Lumbar Pain and Treatment
Lower lumbar pain which affects the lower spine into the sacroiliac can become so debilitating that further help is required other than lotions, pills or exercise. In fact you cannot even attempt minimal exercise or walk for the pain. It is hard to roll over, sit up or stand, sit back down or lie on one side or another. Work is prohibitive because you cannot even get dressed or into a car. Family life is crashing down and no one can understand the gnawing agony in your back.
Call in the doctor and his needle. In my lifetime I have had two or three cortisone shots which have lasted a week or two when I could not recover from a bent over position. It is not funny when you walk all bent over in your nightgown into emergency. So now you can have Epidural Steroid Injections, which have been around since the 1950’s. It is basically a shot for pain relief of the sciatica and low back. Possibly then you could try simple low-impact exercises, stretches or yoga.
Once you get the shot, and only three per year are allowed, you should not race out and try to play a round of tennis. Your back has just received some medication and it needs to rest, lying down and it needs time to heal. The muscle groups around the affected area have to regroup and get new positions. If it is a slipped or herniated disc, it might require further investigation. I recently had cortisone injected into both knees and they are now relatively pain free.
How one rests is another good topic which I will address in another article. But I can promise you the needle does not relieve your arthritis or any other back pain or joint pain. You have received a temporary moratorium from pain, just as a mother has during labor, and it does wear off. Now is the time to put your game plan into play.
Ask your doctor for an anti-inflammatory which in combination with a strong pain medication will keep you in the right vein for a while. Do not get used to this but take a regular routine of anti-inflammatory to help the muscles relax and regroup. Then wean yourself off the steady amount when you and your doctor agree that it is time. If you revert back to the pain and agony, return to the pill regimen.
Try a very light bed exercise such as lifting your legs one at a time and making circular movements. Bend one leg so that your knee reaches almost to your chin. Very small steps but keep the back and legs moving. The leg muscles and your back muscles must be exercised. Do it in bed on a firm mattress so that if you do overstrain yourself, you can stay put and rest.