[gmac]

My back is killing me.  All I did was get out of bed the other day  Seriously.  That's it. 
I've missed two planned brew days so far.  If this keeps up, I'll be buying beer soon.
What do you suggest for lower back pain?

[morticaixavier]

All right I voted kilt, you knew I would. but I have been told by very authoritative sounding drunks in bars that beer is an excellent muscle relaxant. The only thing you have to remember is just because it stops hurting doesn't mean you aren't hurt anymore. A couple beers. some good rest on a comfortable mattress (I love my memory foam mattress couldn't live without it) and some very light stretching. very light at first until it starts to work. don't bounce and don't push past the very edge of (as my yoga instructor use dto put it) 'interesting.

[punatic]

My wife is a massage therapist.  When I get a sore back the first thing she suggests is the "ice and rice" treatment.  It has cured me more times than I can count.  

Ice & Rice treatment consists of alternating an icepack for 10 minutes, nothing for ten minutes, heatpack for ten minutes, nothing for ten minutes, repeat...

I use a soft/flexible blue ice pack wrapped in a towel for the ice part.  The rice part of the treatment is pretty cool.  It is a DIY microwave heatpack:

Take a clean tube sock, fill it 3/4 full with uncooked white rice, then tie a knot in the open end of the sock to keep the rice in.

The heating time for the rice sock depends on the size of your sock and the power of your microwave oven.  Experiment to find the heat level you are comfortable with.  Mine is 2 minutes 30 seconds,  but my wife likes it at 3 minutes even.

Hope this helps.

If it doesn't you might try a combination of massage and chiropractics.  The two combined are very good for pain relief.

[euge]

Where is the pain? In the lumbar or thoracolumbar region?

Try drinking a lot of water for a few days. Many liters. Whenever I hear of idiopathic back pain the kidneys spring immediately to mind. And bear in mind that beer has a lot of calcium oxalate in it which is the primary mineral in calculi. It might not be back strain is all I'm saying. Drink that water.

And how did you get out of bed? Backflip?

[theoman]

Been there. I've had back problems on and off for a while. The last time it went was the worst. I went to the doc, got some good drugs and once I was able to move again, I went to Dr. Google and found this guy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNN3K2qj-L0

A few days of these stretches, especially the "90/90" stretch, saved my life. I now stretch nearly every day and do regular core strengthening exercises. I haven't had a problem in months.

[gmac]

Where is the pain? In the lumbar or thoracolumbar region?

Not sure which is which so it's mostly lower back, opposite the navel.  I'm sort of hunched over and twisted to the right slightly.  I can bend right a bit but not left at all and down very well.  I'll try the water but I think this is likely muscular.  

Take a clean tube sock, fill it 3/4 full with uncooked white rice, then tie a knot in the open end of the sock to keep the rice in.

I thought you were going to say" tie a knot in the open end of the sock and have your wife beat you soundly with the rice."  I'll try the hot rice method first but this stage, the beating may actually be an option.

And how did you get out of bed? Backflip?

Picture a walrus hauling out on an ice flow, that gives you an idea of my normal, non-injured gracefulness.

[morticaixavier]

sounds like it's time for a new mattress.

try this, but be careful

lay on your back on the floor with your knees up and fingers interlocked behind head as if you were going to do a situp or crunch. first just try to relax your back. You will be amazed at how much this hurts. your back will spasm and try to stay tense, just breath through it and let it relax. once you get to the point where you can let your back muscles relax (they won't want to becuase they think it will hurt) VERY GENTLY lift your head. use your hands to do this keep all the muscles in your back and neck relaxed. just lift your head so your chin moves a little towards your chest. this will stretch all the muscles down the centre of your back and shoulders. release your head GENTLY back to the ground and try to let your back relax again. repeat each morning.

another thing to do is when you wake up, before you get out of bed, lay on your back with both legs out straight. lift one knee up towards your chest and hug it with both arms. hold for a little and then do the other leg. If you do this every morning you will be much less likely to hurt yourself getting out of bed.

it's not that crazy to hurt yourself getting out of bed. if you have been in the same position for several hours your muscles have gotten very used to that position and a change can be a major jolt.

[denny]

Go see a doctor!  Geez...asking for medical advice from a beer forum?

[euge]

Go see a doctor!  Geez...asking for medical advice from a beer forum?

They will prescribe muscle relaxers which go extremely well with beer. By all means go and see a Physician.

[tom]

One study showed that MDs, DCs and a pamphlet on back care were all equally effective.

[phillamb168]

Have you tried changing the mash temp?

---

What does it feel like? A few years ago I suddenly developed a pinched nerve in my lower back, just by walking up two stairs. That was about the most horrible piercing take-your-breath-away pain I've ever felt. See a doctor, for reals.

[jeffy]

I hurt my lower back sorting 218 beers Friday afternoon just because I was stooping and sorting them all on the floor.  Stupid, I know, but it never affected me until I became as old as I am now.  Getting old sucks.

[denny]

Getting old sucks.

STOP IT!  I hit 60 a week from today!  

[tschmidlin]

Getting old sucks.

STOP IT!  I hit 60 a week from today!   

Won't this be your 7th or 8th "60th" birthday?

[euge]

Getting old sucks.

STOP IT!  I hit 60 a week from today!   

Won't this be your 7th or 8th "60th" birthday?

Yeah...!? Denny?