Please help with back pain

[jasonw]

I hate to say it but this has me on the edge of quitting. Things are going supper for me right now, contracts are coming in daily and big ones but my back is killing me. I have no idea what I did to it, I hurt it about a year ago but got the all good to go letter from the doc but now I cant handle a trimmer for more than 30 minutes without being in excruciating pain for a couple days. For small residential yards this is fine but I am doing large properties of several acres and commonly have a trimmer in my hands for at least 2 hours of the day. I know the trimmer is not really that heavy but hard to hold for so long so I use a strap which helps greatly but my back still ends up hurting. Is there anything out there for people with back problems to use to help this? Maybe some sort of harness or somthing?

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White Company

[CHEESE2009]

Lawn care business tips

I'm sorry to hear about your back pain! There is a product called a "back brace" you might want to look into. Also, an old remedy which apparently works; Put a large coin on your back and light a piece of paper on fire, then place a glass upside down over the coin. When the air gets "removed" the suction will help ease your back pain. For a true answer, look into various "sports gels" anything blue that smells extremely minty will do the trick. Rub that on your body, wash your hands and you'll notice a difference right away. I'd also recommend taking some "Robaxacet" you kind find at any pharmacy. It will ease the tension and help that back pain disappear. commercial Be very careful with your soar back. You don't want to overdo it! Your body is once again trying to adapt to taking on so much activity. It shouldn't cause you any problems once and after it has gotten better.

[jasonw]

I have tried a back brace but it dose nothing for me, I pulled my lumbar about 12 years ago and 2 years ago when I hurt my back the doc said my spine was crooked and 3 ribs were popped out of alignment. Thats when I got the brace from him. My wife put some Ben*** on the spot that hurt last night and other than getting hot it really did nothing. I even spent a small fortune on a walk behind trimmer to get the strain off my back but it can only do so much. I know its got to be the trimmer doing something funny because thats the only time it starts to hurt.

[jasonw]

Oh BTW no worries I wont push it at all. I would rather hang up the trimmer for good than be in a wheel chair or as crippled as my father who has had 7 surgeries on his back. No way will I push it.

[CHEESE2009]

Well I really hope you are safe.


There have been days where my body just felt awful. I couldn't even move out of my bed I was in so much pain. Usually it happens at the start of the season, my body gets overworked more than it's used to. Then the next morning the pain kicks in. My body and yours is trying to adapt.

After 3-4 days you should feel a lot better. It's all from overworking your muscles. When I was a personal trainer, I'd always tell people to not get ahead of themselves. At the moment of doing repetitions with weight, my clients may feel as though they are able to continue and do more than I had recommended for them to do - the outcome was that their muscles weren't able to repair the damaged tissue in such a short period of time, leaving them almost paralyzed for days. Lifting heavy weight causes the tissue in your muscles to tear/stretch - when you rest your body repairs that tissue increasing it's overall size/strength. If your tissue is teared/stretched too much, your body will need more time to repair.

I've even forced myself to get this negative effect just to understand it better. The only thing that will truly help is rest. Do not continue to work until you feel better, it will only get worse. If it gets really bad, you wont be able to fall asleep due to the unbearable pain. If it gets to the unbearable point, your immune system will weaken and this could become a serious issue.

There is medication out there to rid you of the pain, but it's wise to continue to rest as the damage is still there. Check in with a pharmacist and he/she will help you out!

[jasonw]

I know for a fact its not just sore muscles though. I am going back in to the back doc and hopefully its not permanently damaged. You see it dose not wait until the next day to hurt. If I weedeat for say 1 hour after 30 minutes it gets tight and I get a stabbing pain in my left side on my back. By the time the hour is up I can NOT bend down to set the trimmer down, I HAVE to carry it back to the truck and put it on the tailgate. I cant even bend down to fill the mower with gas once this happens. Normally by the next day I can bend down again but the pain sticks around for 2-3 days before going away. ITs hard to explain, I know what a sore muscle feels like so I can say with 100% certainty that this pain is not a sore muscle.

[ToastedToad]

Sounds like a pinched nerve. Probably sciatic. I have this same problem. Killed my back in my first stint as a landscaper, too many rock walls! All I can suggest is to stretch every morning before starting work. Maybe do some yoga in the evenings to loosen you up. Not a whole lot we can do about it once our backs a ruined.

A good adjustment from a respected chiropractor may help some too.

[jasonw]

So in your experience, if this is the same problem as you mentioned there is no fix for it? fix meaning long term permanent fix to make my back 100% again like it use to be back in the day.

[ToastedToad]

Originally Posted by jasonw

So in your experience, if this is the same problem as you mentioned there is no fix for it? fix meaning long term permanent fix to make my back 100% again like it use to be back in the day.

In my case...no. I've never been back to 100%. But I can still work all day long as hard as ever, just in pain.

I think though that with proper treatment and care, a person can heal their backs to a point that they can work and still be productive. See a good doc, do exactly as they say, take care of yourself, and do the best you can. Sorry I can't be of more help.

[bruces]

my lower back is horrible,I am 6'5" and worked the hell out of my body ,and every spring for about the last 10 years I usually cant even walk for a month or so .Anyway ,the brace sometimes helps ,but I have an inversion table that works wonders for me [I spend probably an hour a day on it],and of course my hot tub [I have used it a few times a day for the past year] .I have found that wearing the brace before I do anything is the best way to keep from hurting myself ,but once the damage is done,the brace is not too beneficial .Ibuprofin is good,but after awhile it bungs you up which is hard to take when your back is sore .