Back pain, any thoughts / suggestions

[jmccarty]

Welcome to the right side of 40!

See a Western trained physio if you can. If it persists, get an MRI. You probably have compressed or worse discs. Traction and deep tissue massage can help and prevent pain in the future, but get used to getting older.

Any damage to your back from just wear and abuse over the years is not in your mind!

[bigbearjohn]

Find a good chiropractor. I have had friends 5 years ago who

had a good chiropractor in Bangkok.

The other possibility (which *I* would choose) is to find an

excellent practitioner of authentic traditional Thai massage --

no joke. I have had great medical massages in Thailand

that saved my back.

Good luck.

[thaiboss]

i have similar problems..... but i know from where i have pain or why .... i found this here.....; now trying to get it here in thailand or order it online ...

have a look here

http://www.iplikator.eu/en/about-iplikator

[rethaier]

My daughter has been having symptoms similar to your. Pain on awakening and reducing during the day. I told her to go have an MRI, which she did and it was found that she had multiple Hemangiomas on her spine. They are trying to correct it with steroids but she made need to have them removed surgically.

[fieke]

I had problems since many years because of working computer in office.

It got worse so went to chiropractor........more pain.

Had to go hospital so much pain. They took scanner and on many places vertibrai problems most badly neck and between shoulders.

Then I found NIGEL KELSEY, English fysio.

He does massage first then acupuncture.........does wonders with me.

But he stays in Pattaya.

Has a lot of work so need to make appointment.

[Guest]

Your problem is most likely found in your work station / desk set up.

Buy a new and ergonomically correct chair.

Find a box or something to put under your feet to bring your keees to a zone where no energy is required to support them.

Ensure that your arms are relaxed and do not require your elbows to support them (Upper back pain generator)

Use the internet to explore and undersatnd these solutions.

Your symptoms are classic and easily solved.

[Guest]

Follow this easy guide ... problem solved

[sprq]

Thanks for the replies.

It does not feel like it's from the muscles.

I also don't think i sleep in the same position all the time so not sure if it can be from that?

I will start to do some stretches, this has been suggested by another friend of mine.

Thanks again, i'll also go and see an orthopedic specialist, any recommendations for doctors / hospitals in BKK?

Go to see Mark Leoni, a holistic chiropractor with an excellent reputation. http://www.thailandchiropractor.com/

His advice in particular helped me greatly. After many years of recurrent back problems, I now rarely have any issues, and those that arise are very minor.

[arjunadawn]

It is not too expensive to get an X ray done to see what is really going on....

The doctor could determine my problem, within half an hour of the X ray, being taken. I just wished I had done it sooner...

I was taking three pain killers and muscle relaxants a day, now none..

You should have a spinal series of x rays at a minimum. You need to see if you have stenosis- narrowing of the openings which allow the nerves to pass. You need to see if you have arthritis. Arthritis is frequently described as worse in the morning and improves through the day. This combination could make for impinged nerve, or inflammation locally. Nerve pain may not shoot down arm or such. Sometimes it can stay quite local.

Usually the simplest answer is correct but there are some things you should check by your age and x rays are dirt cheap. While your problem can be a few different possible causes, there are some steps you might want to take earlier if it is stenosis, etc. It is much better to have an informed choice rather than a guess. A good doc can narrow it down pretty close just by talking with you. Good luck.

[Lone Ranger]

The best oesteopth/chiropractitioner/accupuncture/natural healer in Thailand is an American guy called Jerry McGinnis who studied in China for many years .

He helped my back problems go away in just 1 session & he was recommended to me by the Manager of Jamesons Irish pub in Pattaya who said all his regulars had used him & highly recommended him.

He was in Samui last time I contacted him but email him to request a meeting at : [email protected] & mentioned Nigel recommended you to contact him .You'll be in good hands if he's still in Thailand.Choc dee.

[Suradit69]

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A memory foam pillow, or even no pillow in favor if a small neck bolster, are both worth trying.

I had a similar problem as the OP and soon as i bought one of these type of pillows

it cured the problem straight away.

2000BT at Homepro but worth every penny, there are many different types of quality

and softness/firmness, so i spent some time trying them out in the shop before i chose which

one to buy.

Likewise. Bought these pillows at HomePro in Pattaya and found it to make a big positive difference.

[laislica]

My wife occasionally has back pain.

About 10 years ago she slipped and fell heavily on her bottom.

Depending on what she has been doing, it may flare up again.

Her doctor suggested simple exercises but before she started them

I bought a vibration plate exercise machine.

After only a few 11 minute sessions her back was fine again.

Also an inner ear balance problem was fixed.

It was fun, we both gained a little muscle and lost some fat.

I can now put on underwear without leaning on something!!!!

We are back in Thailand without a machine.

In only 6 weeks we are both missing the machine and our bodies are telling us!

The shop delivers one tomorrow.

Since the exercises were in Spanish I translated them and they are in the attached PDF.

Back Exercises.pdf

If you search Youtube you will find many short videos showing you how to exercise, for how long etc.

www.mercola.com is another good source.

Best of luck and hope you get it sorted soon.

[KhnomKhnom]

That is very near one of the places for the pain of heart attack or heart problems.

Suggest you go for heart tests to doctor.

Also, I had great success with acupuncture for back pain.

[Shaunduhpostman]

I would try other options before going the route of medication and surgery as followed by western style medicine. Tho as some have pointed out, it might be good to have it checked by a western style doctor to see if it isn't an indicator of anything serious. If you haven't experienced it already, Thailand has a lot of incompetent, ethically bankrupt doctors, there are also some really good doctors. Always get a second opinion, and I would even get a third opinion.

Personally I have had great success from acupuncture treatments for vertigo and asthma, something western medicine is either uninterested in or cannot treat. Acupuncture is renowned for pain relief and in the case where your pain is mysterious and unidentifiable by a western doctor, the pain can be from an energy imbalance that is easily corrected by acupuncture and herbal medicine prescriptions. Acupuncture treatments always leave you feeling fantastic for a day or two afterwards, kind of an inverse hangover from the general tune up you get from treatment.

But I would start with stretching and making sure your ergonomic situation as far as any extended desk sitting is sorted, getting a good pillow as others suggested and see if there is any improvement.

[Camilo Diaz]

Try Yoga. It does wonders for me.

[laislica]

The edit produced a second quote

Edited January 14, 2015 by laislica

[laislica]

I had problems since many years because of working computer in office.

It got worse so went to chiropractor........more pain.

Had to go hospital so much pain. They took scanner and on many places vertibrai problems most badly neck and between shoulders.

Then I found NIGEL KELSEY, English fysio.

He does massage first then acupuncture.........does wonders with me.

But he stays in Pattaya.

Has a lot of work so need to make appointment.

Very interesting.

Some years ago I broke my collar bone and it didn't mend. A type of cartilage grew round the ends of the bones allowing them to slide - it was weird.

The doctors at the hospital said that I would be crippled, not able to comb my hair etc.

The company chiropractor was busy crunching my bones.

The physo at the gym was busy using light and heat therapy.

The chief physo at the hospital was a Body Worker.

He said that the others were wasting their time and my money so I stopped those treatments.

He performed a myofacial release which took almost one hour.

After the first session i could put my arm behind my back and lift it maybe 20 degrees more than before he did his work.

I had a further 5 sessions and am happy to say I have full mobility.

I can put one arm behind my back and grasp the hand with the other hand over the shoulder, for both arms.

The strange thing was that he did not work anywhere near the injury.

He mostly worked my lower back and shoulders.

Since then, I watched a series of 10 CD's about Rolfing (the name given to this body work practice).

If you consider a bunch of pencils held together by rubber bands in a cylinder shape and the ends of the cylinder also have pencils connected across the diameter of the cylinder to hold the cylinder shape stable. This is a crude representation of the bones and soft tissue holding a body together.

Now if you squeeze some of the pencils together, there bill be a reaction at the opposite end of the pencils.

They will move way out of shape.

The site of the injury is at the compression but the site of the pain could be miles away!

If I were now to crunch the pencils back into place at the site of the pain and not address the compression, it may only be a matter of time before the pencils click backoit of place again.

Body workers know how to recognise both the site of pain and a corresponding site of injury and they may not be in the same place.

I cannot comment on the efficiency of acupuncture or chiropractors etc (although my Ex was an Acupuncturist and she could work miracles!)

I tell you my story as it happened for me, it may be different for others.

Also, 10 CD's of study are hardly compressed into this post.

Best of luck.

EDIT, to add a links to show a flexible structure

http://www.georgehart.com/virtual-polyhedra/straw-tensegrity.html

And a link about Rolfing

http://www.rolfing.org/

and

http://skepdic.com/rolfing.html

Edited January 14, 2015 by laislica

[elgordo38]

Honest chiropractors are as scarce as hen's teeth. Here is one in Bangkok, Med Docs are generally useless in these

matters.

Dr. Nick Fleming,

Absolute Health

087 126 9570 or 662 651 5988 Nick is tops US trained and certified 1000Bt worth it, I tell you.

Wish we had one in Chiang Mai

[ianf]

That it is only at night and resolves completely once you are up and about suggests that there is some inflammation in the tissues and tendons around the scapula which is brought on or exacerbated by the positions you sleep in.

But you need to see an orthopedic specialist to be sure. There may be stretches you can do that will help. You may also need to learn to sleep in a different position. Lying on a heating pad for a while before going to bed may help too. As may antiinflammatories.

Less commonly, these can be referred paid from gastritis which often flares up at night.

For back problems I would never recommend an orthopaedic surgeon except as an absolute last resort. Try a chiropractor. There are two good ones in Chiang Mai. Not sure where you are but if you are in Bangkok there may be a few good ones too. Unfortunately with this profession there are charlatans: so try and find one by recommendation. Trust me, I 've had years of experience of this. Even my wife kept saying 'Doctor, Doctor' about her back problem: One visit to the farang Chiropractor at the Rajavej Hospital in Chianfg Mai and she was 100% cured. After years of suffering. Dr Philip Parry is his name and he's stunningly good. Believe me, conventional doctors once they get started on the back look at the symptoms not the cause and that's the difference a good chiropractor offers.

[Travel Dude]

Perhaps a visit to an Osteopath is a good thing. There is a good one close to BTS Aree. Both are UK educated. He is British and she is Thai. They use a softer technique than a chiropractor. It used to be 1000 per session. Within a couple of sessions you will feel much better. I was very happy with their ser ices and advise.

I believe not allowed to post a link here but type in Google osteopath and Bangkok and you should get their details. Please let us know if it worked for you.

Good luck and good health

[atyclb]

one simple and inexpensive thing the op could do is an "omeprazole" trial. it lowers acid production in the stomach thus less or no acid to splash into the esophagus while lying flat as in sleep. this problem GERD can mimic many other possible causes. try for a few day. it is a fairly benign medicine.

Edited January 14, 2015 by atyclb

[griffer]

I will post this on the off chance it helps someone. I am not trying to sound alarmist.

A fiend of mine, big,fit, healthy guy..non-smoker had back pain....between the shoulder blades..

he used to be a lumberjack so it sort of came with the job..

the pain persisted..he went and got diagnosed.

it was cancer at the bottom of the esophagus

he died within 6 months

a rare case I am sure....but it can happen

get properly diagnosed.

[kokesaat]

I had terrible lower back spasms in my 40's. A friend in my office asked if I slept on my side......yes. He suggested using a pillow between the knees. We happened to have one of those long rectangular Thai pillows in the house (not the long round type). The pillow wasn't very thick or foamy.......but I've used such a pillow ever since.....and haven't had back problems since. Might work for you.

[malt25]

^{if u walk around ur home with nothing on your feet try wearing croc's, there rubber shoes, I had a similar problem which went away after wearing the croc's shoes indoors}

Were the crocs as BIG as your font ?

Just wonderin ? Mal.

[Mudcrab]

Your problem is most likely found in your work station / desk set up.

Buy a new and ergonomically correct chair.

Find a box or something to put under your feet to bring your keees to a zone where no energy is required to support them.

Ensure that your arms are relaxed and do not require your elbows to support them (Upper back pain generator)

Use the internet to explore and undersatnd these solutions.

Your symptoms are classic and easily solved.

Unless he actually works and doesn't sit on his bum all day. Believe it or not there are actually people who don't work 9 to 5 in an office.

The OP could be a plumber for all we know.

[steve73]

I suffered with lower back problems for a few years after coming to T/L permanantly in my late 40's, which I put down to a more physical manual lifestyle (i.e. gardening etc, rather than sitting in an office all day). Occasionally it got very much worse (eg, after a day of mowing or digging) including severe sciatica. A couple of visits to my local "Bangkok" Hospital where it was diagnosed as muscle strain with the usual prescribed "smartie" pack of painkillers, relaxants, and anti-inflamatories, etc.. some short-term improvements, but the frequency of severe pain and magnitude were increasing to the point that I couldn't walk or sometimes even get out of bed.

So I insisted on more thorough diagnostics - X-rays gave no indication of spinal problems, but an MRI clearly showed a herniated lumbar disc (bulge was about 6-8mm impacting on the sciatic nerve). Micro-surgery was undertaken to trim the offending bulge, and I was disharged 24 hours after the surgery with NO pain at all.

Unfortunately, I rather stupidly tried to clamber over the side of a boat about 10 months later, and similar pain was experienced a few days later... Another MRI showed exactly the same problem, which was rectified after another micro-surgery; this time out less than 24 hours since first arriving.. No further problems for 3-4 years now, although I am much more careful about lifting, climbing, digging, etc...

I realise that lumbar herniated discs are MUCH more common than those in the thorassic region, but an MRI clearly indicates soft tissue damage that an X-ray is unable to detect, and IMO (and experience) is well worth considering.

Incidentally, many friends suggested visiting a chiropracter, or spinal manipulation, etc, but my specialist said that such procedures would have worsened the situation for me - so even if you are considering such "alternative" therapies, you should get it thoroughly checked out before-hand.

For me the MRI was the best 12,000 bt I ever spent..

Good luck.

[JaiLai]

Many thanks to all that have contributed with experiences and suggestions.

I will get checked out to make sure it's nothing serious and then I will take it from there.

Again, thanks!!

Although some of my job involve sitting at a desk, I am certainly not sitting in front of a computer all day.

Edited January 14, 2015 by JaiLai

[elliottm]

Plenty of rest. And cowgirl.

[mikecat]

Had pretty bad back pain for quite a while until I finally decided to go and get it sorted. Turns out that it stemmed from an old broken ankle injury which was affecting my poise and walking which translated to my back. They gave me a set of exercises to do which did the trick in a couple of days. Have to keep the exercises up or it comes back again. If the pain is in the upper back or under the shoulders you should get it checked as it could be something more serious such as a tumour or lung problem.

Hope you sort it, nothing more annoying than a bad back.

[Inepto Cracy]

Try to avoid surgery at all costs. Back pain is sometimes not even in the back. My advise, find a Cranio Sacral practitioner and get sorted out that way. There is a very good practioner on Phuket, but she does travel to her clients wherever they are in the world. I cant advertise here, but her initials are P T.