Injured back don't do what I did

Tiger Balm is great on the affected part. Also try an acupressure mat - I find mine and the pillow very useful.

Although it seems counterintuitive, try to take very short walks with a stick for insurance, if you possibly can. I am usually quite active but do have bouts of acute back pain (dare I say, becoming less frequent) and this always helps. I look very ungainly, but hey-ho.

I dared not sit down much as I’d seize up, but if unavoidable I’d sit on couple of firm cushions on a straight-back chair. Bed was a killer, but every successive morning was a little easier.

I appreciate there are different back problems and their causes, so this approach won’t be suitable for everyone.

I’m glad you’re feeling better, overthehill. I’d to sleep upright for 6 weeks after I broke my shoulder last year, and found it nigh on impossible in bed or on a sofa. Fortunately someone recommended an IKEA Poang chair and footstool, which was much more comfortable. What a relief! I think I only paid around £140 for the two, but there are lots of secondhand ones available online.

Thanks for all the comments. I am starting to feel better and some of this I put down to sleeping as upright as possible for the last few nights. Each morning in bed trying to get into a sitting position was agony. Also I was pressing down on my arms to help me and they in turn were getting stiff. No where on the internet did I see the suggestion to not go to bed but dose in a chair. Yes advice on sleeping positions but not avoiding bed all together. Obviously I didn't get the best nights sleep, but I wasn't anyway. It was such a relief to wake in the morning and just get up without pain.

some years ago I was having a crafty day off work but while doing a hair wash over the bathroom wash basin my back 'went', never had a problem before that..... I was in agony and had to crawl into living room get the 'yellow pages directory (yes, that long ago) I rang several clinics and got appointment that morning at a
physiotherapy centre who put my back right for £20. back at work next day and thankful that no problems since

Have you tried voltarol. I fell off a step ladder and really hurt myself. Got given really strong pain killers in A &E but the best thing for me was Voltarol.

My 18-year old g.daughter - not a sporty one really hurt her lower back a few weeks back. Not doing anythng strenuous at the time - was probably a 'twist' injury. For a few days she was having to have strong pain killers just to be able to move at all. Slowly recovering now.

Just commenting how easy this is to do. For years, when I was a gymnastic coach, I would have problems with severe back pain. Could catch me when I was actually coaching, but just as often if I sneezed or just leaned over to pick something up. Always knew that the worst thing I could do was to lie down as it would then stiffen up and totally incapacitate me. Some gentle movement and lots of pain killrs were required. Heat therapy helped as did a TENS machine. Would take 3-4 days really bad, then a further week or two to recover totally.

Left me with a painful back for life so when I had a very small fall a couple of years ago and felt my back 'go', I just assumed that I had started this up again. Totally incapicated that time, had to sleep in my recliner chair - using extra strong pain killers. Two months later an MRI showed I had a stress fracture in my spine. Never properly healed and now have permanent back pain if I stand or walk for more than a few minutes.

My friend moved a single mattress a few weeks ago, felt a little twinge at the top of her back but thought nothing of it. Ok for a couple days and then she found herself in terrible pain and her right arm went numb. After being given wrong advice from her doctor (he told her she'd damaged her shoulder and gave her exercises which made it worse) and being in so much pain she went on a Sunday to see an emergency doc, she finally found out she had damaged one of the nerves which go through the tiny holes in a vertebrae. It was inflamed and rubbing on the bone, hence the terrible pain. So she had to have really strong pain killers and rest it as much as possible. It took about 3 weeks to settle and another couple to get the feeling in her arm back to normal.
The simplest task had so much impact! I hope your problem is sorted soon.

Ouch, I'm sorry to hear that, overthehill. It's so easy to overdo it without thinking, isn't it? My last spell of back ache, which lasted for a few weeks over a busy Christmas (so not very recently!) was when I decided to decorate the spare room and started by moving the bed and a wardrobe without asking for the help I obviously needed. That followed by a few hours of going up and down the stepladder had the sort of effect I should have predicted. I can't offer any suggestions you haven't already tried, but just the hope that your pain, like mine, will with time start to get better then disappear. Or that the back specialist can help. Fingers crossed for you.