I suppose that aches and pains go side by side with ageing. We can expect a certain amount of discomfort as we advance in years.
I've suffered from back pain for many years, but a recent 'flare-up' sent me for essential afternoon siestas, on the hope that lying still might prove to suppress it; it didn't. Getting off the bed again was even more painful and drawn-out. There seemed to be no escape.
I took pills when the pain became severe; they didn't work. I went on even longer walks than usual, hoping that exercise might help; it didn't. I swam twice my usual number of lengths, hoping that cold water might numb the pain; no luck there either.
So, I just have to accept that I'll probably be in some pain for the rest of my life. Hopefully it will be of the mild variety, but no doubt sprinkled with occasional bouts of severe.
My problems are of no importance in comparison with many, and I really shouldn't complain, but it has become something that I really wasn't expecting to accompany my dotage, and I find it more depressing than debilitating!
In my case it's all probably my own bloody fault. All those years of 'bravado', lifting ridiculously heavy stones (when I worked as a stone cutter) have taken their toll.
"Pain is no laughing matter".
Last year I suffered six months of back pain but slowly it got betterwith just an occasional stab now and some stiffness. Walking really seem to help my back, as did the physiotherapist prescribed exercises, which only took a minute or two each day. I am now very wary about the way I move when I am doing anything a bit different to normal. That is always being braced so any strain does not go to the back.
ReplyDeleteI am also very conscious of not making sudden movements, etc. You never know what will trigger a spasm. I found 'touching my toes' several times helped relieve my everyday backache, but it doesn't help with the more piercing pain.
DeleteI have a constant dull ache in my back from a fall about 4 years ago. Visits to the chiropractor seem to help but not my wallet! At 35 I hoped to be more together than I am!
ReplyDeleteNot good for a 35 year old, at least my troubles stated at almost twice that.
DeleteLike many people in our age group I have intermittent back pain flare ups. I use my Leki walking sticks in an effort to realign everything. Yesterday I walked 3 laps of the local park using the sticks, about 5 km, which seemed to help a little bit. I'm thinking of doing some sessions on the exercise bicycle which has been gathering dust in the corner for sometime now. It is also a symmetrical exercise. It is just my theory that much back pain stems from years of imbalance due to favoring one side over the other, e.g. driving.
ReplyDeleteKeeping active certainly helps things from getting worse. Normally I don't stop all day long, but occasionally the pain can put a stop to everything. My car tends to make me twist my body a bit; can't be good!
DeleteNext time you're in town observe when you walk behind elderly people, with women in summer it's easier to observe, that many have one shoulder lower than the other, resulting from years always carrying stuff and always using the same arm for daily tasks, the right usually.
DeleteFrom my personal experience, my back pain one day disappears, and I wish you that they will also disappear for ever.
ReplyDeleteIf I had a magic wand, I know what I'd wish for!
DeleteWe both find that using an Inversion Table helps. We also go to the Osteopath. Have you had an x-ray to find out the cause?
ReplyDeleteI'd rather not know; I just try to cope with it.
DeleteBack pain is an extra pain, being invisible.
ReplyDeleteYes, rather like knee pain.
DeleteHow familiar that sounds.
ReplyDeleteMy wife suffers from spondylitis, and has been a wheelchair user for about 8 years, she rarely gets out of bed now, and takes heavy duty pain-killers constantly. So I would feel so wimpish complaining of my relatively minor aches and pains
You make me realise that I really shouldn't complain; my pain is relatively minor.
DeleteHave you tried seeing a physiotherapist for some exercises that might actually hit the spot ?
ReplyDeleteNo, but I do have certain exercises that work quite well with my lower back pains. the rest arrive so rarely that I don't bother.
DeleteYes, it helps to remember there are people worse off than ourselves but it doesn't stop the pain, it just helps us feel less sorry for ourselves. Hope you find some relief soon.
ReplyDeleteI'm OK at the moment, thanks, but I know it'll come back again. I have to be philosophical.
DeleteWe weren't really designed for walking around with anything over the regulation 25kg, but in the stone world you were expected to at leat double that. I took silly pride in tripling it, and am now paying the price. Arthritis is the megaphone.
ReplyDeleteWe did mostly domestic work. Windows, fireplaces, arches, etc. With no mechanical lifting devices, everything was lifted by hand. Stupid really.
DeleteThe problem is that many pains are not visible but are very debilitating. I've been fortunate. I have had back pain intermittently since moving a filing cabinet over 40 years ago. However a visit to the physio or chiropractor usually solves it (although I was unable to get out of bed on one occasion which was scary). For those who soldier on despite suffering constant pain or nerve-related conditions and who are in constant pain, I have nothing but admiration.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how easy it can be to cause quite serious back pain. Bravado should be avoided.
DeleteI have periods like this Cro but I have a brilliant Physio and I visit her every six weeks whether I need to or not. She keeps both knees and my bad ankle bearable so that I can still walk and she always give my back a going over and tells me to keep doing the exercises she gives me.
ReplyDeleteWe fellas tend to avoid such people, even though we know it might help. In my own case I try to keep as active as possible (I've just been swimming), and do certain exercises that I know helps.
DeleteI ignore mild pain and do like you, exercise, keep moving, and OTC meds. Bad pain, I cannot ignore, and I seek professional help. Most times, it helps, and I wonder later why I put it off.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right. PLay it by ear!
DeleteI hurt my back lifing my little daughter up to say hello to a horse. 20 odd years later, I have learned what I can and cannot do. I have however taken up gentle yoga in a small group of likeminded middle aged ladies! Has worked out well for me - also sorted out sciatica and a slight gippy hip.
ReplyDeleteI think we all work out what's best for our 'pains'. I find plenty of exercise, and touching my toes several times, seems to keep the worst at bay. I hope it lasts.
DeleteNursing wrecked my back. Bigger and bigger patients 250-350 pounds her in the US is the new "normal". Left nursing, took up full time homesteading and lost weight myself. For me-diet has helped tremendously. I did the route of narcotic pain meds, what a flippin" mess! Now my medicine is food. Good food. Tumeric, ginger, apple cider vinegar, and the elimination of corn syrup and other sugars except honey. And Jameson every evening. I'm no nun! I hope you feel better soon Cro!!
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