Bite my shiny metal ass.

[digitaldiscipline]

On the tumblr, Shinga (whose LJ handle I have inconveniently forgotten - it might just be shinga) was ruminating and lamenting about chronic pain issues. I have, thus far, only had long-term, but not technically chronic, pain from my various injuries, but this last one is a literal pain in my ass - I strained my low back deadlifting last monday.

Having been dealing with intermittent sciatica (because I won’t take “stop picking up heavy shit, you idiot” for an ongoing treatment plan), I understand, if in a limited manner, what chronic pain sufferers going through, and it sucks profoundly. (I am currently getting next to no relief from naproxen/acetomenaphen/aspirin/prednisone, woo - the big-dose ibuprofen and prednisone were from a visit to my PCP on Saturday; she mentioned but did not prescribe a muscle relaxant, and I also got a shot of an NSAID in my ass).

The mindblowing fuckery of whatever I did to myself was really evident yesterday - I could barely walk to and from my car without being stabbed in the leg by invisible knives the entire way, but once I got to my garage, I could pick up 400 pounds. I wonder if there’s something, specifically, about the walking motion that causes whatever is pinching our respective nerves to go acutely fuckshit.

I've scheduled a chiro visit today; I hope the new one I’m going to has one of those powered traction tables with the straps, because that shit has been goddamned miraculous where my own disc issues were concerned, at least so far.)

(Also, considering checking out the used sporting equipment store for an inversion table, because, goddamn, I have been coveting one of those things for years.)

(Summary xpost from tumblr)

Comments

[lizkayl.livejournal.com]

Really hope your new chiro is good to you.

Also, mental image of you strapped down to that table.... *eyebrow waggles*

[etcet.livejournal.com]

He was recommended by a couple coworkers, and his office is a mile from my workplace (so, it'd be walking distance if i could, you know, walk). I'm an informed, body-aware client and have had this (or a similar) injury before; it's been my experience that this is sometimes unusual, but I have no problems being my own advocate in the name of focusing treatment options on the issue at hand and making sure useful steps get taken.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Low back injuries are the worst. You have my sympathies.

[etcet.livejournal.com]

Enh, it is what it is, and hopefully, it'll get better with treatment rather than surgery. but, you know, titanium spine would be cool.

[jola.livejournal.com]

prednisone? why? that shit never did anything for my sciatica and inflammation and it raised hell with my insulin issues. i'm pretty sure that prednisone is the devil in pill form.

acupuncture and pilates helped me, your milage may vary - good luck w/ the chiro!

[etcet.livejournal.com]

very little acupuncture is covered by my health insurance (that's historically been the case IME, anyway) and it didn't have as much benefit as i'd hoped.

i can do (some) yoga and stretching, but it's hit or miss, come-and-go. i think the PCP did the prednisone (it's one of those "take one less pill a day until it's gone" packs) to try and quell the inflammation if that was the culprit, as opposed to a structural issue like a slipped or bulging disc (which is my working theory); i also had something else i saw her about during the same visit, so that prescription was doing double duty, treatment-wise.

[jola.livejournal.com]

yep, totally something you need to taper off. best of luck there, i'm not sure what the best-case-scenario is for you but i can very much relate and you have my sympathy.

[etcet.livejournal.com]

best case? the chiro sees me today and snaps whatever it is back into place five minutes after i finish filling out paperwork. :-)

[mschaos.livejournal.com]

I empathize big time. for my back injury, acupuncture and chiro were what helped the mot in conjunction with PT. and that gets spendy as non of that is covered with my insurance. (PT is, but that takes a while to get sometimes) but it also took getting the right folks to work with. and I don't have that now which makes things complicated

hitting the doc for a new situation with my neck to see what might be up, but I have a feeling that I will be seeing the chiro and massage therapist

hope you get some relief

[arielstarshadow.livejournal.com]

Hope it went well!

[inulro.livejournal.com]

I had chronic shoulder/neck/upper back issues for years (whiplash that was not properly treated will do that to you) and while they annoyed the crap out of me, I got on with things.

Then a few years back one of my lumbar vertebrae decided to slide forward, and suddenly I got how back issues are crippling.

For me the magic bullet was muscle relaxants + osteopath (I thought it was just my spine, turns out the surrounding soft tissue wasn't helping things). Osteopath was expensive but it worked and was a lot cheaper than not being able to work.

[lil-m-moses.livejournal.com]

Chiro was able to adjust my hips/SI joint enough yesterday that, in combination with a gentle CrossFit session in the evening and a spare methacarbomol (sp?) muscle relaxer from a friend, I'm doing MUCH better today. Hope your session is as successful!

[ivy]

Hee, inversion table. It seems like that would be so helpful. [grin] I'm sorry that you've got the crappy recurring pain, of course.

[etcet.livejournal.com]

There are other things going on, and the back thing is beginning to abate. going in monday to review the x-rays to see what the hell's going on.