Lying on my side, typing with one hand. PAIN. Any homespun advice?
If it is just muscular pain, then not much advice for pain relief..
But, if it seems to be more of a structural, orthopaedic problem, then I recommend stretching...
Lying on your back (on the floor)... pull your knees up until your feet are flat on the floor.. then let both legs fall to one side, then the other.. as you loosen up, roll your shoulders in the opposite direction from the legs.. Don't push anything.. let gravity do the work... This will really loosen up your lower back muscles.. Take your time with this... it won't take long..
If this works... watch for signs that the muscle tightness is coming back... just drop down and do it again.. If you are really tight, it might take 4 or 5 times to really start feeling the relief..
Hope that helps.. I used to make my living with my back... Don't do that any more, but I still have all the issues..
Thanks so much, Bubba. Much appreciated.
A lesson learned: Do NOT spend all your time in bed rest if you have lower back pain (due to muscle spasm). Best to get up and gently walk around a few times a day, even if it hurts a little. And also, I found that sitting on a firm sofa, with back support, is doing me much more good than lying around like an invalid.
Plus, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory on a scheduled basis around the clock will help. Ask the pharmacist how much you can take at a time. Some of them come in prescription doses that are the same medication, just higher doses. Just an idea, having back issues for many years now.
Thanks for the feedback, julia. I can't take NSAIDs, but I've been taking buffered aspirin (with meals) and it seems to help quite a bit.
I have RA and OA BOTH. I dislocated a joint in my spine a few years ago and my back has never been right since then. I don't take strong pain meds, as I just don't want to go down that route if I can help it at all. So just tylenol muscle relief formula at night and regular tylenol in the day but, the things that work best aren't pills. I bought a firm mattress and a firm type memory foam topper for it. It has saved me as the pain was so bad before I'd wake up all night long with pressure points aching like fire. Also, this might sound silly but, wear GREAT shoes. I got inserts made. I did this because every bone in my feet has RA so bad but, really it helped my back tremendously. I went to physio for quite a while and kept the check list of exercises to do. I do them religiously. Yes, it's uncomfortable to do them some days but, if I just sat, or lay down too much, I will go backwards rather than maintain my back strength.
Keep your stomach muscles exercised too. They help support your spine! Glucosomine helps too. That's about it. Other than just eat good food, exercise as you can, and keep moving as my 94 year old mother in law once told me. I know it's hard but, if we give in these ailments really take over us.