Mrs k_e would say it's because "I'm never off it" (har de har) but every now and then my lower back gypes me up and I'm paralysed for a few days.

This time, IIRC, it began when leaning over my workbench doing repairs all day, combined with kneeling/stretching over the fireplace to render the walls. I can barely get myself upright at all now.... so, do you take pain killers and 'work your way through it' or take to the bed and 'rest til it's better'?

The advice is plenty, mostly contradictory and some is downright ludicrous but I bet I'm not the only one to suffer - DIYers (and Pro's) must come across this a LOT so what is YOUR recommended method to get over it?

BTW, three paracetemol PLUS a Naproxim AND a Dichlofenac tablet and I'm still in agony......

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This post may contain nuts

Dave,
I had inflamed tendons on both knees when we flew to Canada and the long flight did them no good at all. The Pharmacist over there recommended Voltarol Emulgel and Co-codomol Effervesent tablets. Worked a treat and the Volterol does not smell bad at all, not like deep heat etc.
Got home and went to the Doctors here to see what they said and guess what he prescribed. Didn't mind because I get free prescriptions so I just got an extra lot. Comes in handy if they start playing up again. At least I know they work.

dave

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You can always tell a Yorkshireman,
But you cannot tell him much.

Dave, (didn't know that was your name).

Acupuncture works for me. Also, for short term relief 'Deep Freeze' cold spray £3.00 from Tesco works wonders!

SSM

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Measure twice, cut once!

I get minor back ache now and then from twisting or reaching to the side a lot. Bit of heat rub once in a blue moon is all i bother with. First thing in the morning is worse, once ive stretched a few time it loosens up and all is fine.

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Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety one?

Everyone will need a different approach to something like this, but when you're self-employed there's very little you can do except work through it if it's possible, just be very careful you don't make it worse, the pain is there for a reason, blocking it out can tempt you to over-do it.

Ibuprofen works best for me, it's an anti-inflammatory as well as a painkiller, and I also use the hot rub on stuff, I can often tell how bad it is by how hot that gets, when it's really bad I can feel no heat at all.

For more long term protection sort out some exercises to strengthen the muscles in your stomach, they will give assistance and support to the lower back muscles when required.

(Touch wood): I've not had any problems for quite some time now, but a big pair of garage doors to hang tomorrow could sort that out.

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One day it will all be firewood.

I get backache too, from sitting on my arse all day in the site office

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Measure twice, cut once!

The 3 een's work for me Dosage as follows
1 strong cup of Caffene
2 codene and 2 Ibrufen taken together
3 doses of Niccotene

usualy take a 30 minute break with the above and it settles down for a few hours

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Half a gram of charlie would do the trick too

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Measure twice, cut once!

There are only a handful of things which work for my back when it flares up, one I'm not going to mention because it's not strictly recommended officially by doctors although it has been prescribed by certain specialists to certain individuals.
But I've tried all kinds of things, paracetemol, asprin, ibuprofen, naproxen, co codamol, maloxecam, gabbapentin, diclofenac, piroxicam, felbinac, citalopram, durogesic patches, oxycontin, deep heat, hot and cold compresses, massage, accupuncture, yoga, a vast array of excercises and some chinese crap from a herbal shop.
Yet to find anything which even half works, except for what a doctor recommended to me off the record which sort of works.
After numerous scans and tests, and more diagnosis than I can count on all my fingers and toes, I give up trying to get a definitive answer and even bothering with the prescriptions they gave me, the only things that did work on prescription were highly addictive and harmful so I didn't like taking them.

Anything which does work makes me unable to work safely though, so I tend to work through the pain as long as I can then I am forced to take it easy.
Being 20, it makes me wonder what I'm gonna be like at 40.

It can be muscle spasm or a badly seating disc that has pinched a nerve. When you bend over for long periods the muscle fibres get stretched and they do not contract as quickly as they should as you straighten up getting bunched and causing pain. Sometimes you can twist while bending and cause a disc (usually L4) to seat badly as you straighten up and again the result is pain.

If you can stand it, lie on your back and slowly pull both knees up your chest. Hold for a count of ten and slowly lower them. Repeat a few times and with luck everything will drop back in.

Ibuprofen is best as it reduces inflammation.

DWD

Some sound suggestions there - thanks all.

The Voltarol (dave.m) solution - IIRC that stuff actually has diclofenac as the primary ingredient (a muscle relaxant) so the tablets I take 'should' work better - they don't work 'that well'.....

On one occasion I fell to the floor as movement in any direction was so painful I couldn't stand. I was immobile for about half an hour with a distraught Mrs k_e as she could see/hear me in HUGE distress and was unable to do anything for me. It almost led to an ambulance call out as I was just 'stuck' and in extreme agony.

Today's pain was relieved eventually overnight but now, sat at the PC, I'm tightening up again and the diclofenac is again useless. Yes, I've got a doctors appointment but it's pretty useless trying to get one on-spec these days....

@SSM - accupuncture nahhhhhh, I'm in enough pain already! Seriously though, it's probably a good idea but not something I could self-inflict when I needed it and swallowing needles wouldn't work either

'Normal' (over the counter) painkillers are useless - either they aren't strong enough or I'm too big to allow for a safe dose to have any effect. Painkillers (even Naproxen) don't do much - if charlie was available on the NHS then....... meh.... never used the stuff but you CAN get desperate enough

Obviously the 'need' is due to self-employment and the greatest fear of that profession, NO WORK!!!! I've cancelled two jobs this morning already but I'm hoping the Doc's will give me a decent 'get-by' prescription iin a day or so.

Damn this old age......

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This post may contain nuts

My lower back goes into spasm once or twice a year and usually takes about 5 days to sort out. Only lost 2 days work in the past 4 years as (like most S/E) can't afford not to work!

800mg Ibuprofen 3 times a day with a couple of paracetamol at night (not everyones OK with Ibuprofen but my stomach seems to be bulletproof - years of Guinness & Curry abuse are testament to that)). Tried some of those Voltarol heat pads recently, just peel and stick to affected area and keeps warm for about 10 hours - I can recommend those.

But, most important try and avoid sitting down for any length of time, lying or standing are the only ways to sort a back.

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There are no problems - only solutions

After being laid up in bed for 4 days in July and suffering with lower back pain for most of this year, I went to see a local osteopath and he diagnosed a misalignement in my sacriliac joints, sounded a bit wishy washy to me but I let him do his stuff, he did a lot of manipulation which gave me a different kind of pain for a few days but when I left his premises, I was able to drive home and felt comfortable in the car for the first time in about 2 years. I have had another 2 sessions with him since as the symptoms creeped back to a certain extend after about 3 or 4 days but he said that was to be expected and it seems to have settled right down now.

When the sacriliac joints go out of alignment, it often causes the rest of your spine to also go out of alignment and when he was checking me over, he found another 3 discs that were inflamed which he fixed as well.

I wouldn't hesitate to go and see your local osteopath, beats taking all the ibuprofen etc.. that I was taking.


Cheers, John