Lower Back Pain

Adelyn Woodcock said:

Hi, My mom who is 62 years old is complaining about lower back pain that radiates to either one of her leg. We have seen an orthopedic doctor and have done various test and procedures and was told that she has an herniated disc.To make to long story short, she was given an option to undergo surgery which both my parents is resisting. They have researched about chiropractic treatment instead.

Can you give me some insights regarding this alternate medicine? Thank you.

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Sounds like sciatica, when the disc is pressuring the nerve which travels all the way down your leg and causes quite a bit of pain.

I had this about 7 years ago and it got so bad, I couldn't sleep at night and couldn't drive a car for very long, without needing to walk around. Sciatica is usually worsened, by sitting down, which puts pressure on the nerve.

Depending on how severe the herniated disc is, there are other options; physical therapy is one, that I would recommend before chiropractic care though. Mine went completely away, with about 6 visits of physical therapy.

Can't say enough about finding a good chiropractor..

I have not actually tried having a chiropractor but what worked for me is acupuncture. There is nothing to lose if you consider this option considering your mom is already 62. Try to read the benefits online. I am sure you can find a lot.

Stretching will be very beneficial to that. Specifically, the ham strings and the glutes. Seems weird but that will really help lower back pain and sciatica pain. Those muscle groups aid the lower back and remain tense and can cause stress in that area. Have her try that and see if it helps!

I would encourage her to see another surgeon for a second opinion if she hasn't already done so in the time that has passed since the original post was submitted. The surgeon might be able to recommend and refer her to a physical therapist. I would definitely try PT first before surgery unless it truly is imperative to have an operation. From what's described it does sound like she has sciatica, but it's impossible to know that just from a post. I've had sciatica from sports injuries and physical therapy helped tremendously. My PT also taught me a lot of Pilates and yoga stretches that I can do on my own.
There are many tutorials on it on YouTube and Pinterest. What actually helps to relieve the pain the most is inverting.
I do aerial silks so I invert and chill for a few minutes, but one of my teachers told me about using an inversion table to help her with her sciatica pain.

My nana has experienced chronic back pain for more than 25 years due to rupturing a disc lifting something heavy and then being in a car accident, and she relies on PT rather than pain medicine. She began doing pilates yoga in her 70s specifically to help with her back. Many people think you need to be young and flexible for it, but it's actually beneficial for all ages and all levels of experience. Swimming helps her, too. Her doctor also had her get a specific mattress and office chair to help with her back, and always has her use this lumbar pillow whenever she sits.

I also second the recommendation for acupuncture. It typically takes several sessions for it become effective, but it can truly help with pain. It's important to find someone reputable. Several top hospitals like Stanford and UCLA have integrative medicine centers that offer acupuncture, and they coordinate treatment plans with your physician. I just did it today actually, and I hate needles more than I can describe. It's not that awful, though. I do get bruised but it doesn't actually hurt. I also use an acupressure mat to use in the middle of the night if pain peaks. You can buy them on Amazon.

Good luck to her!

Though surgery is an option, it makes me nervous to even hear about it. That could be the reason why I always opt for alternative medicines/treatments.

Better ask you doctor for the best option because of course they'll be the one to know best about your mom's situation.

I started exercising again about 5 months ago after having lower back pain and just feeling weak and out of shape overall. I only do one exercise for my lower back. Nothing too heavy or intense. I just do this one exercise twice a week: Tuesdays and Fridays, doing 3 sets of 30 reps with about 60-70 pounds.

The machine I use is like the one in this video. If your mom don't have a gym membership, there are other lower back exercises that can get the job done too without using a machine. Haven't had any problems or pain in my lower back, it feels great and I'm 52 by the way. See if this will help your mom.








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I don't know the exact answer, but it's certainly true that a lot of ppl prefer to try non-invasive treatment first, and then only afterwards, if it's unhelpful, opt for the surgery.

I had surgery for a herniated disc between L5 and S1 at age 25. My sciatic complications were so bad I was literally dragging my right leg behind me most of the time. After the surgery I could walk, but the back pain continued and in fact worsened. It was only when I started receiving chiropractic care two years later that I was able to relieve the back pain. Now I just have maintenance visits about once a month. The same chiropractor has treated both myself and my wife for whiplash after separate car accidents with excellent and permanent results. I will finally add that a GOOD chiropractor WILL tell you if you need surgery in order for the chiropractic treatments to be beneficial; a truly herniated disc can prevent them from being able to set you well.

The other big things to change are sitting and sleep habits. A bad mattress can literally shorten your life and can create back problems all on its own. We have a Posture-pedic that combines a memory foam top with a spring base. It was not cheap but it saved us a lot of money on both medical and chiropractic care.

For sitting I have an office chair with heavy lumbar support and power lumbar support in my vehicle (you can buy pads that do this to cars without that option). If I have to sit in a chair without such support I use a lumbar pillow right in the curve of my lower back.

LilShepherdBoy said:

I started exercising again about 5 months ago after having lower back pain and just feeling weak and out of shape overall. I only do one exercise for my lower back. Nothing too heavy or intense. I just do this one exercise twice a week: Tuesdays and Fridays, doing 3 sets of 30 reps with about 60-70 pounds.

The machine I use is like the one in this video. If your mom don't have a gym membership, there are other lower back exercises that can get the job done too without using a machine. Haven't had any problems or pain in my lower back, it feels great and I'm 52 by the way. See if this will help your mom.

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that kind of exercise of lifting burden is not allowed for lower back pain.
imho its not beneficial but dangerous
better yoga exercise than that.

I was almost paralysed by HNP and suffered a lot i wish i could die
but i was healed by an alternative treatment by a chinese expert of message, he is not a common message therapist that you find in a message parlor, but somehow like a chinese martial accupunture who understands nerve points in our body, however he doesnt use needle, only a strong and very very painful message with hands at the back part and twist the backbone twice. he treated me 4 times each with 4 days interval which must be followed strictly. he doesnt ask for payment either. people give voluntarily.
however, he cannot message people who has already been operated as it will be dangerous.

No chiropractice works for healing HNP. Neither medicines

Many swindlers sell medicines for healing HNP, they r just swindlers.
No accupuncture works for HNP either. It can only be healed with message but only a few chinese medical master knows how to deal with it.