T Nation

Messed Up Back & No Insurance

Bodybuilding
#1

I messed up my back a while ago, not sure exactly how i messed it up but one morning i woke up and my back was killing me. That was nearly a month ago and i’ve been to a chiropractor because i had some visits paid off so i had some visits i could use up there, and he just really seemed to hurt me more than help me. My work sent me to a doctor but she didn’t really do shit. Just poked at it a little and felt around and told me i had a lumbar sprain and some muscle spasms and just ice and anti-inflammatories.

I ice atleast 3 times a day and take ibuprofen almost every day now. My back will seem like it is getting better and then i will bend over and it feels like i got shot in the back. It kills and every time i fall down and just sort of lay there in pain. LIke i said i don’t have health insurance so if I can help not going to a specialist I’d like that cause i’m not exactly loaded. But you gotta do what you gotta do.

But any suggestions on who to see? What to do? How to sleep better? Oh, and i did get a different bed but it is harder and I’ve heard from a ton of people that harder beds are generally better for your back, is this true? Also, i haven’t been lifting for the past 3 weeks because of my back and i need it to get better so i can get back in the gym!!

#2

it’s my lower left back and sometimes if i jump (basketball) my entire lower back will hurt

#3

Hey zach@utah,

Not a whole lot I can say, except it does take time to heal a back injury. Sounds like you have done some good things for yourself. I think time is the key. The other thing you might try is a pillow under your legs. I am a back sleeper and it does help. I recently had some sort of attack, but no test would prove what is was. It also attacked the lower back and hips and it has taken sometime to heal them.

I have stayed away from anything excercise wise that I thought would irritate it more. Some leg work, some back work and ab work. I am slowly gaining ground, but it sure is a pain especially since I take care of myself. Keep with the Ibuprofen, icing with alternating heat, watch your excercises and hopefully things will heal nicely for you. Sometimes with Chiro. help things get excerbated, before they get better.

Take care and stay strong!

fitnesslady

#4

Sounds almost the exact same as I had. I had fractures in my spine though that I left untreated while I rowed for a couple of months.

I would def, suggest getting an x-ray done to see if everything is ok. The muscle spasms last a long time…at least they did for me.

Also, stop jumping for basketball. Your back isn’t going to get any better if you keep doing the things that hurt it in the first place. This is likely from continued stress on your back and so no one even injured it.

#5

Zach - as a former rep for a major ins. company, the best advice you can get to your question is to get some cheap, accidental health insurance.

You can find relatively cheap programs at virtually any carrier, with high deductables and a crap co-pay, that aren’t for someone who uses the doctor regularly, but for someone like yourself.

There’s a big difference between shelling out a few hundred bucks for a broken bone, and several thousand (if not tens of thousands) for a relatively minor accident.

  • AB
#6

Perhaps add in some high-dose omega-3’s as well, as they’ve been proven effective against inflammation. I don’t know it it was the megadosing, but ever since, I haven’t had any more back pain(was very minor to begin with).

#7

Ya i’ve been turned down for crap insurance twice now, i have diabetes and nobody will insure me it seems like so i gotta wait for my benefits to kick in in about 2 months or so but even then my diabetes won’t be covered for 9 months because of a pre-existing condition.Diabetes sucks man. Especially lately, i take good care of it but it prevents me from getting insurance and stuff and it makes it hard.

So ya i agree i need to get insurance but i just have no idea how to at this point. And thanks for that advice, i was starting to question on continue to use the ibuprofen because i’m not sure how long before it starts hurting your body or liver or whatever so i will keep doing that with some heat and i’ll go try the pillow under my legs in a few minutes also… Thanks everyone and if you have anything else just message me or say whats up anytime, thanks.

#8

Here is what I have learned lately…

I was suffering from low back pain, mainly near the tail bone. I found out that I have deep muslce tissue damage from doing heavy deadlifting and no ab work. This has caused a muscle imbalance not only from strong back/weak abs but also one side of my back is stronger than the other side. This causes the spine to be pulled to one side and rotated, causing the pain in my low back. I also have over tightened piriformis muscles (located in the glutes) this also causes back pain.

Try and find a good physical theripist to help you.

#9

[quote]zach@utah wrote:
Ya i’ve been turned down for crap insurance twice now, i have diabetes and nobody will insure me it seems like so i gotta wait for my benefits to kick in in about 2 months or so but even then my diabetes won’t be covered for 9 months because of a pre-existing condition.Diabetes sucks man. Especially lately, i take good care of it but it prevents me from getting insurance and stuff and it makes it hard. So ya i agree i need to get insurance but i just have no idea how to at this point. And thanks for that advice, i was starting to question on continue to use the ibuprofen because i’m not sure how long before it starts hurting your body or liver or whatever so i will keep doing that with some heat and i’ll go try the pillow under my legs in a few minutes also… Thanks everyone and if you have anything else just message me or say whats up anytime, thanks. [/quote]

DO NOT USE HEAT!!! It only tends to swell the muscles, not assist in recovery. Continue using ice. Trust me!!!

#10

I have heard one other person talk about a muscle imbalance like that so i try to keep it even. but if it is anything like that my low back is very weak and i still train it but i don’t think it’s grown as much as the rest of my body. So, if it was that and since this happened to you, what did your physical therapist have you do:? train your low back??

#11

If you have a Sam’s club or COSTCO membership you can get health insurance through them. Many small business owners do this. Just an idea if you haven’t tried.

#12

[quote]zach@utah wrote:
Ya i’ve been turned down for crap insurance twice now, i have diabetes and nobody will insure me it seems like so i gotta wait for my benefits to kick in in about 2 months or so but even then my diabetes won’t be covered for 9 months because of a pre-existing condition.Diabetes sucks man. Especially lately, i take good care of it but it prevents me from getting insurance and stuff and it makes it hard.

So ya i agree i need to get insurance but i just have no idea how to at this point. And thanks for that advice, i was starting to question on continue to use the ibuprofen because i’m not sure how long before it starts hurting your body or liver or whatever so i will keep doing that with some heat and i’ll go try the pillow under my legs in a few minutes also… Thanks everyone and if you have anything else just message me or say whats up anytime, thanks. [/quote]

Zach - that is correct. Many carriers wont cover your diabetes for a certain amount of time due to the pre-existing condition, however, that doesn’t mean it wont cover things like the back problems you are currently experiencing during that time period.

#13

Zach…Have you ever listened to ktalk?
AM630. Jack Stockwell is a chiropractor that does a show everyday at I think 7am. His talks health on Fridays.

He seems to know a lot about nutrition too. Maybe check him out.

Good luck on the insurance thing. Hopefully congress with pass the law about pre existing conditions and genetic conditions and health insurance.

#14

I’ve never even heard of it actually, i don’t much listen to AM radio, but i for sure will cause i hear a lot of trash about chiropractors and i’ve gone to one a few times but he hasn’t seemed to help my back much so this sounds interesting. thanks jarc.
but yes i know they will cover other things but these were private insurance carriers not a group thing so they completely denied all coverage, both of them did. But soon i will have group insurance through my job and my diabetes won’t be covered but other things will such as my back, i’m just sick of waiting cause it kills sometimes and i need to get back in the gym and get my back better.

#15

Zach,
Let an excellent massage therapist take care of you. It sounds like you have back spasms, which are overtightening muscles trying to protect themselves from (further) injury. A good massage therapist will be able to dig in there and loosen up any trigger points and adhesions. Call a physical therapy office near you for referrals.

Cheers

#16

[quote]Kal-El wrote:
Here is what I have learned lately…

I was suffering from low back pain, mainly near the tail bone. I found out that I have deep muslce tissue damage from doing heavy deadlifting and no ab work. This has caused a muscle imbalance not only from strong back/weak abs but also one side of my back is stronger than the other side. This causes the spine to be pulled to one side and rotated, causing the pain in my low back. I also have over tightened piriformis muscles (located in the glutes) this also causes back pain.

Try and find a good physical theripist to help you.[/quote]

holy crap that is what i have right now. And you described exactly what i did to get it as well. This back pain is killing me.

#17

[quote]Kal-El wrote:
Here is what I have learned lately…

I was suffering from low back pain, mainly near the tail bone. I found out that I have deep muslce tissue damage from doing heavy deadlifting and no ab work. This has caused a muscle imbalance not only from strong back/weak abs but also one side of my back is stronger than the other side. This causes the spine to be pulled to one side and rotated, causing the pain in my low back. I also have over tightened piriformis muscles (located in the glutes) this also causes back pain.

Try and find a good physical theripist to help you.[/quote]

I have that same pain…I dead lift heavy and do no direct ab work. I’m glad you posted that I’ll have to start doing some abs

#18

yoga is free at most gyms

#19

yeah i have been doing abs for a while. but… i guess the pain lessening could be a subjective observation… but it still hurts like shit though. doing lots of split leg work dosn’t hurt. but i never over load.

#20

[quote]Kal-El wrote:
Here is what I have learned lately…

I was suffering from low back pain, mainly near the tail bone. I found out that I have deep muslce tissue damage from doing heavy deadlifting and no ab work. This has caused a muscle imbalance not only from strong back/weak abs but also one side of my back is stronger than the other side. This causes the spine to be pulled to one side and rotated, causing the pain in my low back. I also have over tightened piriformis muscles (located in the glutes) this also causes back pain.

Try and find a good physical theripist to help you.[/quote]

I also have the same pain but it mainly occurs whenever i deadlift or whenever i do squat with sets that have 8 or more reps. Basically my lower back gets inflamed and just hurts for the rest of the workout, totally kills the rest of the workout. I cant do deadlift and squats on the same day or do SLDL.

Is what i described essentially what you had and could be helped with doing direct abwork?

And sorry for hijacking your thread OP this just seems like the appropriate thread to ask.