Back Pain

[michaelmanfredi]

i don't know if this warrants a topic but something like 8/10 people experience/will experience back pain so i figured i could.

 

I just got a job at a grocery store (Publix) in the produce department. I like it there, shifts go by super fast, the people are great so I'm not really interested in bitching out and asking for a transfer to another department. After my second shift or so i started feeling pain all throughout my back. Turns out everybody (except the guy thats 6' 5") feels it too. I guess it might be a produce thing because you constantly have to extend yourself and reach for things for a majority of the shift.

 

So when i felt this pain i immediately became concerned because i don't want to have these fuckin back problems in my early 20s. I go to they gym very regularly (5-6 times a week) and train back once or twice a week so its not like I'm weak there. I purchased a heating pad and have been stretching more and more and have been feeling little better than what i was. I've been thinking of taking a glucosamine supplement as well to help with it. 

 

Does anybody else suffer from back pain? What do you do for it? 

[abovetheearth]

Taking naproxen or any med for an extended period if time is not good. My back is horrible. I limit my meds and I get two half hour massages twice a month. This prevents the pinched nerves and spasms.

[parkinglot]

My back is fucked from snowboarding. I work retail so I walk around tons. I'm always in a lot of pain by the end of the shift. Besides meds, wearing a GOOD pair of runners helps a lot. If I wear my Asics vs my Vans for an 8 hour shift, the difference is crazy.

[abovetheearth]

i worked at a golf course doing manual labor and 7 years for a moving company plus some football.

 

its forever fucked.

 

prevent it now youngster. right shoes, proper lift techniques and posture goes a looooong way.

[kgry]

I hurt my back doing long jump in high school. The best thing for me is taking a look very hot shower to loosen the muscles up and then stretching it out.

[lemongoat]

Do DDP yoga. It is crazy good on back pain.

 

Say you're standing up, bending over for something. I used to feel that in my back in seconds. After doing DDP yoga, I can do it for as long as I want and don't feel it at all.

 

I also used to wake up with a sore back most mornings. Not any more.

[jerseydave77]

As a recovering Ibuprofen dependent I implore you to find non-drug related way to help your body heal. Once you start on the a course of masking the pain you are hurting your body's ability to adapt and heal itself. I have two degenerated discs in my back and after a couple of years of getting my health in order I run 40 miles a week, biked over 110 and did a lovely swim. I also played with my kid and did some home repair. What worked? For me, weight loss and getting my body stretched. Those days that I still have pain, and yes I still get it, I try to keep my activity to a minimum and I ice ice ice. I'm also a huge believer that when sore you need to give proper support so I wear good running shoes instead of dress shoes or converse. I also believe in active recovery. Keeping a bit active like walking etc instead of being completely at a stand still. If pain is excruciating then hit up the doctor and do in fact stop it all. 

 

For your gig I bet a good pair of running shoes will solve a lot of your problems. They encourage proper posture and give good support. 

[sacredheart]

I got to say the yoga route does wonders. I messed my back up pretty bad at work and did PT for a while on it and they eventually said that it would never be the same again. Did yoga for a few months and it was as good as new.

[michaelmanfredi]

unfortunately i have to wear non slip shoes. i'll look into some inserts

[Family Friendly Rap God]

I have back pain from sports and working retail. Just had my first Chiropractor visit last week and it has done wonders. I'm hoping that this and massages will do the trick.

[thebiglebowski]

I posted in the weightlifting thread the other day on back pain -- inversion table ftw. Has worked great for me.

[michaelmanfredi]

i'll check it out, was hoping you'd comment on this haha

[parkinglot]

unfortunately i have to wear non slip shoes. i'll look into some inserts

Definitely look into Superfeet. They're not just bullshit gel insoles that do nothing, they actually support your heel and arch and help with proper foot alignment. I work at a shoe store so I know this stuff haha. They also have a 60 money back guarantee.

[chefchino]

I work at whole foods

It's more like who doesn't hurt

[michaelmanfredi]

Definitely look into Superfeet. They're not just bullshit gel insoles that do nothing, they actually support your heel and arch and help with proper foot alignment. I work at a shoe store so I know this stuff haha. They also have a 60 money back guarantee.

 

awesome, Dicks Sporting Goods looks like they have them, i'll look into it before work. thanks dude

 

I work at whole foods

It's more like who doesn't hurt

 

after talking to everybody thats in produce i learned they've all been suffering too.

[Satan]

This thread rules. I work 10 hour shifts on concrete floors and have had a constant ache and literally crack my back/neck at least once every half hour almost violently, sometimes more to get things... feeling in place. I've tried everything next to a chiropractor. Foam mattress, foot supports, etc.

One day maybe it'll go away.

[Bladewillisisdead]

I worked produce and got a hernia. I know that's not back related, but don't get a hernia.

[Grimescore]

I have terrible back pain that just creeps up and can last anywhere between an hour and a week, try to stay of any meds because it's isn't a remedy it just masks the pain.

 

My $0.02 is that you should definitely look into getting insoles for your shoes that give you support, especially in your heel and arches, because that is most likely what is exacerbating the pain if not starting it. If you're on your feet most of your shift it is all about wearing the right shoes and then as someone said, making sure you lift and move weight properly. 

[jtcohenour]

I broke my back about 7 years ago and had to have my spine fused.  I'm about 6 years post-op and I am doing pretty well.  I run about 5 days a week and lift weights regularly.  I still have quite a few limitations due to the fact that I no longer have a normal range of motion.

[HybridxReality]

I slipped three disks in my lower back (L3-L5), so I know a bit about back problems.

Swimming is apparently very good for your back.

Haven't done it myself, because...well, can't swim.

Try to avoid slouching as much as you can. A good thing to do is to buy those styrofoam pool tube things, cut one up and place it on your lower back when you sit. Helps align your spine.

Pillow works as well. Just bundle it up.

Sleeping with your feet elevated also helps.

Just put a pillow under your feet.

Anytime I have back pain, I just do those and the pain alleviates in a couple days.

Always have back pain, however.

Oh well.

[6heart6breaker6]

Try to find cheap chiropractic care in your area. I've been on a vigorous adjusting plan and haven't felt this good since I was a yeaer old (probably).

They're professionals and could tell you what is wrong instead of trying to pin the tail on the donkey without an expert's consideration.

[Rip]

I threw my lower back out a couple months ago.  Started feeling better after going to the chiropractor for about 3 weeks.  It's been fine until today.  It doesn't really hurt, but I can definitely feel i overworked it somehow today.

 

Ah the perks of working with construction equipment everyday.

[thebiglebowski]

Try to find cheap chiropractic care in your area. I've been on a vigorous adjusting plan and haven't felt this good since I was a yeaer old (probably).

They're professionals and could tell you what is wrong instead of trying to pin the tail on the donkey without an expert's consideration.

Debatable. There are plenty of people who think they are quacks and their ideas are built on a pseudo-science. They like to call themselves doctors but in most cases, they are not (unless one went to medical school and then became a chiro, which would be pretty rare).

What they really are, is excellent back crackers.

If someone has significant back pain to the point that they need a professional, they need an MD, who will probably need an MRI to really see what is going on in your back. For mild back pain, seeing a chiro is just one of the many things that if they are working, go with it (along with weight loss, better posture, stiffer mattresses, foot support, inversion tables, and whatever else).

[8ight]

after talking to everybody thats in produce i learned they've all been suffering too.

 

If you ask someone to complain for you, few people will say, "Nope, no complaints." I work in a factory and I doubt I could find a single person here that would tell me they don't have aches or pains because of the job. People like complaining, especially when they don't have to blame themselves. But I think the job is only half of the blame. If you go to the gym, you should know how incredibly important posture is. I don't know what a produce job entails, but I imagine ergonomics and posture are equally as important there. Hell, if you don't sit in a chair with proper posture, you're back is going to hurt. 

 

So that's my recommendation: fix the source of the problem as best as you can before trying to fix it after-the-fact. If you're not already familiar with proper ergonomics, just do a bit of reading or maybe find some diagrams on google. Then at work, try to remain conscious of your body at all times. You can't always stay in perfect form, but don't take unnecessary shortcuts either. If it takes you an extra few seconds to do the job 'properly' and you end up looking like a dork, so be it. Better to look like a dork in your 20s than to be slouching and in chronic pain by your 40s. 

 

 

All said, if you've only been on the job for a handful of shifts so far, it could just be your body adjusting to new work. If you're still feeling pain and discomfort after two weeks, that's when I'd be more wary. 

[gutzonborglum]

I've been doing hardwood flooring for going on ten years now.  I was doing woodworking/cabinetry in Minnesota before I moved to PA/NC, where I fell upon hardwood flooring.  I've already got terrible knees from being a goaltender up through high school in hockey, and have had reconstructive shoulder surgery, and had hip surgery from a soccer injury.  

  I live in the 'put it off until tomorrow' world.  At the end of every day, my back kills, my knees are swollen, and my hands hurt so much, I can't grasp a screwdriver and turn it effectively.  I play with my kids, and take thirty seconds to get off the floor.  I'm 32, so this really shouldn't be an issue yet.  I'm in great shape, due mostly to the job, but my back, knees and joints are a constant headache, so to speak.  I try to make it to the end of the day, where I can lay down in bed and exhale.  But after ten minutes of laying on my back, it starts to ache, and I have to turn on my side, then eventually my stomach and so on until I fall asleep.

  I do it the stupid way, where I don't take any medicine/don't stretch/get massages(I can't miss what I don't know).  I've dealt with discomfort my whole life, so there's always at least a dull ache in my back.  I've gotten used to it.  To top it off, 90% of the time I'm wearing either soccer shoes, or flip flops, unless I'm installing/demo-ing, in which case it's army boots.  So I really don't do myself any favors.  

 

Moral of the story:  don't do what I do.  My wife is constantly on my back about taking better care of myself, but I really don't have the time/energy for it.  I'm in great shape physically, I'm just wearing down in the joints.  

 

There's been some great advice in this thread, and I suggest taking it.  An ounce of prevention is worth of a pound of cure.