Back pain
Written on Sunday, 29th June, 2008
O.K. It’s happened! One moment everything was all right and the next moment everything’s all wrong. Out of the blue it seems you’ve been smitten with a sore back. You may feel a variety of symptoms - a dull ache or a sharp pain, tingling or burning sensation, even weakness in the legs or feet. But please don’t panic - for years you may have been doing many things improperly without realising it — like standing without being balanced, sitting without supporting your spine, or lifting with your arms and back taking the strain instead of your legs. Then suddenly, one simple movement, like reaching for something in the shower or bending from your waist, leads to the feeling of pain and you think that the trouble was caused by that one moment of inattention. While such pain or discomfort can happen anywhere in your body the most common area affected is your lower back which supports most of your body’s weight.

ACUTE v CHRONIC BACK PAIN Your back has probably been losing strength or integrity over a lengthy period. Low back pain may be acute - lasting less than one month, or chronic - lasting longer than three months. While getting acute back pain more than once is common, continuous long-term pain is not.

HOW TO HELP YOURSELF You’ll realise yourself not to lift and carry anything big but, if it’s unavoidable, then bend your knees not your back. To help you feel stable, keep your feet wide apart and use your strong leg muscles. Carry the object against your body (so that its centre of gravity is close to yours). Also bend your knees to put the object down.
Try a rolled-up towel or jumper in the small of your back to help support the natural curve (’Lumbar support rolls’ are available from some shops)
Stand your washing up bowl on the draining board so that you don’t have to slump over the sink, straining your lower back, sit down to prepare vegetables etc.
Check the suitability of your mattress with a simple test. Lie on your back and slide your hand (palm down) into the small of your back. If there is a large gap, the mattress is probably too hard. If you have to squeeze your hand in, then it is probably too soft. If your hand slides in fairly easily, the mattress is probably just right.
If you have neck pain, try making a butterfly pillow. Tie a bandage or stocking around the centre of the pillow and place your neck in the middle.
When vacuuming, keep your upper body upright, and with the cleaner close to your body use short sweeping movements.
Only iron essential items. Make sure your ironing board is at waist height (most people have the board too low).

When making beds, kneel down to tuck in corners rather than stooping.
A common misconception is that you need to rest and avoid activity for a long time. In fact, bed rest is not recommended. You should reduce physical activity only for the first couple of days and then gradually resume your normal activities after that.

THINGS TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT - loss of bowel or bladder control, weakness, weight loss or fever - telephone your doctor immediately.

HOW TO HANDLE PAIN
Stop normal physical activity for the first few days. This helps calm your symptoms and reduce inflammation.
Apply heat or ice to the painful area. Try ice for the first 48-72 hours, then use heat after that.
Take over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen.

While sleeping, try lying in a curled-up, foetal position with a pillow between your legs. If you usually sleep on your back, place a pillow or rolled towel under your knees to relieve pressure. After 2-3 weeks, you should gradually resume exercise but NO heavy lifting or twisting for the first 6 weeks. Help yourself by doing light exercise - walking, riding a stationary bicycle, and swimming are good for starters. This strengthen muscles in your stomach and back.

AVOID jogging, football, golf, weightlifting or any other exercise which could put off your healing.

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Below are a few examples of Bowen on people who had back pain. Please note that each example is only a summary.
Sports Instructor called me in extreme distress with pain in her right shoulder. A fortnight previously had noticed a sharp pain at her back when she was driving her car but then the pain disappeared. The other day she was moving a heavy piece of equipment and suddenly her neck and right shoulder became very painful. When I saw her she was shaking with the pain and her face was ashen. Did a few basic moves on her and told her to rest and continue with the painkillers. Came the following week and her colour was back to normal though she still had a little pain at her neck and was still taking anti-inflammatories. Came the third week and she was 95% better and has a sense of well being and wanted literature about the Bowen Technique to give to her clients.
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Horsewoman who had already fallen off her horse and suffered a compressed fracture of the 5th vertebrae came to see me because she tripped on the pavement and now was suffering with pain in her right lumbar/thoracic region, pain in her feet, and a shooting pain between her shoulder blades. While doing the first four moves she was aware of gentle heat at her shoulder blades radiating down to her coccyx. This sensation stayed with her for twenty minutes and I decided to call it a day and see her the next week after her body had processed the work. Came to see me the next week and told me the pain had greatly diminished in her back but her feet were still a little painful. I dealt with the foot issue and told her I thought she should come back one more time. She ‘phoned me during the week to say that the pain in her feet had disappeared and she wouldn’t need to come back. Speaking to her months later she has had no re-occurrence of the problem.

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Woman in her early 80’s phoned me to ask if I could help her. She had to get morphine from her doctor because the pain in her back adjacent to her fourth lumbar vertebrae was so bad. She had an x-ray six weeks prior to her ‘phoning me but nothing sinister had shown up and she was now waiting on a scan. She had managed to the physiotherapist a few weeks earlier but when she told him she had been diagnosed with osteoarthritis he said he couldn’t be of any help to her. As the pain was so bad she only left her bed to go to the toilet, so I used the Bowen methods applicable to someone who has minimal movement, (either in a wheelchair or bed). After the first two moves she happened to cough and then said that normally when she coughs the pain gets worse as her back would go into a spasm, but there was no pain after the moves. She also felt heat and tingling in her lower back and when I had finished she managed to get up out of bed with the aid of two sticks and take a few steps. Saw her three times in all and she felt the pain had been somewhat relieved and her muscle tone was slowly getting better, and she had asked her doctor to reduce the morphine.

The lady is now walking without the aid of sticks and is enjoying life again.

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Joiner ‘phoned me for a back problem.    When I saw him he told me he had fallen out of a first storey window ten years previously and, although that healed up, he has had pain in his back about once a month from that fall with the accompanying lack of sleep and lack of concentration. Five years ago he gave up playing amateur football. Checked his pelvic alignment which wasn’t good and his leg abduction – very little lateral movement of his legs. Balanced his body with Bowen moves and once he stood up he said that he had very little pain. Was going on holiday the following week, so the one time I saw him must have done the trick because I didn’t see him again!

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Young lady came to see me for a back problem. She had a gall bladder operation the year before and she also suffered from I.B.S. but not so much now. Four years ago the car she was driving aquaplaned off the road and she broke all her ribs and her right shoulder. Last year she developed sciatica and a slipped disc and was off work for 51/2 months. She had a lot of physio and went back to work in March. This particular incident started when she put her feet over the bed to get up and developed a tremendous pain at her lower back. Did the basic Bowen with plenty of rest in between the moves to give her body time to assimilate. She felt a shivering sensation down her spine from her right arm and also felt pain which soon disappeared.   Also aware of gentle heat in her lumbar region. Before she left she said she was still stiff but the pain had decreased and she told me later she was able to go back part time to work. I saw this lady once a month for four months after which time  the quality of her life improved greatly as the pain became negligable.    She re-injured thirteen months later but only needed to see her twice before she was right again.

For more info contact Sheila at:

mailto:sheila@bowennotpainkillers.com

or call for an appointment on 01698 810441

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