11 replies to this topic

[Melissa M]

Hi,

Can you describe any methods that you know of treating back (cervical) pain, except for medical drags ?

Melissa

[lavenderthistle]

Honestly I am not a flake, I do use a lot of non prescription pain relief methods I've had to rely on 2 prescriptions recently and feel mentally disconnected because of them. That said;

I'm not really sure what your main issues are. I'm a walking C, I have central cord syndrome, I had fusion and my sci is fairly mild. I have problems with nerve pain, visceral pain, spasms, nerve pain, odd sensations, some hypersensitivity, lack of sensation....etc. Different herbals do different things, so not knowing what you are dealing with here is a generic list:


Emtal by NatureMost is full of B vitamins and is useful for muscle, tendon and ligament issues.

I sound like a broken record with the melatonin and valerian stuff, but they work for me. They help control spasms as well as take the edge off pain.

Breathing through pain helps, (Bradley method of childbirth)

The magnesium oil I've been trying seems to help a bit with the night spasms...it is applied topically.

Sublingual or liquid B helps

Arnica gels or arnica tea or tablets can help with swelling

Calcium....(stole this link from Stillfingers http://www.roex.com/...ormula-Original)

This topic had answers at posts #6 and #10 http://www.apparelyz...se-on-baclofen/ Stillfingers and Isobar had good info on dealing with pain

Another slightly less legal herb REALLY helps with pain and tension

I also sent you a PM with some of this info

Hope any of this helps you along...you might consider purchasing a book on holistic or herbal preparations to more specifically address your personal issues.

Lav

[Melissa M]

lavenderthistle, on 17 July 2011 - 05:50 PM, said:

Honestly I am not a flake, I do use a lot of non prescription pain relief methods I've had to rely on 2 prescriptions recently and feel mentally disconnected because of them. That said;

I'm not really sure what your main issues are. I'm a walking C, I have central cord syndrome, I had fusion and my sci is fairly mild. I have problems with nerve pain, visceral pain, spasms, nerve pain, odd sensations, some hypersensitivity, lack of sensation....etc. Different herbals do different things, so not knowing what you are dealing with here is a generic list:


Emtal by NatureMost is full of B vitamins and is useful for muscle, tendon and ligament issues.

I sound like a broken record with the melatonin and valerian stuff, but they work for me. They help control spasms as well as take the edge off pain.

Breathing through pain helps, (Bradley method of childbirth)

The magnesium oil I've been trying seems to help a bit with the night spasms...it is applied topically.

Sublingual or liquid B helps

Arnica gels or arnica tea or tablets can help with swelling

Calcium....(stole this link from Stillfingers http://www.roex.com/...ormula-Original)

This topic had answers at posts #6 and #10 http://www.apparelyz...se-on-baclofen/ Stillfingers and Isobar had good info on dealing with pain

Another slightly less legal herb REALLY helps with pain and tension

I also sent you a PM with some of this info

Hope any of this helps you along...you might consider purchasing a book on holistic or herbal preparations to more specifically address your personal issues.

Lav

Thank you for your answer, but I specificaly said that I'm not looking for any drags option.
I thoght of treatments like DREZ or Rhizotomy.
Have you tried any treatments like those ? Have you hear of any other treatment ?

Melissa

[lavenderthistle]

Gee guess I misunderstood drags to mean prescription drugs...sorry to have wasted your time with my ill worded response. I will try to pay more attention in the future

[Steven K]

Back pain is something I have a lot of. My solution to my pain is to do the things that hurt the most. Mind you my back pain feels as though its coming from muscles.

If it hurts to bend a certain way, I do it until pain numbs. I don't take anything for the pain at all and over the weeks and weeks, abusing sore spots is lessening the pain. I think I gotta bring all these dead spots back to life so I turn up the heat.

Sometimes, sleeping with a heating pad does wonders.

[ClaraTaylor]

lavenderthistle, on 17 July 2011 - 05:50 PM, said:

Honestly I am not a flake, I do use a lot of non prescription pain relief methods I've had to rely on 2 prescriptions recently and feel mentally disconnected because of them. That said;

I'm not really sure what your main issues are. I'm a walking C, I have central cord syndrome, I had fusion and my sci is fairly mild. I have problems with nerve pain, visceral pain, spasms, nerve pain, odd sensations, some hypersensitivity, lack of sensation....etc. Different herbals do different things, so not knowing what you are dealing with here is a generic list:


Emtal by NatureMost is full of B vitamins and is useful for muscle, tendon and ligament issues.

I sound like a broken record with the melatonin and valerian stuff, but they work for me. They help control spasms as well as take the edge off pain.

Breathing through pain helps, (Bradley method of childbirth)

The magnesium oil I've been trying seems to help a bit with the night spasms...it is applied topically.

Sublingual or liquid B helps

Arnica gels or arnica tea or tablets can help with swelling

Calcium....(stole this link from Stillfingers http://www.roex.com/...ormula-Original)

This topic had answers at posts #6 and #10 http://www.apparelyz...se-on-baclofen/ Stillfingers and Isobar had good info on dealing with pain

Another slightly less legal herb REALLY helps with pain and tension

I also sent you a PM with some of this info

Hope any of this helps you along...you might consider purchasing a book on holistic or herbal preparations to more specifically address your personal issues.

Lav

Hey Lavender sweetie, thanks for this post! I'm grateful for your ill thought out words even if no one else is right now (though to me drag means a bloke in a dress so what can I comment! ) I'm always on the hunt for alternative ways of managing the eternal sheering pain that fills my back every time I breath in. Guess whose off to the chemist at lunch! I don't think I've tried vitamin B for pain (and if it doesn't work I'll have lovely skin and a healthier immune system.. win win all the way!)

So is a TENS machine a drag? I mean it's not waving incense sticks around in a tee pee tent so I guess comes under medical? Certainly medical insurance often covers it... I'm confused! Either way I LOVE my little TENS machine (and the three other TENS machines I have scattered around to act as emergency back ups) I find it works so well on the nerve and muscle pain. My doctor (see we're back on medical again?) recommends giving the skin and muscles a break from it every so often so I only ever have it on 60 minute cycles with 20 minutes rest and then don't wear it for a day when I can be sure I'm not about to break down screaming as he doesn't want you to wear / damage the nerves / muscles and he also warned that some people's bodies can become addicted to them... but hey rather a TENS machine than morphine.

Heat packs work, now these I know you can buy at arty crafty type naff stalls so surely these aren't drags without dresses? (I have ones we throw in the microwave at work and a hot water bottle at home, but I also have an electric blanket that after an awful day is soooooo very nice to lay on and let my back sort itself into some sort of order). As do muscle rubs i..e Tiger balm but I'm not sure if it's the actual motion of having the muscles and nerves "stimulated" and rubbed that helps or whatever topical potion is in the lotion as just a massage with some warm baby oil also helps (especially if all I have to do for the next half hour is lay in a warm blanket).

EMS and acupuncture I'm going to assume are leaning towards the medical drag again? But to be honest what's the harm in trying? (So long as you're not doing it yourself with knitting needles) That's all I've done ... suck all the tablets and see what helps. That and man up of course, now that one I know isn't a drag because doctors aren't allowed to use such terms like "man the fudge up".


Perhaps Melissa it would be best if you explained to me what a drag was so I could avoid wasting your, mine, and Lavenders time. It's really not an expression I am familiar with (aside from the men in dresses and daddy stopped doing that years ago). What kind of pain are you actually experiencing might also help too i.e. nerve / muscle / burning / pins and needles / constant... because sometimes what I use for muscle pain will have no effect what so ever on the nerves (though for nerves I use Lycra which while definately a drag is the difference between my being in so much pain I am reliant on others for even simple tasks to living independently and swimming a mile before breakfast).


Good luck with your search and I really do hope that someone can offer suggestions that don't involve men in dresses.

[sherbs]

Clara

I also use a tens machine, i have it strapped to my back for most of the working day, couldn't live without it, i also have 2 more scattered around the house, as back up. ( as one did fall down the toilet at work, and never worked again)!!! i didn't realise that we are not supposed to use it everyday, oh well, its better than using meds for back pain.

As for the nerve pain, haven't quite got there yet, have tried loads of meds, but they either make me too sleepy, where i cannot function or dont do anything at all

I did laugh at your post, drags the same here, drag queen.

Lavenderthistle, thanks for all your remedies, i too take alternative meds, lots of vitamins, Valerian at night, Anica rub, hot wheat bags on my back, and hot baths when i can get into it, usually a hot shower holding the shower head, so i can really put the hot tap full on on the hurty bits.

[lavenderthistle]

I also plan to try accupuncture. Clara should I be heating the knitting needles first or possibly attaching jumper cables to them for something akin to TENScupuncture? TENScupunture could be a real drag! Sherbs I will make sure not to try TENScupuncture on the toilet....hmm perhaps the tub? Or a professional??
I would have suggested massage but that's been a drag for me because it makes me feel flayed, nerves re-nerving or whatever they are doing right now tends to hurt a lot the day after.

I don't think the B will help pain but it's supposed to help with nerve function. I think it might be working...
But I don't want to jinx it...that would be a huge drag!

*I have used drag to mean something not much fun, weighing one down...rather like...that plane has the flaps down to create drag, thus bollocksing up the Bernoulli effect*...on that pesky prescription did I spell Bernoulli correctly or shall I just shut it and listen to Lady Gaga whilst knitting?

Melissa you obviously have a specific treatment or treatments in mind. Perhaps if you start a topic specific to what you really would like, you'd be more likely to get responses about that subject.

[ClaraTaylor]

lavenderthistle, on 19 July 2011 - 11:38 PM, said:

I also plan to try accupuncture. Clara should I be heating the knitting needles first or possibly attaching jumper cables to them for something akin to TENScupuncture? TENScupunture could be a real drag! Sherbs I will make sure not to try TENScupuncture on the toilet....hmm perhaps the tub? Or a professional??

Knitting needles plus the jump pack sounds more like EMS - which is basically acupuncture but deep into the muscles (I swear he was trying to get at my kidneys) and then he attached a TENS like machine on to it. It was "fun" to watch the needles jiggling around (I'm told!)

Now it may sound like I'm not being serious (surely not!) But my treatment of EMS did co-inside with being able to reduce the painkillers and stop the huge levels of morphine. Did the EMS treat me? Or was it so bloody painful I would have done anything to not go back again?

What kind of massage do you have? The receptionist at work (who has a misc of minor ailments) has to have a massage so light that when I did her shoulders for her at work (she was in agony plus I did a year long course on massage so had no qualms with it) it felt like I was barely touching her. But any more pressure than that and she feels worse the next day.

[lavenderthistle]

I think she's still doing myofascial release. Since you know what you're doing, what type do you recommend? I'm also toying with seeing an holistic practitioner, or someone who does reiki, ayurveda, balances chackras (sp?) Took gaba last night for night spasms...naughty neck is locked again.

So...to clarify...what massage is best? Is myofascial the wrong kind?

Thanks.

[samsara]

Hi,

Thanks Lavender for all the good advices you have written, some I knew and some I didn't know. I have never heard of B vitamin against pain, maybe I should try that...

I go to a chiropractor once or twice a month and I also meditate every day. I have a meditation that help handling the pain, but unfortunately it is in danish, so I don't think it's helping you:-). Sometimes it's also helping me to use a heating pad, but not always.

When the pain is too hard to handle I do use medication from the doctor.

I think that pain is so individual and what helps one person doesn't help the other. I have tried a lot of "alternative" things some helped and some didn't . you just have to try to find out what is working for you.

I hope you can use some of our suggestions.

[ClaraTaylor]

lavenderthistle, on 20 July 2011 - 01:07 PM, said:

I think she's still doing myofascial release. Since you know what you're doing, what type do you recommend? I'm also toying with seeing an holistic practitioner, or someone who does reiki, ayurveda, balances chackras (sp?) Took gaba last night for night spasms...naughty neck is locked again.

So...to clarify...what massage is best? Is myofascial the wrong kind?

Thanks.

I don't think there is a wrong or right kind - just play around with what's available to you don't be afraid to tell them harder or lighter! I tend to like gentle massages with oils (like lavender) when my back is swollen and the nerves are raw, a hot stone massage does wonders for my nerve pain. BUT when it's the muscles that are playing up I need the intensity of a sports massage to force the muscles to relax. I've tried reiki - mentally it was relaxing which is often enough. Physically? I felt no different after 16 weeks of it so decided to try something else. Basically if you can afford it what's to loose in getting a taster session and trying it all?