How do you fix a back ache wihtout going to the chiropractor?

Question

my friend runs everyday for cross country and she also plays basketball on a team. lately she has been complaining about how her back hurts so much. Since she has still been running and playing basketball after she hurt it, the pain has gotten steadily worse. She can barely move at all without wincing, and it isnt only her back anymore. I have been trying to show her how to twist to crack her back but she can't and she tried a stretch whre you lay on your stomach and slowly work up until your arms are straight and your back is curved. It just made her back hurt worse and didnt accomplish anything. Does anybody know of anything that would help?

Answer 1

BACK PROBLEMS CAN BE SERIOUS! she may have a pinched nerve, a pulled disc, or sciatic verve damage.....what kind of pain? throbbing, pinching, constant or just sore muscle type pain? assess that and the pain level to determine IF she may just need dr. for a shot of cortizone. etc.... i would NOT fool around with trying to just crack her back. you may end up really hurting her worse and then she can sue you ! *heating pads can actually make the pain worse if the muscle or tissues are inflamed already. try 400 mg ibuprofen and see if there is any relief. good luck.

Answer 2

First of all, why not go to a chiropractor. It sounds like she had a minor disc or facet injury, but messing around with it might have injured it even more to the point of an actuall herniation. Considering chiropractors are back specialists, they should be the first person to see when having a back problem. Also, heat is just going to increase the already inflamed joints in the back. She needs to ice her low back and get checked out by a chiropractor.

Answer 3

First of all, your friend may be suffering from an injury due to overtraining. I am not a doctor, but I went to college and majored in Exercise and Sports Science. Extreme pains specific to one area of the body are a telltale sign of overtraining. The best advice I could offer is to tell your friend to relax. Stop running for a week or so, stop playing basketball also. Once the pain subsides, she needs to strengthen her abdominal muscles, as they affect her posture when she runs, and are the "base" of her entire body. She also needs to stretch before, but more importantly, immediately after exercising. Then her muscles will be warm and her stretches will be deeper and more productive. Lower back, abdominal, and hamstring stretches will probably prove to be the most important.

Answer 4

I broke my back years ago and I have a couple of things that I was taught to help with the back pain after it healed. If she has inflammation - take an anti-inflammatory pill - the are a ton of them that are over the counter. Aleve - is one of them. Here are two exercises that I did for years and they relieved my back pain.

Lay flat on a carpeted floor. Put both hands down my your hips palm down. Now rotate your pelvic girdle up and down about 12 times. I know it looks odd like you are having sex with an invisable person but it works and it helps relieve back pain. The second position is a yoga one - It has the wonderful name of "Break Wind Position) I am not kidding you.

You sit on the floor with your knees right in front of you and wrap your arms around your knees and roll back onto you back and rock back and forth. You will shortly see why they call it the "Break Wind position". This also helped my back and it removed pain for hours.

I hope that helps your back painfree and maybe I provided you with some humor. Get better quickly

Answer 5

I have had 2 spinal surgeries and the only thing that can really help is a hot bath & muscle relaxers or water therapy like at a gym and get in there and just stretch. It will be awhile, backs seem to take the longest for heal or for you to start feeling normal again. Another suggestion Hot bath and a glass or two of wine

Answer 6

It sounds like she could have pulled a muscle or pinched a nerve in her back. I would if I was her lower the amount of activity for a few weeks, Ice my back a few times a day and take anti-inflammatory medication from the local drug store. And after a few weeks if the back pain is still extreme I would see a doctor and have x-rays done.

Answer 7

i go through alot of back problems also and sleeping on the floor for a night does work, doing this lets your back stretch out and lay flat. but her pain seems rather bad and trying to crack it unprofessionally could do more dammage. take her to see a physio therapist or a pressure point massage (they hurt but your feel great after and they also do alot of work on striaghtening your back out)

i say she should take it easy for a while and not do any physical activity, running is probably throwing her back out also.

use some heat pacs or strips and tell her to take a rest and go see a massues or a physio therapist.

good luck

Answer 8

When my back does that, I will sleep on the floor for a night. Just a blanket and pillow.. I know it sounds weird but my back always feels better the next day. She could try that, but a chiropractor probably has a better fix for it.

Answer 9

Yoga will help with her range of motion and muscle-tone for her lower back muscles. But now that she's already injured -- she needs to allow the injury to recover. She should look into sports medicine physical therapists for help in how to stretch and relax the areas that hurt. She could try some cat-stretches: on hands and knees, inhale and look up with your entire head, stick your butt "up" a little and arch your back pushing your stomach down toward the floor. Then, exhale and look down as though to your belly button, with chin toward your chest, and arch your back up and pull your butt down. About 10 of these usually helps me warm up my back muscles.

Answer 10

Your friend needs a medical doctor, and a specialist opinion complete with exam, x-rays.
She may have top stop the exercising and running and give her back a chance to heal before she gets beyond help and has to stop involuntarily.