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Back Pain

Featured Replies

Any tips or Is it just a question of grin and bear it? Corset helps a bit. Seems I damaged a disc in my youth carrying an soxygen cylinder in a twisted position. Came back to haunt me in my late 20s, tried everything, even considering spinal fusion at one point, then stiffened up and went away. Now, at age 70, it's back with a vengeance. Not expecting to cure it, just make it manageable. Bit wary of surgery and l8ng term painkillers. Though I occasionally weaken and take something just to get temporary relief. What's your experience? Can I expect it to improve a bit with time, as it did before, or is it a lost cause.

Lower back stretches were a game changer for me, in particular the "rag doll" stretches the hamstrings, it's trial and error finding which ones help you, see YouTube. Also Tens stimulation helped, kinda cancels out repetitive pain signals, I don't need it now. Costs about 500 baht on Shopee

Start evaluate your lifestyle, diet, overweight, food that is bad for inflammation, start mobilizing exercises, swimming, walking/hiking, for then later when you got the inflammation under control, start doing core exercises.

AI says based on my post and it is the raw cut and paste. It always starts with understanding your real problem, and then being willing to do life changes, and hopefully, less medication later on. If you have problems with swimming, a few places got swimming pool, equipment and physiotherapist to support your exercises and swimming.

This phased approach to reducing chronic inflammation is highly effective. Chronic, low-grade inflammation is often fueled by poor diet, obesity (especially belly fat), and lack of activity, and it can be reversed through lifestyle changes.

UChicago Medicine

UChicago Medicine

+2

Here is a structured, step-by-step approach based on your request.

Phase 1: Evaluate & Reset (Lifestyle & Diet)

Evaluate Your Weight: Excess fat cells, particularly around the midsection, act as a "foreign invader" that keeps the body's immune system in an inflammatory, "on" state. Losing even modest amounts of weight can significantly lower markers of inflammation like C-reactive protein (CRP).

Identify Anti-inflammatory Foods:

Focus on: Colorful vegetables and fruits (berries), fatty fish (salmon, sardines), whole grains, olive oil, nuts, and legumes.

Herbs/Spices: Incorporate ginger, turmeric, garlic, and cinnamon.

Avoid Pro-inflammatory Foods:

Trans Fats: Hydrogenated oils, fried foods (fries, donuts), commercial baked goods.

Refined Carbohydrates/Sugars: White bread, white pasta, sodas, sugar-sweetened drinks.

Processed Meats: Bacon, sausage, salami, hot dogs.

Lifestyle Adjustments: Get 7–9 hours of sleep, manage chronic stress (yoga, meditation), and quit smoking.

Johns Hopkins Medicine

Johns Hopkins Medicine

+10

Phase 2: Gentle Mobilization (Low-Impact Exercise)

When inflammation is high, high-impact exercise can cause further damage. Start with movement that lubricates joints without adding strain.

Orthopaedic Medical Group of Tampa Bay

Orthopaedic Medical Group of Tampa Bay

+3

Swimming & Aquatic Exercise: This is ideal because the buoyancy of water supports body weight, allowing for full-body motion without joint stress.

Walking/Hiking: A 20-minute daily walk can lower the body's inflammatory response.

Mobilizing Exercises: Focus on gentle movements that improve range of motion, such as yoga, tai chi, or simple stretching.

Consistency: Aim for 30–45 minutes of moderate, consistent activity 4–5 days a week rather than infrequent, high-intensity workouts.

Bayou Bend Health System

Bayou Bend Health System

+4

Phase 3: Core Strengthening (Post-Inflammation Control)

Once your mobility has improved, pain has subsided, and your inflammatory markers are under control (e.g., lower CRP), you can introduce core strengthening to support posture and prevent future injury.

Orthopaedic Medical Group of Tampa Bay

Orthopaedic Medical Group of Tampa Bay

+4

Start with Low-Impact Core:

Pelvic Bridges: Excellent for stabilizing the lower back and engaging the core.

Kneeling Planks or Bird-Dogs: Engage the abdominal muscles without placing pressure on joints.

Pilates: Focused on controlled, low-impact core strength.

Orthopaedic Medical Group of Tampa Bay

Orthopaedic Medical Group of Tampa Bay

Key Takeaways

It’s holistic: A single food won’t fix inflammation; it requires a total diet and lifestyle shift.

Fat is fuel: Belly fat specifically fuels inflammation.

Moderate, not intense: The goal is to lower inflammation through consistent, moderate activity, not to trigger more inflammation with extreme workouts

I have had lower back pain for many years

Once a fortnight I see a chiropractor for 15 minutes who cracks my back

Crack crack crack are the sounds I hear as he either puts foot pressure or hands .

In Thailand when I visit I must try to explain to them to walk on my back

Your back needs cracking ,hard pressure

Without a proper evaluation by a spinal specialist it is impossible to say anything.

Depending on what is going on, a short course of medications that reduce inflammation and nerve pain might or might not help; physical therapy might or might not be indicated; an epidural injection might or might not help. Or it might be something only surgery will help. Impossible to say.

Best spinal specialist in Thailand is

https://www.bnhhospital.com/search-doctor/entry/4093/

You will need MRI snd Xrsy. Xray should be done at hospital as doctor has his own protocol for it. But you csn save quite a bit by getting the mri (lumbar spine without contrast, assuming it is lower back pain) at

www.mrithailand.com

  • Popular Post
8 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

I have had lower back pain for many years

Once a fortnight I see a chiropractor for 15 minutes who cracks my back

Crack crack crack are the sounds I hear as he either puts foot pressure or hands .

In Thailand when I visit I must try to explain to them to walk on my back

Your back needs cracking ,hard pressure

Thats a killer recipe for disaster!

  • Author

Thanks for the tips, I"ll give them all careful consideration, and many are already included in my current protocol.

I'm not an absolute beginner having explored (mostly unsuccessfully) various treatment options in the past. I did bring this problem on myself, too some extent, by upsetting what appeared to be a stable (if not perfect) situation by doing certain exercises to combat sarcopenia and bone loss, and ignoring the early warning signs. To put some context on this, I've only recently regained my mobility, having been bed-ridden, and then stuck in a wheelchair, for most of the past two years, due to a bad fall that damaged my right knee and ankle.

I'm not a big fan of MIR scans as studies show they invariably reveal potential problems in older patients, but the relationship of potental problems to symptoms seems to be tenuous. Chiropractory I would consider a pseudo science, but if it works for you that's great.

My main priorities at the moment are: dealing with the pain, like I say, I occasionally weaken and resort to pain killers; and maintaining fuctionality, strength, and mobility - which mostly involves, but not exclusively, stairclimbing and various squat exercises (strangely enough, this doesn't seem to aggravate the condition but prolonged walking does).

I'm, basically, hoping this thing will settle down with time, as it did before. What I want to avoid is surgery, a last resort IMHO, with mixed results.

Spines are a singular point of failure for humans due to gravity compressing the entire structure. So many things can go wrong and there's endless good advice on what you could do to help and all of it is relative to your own situation.

I would find a PT and work with them weekly. Explore everything and find something which works for you. I wouldn't even bother searching for self-help because it's literally endless and you won't be able to narrow down and diagnose your own body without a 3rd party.

11 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

Spines are a singular point of failure for humans due to gravity compressing the entire structure. So many things can go wrong and there's endless good advice on what you could do to help and all of it is relative to your own situation.

I would find a PT and work with them weekly. Explore everything and find something which works for you. I wouldn't even bother searching for self-help because it's literally endless and you won't be able to narrow down and diagnose your own body without a 3rd party.

And how to find a good PT?

Chiropractors have at least education, but those together with a PT and general practitioner is those I trust least in this world.

I have lived through severe back pain, and are symptom free today, and what I can share, is to get rid of the inflammation first, and that doesn't only involve medication, it is a few more stops you need to take.

Back pain is also a lifestyle issue for most people, and the faster they understand that, and start to do the right things, they can start the journey to become better and hopefully symptom free in the future.

25 minutes ago, Hummin said:

And how to find a good PT?

Good question . I tried a few in Thailand and gave up. They want to do this clinic style treatment where they spend 10 minutes with each patient in order to keep costs down. That's fine but it's not enough time for time for me. Maybe you could hire them privately at their REAL hourly rate which is probably around 1500-2000 baht an hour.

25 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Chiropractors have at least education, but those together with a PT and general practitioner is those I trust least in this world.

I've seen chiropractors and think it's pseudo-science. PTs are good in my opinion. It depends on why your back hurts. If you have muscle imbalances or bad movement patterns then you MUST correct those and PTs are the only people who specialize in this. You could hire a good personal trainer who keeps a very close eye on you too and maybe have some success too.

25 minutes ago, Hummin said:

I have lived through severe back pain, and are symptom free today, and what I can share, is to get rid of the inflammation first, and that doesn't only involve medication, it is a few more stops you need to take.

Back pain is also a lifestyle issue for most people, and the faster they understand that, and start to do the right things, they can start the journey to become better and hopefully symptom free in the future.

100% agree. People don't know how messed up their body is. After I problems and identified them I started to notice other people too and I see so many problems everywhere I look now.

On 2/15/2026 at 1:07 PM, nausea said:

I'm not a big fan of MIR scans as studies show they invariably reveal potential problems in older patients, but the relationship of potental problems to symptoms seems to be tenuous. ...

Exactly why the MRI needs to be read by a very experienced spinal specialist.

If you see the doctor I recommended, he will not even look at the MRI report you got. He will call up the images himself and read them in the context of decades of specialized experience and your specific symptoms and findings of physical exam. He will not be misled by common findings in older spines that do not account for your symptoms (as less expert doctors often are).

Surgical results are good IF the need cause of the symptoms and need for surgery (and, if so, which type) was accurately identified. Which reverts back to the above.

On 2/15/2026 at 6:07 AM, nausea said:

I'm not a big fan of MIR scans as studies show they invariably reveal potential problems in older patients, but the relationship of potental problems to symptoms seems to be tenuous. Chiropractory I would consider a pseudo science, but if it works for you that's great.

I had 2 x MRI late last year......it "marginally" identified my own back problem but was told no surgeon would operate as it would risk Paralysis (I wouldnt do another MRI unless absolutely required...its not as bad in the tunnel as I expected but not pleasant combined with the noise)

So that was that lol

They give Co-Codamol and Naproxen instead which appear to be effective

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