I've had psoas muscle problems on and off for years, and now it's feeling pretty bad.

When it gets bad, I usually go see my chiropractor for several sessions and it gets me back to nearly 100%, but I can't currently afford to do that (insurance doesn't cover enough).

I can see a regular doctor for pretty cheap, but I've never felt my primary care physician was really helpful for this. The last time I went to a regular doctor for this, they gave me some really weak muscle relaxers (generic skelaxin iirc) and sent me on my way. This did absolutely nothing, and the stretching I was doing didn't really help.

I know a regular stretching routine would keep me in good shape, and I really need to implement one, but right now I feel that it is at the point where I need some help getting on the mend.

Should I see a physical therapist? I need to find out if my insurance will cover something like that without a referral. It's fine if I need a referral, but I'd rather not spend my time/money on a visit just to be referred if it isn't necessary.

8/30/2012 1:40:13 PM

How do you know it's psoas issue and not disc related?

8/30/2012 1:56:25 PM

I get my strength and flexibility back with adjustments and stretching, and the pain goes away. This has been my experience in the past, at least.

The last time I had issues, several months ago, I only went to my chiropractor once or twice and I didn't make a full recovery, and now it's getting bad again (I do lots of heavy lifting at my job, so that doesn't help).

8/30/2012 2:04:42 PM

I don't believe that you can just see a physical therapist without some kind of referral and/or evaluation. Get your primary care provider to either refer you for therapy or send you to see a specialist who will confirm the problem and then prescribe physical therapy. My younger brother's doctor was able to get him in to see a spine specialist who has physical therapy in house. The process took relatively little time.

8/30/2012 2:20:36 PM

This is a little "out there", but there's a yoga instructor in North Durham who used to be a physical therapist who could probably help. I have psoas related muscle problems, and I used to see a chiropractor for it all the time. Eventually it stopped working. I went to several doctors, and was eventually referred to this guy as someone who can help.

I went for one hour consultation. The guy was a little odd at first, a little too kum-by-a for me, but he was down to business as he walked me through several yoga poses and gave me some stretches to do on my own. I went in early August and have been doing stretches daily. So far, I have definitely improved my low back and core flexibility, although I've let me problem go for years, so I still have issues.

I know it's a little weird, but basically it's a guy who see's how flexible you are and works with you to show you the stretches you need to do to improve your flexibility.

If you want more info, shoot me a PM.

8/30/2012 2:32:11 PM

If you are in Raleigh and want to stop by my gym, when I am not busy, I'll run a free functional movement screen on you.

This can paint a pretty good picture of what mobility and stability issues you are dealing with. Once you clear those up, usually pain goes away. If stretching and adjustments gave you relief, then it's probably chronic muscle tightness due to prolonged sitting or repetitive movement with bad posture.

You'd be really surprised how many low back, hip, knee, and shoulder problems stem from weak glutes, tight hips, and inability to correctly stabilize through abdominal/paraspinal bracing.

[Edited on August 30, 2012 at 2:58 PM. Reason : ;]

8/30/2012 2:57:37 PM

Thanks! I will keep ^^ in mind

Matt, that would be awesome. I'll send you a PM.

8/30/2012 4:18:25 PM

I've had muscle related back problems for years. Following the program in this book really helped. I only really have issues if I slack off for awhile.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1592400450

8/31/2012 5:23:31 PM

also, if you have access to a pool, I would suggest swimming.

but I'm not an expert on back pain.

9/1/2012 2:49:10 AM

I have a co-worker whose husband is a PT and he will basically tell you that chiropractors are worthless because they just make you feel better for a short period of time and you always need to come back, whereas a PT will give you exercises, routines, etc. to do that are better for your body overall. Just my (his) 2 cents. Don't know about the referral process but I feel it should be fairly easy to do.

[Edited on September 1, 2012 at 10:02 AM. Reason : ]

9/1/2012 10:01:23 AM

Quote :

"You'd be really surprised how many low back, hip, knee, and shoulder problems stem from weak glutes, tight hips, and inability to correctly stabilize through abdominal/paraspinal bracing."

This. A while back I started to have fairly regular problems with lower back pain and sharp pains in my knee. Some regular exercise to compensate for sitting on my ass at work all day fixed most of the issues. Knee is still bothering me on occasion, though. Maybe I should go see that libertarian nutjob MattJMM2 (THE NUTJOB BIT IS A JOKE)

9/1/2012 11:01:39 AM

Quote :

"I have a co-worker whose husband is a PT and he will basically tell you that chiropractors are worthless because they just make you feel better for a short period of time and you always need to come back, whereas a PT will give you exercises, routines, etc. to do that are better for your body overall. Just my (his) 2 cents."

Wait...one medical practitioner claiming that another type of medical practitioner's services are useless and therefore not work going to, in hopes a person will go to original medical practitioner?

Additionally, it makes sense that a PT would say that, because he may not know what a chiropractor does?

I bet if you went to a chiropractor and asked the effectiveness of PT, they would tell you that it is very effective, so long as your vertebral alignment is where it should be, which is why you have to "keep going" to see a chiropractor: When your vertebrae are misaligned for a long period of time, your muscles will form to the improper posture, tightness, misalignment, etc. A chiropractor fixes the alignment, so PT is more effective after an adjustment.

Going to a PT and working the muscles that are the problem (that is, the symptom of a larger problem), all you are doing is working the muscles on a poor foundation.

Again, don't take my word for it, I've only had back problems for 17 years and have gone through a rigorous dosage of PTs, chiropractors, ESIs, traction, inversion.

The only two things I never tried for relief were acupuncture and cannabis.

If you think only one way will solve your problem, you are mistaken.

I'm a little sick of the medical communities who think their way is the only way and don't offer comprehensive and a combination of exercises, routines, adjustments and even (in some extreme cases) medicine or surgery.

9/1/2012 11:50:01 AM

Additionally, I personally recommend everyone gets or reads Treat Your Own Back, by Robin McKenzie.

http://www.amazon.com/Treat-Your-Back-Robin-McKenzie/dp/0959774661

It has helped me, and will help everyone with back problems.

Disclaimer: I got my book for free from the Navy. I had back surgery in 1999 to remove a cyst from the L4-L5 disc. I had back surgery in 2011 to remove the L4-L5 disc and fuse L4 and L5. Between those two surgeries, I had numerous "therapy" (chiro, inversion, traction, ESI, PT, e-stim, etc.) sessions that were mildly and temporarily effective.

Since my surgery, I haven't had any back pain.

9/1/2012 11:53:47 AM

Oh man, I'd love to try acupuncture just for shits and giggles.

9/1/2012 11:56:10 AM

Quote :

"I bet if you went to a chiropractor and asked the effectiveness of PT, they would tell you that it is very effective, so long as your vertebral alignment is where it should be"

You mean vertebral subluxation? That load of psuedoscience bullshit.

9/1/2012 12:15:48 PM

Is this your expert opinion talking, or the sister's ex-girfriend's brother's friend of a friend's?

9/1/2012 12:49:30 PM

back probs r because of genetic flaws. i bet your parents/grandparents r from the same traveling preacher. take some 800 ibuprofen and doesnt have the children unless genepool

9/3/2012 5:18:35 AM

you could say the same about mental retardation.

9/3/2012 12:43:08 PM

I highly recommend a foam roller. Same basic concept as the traction machine at the Chiropractor but more effective.

9/15/2012 8:59:21 AM

chiropractors are 100% quacks, i have no idea why people still use them when they could instead go to someone with actual medical training

9/15/2012 9:33:38 AM

Same reason they go to church.

9/15/2012 9:52:27 AM

Quote :

"I don't believe that you can just see a physical therapist without some kind of referral and/or evaluation"

NC is a direct access state, so you can see a PT first. however, insurance may not pay for it without an MD referral.

9/15/2012 3:33:04 PM

Honestly, assuming you don't have a specific bone structure issue, you need to learn to properly lift, stretch, learn to read you body, rest, nutrition and apply all effectively. A posture analysis would be helpfull to, with a program designed to correct your issues.

I thought I had "bad back" for the same reasons.

Seriously, take up Matt's offer.

[Edited on September 17, 2012 at 4:01 AM. Reason : ]

9/17/2012 3:59:36 AM

He did... IMO, it would be fixed with a mobility and strength training routine 2-4x a week.

9/17/2012 6:57:59 AM

i went to physical therapy for my back last week... has helped it tremendously just with one visit (and doing the exercises/stretches as prescribed every day)

9/17/2012 10:33:45 AM

i'm a firm believer in a regular stretching routine...seems to me that a lot of common problems could be avoided/remedied that way

also, yoga is freaking amazing

9/17/2012 10:47:06 AM

I took up Matt's offer and received some good advice. I will be training with him a couple times a week for the foreseeable future.

9/18/2012 4:42:09 PM

Ditch the Costanza wallet.

9/22/2012 5:31:37 PM

Stuart McGill is a lower back guru, take a look at what he says on low back pain here.

Part I and II

http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=5128397&fb_source=message

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/an_interview_with_dr_stuart_mcgill_part_ii

9/29/2012 11:13:03 PM

My lower back pain for past 3-4 weeks is getting to the point i want to tell boss i need some time off to get checked out. Any advice?

At first just thought I did something in a weird way…after almost a month, seems like it should have fixed itself by now. Getting into a vehicle sucks. And lifting my left leg to dress myself is painful

1/29/2024 2:24:48 AM

Chiropractors are charlatans and I'd see an acupuncturist first. Avoid back surgery if at all possible. Topical creams with actual THC work way better than anything with just CBD. Thankfully, I don't have back pain, but I know of plenty of others who do. Good luck man.

1/31/2024 9:29:55 PM

Seeing a physical therapist on Monday for sciatica and lower back pain.
I'll report back what I'm told.

2/9/2024 12:41:30 PM

Sometimes lately some of my left fingers(thumb index and middle) lose feeling. Its kinda like they are always asleep, or feel kinda tingly

[Edited on February 9, 2024 at 6:15 PM. Reason : But lower pain in back finally kinda going away. Not 100%, but a little more flexible now]

2/9/2024 6:14:34 PM

^I had that in my arms/fingers and legs during the lockdowns and after, cause I just stopped exercising completely and gained a ton of weight for two years straight.
like just bending my fingers one way under some pressure would make them feel tingly, putitng my legs up would make em fall asleep quickly.

After getting moving again, it's reduced significantly

2/10/2024 1:47:23 AM

This might help:

2/10/2024 11:10:43 AM

You should all read this book. It helped me out a lot after almost a lifetime of real problems. I don’t want to get too much into the weeds on it or make any guarantees, but it costs 13 bucks and a few hours of your time, which is a lot better a deal than any doctor, PT, chiropractor, or stretching routine will give you

https://a.co/d/5LDtCvh

2/10/2024 8:53:00 PM

I had my PT appointment.
Doc and specialist said I may have a slightly slipped disk, but at my level of discomfort it isn't worth even getting checked yet.

Gave a packet of about 20 stretches to do a couple times a day.

Recommended walking and working on core strength as well.

(I'm 6', 237#, so heavy but not morbidly obese, and overall strength isn't a concern here.)

2/16/2024 2:17:18 PM

^can you share the stretches?

[Edited on February 17, 2024 at 2:07 AM. Reason : My back is a little better. Not as difficult putting on clothes or getting in/out of vehicle]

2/17/2024 2:06:47 AM

Exercises
- Seated Upright Posture Correction - 7 x weekly
- Seated Upper Trapezius Stretch - 2 x daily - 7 x weekly - 5 reps - 10 hold
- Seated Cervical Rotation AROM - 2 x daily - 7 x weekly - 1 sets - 10 reps - 5 hold
- Seated Scapular Retraction - 2 x daily - 1 sets - 15 reps
- Doorway Pec Stretch at 90 Degrees Abduction - 2 x daily - 7 x weekly - 10 reps - 5 sec hold
- Cat Cow to Child's Pose - 2 x daily - 7 x weekly - 10 reps - 5 sec hold
- Prone on Elbows Stretch - 1 x daily - 7 x weekly - 10 reps
- Prone Quadriceps Stretch with Strap - 2 x daily - 7 x weekly - 5 reps - 10 hold
- Supine Sciatic Nerve Glide - 2 x daily - 7 x weekly - 1 sets - 10 reps - 5 sec hold

2/25/2024 10:07:02 AM

Has it been help in past almost 2 weeks?

2/25/2024 4:09:55 PM

2/25/2024 7:25:43 PM

Said this awhile back:

Quote :

"Yoga. For a few years I had massive trouble sleeping bc I would wake up with my back killing me, couldn't get comfortable. I had always sworn I wouldn't do yoga, prob for toxic masculinity related reassons, but I had to try something. Once I'd been doing yoga for awhile I could sleep again. Every now and then I'll wake up wiht a stiff back but it's much much better."

Yoga By Adriene on YouTube has tons of different practices and categories: skill level (beginner to advanced), body focus (back, hammies, etc), length (10 min to an hour), etc

2/25/2024 8:29:18 PM

What about DDP yoga???

2/26/2024 2:00:24 PM

Yoga Delivered Duty Paid.

2/26/2024 6:26:28 PM

I haven’t done much of the prescribed stretching. But it has helped a little.

2/29/2024 3:06:54 PM

I too am getting older and having some possible back issues, which is a little ironic as I've been trying to take better care of my back and legs and recently got a standing desk both for home and work and have a mat and balancing board to minimize the impact on my feet.

Starting mid-January I got tingling at my toes and the bottom of my feet. It has since spread up to my knees, but also mostly gone from my feet. I assumed this was sciatica as I had something similar happen back in 2019, but more confined (just part of the back of my left leg). Just had my Neuro appointment yesterday and did the EMG test. He could tell from that there was some small fiber neuropathy, so I'm going to get an MRI of my lower back to see if there is any sort of disc compression or anything like that. Otherwise it isn't painful and my back doesn't really hurt at all, but I also don't want to wait until it gets worse. Also my mom has MS and while it isn't a genetic thing, having a parent with it does put you at a higher risk for it as well.

My wife dealt with something similar last year. She had pain and a pulling sensation in her right arm and hand at the first of the year that just started one morning when she woke up. After a lot of back and forth and testing, she got an MRI that found she had a bulging disc. She went in for a disc replacement but they ended up having to do a full fusion. It was at an area that really had little impact on her mobility and since then she has completely recovered. As far as we can tell she has had no loss in mobility, the pinched nerves were immediately healed (she noticed it in recovery when I held her hand) and the only evidence it ever happened is a small scar on her neck.

3/1/2024 9:24:40 AM

Good luck, man!

3/1/2024 11:39:10 AM

Finally got my MRI this week and in some ways it was worse than I thought, but not super surprising. Rather than a herniated disc or pinched nerve I have lesions on my nerves in the lower back, so they ordered another MRI on my spine and brain, which found more lesions. So I've almost certainly got Multiple Sclerosis. My mom got it when I was in elementary school, so it isn't some weird or unknown disease to me, and I knew her having it made me have a higher chance of getting it as well.

Still TBD on treatment as I have to get another meeting with my Neurologist to figure that out.

4/6/2024 11:38:26 AM

That's pretty crappy. Sorry to hear it, but I guess somewhat beneficial that you already have some familiarity with the condition (albeit through similarly crappy circumstances).

4/6/2024 11:49:36 AM

Yea I'm not going to let it bother me much. Treatments are a lot better than what mom had available when I was growing up. TBH it has kind of been a wake up call to me to take better care of myself, mainly on my health and wellness. I'm going to try to do better about diet and start exercising, which I haven't been doing much of in recent years.

4/8/2024 7:06:11 AM