I've been seeing a chiropractor since July who has done wonders and significantly helped my lower back pain. BUT, I'm starting to get discouraged as I am down to appointments every 4-6 weeks and recently the pain is about just as bad as it has been before I started seeing him back in July.
Wondering if I should take a different approach and schedule an appointment with an MD. I had never seen a chiropractor before until July and have been really pleased, but now I'm starting to get discouraged.
grapefruit / 4291 posts
@matador84: have you thought about talking to a physiotherapist that specialises in women's health issues? I have constant lower back pain that I'm pretty sure is related to having a core that doesn't function as it should (yay pregnancy and breastfeeding!) and I think it probably needs a multi-prong approach to make it better!
papaya / 10560 posts
@Kemma: No, I don't even know where I could find one of those! I'll do some googling. 
grapefruit / 4291 posts
@matador84: hopefully you can find somebody who will look at the big picture rather than just your back!
papaya / 10560 posts
@Kemma: I hope so. I'm sure it's been exacerbated by two close births (17 months apart) and then almost 3.5 years of nursing between two kids.
nectarine / 2987 posts
If your chiro hasn't offered you exercises to work on I suggest looking for a new chiropractor with a more whole body approach.
kiwi / 556 posts
What exercises are you doing for the pain? I've been to a million back pain specialists and they all say the same thing: you need to find the exercise that helps alleviate your pain. For some it's swimming,, or yoga, or biking, or Pilates, or ballet.
For me it's walking and modified Pilates (I basically just only do some movements and not others). And I've never been to a studio, I always just do YouTube videos.
That said, I've also had epidural steroid injections and they were a total lifesaver. About 15 years ago my pain was about an 8 all the time, and it included constant sciatic pain and tingling in both feet and a feeling that a pin was being stuck in both my big toes.
I did intensive chiropractic for six months and it helped but only brought my pain to about a 6. So he suggested I see an orthopedist and I ended up at a pain clinic and I got three rounds of iinjections over a few months. That brought my pain to about a 4 and then I found Pilates, yoga, and walking, and my pain has been at about a 1-2 since then. I throw my back out about 2-4x per year and it'll be bad for about a couple weeks but usually gets better as long as I take it easy. I also kept going to my chiro once a month.
I also have to modify my exercise. From experience I know that I cannot run (either on a treadmill or on the road), or do any high impact exercises (which include a lot of popular at-home exercises like box jumps, jump rope, jumping jacks, burpees, etc.). I can physically do them but i inevitably throw out my back the next day.
Okay I know this is a novel and I'm sorry! Back pain is horrible but I've honestly just had to modify my life around it. I'm here if you have any questions. I've done a bunch of stuff and have two herniated disks (both in my lumbar spine).
And not all chiropractors are made equal. Mine specirically laid out all my options (including the most common medical options) when I was 16 and limping all over the place. And he actively encouraged me to seek medical advice. So I love mine. But a lot of people have crazy stories about their quack chiropractors.
ETA: okay to to make this novel of a post even longer I just wanted to add that I think a lot of people have the wrong perception of chiropractic. It's not something where they will "fix" you and you'll be fixed forever. It's more like routine maintenance, especially when you have chronic pain. Accepting that this pain may be a part of your life forever is hard for a lot of people and I think it turns them off of these kinds of non-invasive solutions. I'm definitely not anti-medicine, it's just that in my case I have three medical options (opiates, surgery, and steroid injections), and none are an option while pregnant or nursing.
Also one more tip: buy a foam roller. Mine is a godsend for everyday back aches.
persimmon / 1339 posts
I threw my back out about 5 years ago and my pain has come and gone since then but its mostly been there - my movement has been affected, forward bending and load bearing in a bent position have become very difficult, even though my day-to-day pain isn't too bad.
When it first happened I was going to a physio once a week, and pilates 3X a week and had never felt better, but I got lazy, got pregnant, nursed for a year, have been hauling a kid around, and all of that has made things pretty bad again. I still go to pilates once a week.
I think in the new year I'm going to really try and recommit to strengthening exercises every day - I know from my physio that weak glutes and tight hamstrings are mostly what are causing me to rely on my back more than I need to while running and walking, and what is making it sore. I know the exercises I need to do, I just need to do them.
I would definitely suggest going to a physiotherapist. I personally don't believe in chiropractic (not interested in a debate, just personal opinion and experiences that friends have had) so I've never been to one. But I've always gotten relief from physio.
Good luck, i know how tough it can be, and how a sore back can affect your mood and your life.
blogger / nectarine / 2043 posts
Go to an MD and get a referral for an MRI and physical therapy. I had the same issue and went to a chiro for a year, and then couldn't stand up one day and ended up in the hospital for 3 days. I have a bulged disc and a cyst pressing on my spine, which a chiro couldn't have fixed. Find out what's wrong and the best way to fix it. I did PT for a few months and am doing a lot better now.
papaya / 10560 posts
@newlypregnantlady: This is all great advice!
I should have prefaced that I do workout a lot. I was doing only low impact/no impact when (pilates, yoga, TRX modified) and when my pain was about a 0 after seeing the chiro for a few months, I ramped my workouts back up. Nothing crazy, but more intense to get back in shape. I definitely can't do anything high impact because it will bring the pain back immediately from impact. I enjoy cycling and try and do between 40-60 miles a week for cardio since I can no longer run.
I love to foam roll! It does help temporarily but the pain always comes back. 
@Mrs. Carrot: I feel like I am headed this direction. While my chiro has been great and has given me exercises to do (kind of like what I would do anyway for a warm up when I'm working out), I'm serious starting to freak out that my pain isn't any better when I'm sitting OR standing, and the pain can run up and down my leg more often than not.
persimmon / 1270 posts
I had bad back pain from everyday misuse, it might not have been as bad as some but it was getting in the way of my sleeping and working. Things that really helped me were craniosacral therapy and Alexander technique lessons. Both helped me change the way I use my body and that alieveated the pain. Now, with two under two I know I need to work hard to get that strength back before I end up in pain again. It's real work I need to do.
nectarine / 2400 posts
@matador84: i agree I would see an md and get an MRI. My dad had back pain, saw chiro who did X-rays and didn't see anything on them. He said it was helping but then it stopped. After seeing md MRI showed he had some bulging discs causing the pain. He went to a dr that specializes in back problems and did stretching, exercises, dry needling etc. 3 times a week at first and now down to once every 8 weeks. This has been life changing for him. He also got a back brace he can wear for a few hours a day and new shoes. But you really have to know what's going on in there to pursue the right treatment
nectarine / 2317 posts
I had really bad right sided lower back pain/ tailbone pain for almost a year after DD. Went to pelvic floor physio and after 6 sessions it was all better! Highly recommend it.
cantaloupe / 6017 posts
@matador84: id see your doctor. Some, not all, chiropractors practice outside their area of expertise and aren't great about acknowledging the limits of their practice. If it's not working, it's not working and hopefully your chiro will recommend some imaging with an MD or another avenue.
I have pain in my mid- low back that becomes nearly unbearable with over use. It's basically impossible not to use my back so it keeps getting exacerbated. After treatment with my chiro for a few weeks she recommended meeting with an athletic trainer who is trained in post partying rehab. Basically both over use and under use of an muscles could be making things worse postpartum. I feel like I could be doing more intense exercises but she has really been encouraging me to go excruciatingly slow and gentle.
cantaloupe / 6017 posts
ETA: I also have had to do pelvic floor rehab after both babies and it helps a lot with back/hip/tailbone pain too
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