Wellness

[QVCPhobe]

As I got into my 60s, it seems longer to heal, especially with my back.  On Monday spas I was in the shower I turned to put the soap in the soap dish and I experienced an awful spasm.  I could barely move for a couple of days and so I emailed my internist and she prescribed a steroid pack.  I am slowly moving again but it really hard getting out of bed. I am kind of shaky.  While I am improving it is slow.  When I was in my 30s I would snap out of these things quickly.  I am trying to move about but I feel it.  The steroids make me  more anxious.  The pack tapers off, so I will finish in Tuesday.  I plan to see the doctor then.  It has been weird.  I don't know why I am going on about this, but has have any of you taken longer to heal from such spasms.

[Kachina624]

I sympathize as I've been having these spasms for years starting when I fell off a jumping horse in college.  I've had them so bad I can't get off the toilet.  I also have other back issues like stenosis and bulging disks.  I've tried every kind of medication and every treatment pain management specialists have suggest and nothing helped.  The only thing that's helped me are ice packs.  I try to keep one on my back every 2-3 hours until the ice melts.  This is not how you're supposed to use ice packs but it's the only way I get relief when I'm having major spasms.  Muscle relaxants would probably help but they are addicting. 

[wismiss]

roni1:Yes, I also found it takes longer to heal from any medical situations as I aged.  I have stenosis, arthritis, curvature of the spine, and about 2 other things wrong with my back.  I now have to use a walker because of my back.  With only a 50% chance of success for surgery, I have decided that is not good enough odds for the risk that back surgery is.  The only thing that would give me relief from pain is prescription painkillers and I have told my doctors I refuse to take an addicting drug because I know what that road leads to.

Would a massage by a professional help relieve the pain from the spasm?  What about alternating ice packs (as has been suggested) and heat?  The ice pack helps diminish the inflammation and the heat will increase blood flow.    If the spasm doesn't go away, what about physical therapy?  I have found that physical therapy can help a lot in many situations.

Hope your back gets better and you get relief soon.

[terrier3]

I'm 63 and have had back issues all my life.

What works for me may seem counterintuitive - I move as much as possible.

I may start the day in pain...literally shuffling around!

But the more I move, the better I feel.

I have a FitBitHR I got when it was the TSV. It vibrates every hour and tells me how many steps I have to make to reach 250. So even when I'm at work at my desk - I make sure to get up, move around, go to the restroom furthest from my office, get some water, etc.

I do CrossFit twice a week (it took me 3 years to master all the moves and get fit enough to take the classes).

I walk my dog 2 miles a day minimum.

The BEST thing you can do is get out of bed and move around.

My trainer is studying for his doctorate in PT. He had me get a foam roller too. I have a smooth roller and a hard rubber Rumbleroller.

I "roll out" kinks...I use it to warm up and when I have a back spasm - NOTHING helps like the Rumbleroller. I might have to do contortions to just get on the floor and position the roller - it must look crazy! - but it works almost instantly.

Best of luck to you...I hope you keep moving and get better soon!!!

[shaggygirl]

Every year about this time I do myself in attempting projects I should no longer even think about doing but I get these bugs up my butt wanting to prove to myself I'm not totally useless now that I'm an old broad. This latest one had to do with windows but no need to get into it. After being miserable for 2 weeks with my back & shoulders and treating myself w/ice then heat and taking too many Advils finally called my chiropractor, felt 70% better walking out of there after visit #1, made visit #3 two days ago and almost back to 100% now. While I was there a couple days ago mentioned how one knee had also been killing me for a couple of weeks, tough getting out of chairs, on & off of the john, aching in bed at night, hard doing stairs etc. Don't know what made me mention it but he felt my knee, did some kind of maneuver, asked "did you feel that?".....yep I did, said my kneecap was dislocated. Fixed it. Oh boy what a relief, slightly sore now but felt 98% better walking out of there. So glad I mentioned it, thought for sure I was going to need surgery and almost made appt with ortho dr., figured that was next once I got my back squared away. Hasn't been waking me up aching since then, stairs no problem, etc. Well looking back think I know how & when I did that, another thing I shouldn't have been doing. All this rambling on just to ask if you have considered visiting a chiropractor? I know some people pooh pooh them and I understand if that's not a consideration for you.

[IMW]

I experience the same things. Aging is not for sissies.

When I was younger health issues were acute and I recovered. Now, at 65, everything is chronic and it is a question of controlling the issue and is chronic.

Hope you continue to heal.

[geezerette]

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@IMW wrote:

I experience the same things. Aging is not for sissies.

When I was younger health issues were acute and I recovered. Now, at 65, everything is chronic and it is a question of controlling the issue and is chronic.

Hope you continue to heal.

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@IMW

That was my mother's favorite saying, "Aging is not for sissies."  Now I know what she meant!  

I have to to agree with everyone.  I am in my mid-sixties and in the last few years I seem to be reaping the rewards of my poor lifestyle choices.  When I was in my thirties I hurt my back, went to a chiropractor for a few months, and that was the end of it.  Now, I'm on a first-name basis with my chiropractor, whom I see more often than I'd like!

[hckynut]

@QVCPhobe

Sorry to hear about your back. You didn't mention your legs, so it sounds as if it is only a muscle issue, not a nerve issue. I am not giving a diagnosis, only telling you what my experience with back issues (2 surgeries minus 3 lumbar discs), and knowledge gained over decades. A good friend of my also specializes on only the spine.

What have you been doing over the years to protect your back from muscle and/or other issues? Only a minority of people do preventative back exercises,until a back issue appears. A lot can be done to help prevent muscle issues of the spine. The best protection are strong core(abdominal muscles), and very flexible back side muscles, all the way from the calf muscles, up through and including the neck muscles.

Will this prevent spasms for everyone? Of course not, but the spine is supported from the front side by core muscles, and the back side by many muscle groups. The ease with which all of these muscle groups, and connective tissues, are able to elongate (stretch) and contract, the less likely they will go into spasm or cramps.

My problems are directly connected to a very heavy lifting job for over 30 years, and my choice of sports activities. All of these added a great amount of strain on my spine, thus my eventual problems starting with surgery at age 35. Now in my late 70's, my necessary core and backside spinal support are as strong and flexible as they were in my 30-40's.

Sure, I have a stiff back at times, but I know exactly what to do, before it becomes a major issue again. It takes time set aside daily for keeping the core strong, and keeping every single muscle group and connective tissue on the back of my body very flexible, and also strong.

With age recovery does take longer, but regular exercises also decrease the recovery time regardless of ones age, even though it is longer than when we were younger. I can't remember the last time I had a back spasm, even when I had a ruptured L-3 disc, that required surgery. I have never quit doing all the things I know help my spine, even during some of my worst recoveries from life threatening issues, and plain ole serious physical injuries.

Hope you improve soon, however remember shots and medicine are usually "after the fact", and also this saying:

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

hckynut(john)

[hckynut]

@terrier3

Movement is not counterintuitive when it comes to the spine. More is gained by the right movements than lack of it. Glad it works for you.

hckynut(john)

[hckynut]

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@shaggygirl wrote:

Every year about this time I do myself in attempting projects I should no longer even think about doing but I get these bugs up my butt wanting to prove to myself I'm not totally useless now that I'm an old broad. This latest one had to do with windows but no need to get into it.

After being miserable for 2 weeks with my back & shoulders and treating myself w/ice then heat and taking too many Advils finally called my chiropractor, felt 70% better walking out of there after visit #1, made visit #3 two days ago and almost back to 100% now. While I was there a couple days ago mentioned how one knee had also been killing me for a couple of weeks, tough getting out of chairs, on & off of the john, aching in bed at night, hard doing stairs etc.

Don't know what made me mention it but he felt my knee, did some kind of maneuver, asked "did you feel that?".....yep I did, said my kneecap was dislocated. Fixed it. Oh boy what a relief, slightly sore now but felt 98% better walking out of there. So glad I mentioned it, thought for sure I was going to need surgery and almost made appt with ortho dr., figured that was next once I got my back squared away.

Hasn't been waking me up aching since then, stairs no problem, etc. Well looking back think I know how & when I did that, another thing I shouldn't have been doing. All this rambling on just to ask if you have considered visiting a chiropractor? I know some people pooh pooh them and I understand if that's not a consideration for you.

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