Had a bad accident and hurt my back BAD!! help please

jacolyncoker

So, earlier this year in gym class (yes I am young enough to be in gym) we were doing an obstacle course, in which we had to jump over a mat and land on another mat. So, needless to say, I landed on my head when it was my turn and hyperextended my back, and was pretty much immobile for 3 weeks.

4 months later my back STILL HURTS. And I can't do things like situps for long periods of time because my back just kills.

Do you have any advice on getting my back in shape, without it making me want to cry?

I pulled the muscle attached to my spine, btw. if that helps any.

Heather75

Have you had any physiotherapy? If not, you would be best to consult a physiotherapist, because they would be in a position to understand the nature of your injury and what exercises would a) help the injury and b) not do additional damage. You don't want to take any chances with a back injury.

kcdrake

Wow, that's scary!

The first thing that comes to my mind is yoga. I bet the stretching would help and yoga actually helps tone muscles pretty well. I'd recommend starting with something slow that focuses mainly on stretching before doing something more cardio-related.

But before taking advice from all of us as gospel, I'd talk to your doctor (or physical therapist if you had one) about exercises that would help. If you brought this up to your general practitioner you might even get a referral to a physical therapist to ensure you are doing the exercises correctly and don't further injure yourself.

Best of luck! Don't push yourself too fast and risk another injury.

EDIT: Oh, and another exercise that might be good for your could be swimming.

Duganhorse

I recently had back surgery on my lower spine. I know what back pain is like and I am working on my 6th week of physical therapy. I would definately not do any exercise until you see a doctor. You could be causing permanent damage trying to do sit ups and things. Trust me, the last thing you want to do at a young age is permanently injure your back.

jacolyncoker

Have you had any physiotherapy? If not, you would be best to consult a physiotherapist, because they would be in a position to understand the nature of your injury and what exercises would a) help the injury and b) not do additional damage. You don't want to take any chances with a back injury.

I was at my doctor, she told me to find some excersizes online for my back, ahah. So thats what I am doing

jacolyncoker

Wow, that's scary!

The first thing that comes to my mind is yoga. I bet the stretching would help and yoga actually helps tone muscles pretty well. I'd recommend starting with something slow that focuses mainly on stretching before doing something more cardio-related.

But before taking advice from all of us as gospel, I'd talk to your doctor (or physical therapist if you had one) about exercises that would help. If you brought this up to your general practitioner you might even get a referral to a physical therapist to ensure you are doing the exercises correctly and don't further injure yourself.

Best of luck! Don't push yourself too fast and risk another injury.

EDIT: Oh, and another exercise that might be good for your could be swimming.

Oh, I was at my doctor, and I can't really afford a physical therapist. I mean, I work at Dairy Queen haha.

The doctor told me to 'google it', great doc, huh? ha.

smae1980

I would agree with heather and KC you and doing what you can. GOVERNER DOUCHBAG!!! I hate him hope you find you'r w3ay!!! Sucks Sorry, You're not going to find someone who loves him!!!!

Duganhorse

You should also ice it for at least 20 min several times a day. My physical therapist always recomends that. I wouls work on toning the abs, not focusing on the back. If your abs are not strong enough to support your back it will have a harder time getting better. Try searching for physical therapy exercises online for back injuries.

jacolyncoker

I would agree with heather and KC you and doing what you can. GOVERNER DOUCHBAG!!! I hate him hope you find you'r w3ay!!! Sucks Sorry, You're not going to find someone who loves him!!!!

what?! whose governer douchbag?

rmccully

go see a chiropractor

commit2change

try doing execises for physically challenged or disabled such as on www.youtube.com and chair exercises. Hope this helps.

lilmissy2

Again, I would say a physiotherapist is worth the money... even just for one consultation to get some ideas on exercises (or rest if that is appropriate). I can't believe your doctor told you to google it! Your back is so important in everything you do... I wouldn't want to risk it.

ksnurse25

I would suggest low impact exercise such as swimming. Did you doctor give you any restrictions? Swimming is a great way to get exercise without all the extra strain on your body. Good luck with this!!!

365healthchallenge

I wouldn't just go to your regular doctor, I did that when I first hurt my back and I suffered for over 5 years before I finally went to an orthopedist. Even after I did that it took time and several attempts at other treatments before it ultimately ended in surgery...TWICE (in less than a year). I had a micro discectomy last July and was out of work for 2 months only to have my back lock up again and cause severe pain at the beginning of December and I've been out of work since. I did cortisone injections for awhile (it's like an epidural), then they finally did a discogram and decided to do a spinal fusion at the beginning of March. I should be going back to work soon, but I have lots of physical therapy left to do.

Back problems are very serious, you may not realize it now, but you could be damaging other parts of your body by not seeking proper treatment. My body was overcompensating for the tremendous amount of pain I was in for so long that I have nerve damage in my right leg and have difficulty flattening my foot completely. I still have some numbness in that leg that may never go away. In addition to physical therapy for my back I also have to wear a brace for my leg with a crank on it that I have to use to slowly stretch out the tight muscles in my leg (no amount of stretching so far has been able to relax these muscles, even muscle relaxers and electronic stimulation hasn't helped).

Please go see a specialist and get an MRI to make sure that you don't have any serious issues with your back. You're even younger than me and I don't want you to have to go through all the pain that I did.

It was this injury that was the main cause of my lifestyle going from very active, to almost completely sedentary which played a huge factor in my weight gain.

If you have any questions feel free to message me.

Take care.

ciaobella47

He said "google it"? Sounds pretty lazy. Wow.

Sorry to hear about your back! I agree with ksnurse25, swimming is a great way to strengthen while definitely being easier on your body. Good luck!

NWgardener

I agree with the swimming and yoga. But not just any yoga--find a good instructor and start out S-L-O-W. Yoga really helps you get in touch with your aches and pains, and a good instructor (mine is 71!) can guide you best. Good luck with your recovery, and keep us all informed here at MFP.

And look into the possibility of a different doctor...

smae1980

I would agree with heather and KC you and doing what you can. GOVERNER DOUCHBAG!!! I hate him hope you find you'r w3ay!!! Sucks Sorry, You're not going to find someone who loves him!!!!

what?! whose governer douchbag?

sorry someone nuged me out of the way and typed over my shoulder. That was not me after the first part

liscar67

I have an annular tear in my spine & I'm training for my first triathlon....ice and Motrin help a ton

Lot's of stretching

Yoga

You can do almost all core strengthening exercises using one of those big balls - on the internet there are tons of sites with some great exercises

Swimming

The back will feel better with a strong back & abs....so focus on that area, use the ball - they are like $15 bucks