[Angie O'Plasty, RN]

Tell us about it!

Do you use medication on a regular basis or other means to relieve your chronic back issues?

[Angie O'Plasty, RN]

I go to a chiropractor once in awhile. Seems to help. Advil does wonders after a rough shift, too.

[P_RN]

Not only meds, but therapy, tens, epidural steroids and finally forced medical retirement.

[madwife2002]

Never had a bad back in my life until a few months ago when we started continually hoisting large patients. So now have constant ache in neck and right shoulder.

[Spidey's mom]

No I don't have a bad back. Thankfully.

steph

[jnette]

Sure do........ never did 'til I started in dialysis. The constant bending over and the carrying all the heavy boxes of saline and bags of bicarb didn't help, either. Sure wish they'd make dialysis chairs that had hydraulics on them like dentist chairs, so we could raise them to our comfort level. Guess that would be easy enough, but we must not be worth the cost. We are just SO replacable.

[Tweety]

No bad back yet after 15 years of med-surg.

I do yoga twice a week, and exercise my back and abs (strong abs can help build a strong back), and upper and lower body at the gym. I'm sure that helps.

My heart goes out to those with bad backs.

[KRVRN]

No bad back, been an RN for 5 yrs... in NICU

[madwife2002]

Originally Posted by Tweety

No bad back yet after 15 years of med-surg.

I do yoga twice a week, and exercise my back and abs (strong abs can help build a strong back), and upper and lower body at the gym. I'm sure that helps.

My heart goes out to those with bad backs.

Hiya Hun,

You say you have been in med/sur for 15 years what sort of lifting aids do you use? Do you actually do a manual handling course? Our hospital and most of the UK hospital have no lifting or essential lifting only policies. We have to use slide sheets and hoists.

[jax]

It's been 10+ years working in orthopaedics and 2 years ago I sat forward in a chair and L5-S1 disc bulged out. I now have greater empathy for the orthopaedic 'back pain' population.
I was off for 3 weeks at the time, and now work part-time, and if I don't keep up my exercises, especially the abdo work - I really feel it. Don't take any meds but am forever worried about it happening again. I feel the original injury was from general wear and tear from nursing over the past 15 years and I should have been more diligent earlier with back/abdo strengthing exercises.