So you’ve
injured your back? It feels tight, very painful and makes you wince when you
attempt to flex forward, left or right?
In the
immediate situation, if you are unable to see a professional right away, a
great ‘first aid kit’ to have floating around your home would be the following
items:
-
Immediate
answer: ice pack
-
An
elastic waist band (See attached video)
-
Some
Voltarol gel
-
Pain
killers
-
I
suggest you stay away from heat creams and packs until you know exactly what
you are dealing with.
When I
first couldn’t move, the muscles had gone into spasm in my back to protect the
discs. It was only a few days later when, instead of easing, the pain got worse
and nerves were practically vibrating into my abs and belly button. Also, an
ice pack wasn’t doing anything useful; it was heat my back craved. It was then
I realised this was a herniated disc at minimum and I had to really fight with
my doctor for an MRI. I ended up paying out of my own money to prove I was
right.
If you find
yourself battling with doctors, demand a referral to a physiotherapist straight
away. If you have medical insurance, demand a referral for an MRI so everyone
knows what they’re dealing with. I’m sorry, but Doctors are there to minimise
cost to their surgery. Mine was a great accountant; she really cared – about
the bottom line in her surgery…
Drugs:
If it is
just a muscle spasm, or even strain, congratulations; you will get better
relatively quickly and it’s a mere incline on the graph of ‘Get Well Soon’.
Your doctor may recommend Naproxen to help with the inflammation. Perhaps they
may also suggest other drugs. But I would ALWAYS converse with a physio as they
actually care about fixing you, not patching you up and getting you out of
their surgery as quickly as possible.
Best of luck on your speedy recovery. Get the right assistance from day one and you should be fixed in no time!
No comments:
Post a Comment