Hi there,

I've been overdoing it lately getting ready for spring, and I think
I pulled a muscle in my lower back. It's not the first time,
either. *sigh* Does anyone have some advice for me?
Grace

In article , Grace
wrote:

Hi there,

I've been overdoing it lately getting ready for spring, and I think
I pulled a muscle in my lower back. It's not the first time,
either. *sigh* Does anyone have some advice for me?
Grace

The usual advice is to habitually bend the knees, not the back, & lift
stuff straight up keeping the back veritical, even if it isn't heavy
stuff. Just like before going for a run, it's a good idea to do some
loosening exercises before any strenuous garden work, or yr asking for
trouble. For the immediate problem of lower back pain, take an extremely
hot bath, then when you get out of the tub, apply a coldpack for 20
minutes to the stressed muscle area (buy a medical supply coldpack you can
keep folded in the freezer if this is a recurring problem). The rapid
temperature change from hot bath to coldpack seems to help more to help
the muscles to relax & stop pulling on themselves, than does just a
coldpack alone. (Assuming of course it is only back or shoulder muscle
pain & not an actually injured disc or arthritis or something that needs a
physician's attention.)

-paghat the ratgirl,
back injury from childhood completely under control

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

Tsk, tsk, Grace. You need to warm up for gardening like you would for
any other exercise. Do about 10 minutes of stretching isometrics prior
to doing any work. You'll still be sore but probably won't have any
pulled muscles. You're just like the rest of us, anxious to get the
garden going and don't know when to quit. VBG

George

Grace wrote:

Hi there,

I've been overdoing it lately getting ready for spring, and I think
I pulled a muscle in my lower back. It's not the first time,
either. *sigh* Does anyone have some advice for me?
Grace

Grace wrote:

Hi there,

I've been overdoing it lately getting ready for spring, and I think
I pulled a muscle in my lower back. It's not the first time,
either. *sigh* Does anyone have some advice for me?
Grace


Tylenol. I always thought acetaminophen was for wimps that couldn't
stomach aspirin or ibuprofen. But last time I hurt my shoulder, 2 weeks
later it still hurt and the prescription drugs (muscle relaxants and
Neproxin) weren't helping much. Ibuprofen wasn't helping much. My dad
told me to try some tylenol. I did, and it worked. It certainly wasn't a
"placebo effect", because I didn't expect it to do anything.

So try taking 1000 mg. of acetaminophen a couple of times a day. And do
some gentle stretching exercises after the tylenol kicks in -- make sure
you stretch your hamstrings.

Don't take acetaminophen for an extended period of time if you are fond of
your liver and kidneys.


Good luck, and best regards,
Bob

--
Have a Windows® computer that is powered on for hours at a time? Join the
search for a cure for cancer: http://grid.org/projects/cancer/

Ice and heat, rotating every 20 minutes.... drink lots of water and stretch
gently.

"Grace" wrote in message
...

Hi there,

I've been overdoing it lately getting ready for spring, and I think
I pulled a muscle in my lower back. It's not the first time,
either. *sigh* Does anyone have some advice for me?
Grace

take ibuprofen before gardening. they say one before is better than 3 after. and
like george says, warm up. sore should go away in 48 hours, pain after that may need
a good chiro. Ingrid

George Shirley wrote:

Tsk, tsk, Grace. You need to warm up for gardening like you would for
any other exercise. Do about 10 minutes of stretching isometrics prior
to doing any work. You'll still be sore but probably won't have any
pulled muscles. You're just like the rest of us, anxious to get the
garden going and don't know when to quit. VBG

George

Grace wrote:

Hi there,

I've been overdoing it lately getting ready for spring, and I think
I pulled a muscle in my lower back. It's not the first time,
either. *sigh* Does anyone have some advice for me?
Grace



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zxcvbob wrote:

Grace wrote:

Hi there,

I've been overdoing it lately getting ready for spring, and I think
I pulled a muscle in my lower back. It's not the first time,
either. *sigh* Does anyone have some advice for me?
Grace

Tylenol. I always thought acetaminophen was for wimps that couldn't
stomach aspirin or ibuprofen. But last time I hurt my shoulder, 2 weeks
later it still hurt and the prescription drugs (muscle relaxants and
Neproxin) weren't helping much. Ibuprofen wasn't helping much. My dad
told me to try some tylenol. I did, and it worked. It certainly wasn't a
"placebo effect", because I didn't expect it to do anything.

So try taking 1000 mg. of acetaminophen a couple of times a day. And do
some gentle stretching exercises after the tylenol kicks in -- make sure
you stretch your hamstrings.

Don't take acetaminophen for an extended period of time if you are fond of
your liver and kidneys.

Good luck, and best regards,
Bob

MJ is the best thing going for backache relief. A half a joint beats any painkiller
this side of Demerol, with no damaging side effects.

Hi Grace - First you need to do some stretching and strengthening
exercises for your back. Then to give you support an elastic back brace
does help. Wear when extensive bending and lifting is required to
prevent further injury. Also you can treat yourself on bad days to those
warming back pads that are sold in drug stores that warm up with your
body temperature and last about 8 hours. You can also change your
garden activity from hour to hour for less strain. Good luck, Randy

Grace wrote:

Hi there,

I've been overdoing it lately getting ready for spring, and I think
I pulled a muscle in my lower back. It's not the first time,
either. *sigh* Does anyone have some advice for me?
Grace

--

Me hubby's favorite pain relief is Myoflex. I wear latex gloves to
apply it or my hands go numb.

The only cure is prevention. As already mentioned, do stretches, lift
with knees and Yoga or Pilates are great strengtheners. I hope you
get better soon.

In article ,
says...

Hi there,

I've been overdoing it lately getting ready for spring, and I think
I pulled a muscle in my lower back. It's not the first time,
either. *sigh* Does anyone have some advice for me?
Grace

In addition to the stretches, of course ... have you thought about
a back support belt? I find mine to be very good for my back. I got
it at Healthyback.com, where they also have lots of chair support
pads and the like. Check it out. I also recommend treating yourself
to a weekly massage appointment. I have mine in early evening on
Saturdays, right after I do most of my outside work for the week.

Best,
Snowy

Grace expounded:


Hi there,

I've been overdoing it lately getting ready for spring, and I think
I pulled a muscle in my lower back. It's not the first time,
either. *sigh* Does anyone have some advice for me?
Grace

Find a pilates course. I started practicing pilates 3 years ago, and
my back (which had been bad since 1986) is strong now. Rebuilding
your core abdominal and back muscles will stop your pain.

--
Ann, Gardening in zone 6a
Just south of Boston, MA
********************************

Hi my name is Brenda and I too have pulled a muscle whilst gardening.
I found that an ice pack rather than heat helped with the pain. I use
a bag of frozen peas as an ice pack and with time and NO GARDENING for
at least a week the pain eased a little.

Hope this helps in some way.