gift to the porcelain god without killing yourself, when you can actually sit down on the porcelain god quicker than 3 minute span, when you can sit or stand for more than 5 minutes without the pins sticking your back and when you can still half-**** walk like a normal person?

You are doing good. A back pain can make things you take for granted everyday and make them the hardest thing you have ever had to do before.

Don't I know it. After having had 2 lower back surgeries. I remember barley making it to the bathroom (no not pissing or crapping myself) but in terms of pain. I hurt so much I couldn't even stand up to pee I had to sit. That would then make me have nasty spasms in my left leg if I sat too long.

I hope you get your back issue worked out as others have mentioned, your back controls everything.

George Grand

You're getting old man, that's all.

I was as fit as a fiddle up to the age of 38. Then I blew out my first kidney stone, and it was all uphill after that. I'm 56 now. I had to have another kidney stone smashed with ultrasound (lithotripsy) a couple years after that. I fell asleep in that tub of warm water while they had my **** all anesthesized up and blasted away at that thing. They didn't get me jacked up enough the first time, and when the doc blasted away on a test run, it felt like somebody was banging me in the back with a hammer. They jacked me up a little more and that's when I fell asleep in the tub. A first for them they said (falling asleep). Anyhow, just because you're all grogged up and it doesn't hurt (not enough to keep you awake), doesn't mean it's not wacking the snot out of your body. I whizzed blood & sand for a couple days after that. I am convinced ultrasound isn't the greatest thing in the world for the body. I read an article that equated every smash from the machine to getting hit by a .45 caliber bullet.

Sleeping the wrong way will put that kink or crick in your neck. Getting old puts it in your back. A suddenly kinked or twisted nerve in my mid to upper back is the problem I thought I had when my heart exploded last year. Didn't really hurt, just felt uncomfortable.

jimmydep

Geroge, you better start taking better care of youreslf.....we CAN'T afford to lose you!!!

treitz3

"Can't" is what he [jimmydep] meant folks. George is good folk.

tonyb

Just a crick in the back?? Hell,nuthin a naked asian woman,barefooted,couldn't take care of.That aside,my backs been shot for years,had to do with a bet I stupidly made about lifting,lugging around 40,000 pounds worth of manhole frames and covers in an 8 hour period.Yeah,I won the bet,but the price is being payed every day.Back surgery scares the crap out of me though they have this new stuff,flexable titanium,to repair disks in the back that have seen better days.Sounds interesting.But just a crick....go the asian naked woman route,pure heaven.:)

audiobliss

I had forgotten we have so many members here with serious back pain; perhaps I should have clarified my condition a little more in my first post.

When I woke up this morning, it was what I'd call pretty bad. It hurt to move anything very much, and would instantly take my breath away and make my abs tighten up. However, by the time I got up from the computer after making my post (sitting around for about 20 minutes), it had loosened up quite a bit. Still reminding me upon a few moves that I'm not allowed to do that or stretch that way. However, it has for the most part left me alone. I've been out all day, moving just fine 99% of the time.

I guess it was more of a "holy crap what's going on, please don't let this be an omen already. I'm just 21 for gosh sakes!" kinda thing when I woke up this morning.

I appreciate all the concern and advice shared in this thread. I also have a new appreciation for even my limited range of movements after reading some of the posts. And with that appreciation comes a more motivated commitment to do all I can to take care of this wonderful body I have, hopefully prolonging a good state of health as long as possible.

My condolences to those of you who suffer with a much worse condition every single day. May you find the patience to deal with the suffering and the positive aspects of life to make it worth the effort.

hearingimpared

You are a riot Gus.

BIZILL

crack that back. or come to find out like me, you got yerself a mild case of scoliosis.

wizzy

Just be careful with pain meds. They can encourage you to ignore a problem.

If you need them for the pain then go for it, but don't let the lack of pain after using them encourage you to do things you shouldn't be doing with a crick.

apphd

Keiko wrote: »

x3
EDIT:
Ah hell kid. You prolly just pulled a muscle whackin' off is all. Go the naked Asian route for at least the next 15 years. And stop playing with yourself, unless you wanna go blind.

This might be the quote of the year for me. LOL :D

Thanks! I needed that.

thsmith

Try ice for 20 minutes on the area that hurts and some advil. Try the ice pack 3 times. If this does not realize the pain go to the doctor.

cfrizz

I hope you feel better soon.

cnh

Age definitely a factor...I'm stiff every morning for about 15 minutes...Chest X-rays so some degenerative arthritis in spine...

Like WilliamM2 above I walked away from a serious car accident 21 years ago...no pings yet...fingers crossed...but my neck can get thrown out of wack once in a while.

I'd be careful popping too many Ibuprofen if you have any heart or hypertension problems?

Chiropractic work....find a good one! My father-in-law was almost crippled and told by a number of medical experts that he NEEDED an operation that wouldn't necessarily resolve the problem and could leave him in a wheel chair.

He lives in the Chicago area, so his daughter took him to the Dr. for the Chicago Bears.

2 months later...he's walking aroiund on his own and while not perfect, feels better than he has for over a decade?

Subtle adjustments and lots of soft-tissue massage...worked wonders!

cnh

treitz3

cnh wrote: »

...I'm stiff every morning for about 15 minutes...

Good Gawd man, TMI....TMI......

:eek:

raidersrule76

I also know what its like with the back pain. 3 months ago I found out that i have a herniated disc and several not just one or two but several bulging discs. I wake up every morning in pain and go to bed every night the same way. I have tried the advil and such with no luck nothing seems to take the pain away I am just worried about perscription meds because of that fact that nothing else works. So I wish you the best of luck with it but you are you enough that it should work it self out rather quickly.


mark

Willow

audiobliss wrote: »

A few years ago I woke up one morning with a crick in my neck. Scared me to DEATH as I had never heard of that before. I had NO idea what was going on. Needless to say it slowly worked itself out over the rest of the day.

Fast forward to this morning. I wake up, and I can barely move at all without some fairly sharp, stop-you-in-your-tracks pain shoots out from the middle of my back (not upper, not lower). My back was bothering me just a little yesterday in the same spot, and now this morning it's like this.

Anybody had a crick in their back? Here's hoping it goes away really soon.

How are you feeling after the weekend? any better?

audiobliss

Thanks to all for the continued input and advice. I'm definitely 99% back to normal. Apparently I slept 'right' on my back the last two nights, and it's just been getting better. If I twist just right I can feel a little tight spot, but it doesn't even hurt anymore when I do that. I imagine either later today or tomorrow I'll be 100% again.

Thanks again to all!

treitz3

audiobliss wrote: »

I imagine either later today or tomorrow I'll be 100% again.

Glad to hear that.

audiobliss

Now I'm confused. My back never got to 100% yesterday, but was still very close. Was very close all night last night. It wasn't perfect, but never bothered me with tossing and turning, either. Didn't bother me when I got up an hour ago. But now it's basically back to how it was when I first woke up with it.

I just took some more ibuprofen, and I fully expect it to loosen up today and be fine again, but I really wish I knew what was triggering it.