Suggest treatment for weakness of lower back
Patient: Hi i'm 53 yrs old do a lot of lifting at work,am 10 1/2 stone,lower back does feel weak sometimes when stood still used to go to gym a lot.Last few days lower right back really hurts,and it hurts when i put my chin towards chest on right lower side. aside from that thinking of changing matress which must be over 15yrs old. Doctor: Hello, Thanks for your query.My suggestion would be-1. Usually 1-2 days of bed rest will calm severe back pain. Do not stay off your feet for longer, though.2. Avoid lifting weights as it imparts more strain on your back3. Change your daily activities so that you avoid movements that can cause further pain, especially bending forward and lifting as it will worsen the intervertebral disc problems. If you want to bend forwards, do it with your hips and knees flexed.4. Use a lumbosacral back support to stabilize your spinal muscles and to provide support for your spinal column.5. After the initial pain has subsided, remedial exercises to strengthen the spine are very important to restore normal spinal movements and muscle strength. The main aim of exercise is to encourage mobility, reduce muscle spasm, prevent further deterioration in the muscles and speed recovery.6. You should maintain an optimum body weight to decrease the strain on your vertebral column causing more degeneration and arthritic changes.7. At times steroid injections at Facet joint of spine will help in alleviating the lower back pain.8. I usually give the drug pregablin/gabapentin for pinched nerve along with vitamin B12 and B6I do hope that you have found something helpful and I will be glad to answer any further query.Take care