Messed up my back

Mark2

New member
I guess at 43 I'm not as tough or strong as I used to be. The other day I was moving out a old boiler from a job and messed up my back. Back in the day when I was weight lifting I was benching 350. Now 5 years later my shoulders and back are messed up. I've been doing plumbing since 1986. The meds are good but can't drive for a few days to a week. The middle stair broke and it all went to crap in a second. This ends my pissing and moaning session.
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Mark2
 
hang in there! when I was 40 I had back surgery due to a ruptured disk. that was back when they made big incisions to fix you. ever since then I have lost some of the feeling in my feet do to nerve damage from the surgery. I can't climb ladders anymore and and sometimes stumble because of it. I can't really do long hikes or stand too long but I get by. I'm 55 now and hope that is the worst thing that ever happens to me. If so, I will consider myself a lucky man!
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I hear you Mark; 45 yrs now, could never bench 350 (struggled to get to 250!), I often use the crane or get help for many a task I otherwise would have done manually.
43 yrs is right about when my close up vision started to go..broke down and bought a pair of them cheater (magnifying) glasses a couple days ago.
Yep, getting old really draws wind
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hi . am a retired plumber and know about the back issues went to a neck and back clinic and did strenthing exercises on some exp.machines. and they told me the only equipment to strenthen the back mussels along the spine was a roman chair. mine cost a little under 300.$ but you can get cheaper ones. they do work its an incline bench that you hook your heels under a strap or angle and the pad is at your waist and your upper bodyhangs over the front and you rise up as high as you can and repeat. itv sure works the mussels. google it and check it out
 
Mark2,,,From personal experience, get to a good Spine Rehab Center and let them work with you...I blew my back out three times in two years while a LEO at 48/49, still have the remains of a bulged L5/S1 disk, but it has shrunk to the point that it's not a problem...The Rehab Center did wonders for me and I avoided surgery due to it...

That was 22 years ago and while other parts of my body have started falling apart, my back is generally pain free as long as I don't do things the wrong way....
 
Yep, I can't cut firewood like I used to. I go a little slower & am even thinking about getting a woodsplitter. I can usually borrow a buddy's though. Good luck healing up.
 
I had the first surgery 10 days after I turned 41 and the second surgery 6 months later. (All at the L5-S1 level) Doc told me there is nothing he can do until something breaks. He wouldn't release me to go back to work but doesn't consider me disabled. I went to driving truck its the only thing I can do any more. Do what you can to strengthen your core (stomach, hip, and back).
 
Originally Posted By: Mark2I guess at 43 I'm not as tough or strong as I used to be. The other day I was moving out a old boiler from a job and messed up my back. Back in the day when I was weight lifting I was benching 350. Now 5 years later my shoulders and back are messed up. I've been doing plumbing since 1986. The meds are good but can't drive for a few days to a week. The middle stair broke and it all went to crap in a second. This ends my pissing and moaning session.
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Mark2

About the best advise I can give is get back to the gym. I have 2 bulged discs and one compressed in my lumbar. I went through a year of physical therapy with little relief. So, I started back in the gym. Top to bottom exercises. They all tie together, and all help each other. I'm lifting more then ever, running faster then ever and look pretty darn good too, if I do say so my self. Of course, I'm slightly younger then most here, and therefore more resilient...but I went from muscle relaxers and Motrin for breakfast to very little or no pain. Just my experience...
 
Originally Posted By: Mark2I guess at 43 I'm not as tough or strong as I used to be. The other day I was moving out a old boiler from a job and messed up my back. Back in the day when I was weight lifting I was benching 350. Now 5 years later my shoulders and back are messed up. I've been doing plumbing since 1986. The meds are good but can't drive for a few days to a week. The middle stair broke and it all went to crap in a second. This ends my pissing and moaning session.
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Mark2

Mark2, you go ahead with your pissing and moaning.
Any one with serious back pain will understand and feel for you.

In 02 I was 21 days shy of 45, when I fell off of some heavy equipment and landed inside of it. I crushed 1 vertebrae so bad it had to be removed completely, and broke another in half. 8 hours after the fall, I was in emergency being put back together with rods and screws.

Just as Shureshot, I have numb places, wether from the fall or surgery.
When I get down about not being able to do what I used to do,my wife says, you're not paralized or dead, be happy with that.

Be a little slower and smarter with the things you do and it will get better. Back pain sucks, and you have to learn how to live with it.

Shayne
 
I know how you feel. Again I'm awake having only two hours sleep due to pain. I have worked hard all my life since I was very young, and worked out much of it. People always told me I was crazy to lift the heavy things I did. But I was in a lot better shape than any of the young guys. I kind of felt indestructible, in a way because I was in such good shape. Then I injured my neck badly on the job. The short story is I had it partially fixed by spinal surgery but am now in the process of getting disability retirement. I live in excruciating pain every day from head to the bottom of my feet. I complain for a little while every day, but try not to go overboard. There are a lot of people with even worse medical problems. I'm not adjusted well yet to not being able to to work, but I'll get there. I've worked for over 40 years more than a lot of people. I'm 56 now. At times I wish I could just zap people with the pain I live with constantly, just so they could understand a little what it's really like. Don't expect anyone to understand how you feel. And go ahead and complain when you feel like it.
 
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I blew out 4 disc 10yrs ago when I was 39. 1st 2 surgeries went bad and started loosing the use of my left leg,which kinda bummed me out. Pushed into early retirement and disability. My 3rd surgery by a much younger and up to date surgeon went very good. They removed a section of my spine stripped it down and rebuilt it with titanium,I was up walking the same day after 9hrs of the surgery and went home in 3days. If anyone has to have surgery take my advice and shop around for the right surgeon. I'm limited on what I can do but am still mobile thanks to that Dr.
 
My back is almost back to normal. But normal for me is not that great. I do my back exec excise every night and go to my chiropractor when needed. In this trade and other things I have beat up my body somewhat. I spent all day today installing baseboard heat on my knees, which is always a treat
 
This thread makes me feel a little better.I have been so po'd about the back giving out at my age,I thought I was too young for that.I guess I am luckier than I thought.I am older than most all of you guys,so I guess I'll have to shut up about that part.I hate to complain but back/nerve pain hurts!Sometimes you just got to tell someone.We should start a bad back thread and keep it going so we could come here and complain to each other.
 
Originally Posted By: DANNY-LI blew out 4 disc 10yrs ago when I was 39. 1st 2 surgeries went bad and started loosing the use of my left leg,which kinda bummed me out. Pushed into early retirement and disability. My 3rd surgery by a much younger and up to date surgeon went very good. They removed a section of my spine stripped it down and rebuilt it with titanium,I was up walking the same day after 9hrs of the surgery and went home in 3days. If anyone has to have surgery take my advice and shop around for the right surgeon. I'm limited on what I can do but am still mobile thanks to that Dr.

Your story sounds a lot like mine, with the exceptions of, I only had 1 surgery, and was home 24 hours after going into surgery.
I too had a hot shot young Doc, wthout whom, I might not be walking today.

My wife goes to a pain management clinic and Doctor like twice a year for shots in the spine for chronic pain from degenerative discs and arthritic spurs and the like.
When in the waiting room, it's easy to spot the peeple who really have back problems and pain, and the losers who are there just for the drugs.

There are some who look like they're break dancing in the waiting room. But when they're called into the back, they can barely walk.

Hang in there every one, and fight the good fight, at least for your families sake.

Your brother in pain,
Shayne
 
Dang - this is hitting close to home !
I had back surgary in 1991 - been driving truck since then and doing just fine then I took a job where I was told all I had to do was drive truck -Well it didnt work that way -
after starting work there I had to help shovle mud from a spill . The next morning I could not roll out of bed. They took xray and told me I have another disk problem !
My luck is holding.
 
Back problems effect everything from the toe's to the attitude. I never thought of it before but now when I see people doing things that could create back problems it make me cring and if I like the person I tell them an easier way of doing something without taking the chance of hurting themselves but if they are a known welfare scumbag all I can think of is why me not them.
 


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