Lower back strain/injury

[vaulander]

Greetings people. Unfortunately my pride and stubbornness have caused me to severely sprain/pull/tear the muscles of my lower back just above the hips at work lifting and carrying heavy bags of potting soil, top soil, etc at work. Stupid as I am, when I felt it on Wednesday I just popped aspirin and kept going. Yesterday, Thursday, it was worse, and riding my bike to work and back wasn't fun, but I still kept going. This night, I woke up several times from rolling over in bed, and when doing so, I rolled over awake, using my hands and arms to keep my bloody hips off the bed. To my shame I had to call in, as there is no way I can get in a comfortable position even sitting down. I could of course pop more aspirin and tough it out, but something tells me I am on the road to ruin by doing that. My idea to solve this problem goes as follows:
Boiling hot baths all day interspersed with Dit Da Jow massages and heat pads. I also have one of those battery operated thripod massage gizmos that I figure needs more use than just collecting dust.
Also, I ordered the Tiger's Tooth by Tom Bizio, although it will take 5 days to get here. Not really helping me today, but I am sure it will be beneficial for future use.
My question is this: Is the idea I have above worthwhile, or should I try something else? My lower back has been a problem for some time, and occasionally it spikes like now. Any good excercises to use once it is better to prevent further spikes?
Thank you all,
V.

[TenTigers]

stay off of it, rest, apply moist heat.Get a hydroculator, or take hot wet towels and place them on your back. Get massage, deep tissue. After a few days, start light stretching, and FEEL what is happening with your back. Pain killers mask the injury, causing people to use their bodies before it is healed, making the injury permanant.
Apply zheng gu sui or a hot moist plaster. They sell these stick-on heating plasters that cover large areas. I think either ben-gay or icy hot makes them. You peel and stick.
Be very careful with your lower back. I injured my lower back over 25 yrs ago. It developed into sciatica, and now is something that I must endure for the rest of my life.
Now, every morning, before my feet hit the floor, I have a routine that I go through: I pull both knees to my chest. Then I bring my right knee to my chin, followed by crossing it over my body, then on the opposite side.
Then I stretch my hamstrings,and then my neck. Only then, do I get up out of bed.

[ironpalm]

Would it not be prudent to see a doctor? Pain is a way of telling you that you need to stop what you're doing and pay attention to it. Applying jow needs hands with some experience to get the best benefit. This is not the best place to ask for medical advice for your back.

[ironpalm]

[Asmo]

[TenTigers]

yes, acupuncture worked very well. Problem is, my acupuncturist and friend, Kenny Gong, has passed away several years ago, and I haven't met one that comes close to his abilities.
Strtching the hamstrings and strengthening the abdominal/core muscles helps. Even, hamstring exercises, such as the lying leg curl actually relieve the pain. (haven't quite figured out why. You would think it would worsen it)
I am starting to get back into yoga and dao yin. My first Sil Lum Sifu was a yoga adept. In fact he no longer teaches Gung-Fu, devoting all his time to yoga) and I had great flexibility. Along those lines, I have to admit, that the fat deposits between the wall of the abdominals and the organs are where I need to lose. As you get older, the fat depsits are less subcutaneous. This is also a more dangerous condition, so it gives me greater incentive.

[Chunyat]

I agree with Ironpalm to first see a doctor.
With the back you never know how serious it is. What if it's a hernia - then dit da jow is not gonna do you any good for now.

If it's just the muscles warmth for a batch/shower and massage will help, but don't overdo it. Just 4 times 10 minutes per day and see if there's any improvement after a few days. If not, it's probably not just the muscles.

[vaulander]

So here is what I did yesterday. Long hot bath, with some music, big glass of water for refreshment, along with a good book. After a couple of chapters, I didn't feel too bad and figured it might just have been a cramp or something. Maybe I could just come in a little later and work a different shift or something. Then, ahah, I tried to get out of the bathtub. I thought very briefly about calling Scott, my training partner to come help me out of the tub, but 1. the phone was in the livingroom and I couldn't get there in the first place, and 2. I wasn't wearing clothes in the bathtub. After using everything including the shower curtain to pull myself out of there I hobbled my sorry ass to the livingroom, grabbed the seat cushions of my loveseat*, lay them down on the floor, and grab the spraybottle** of Dit Da Jow. I do the best I could, and then remember the heating pad I got after the bicycle accident and heat it up. Spent the rest of the day wearing it and reheating it, and another DDJ session before going to bed with the heating pad on. At the start of the day, up until about midday I ate aspirin like candy (yes, yes, it affects either the kidney or the liver, but those weren't torturing me at that point,) but in the afternoon I didn't need them.

Now, at 5.20am, I have reheated the pad and applied it, I can walk normally, and the back is achy and such, but not as crippling as yesterday morning. Maybe a 4-5 on a scale of 10, as opposed to 'Gods have mercy and let me die quickly' like yesterday. In plain terms, I might be able to pop some aspirin and grit my teeth through a day at work. Similar to the day before yesterday, but luckily since I've already called in for yesterday, I have pretty much failed the team already, so another failure is a little bit easier. Pride and ego again, I'm afraid. Since I don't call in, missing two days really burns, but I guess I am owed a few days for a good reason.

Hell, when I got hit by the car, I drug my bike in to work and begged to stay cuz I still had a good arm to work with, never mind being completely off my head and my left side was hamburger. Management drug me off to the emergency room where I got a doctors note to stay home over the weekend, probably cuz they didn't want me to blame any injuries on the company or something.

Anyway, enough whining like some pathetic weakling, I'm just upset cuz I am missing work and I can't train after coming home, and losing my perfect track record at work really burns. I shall repeat yesterdays treatment today, as it really improved matters, and hopefully I will be good to work tomorrow, if I keep it light and don't blind myself with aspirin and wreck myself again.
Thank you all for your help and support!
*Laying flat on the floor is really uncomfortable for the neck, either you turn your head to either side, or plant your chin on the floor. Using two pillows lets your head hang, or at least keep your neck somewhat straighter.
**Got a small spraybottle with eyeglass cleaner from the Vision center, cleaned it out, and filled it with Dit Da Jow. Better than using small bowls with lids, as it's more convenient, and doesn't waste anything from dripping off your fingers or evaporating. Fits easily in a pocket as well.
V.

[PM]

vaulander: sorry to hear that, but - that is the trap of self-learning. MANY practitioners have problems with lower back or/and knees - result of improper practice. even such a simple thing as sei ping ma is not really simple, believe me.

[vaulander]

[PM]

[Asmo]

[vaulander]