Dealing with low back pain?

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I've just started nursing school, but I'm worried about my back already.

I've been overweight my whole life, and since a pretty young age my lower back has been a source of alot of achiness, especially after a long day on my feet. I lost about 70 lbs last year, over the course of several months (still more to lose!) but it didnt seem to help one bit.

I did buy some better quality sneakers for school, and some inserts and that does seem to be helping, but once I start clinicals or work, Im really worried that my back pain will get worse.

What do you do to prevent injury? How can I relieve the stress on my lower back? Are there stretches or excercises I can do to strengthen that area, would that help? I've read alot of great advice here about taking good care of your feet, but what about your back?

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Specializes in Oncology.

Congrats on the weight loss, that is fabulous and will probably help you more than anything.

Core exercises such as pilates are great. Strengthening the abdominal muscles will help to hold your back in the proper position.

Physical therapy is really wonderful if you have the insurance to cover it.

Best wishes,

Millie

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Totally agree with core strengthening. It's awesome that you've taken the first step and lost weight but if you don't have good core strength your back is going to hurt and you'll eventually get hurt (even using good body mechanics consistently).

Mayo has a great slide show of core exercises.

To start out, pick a few that work for you and do them twice a day, religiously.

Slide show: Exercises to improve your core strength - MayoClinic.com

Even with a spinal cord injury I'm able to do several of the exercises and maintain a good core.

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Specializes in tele, oncology.

The sad fact is that most of us who do bedside care will eventually end up with chronic back problems. To facilitate making it to that crusty old bat status, be very aware of body mechanics ALL the time, not just at work. (How many of us are sure to lift with our legs at work but just bend over and use our back when picking up kids at home?) As stated above, strengthen those core muscles. And losing weight (congrats!) is a great step to take as well.

I work three 12's in a row, and there are sometimes when I feel like I'm 70 by the end. Hot showers, heating pads, NSAIDs, and massages seem to help a lot when I overdo it at work. Good shoes help as well...unfortunately the best shoes I found for me were Airwalk clogs (got me through a pregnancy working full-time with no back pain) my work outlawed.

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Specializes in Oncology, Med-Surg.

After working as a nurse for 3 years I got hurt at work :( my left arm and left side of my back got twisted from lifting a patient who fell oob. Now I had help, 4 people came to help me and we tried to use the mechanical lift too but it wasn't working. So we used a red thermal blanket to get him back into bed and somehow he landed on me and I fell back into bed.I was out of work for a week. I was in a lot of pain. I refused to be dependent on pain meds. I have been doing 3 months of PT and massage. Stretching and yoga helps too.

Funny thing is before my injury I was pretty active. I worked out 3-4 x a week and do resistant training lifting weights arm/back/abs etc before my injury. So I'm slowly getting better. Pain is still there. Acts up more when I work 3-4 days straight. It's not painful as how it was...

It happens... But all I can say is take care of yourself!!! Be aware of your body/ergonomics, wear good shoes and safety first. Call for help and listen to your body.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

My upper back flares up with pain after turning or moving obese patients at work. It started from moving a 400 pound CVA patient to pull him over to turn and clean him. I was on light duty for awhile, told it was muscle strain and went back to work, but I find anytime I'm forced to move heavy patients the upper back pain flares up! It is really frustrating as this is a frequent part of the job and there is really no way around it! I always here about people with low back pain, but I don't hear about upper back pain. It makes me just want to retire, we shouldn't have to be injured and live in chronic pain just for a job!

Just another reason I wound't encourage anyone to go into nursing! Know you've been forewarned, if you don't already have pain, you will eventually, it's only a matter of time and with the growing obesity epidemic it will only get worse! I'm literally scared of going to work and wondering if I'm going to get stuck with an obese patient that will break my back and permanently injure disable me. It is so unfair! I'm so frustrated, I just spent the last few nights dealing with an obese person incontinent, just putting the depends on was a gymnastic feat with the patient standing there not helping and the depends not fitting her as it was. I think she thought it was funny to tell me everytime I came into the room I need to pee, oh I'm going already, oh I need to be changed. If I ever end up like that I will demand a foley for my own dignity and to spare the workers from ended up in pain!

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Good shoes. Core strengthening. Thinking about your posture even when you're sitting. I find now that my shift generally isn't as bad on my back as my commute is, as I let my legs rotate outwards, which means my core isn't activated while I'm driving. Pulling up, tucking in. And good back stretches anytime things start feeling tight. And when I get back twinges, ice. Not heat, but ice as soon as I start feeling the twinges to keep nerve pinching inflammation down. And if you're at all large chested, a really good bra. Now that I've gotten my lower back pain under control, I actually notice the strain in my upper back. :)

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