MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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Taking advantage of the collective wisdom of the STW Massive again.
Mother-in-law is 80 and is generally relatively fit and able, particularly after undergoing cancer treatment last year - all good.
However, she is suffering from back pain - no idea if muscular or skeletal, albeit she did say caused by moving a seat many weeks ago.
I'd really like to help her get to the root cause and reduce the discomfort she currently feels. GP surgery prescribed pain killers plus telephone physio appt so far.
There are a number of places locally which suggest they can assist with back issues, but, given her age, potentially not able to 'manipulate' as easily as a younger more flexible person. My thought was any place which had access to diagnostic equipment - x-ray, ultrasound, etc may be a good starting point.
I sense calling and discussing with them the issue and also potential age factor would be a good start, but any benefit in focusing on places which have diagnostic equipment - ultrasound, x-ray, etc. Or, is the knowledge and experience of the practitioners equally good?
Thanks in advance.
Do not have her do any manipulation without proper diagnosis from a medical professional. Its dangerous enough in a young person but a woman of her age could well have degenerative issues and / or osteoporosis. do NOT go to a quack even if they have imaging equipment. thats just advanced quackery. She needs to see a gp and discuss it with them first if she wants to go down that road
the vast majority of back pain settles within a couple of weeks hence painkillers and keep moving is the first line recommended treatment
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/back-pain/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/osteoporosis/
albeit she did say caused by moving a seat many weeks ago.
Therein lies a possible culprit! Years ago I was at one end of a right-angled desk I was helping move out of a room with a glass partition and a door, I found myself caught behind the open door, and twisted to get out of the way. Dumb, dumber, dumbest! I felt something go, and then the most excruciating pain, I had to lie on my back for half an hour, I just couldn’t move. I’d apparently gone a really horrid colour. I can go for ages and not notice it, but it can come back just by standing around not moving much or by making an ill-advised movement. A couple of ibuprofen is usually all I need, or occasionally a Zapain/Co-Codamol. Once damaged, it can never really be repaired, especially when you get older, as I’m now finding. 😣
GP surgery prescribed pain killers plus telephone physio appt so far
Physios are pretty good at this sort of thing. Scans unlikely to add anything of value unless otherwise indicated
I’d say painkillers and taking it steady for a while until the pain recedes - that’s just my experience but I guess is unlikely to do any harm if it doesn’t work. Although a lot younger manipulation never worked for me and my feeling is it may have made it worse. My back only got substantially better when I stopped going to the chiropractor and had some gentle physio. Generally I find it fine now provided I am aware when lifting or twisting (famous last words!).
Physios are pretty good at this sort of thing.
I would echo this comment, find a decent physio.
My experience was that my private physio had a poke about and said "too risky". My private Chiropractic did similar. The NHS physio who I got sent to while waiting for the MRI results gave me some stretches to do (which I didn't do) that the surgeon who operated on me reckoned could have left me wearing a nappy for life.
As someone sang: 2 out of 3 ain't bad
she did say caused by moving a seat many weeks ago.
The moment that back pain flares up isn't usually the cause, as I understand it - just a trigger. Hence some people put their back out by sneezing, or in my case bending over to pick something off the passenger seat of a car.
As others have said, I'd avoid chiropractors and stuff and concentrate on recovery and then increasing movement / exercise to help prevent a recurrence.
But I'm not a clinician or anything, so just throw that in the pot with the other ideas.
This is bread and butter work for a physi condition and age of patient. For me the life style advice on bed and sitting was as useful the exercises
But it might just get better
benz, what kind of mattress does your mother-in-law have?
is it a special orthopedic mattress that was chosen for her? if not, then I recommend you to look into this issue, because a good bed is the key to a healthy back.
There doesn’t seem to be a lot of faith in chiropractors here - sorry for the hijack op but I’ve recently done my back in and had a series of manipulations by a chiropractor that have helped, but is this not a good idea? If not, why not?? I.e what are the risks I’m unaware of??
Cheers, Neil.
Someone of that age you need to be talking to a doctor if real concerns. Can be nasty stuff don’t forget. Especially if unwell in other ways- weight loss, sweats, other symptoms etc.
But still most likely degenerative ie old age. Unfortunately hard to fix.
I still recall the patient who was given a stroke by the chiropractor ripping off his vertebral artery with one too many manipulations of the cervical spine. Fortunately no permanent damage and back to normal after 6 months of anticoagulant therapy.
Doesn’t sound like you’ve given informed consent Neil. That in itself is an issue..
Chiropractor... a hands on Hebalist..
Avoid.
Most back pain caused by a mild movement i.e picking something up from a car seat is often a spasm and can take some getting rid of. Ibuprofen Naproxen and codeine will all help get shot