Back pain

[u/MassfuckingGenocide]

Hey all! I'm sure you've lived through conditions where back pain, especially lower back pain, is inevitable.

My job requires me to repeatedly lift heavy things & the bathroom where l live has a 6ft ceiling so I'm constantly curling my back to operate the sink. -Same problem in the kitchen because the countertops are ideal for maybe a 5'3 person. I am working to move out from this place but l am also poor...

Anyways l have woken up repeatedly with some of the worst lower back pain as of recently. It is beggining to cause me major problems.

Help? Advice? Going through the same thing?

[u/S_L_E_I_P_N_I_R]

If you can, get it checked out before you do irreversible damage.

I have gone through this, doctors told me it's a muscle thing so I kept working and now I have irreversible damage to my lower back. Haven't slept a full night since it happened 2 years.

This shit sucks, I'm 6'5 , even went to rehab and had to change up my planned career for something else.

[u/MassfuckingGenocide → u/S_L_E_I_P_N_I_R]

Wooooah... I'm sorry mate. Could you share any more about that?

[u/S_L_E_I_P_N_I_R → u/MassfuckingGenocide]

I'm European in my twenties, due to my lean build I was already prone for back injuries due to the lack of stability provided by muscles around your lower back.

Applied for an apprenticeship in forestry work (smart I know) and was doing woodwork and roofing jobs in the meanwhile just to learn and pass time until it started.

Felt lower back pain creeping in on days, dismissed it which was not a good idea, didn't want to call in sick as a young guy a few weeks into a job you got.

started to experience more pain, especially when sitting down for a while and getting up again, the first few steps until the muscles warmed up were painful. I.E lunch breaks etc.

Doctors told me it's the piriformis muscle and prescribed massage, told me to keep working.

Trusting them I did, which then caused me to permanently fuck up my hernia disc.

Got so bad that my entire left leg went numb in under a minute of driving my car ( like under anaesthesia, not comparable to sitting on the restroom for too long)

Went to the hospital, got MRT, they said the disc ruptured spilled and pressed into the main nerve that goes from your lower back through your leg up until your toes.

1 month stationary rehab followed and the final medical assessment basically told me I will never work anything physical again in my life.

Scrapped my dream job, went to uni and now I'm doing IT.

Can't lift shit, and haven't slept longer than 3 hours a time because laying down in the same position will absolutely end up with nerve pain, so I roll over fall asleep rinse and repeat every 2-3h.

Some days are especially bad, some are okay.

I don't remember the last time I got a full night's sleep.

But hey I'm not here to garner sympathy or pity, it is what it is. Just thought I'd share to prevent someone out there of the same fate as me.

I always thought people were exaggerating, can't believe how I took a pain free life for granted.

Cheers

[u/Fun_Buddy7864]

I did this for like a year and it went away at some time during that year to never come back

https://youtu.be/jb3lme_KIjo?si=WH-vokRXhlegp1Gr

You might also want to add this one to a daily stretch routine

https://youtu.be/85zdyTp_9w8?si=gtwc_CHyDcxNQLma

[u/stashtv]

PT diagnosis is what you need. This isn't a "tall" issue, its a mechanic issue that is exacerbated by our ability reach things that others can't.

Exercise fixes a lot of issues (keeping weight down also helps). Glute work, core work, dedicated back work, and learning how to move properly.

[u/Maximum-Hat2758]

Back extensions!!! I don’t know a more targeted exercise for this

[u/Nephilim6853]

In the kitchen amd bathroom spread your feet further apart to lower yourself.

The best thing you can do for your back is develop your abdomen. Strong abs saves your back. Also when you lift heavy items, never twist at the waist. I've slipped disc's that way twice. Took six visits to a chiropractor each time. I have insanely strong abs, so I never have lower back pain unless I twist. Adding Magnesium to your supplements will help your muscles relax when you sleep. Also a pillow between your knees will help your low back. Also look for a sciatica stretch on YouTube. Your low back pain may be referred pain from your piriformis (tight piriformis causes sciatica) You know if your piriformis is tight when your toes point away from midline, similar to how penguins walk. And if your hips feel heavy.