Injured my back doing self traction

Hi everyone. I have been feeling really down about my current situation. I have been having back issues for about 10 yrs now.I bulged a disc at work and ever since I have been suffering.I did pysio,chiros and spinal decompression.I got better with time,but about a month ago I had a relapse hitting the bag,when i threw a right cross punch and i guess the torque of the twist injured my back again.I was sore and stiff for a few days,and went to my MD who said that I just pulled a muscle and prescribed some anti inflammatories.So I took the meds,then I decided to go back to the spinal decompression clinic to get “treatments”. I went 3 times and I started getting sciatica in my right leg again after each time.I asked the so called therapist if this was normal,and he said it was and that it should go away in a few days which it did not.So i decided to stop going and booked an appointment with my MD who told me she would give me an MRI,which I’m still waiting on.Anyways fast forward to today,I still had the sciatica and decided I would treat myself with my “back bubble” its an air bubble you hang from a chin up bar on the door and you slip into it and just hang there and it decompresses your spine. Well I did this several times a day. Just a few hours ago I did one last stretch and I felt a pull and some pain in my low back where my problem is and I got off the device,then I noticed my sciatica got more painful and more pronounced and also the area in my low back was more tender and i touched it a couple times and I would feel sciatica in my toes after touching it.My question is,did I do more damage in my low back,maybe bulged the dics out more from the decompression? I’m worried about this,because before this the sciatica would come on as I was sitting down,now it comes on when i stand as well,but more stronger.I don’t know if the spinal decompression at that pain clinic messed me up more than I was and today was just the cherry on top. I am very worried,anxious,sad and depressed about this,what should I do? Will this go away?

plz help thnx

As far as i know nobody here is a doctor. My daughter is a reg'd massage therapist and she treats sciatic issues with good success. My chiro has fixed my sciatica more than once. I think you need some professional help. I'd much rather see a massage therapist or chiro for sciatica than a doctor who will prescribe pills.

I think you're doing too much. You probably need a couple of days of bed rest or at least reduced activity until you get the MRI and then the docs will know about your disc. Keep in mind that the older you get, the longer you need to heal. But take it easy until then.

Yeah I will go to a physiotherapist or chiro until I get my results from my MRI.Until then I don’t want to keep creating more damage then I already did.

I think you're doing too much. You probably need a couple of days of bed rest or at least reduced activity until you get the MRI and then the docs will know about your disc. Keep in mind that the older you get, the longer you need to heal. But take it easy until then.

Well I decided I would take a week off of work and try to recover. Hopefully I can go to my MD and enquire about my sciatica,which is more pronounced. I’m wondering if she can prescribe me something stronger.

I hope I can get back to work soon.

As far as i know nobody here is a doctor. My daughter is a reg'd massage therapist and she treats sciatic issues with good success. My chiro has fixed my sciatica more than once. I think you need some professional help. I'd much rather see a massage therapist or chiro for sciatica than a doctor who will prescribe pills.

Yeah I will go to a physiotherapist or chiro until I get my results from my MRI.Until then I don’t want to keep creating more damage then I already did.

Good luck. Let us know what happens.

Seeing a regular MD is a waste of time and money. You need a orthopedic surgeon.

Until then:

Stop all home/clinic manipulation of the spine and body!

Do not stay in bed beyond your normal sleeping hours.

Keep taking prescribed anti-inflammatory medicine.

Do only slow, light household type movements.

If overweight, start reducing daily intake of calories. (No fade/crash diets. Just good food and balanced intake.)

Unfortunately it sounds like you are aggravating it with all this. An MRI will help identify some bone and soft tissue issues. However muscle tightness, spasms, etc are not reveled on an MRI.

Stick to evidence based effective physiotherapy treatments and be patient even though back pain can be very upsetting and painful. Also get in shape. Lose weight particularly abdominal fat. This pulls on the lower back and increases strain and load.. Try some gentle stretching classes or yoga classes, etc. Being out of shape, overweight and sedentary are risk factors for chronic back pain.

Yeah I will go to a physiotherapist or chiro until I get my results from my MRI.Until then I don’t want to keep creating more damage then I already did.

Seeing a regular MD is a waste of time and money. You need a orthopedic surgeon.

Until then:

Stop all home/clinic manipulation of the spine and body!

Do not stay in bed beyond your normal sleeping hours.

Keep taking prescribed anti-inflammatory medicine.

Do only slow, light household type movements.

If overweight, start reducing daily intake of calories. (No fade/crash diets. Just good food and balanced intake.)

I will take your advice on that.My doctor just prescribes me pills and only tells me I have minor disc bulge which it doesn’t feel like it’s minor.

Maybe the MRI can tell me what shape my back and discs are in.

Unfortunately it sounds like you are aggravating it with all this. An MRI will help identify some bone and soft tissue issues. However muscle tightness, spasms, etc are not reveled on an MRI.

 

Stick to evidence based effective physiotherapy treatments and be patient even though back pain can be very upsetting and painful. Also get in shape. Lose weight particularly abdominal fat. This pulls on the lower back and increases strain and load.. Try some gentle stretching classes or yoga classes, etc. Being out of shape, overweight and sedentary are risk factors for chronic back pain.

I hear ya.I did physio years ago and it did help with my mobility a litttle bit. I stopped going because I lost my job and was not covered for it anymore.It can be expensive.I will try to look for a good one.I just hope I can get back on my feet and working again,staying at home not making money sucks.

Good luck. Let us know what happens.

I will keep you guys updated,thanks.

yeah. go see a professional and talk to you insurance company or to a lawyer if you feel somebody executed malpractice to mess you up. we are not qualified to comment on any of this.