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You are here: Home / Politics / Domestic Politics / Tuesday Afternoon Open Thread

Tuesday Afternoon Open Thread

by Betty Cracker|  May 6, 20142:41 pm| 115 Comments

This post is in: Domestic Politics, Open Threads, General Stupidity

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Oh look: Someone tagged the shit outta that Tropicana train!

tag_trop

Any back pain sufferers among us? I’ve recently joined your ranks, having been foolish enough to move a piano all by my lonesome this weekend (just a couple of feet!).

I’ve been fortunate to have been spared back pain all my life due to soft living. What’s an effective remedy, aside from bourbon?

Also, some of you lucky bastards are going to get to meet Digby tonight! Please convey my regards.

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Previous Post: « The Cigarette Trees and the Lemonade Springs
Next Post: History Lesson: “Ronald Reagan’s Benghazi” »

Reader Interactions

115Comments

  1. 1.

    BGinCHI

    May 6, 2014 at 2:44 pm

    Vodka.

    Or, if the administration would just field questions on Benghazi all our backs would stop hurting.

    Benghazi!

  2. 2.

    Valdivia

    May 6, 2014 at 2:46 pm

    Release pressure on lower back by laying in the floor with your feet up at a right angle (put them on a chair or a stability ball if you have one). Pelvic tilts are excellent too. Ice for pain and heat for tightness. Epson salts bath. Also–Vicodin! If it continues I suggest physical therapy.

    Hope you feel better soon!

  3. 3.

    Amir Khalid

    May 6, 2014 at 2:47 pm

    Have you made/tried out those 3D clip-ons yet?

  4. 4.

    Trollhattan

    May 6, 2014 at 2:48 pm

    Hate to have to say this, but the “remedy” is adequate time, the amount of which is unknowable. IIUC, study upon study conclude there’s little difference among those seeking treatment and those who do not as to when the pain goes away and you can resume your standard Cracker day. I’ll suggest Aleve (etc.) as more effective than the other OTC options–can’t stand codeine, myself.

    Rest, wine, stretching, wine, hot pad and employ your local masseur.

  5. 5.

    Betty Cracker

    May 6, 2014 at 2:50 pm

    @Amir Khalid: Not yet! I’m hoping to see Spidey 2 soon but have been too busy and probably won’t get a chance until next week. I told my bespectacled daughter about them, and she is keen to try them as well.

  6. 6.

    jackmac

    May 6, 2014 at 2:50 pm

    More bourbon.

  7. 7.

    wmd

    May 6, 2014 at 2:51 pm

    Lift with your knees!

  8. 8.

    Tom Traubert

    May 6, 2014 at 2:52 pm

    Acupuncture. Thank me later.

  9. 9.

    SatanicPanic

    May 6, 2014 at 2:55 pm

    Sleep on a firm bed

  10. 10.

    Ben Cisco

    May 6, 2014 at 2:58 pm

    Replaced my ancient bed.

  11. 11.

    PhoenixRising

    May 6, 2014 at 2:58 pm

    Rest, and mild exercise/stretching as indicated by your chiro or PT (the one thing that chiropractors actually know how to treat is, um, lower back pain, so don’t be put off by the wacky ones who think they can prescribe herbs or whatever).

    If you want to feel better this week about your new chronic injury site, heating pads can’t be beat. If you want to be fully recovered in 4-6 weeks and forget about it, ice intermittently to allow the area to get urgent blood flow in cycles. Heat feels good but prevents actual healing.

  12. 12.

    JPL

    May 6, 2014 at 2:59 pm

    A friend gets acupuncture for her back and recently tried cold laser therapy. The initial cold laser therapy allowed her to be pain free for three days. It was the first time in years. She’s going to continue the treatment.

  13. 13.

    PhoenixRising

    May 6, 2014 at 3:04 pm

    @wmd: …and once you’re done building your time machine, that’ll be all you need to know.

  14. 14.

    beltane

    May 6, 2014 at 3:06 pm

    I suffered from nearly intolerable neck and upper back pain for years and absolutely nothing worked for any length of time until a rheumatologist prescribed a muscle relaxant, which “unlocked” my spine enough so that I could do all the exercises the PT had taught me. The pain is still somewhat present but is 90% better than before.

    I also bought a memory foam mattress, the best purchase I’ve ever made.

  15. 15.

    patrick II

    May 6, 2014 at 3:06 pm

    I am almost embarrassed to say this, but my back pain troubles left after I got a Health Rider exercise machine. I wouldn’t pay retail, but I found one on Craigslist for $50. It is not much of an aerobic machine, but you repeatedly bring your knees to your chest while holding onto the handles pulls your arms out and stretches your lower back. I just do it for five minutes a few times a week and it has worked very well.

  16. 16.

    Mike in NC

    May 6, 2014 at 3:09 pm

    @BGinCHI: Yesterday’s edition of USA Today included five op-ed excerpts on Benghazi, four of which were critical of the “scandal”. Guess it’s time to look to Fox News for some of their famous ‘fair and balanced’ coverage.

  17. 17.

    beltane

    May 6, 2014 at 3:11 pm

    The very liberal Rassmussen polling firm is finding the President’s and Democratic party’s approval numbers to be surging despite the GOP’s renewed push on Ben Ghazi.

  18. 18.

    ? Martin

    May 6, 2014 at 3:11 pm

    @beltane: Yep, muscle relaxants + exercise + time.

  19. 19.

    BGinCHI

    May 6, 2014 at 3:12 pm

    @Mike in NC: If you’ve lost USA Today….

  20. 20.

    The Fat Kate Middleton

    May 6, 2014 at 3:12 pm

    What Trollhatten said – time is the mightiest healer. I’m going through the same thing right now myself, for the fourth time in the last eight years or so. I’ve finally learned to just wait it out, and be my own bad, lazy self doing it.

  21. 21.

    BGinCHI

    May 6, 2014 at 3:13 pm

    @beltane: In Arabic, “Ben Ghazi” means “place of the lies told of Hilary Clinton.”

  22. 22.

    Ash Can

    May 6, 2014 at 3:13 pm

    I second the mild stretching to heal back muscles. Also, I’ve seen many a freight car tagged like that. It almost makes it fun to wait for trains; some of that stuff is really artistic.

    And in other news, it appears the Kremlin accidentally posted the actual results of the annexation vote in Crimea on its web site — for a short time, until the folks running the operation noticed what had happened, and how bad it made the Russian government look. (H/t LGF)

  23. 23.

    raven

    May 6, 2014 at 3:13 pm

    My wife is a year out of lumbar disc surgery and spent a year trying everything else (including many things mentioned here). She wasn’t doing very well and went back to the surgeon. She told my bride that it could take a long time for the nerve to heal and that she needed to get on the stick and do her PT. She has done so and she feels better.

  24. 24.

    ? Martin

    May 6, 2014 at 3:15 pm

    @beltane: The problem with the Benghazi thing is that it just reeks of desperation at this point.

  25. 25.

    Hal

    May 6, 2014 at 3:16 pm

    So what is the point in Vanity Fair digging up the corpse of the Monica Lewinsky affair? I can’t imagine anything less interesting or remotely informative.

  26. 26.

    Gin & Tonic

    May 6, 2014 at 3:17 pm

    @raven: There really is no substitute for submitting to those sadists.

  27. 27.

    BGinCHI

    May 6, 2014 at 3:17 pm

    @Hal: I just assumed they were putting the vanity back into the affair.

  28. 28.

    raven

    May 6, 2014 at 3:18 pm

    Also, I was diagnosed with a torn labrum in my shoulder in January and the ortho said “ah, we can fix that”! I signed up for surgery and the good folks at BJ helped be decide “NO WAY”. I stopped swimming for 6 weeks (after 10 years of hitting it 7 days a week) and let it rest. I then went to a physical therapist with the MRI. He worked on me and said that he would have never believed that I had the strength and stability in my shoulder if he had just looked at the MRI. Give it time and don’t get cut until you have NO other choice.

  29. 29.

    raven

    May 6, 2014 at 3:19 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: Which?

  30. 30.

    Alex S.

    May 6, 2014 at 3:20 pm

    There’s a link to a Benghazi poll in the Newsmax headlines. I quit when I realized that I couldn’t simply vote no on each question.

  31. 31.

    Bill Arnold

    May 6, 2014 at 3:23 pm

    Re back pain, rest, then after it doesn’t hurt (much) back exercises of the sort recommended by PTs.
    Doctors will find something(s) wrong given the opportunity, but it(they) may not be causally related to the pain.

    @Ash Can:

    …it appears the Kremlin accidentally posted the actual results of the annexation vote in Crimea on its web site…

    Oops.

    Official Kremlin results: 97% for annexation, turnout 83 percent, and percent of Crimeans voting in favor 82%.
    President’s Human Rights Council results: 50% for annexation, turnout 30%, percent of Crimeans voting in favor 15%.

  32. 32.

    beltane

    May 6, 2014 at 3:23 pm

    @Alex S.: If they limit the poll respondents to Newsmax readers, the Republicans might finally get some numbers they like on the issue. No one else gives a shit.

  33. 33.

    JoyceH

    May 6, 2014 at 3:25 pm

    I got some little dealies called ‘Miracle Balls’ – basically you lie on the floor with these squishy balls under specific areas (back, shoulders, neck, etc) and just breathe deeply and relax. It seems to train/encourage the affected muscles to relax and let go. They come with a book that tells you how to use them. I think they’re pretty awesome.

  34. 34.

    Gin & Tonic

    May 6, 2014 at 3:25 pm

    @raven: Physical therapists.

  35. 35.

    different-church-lady

    May 6, 2014 at 3:27 pm

    You would all make utterly miserable doctors: advising solutions without asking any questions about what kind of back pain this is.

  36. 36.

    different-church-lady

    May 6, 2014 at 3:28 pm

    @Hal: You may not be aware that a certain former first lady is an early favorite for a presidential run.

  37. 37.

    The Moar You Know

    May 6, 2014 at 3:29 pm

    Time and a steroid shot/short course if it’s really bad. Opiate painkillers did NOTHING for me the two times I’ve done this.

  38. 38.

    BGinCHI

    May 6, 2014 at 3:31 pm

    Sorry to give this clickbait from the post, but just look at the sack on Thiessen in arguing that Bush and Obama are the same.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/marc-thiessen-release-obamas-benghazi-intelligence-briefings/2014/05/05/e303d548-d450-11e3-8a78-8fe50322a72c_story.html?wprss=rss_opinions

    Bush released the daily briefing that said he was presented with evidence for an attack by OBL and ignored it, so Obama should release the daily briefings when the Benghazi thing happened.

    An argument for releasing docs? OK. Ignorance of massive false equation? You betcha.

    These fuckers have no ability to see differences. Insane or stupid?

  39. 39.

    Villago Delenda Est

    May 6, 2014 at 3:33 pm

    Via Atrios, this is interesting, as is his comment. You read the comments to the linked article, and Atrios’ point is made.

  40. 40.

    gelfling545

    May 6, 2014 at 3:34 pm

    My daughter was struck by a car 4 years ago & has one disc pushed up into another and one dry disc. She cycled between pain & excruciating pain for over 3 years with pain relievers, cortisone injections, muscle relaxants, chiropractic (which would help but not eliminate the pain for about a week at a time) and nothing doing any real good. About 6 months ago she started doing yoga from a multiple sports (cheap) game they had on the xbox. This was desperation time as she was finally back at work and really, really needed to stay employed which she couldn’t do if she couldn’t sit or stand for more than a short period. The yoga, even her (what she calls half-assed) xbox yoga has done more good than anything that has been tried. Her rational for trying it was that 1. it was free; and 2. if it hurt she could stop. All in all it worked out well.

  41. 41.

    beergoggles

    May 6, 2014 at 3:34 pm

    Flexaril or Soma and some painkillers. Taking muscle relaxant along with the pain meds really cuts down on the recovery time.

  42. 42.

    Villago Delenda Est

    May 6, 2014 at 3:34 pm

    @BGinCHI:

    These fuckers have no ability to see differences. Insane or stupid?

    Evil, insane, and stupid.

  43. 43.

    Gin & Tonic

    May 6, 2014 at 3:35 pm

    @Ash Can: I hate to say this, but that Forbes article contains some pretty fundamental inaccuracies (or, charitably, misunderstandings.) The report has certainly been de-emphasized, but it is still available, and it certainly doesn’t say 15% anywhere. If you’re interested, the report is here. If you don’t read Russian, a good English-language summary of the issue is here.

  44. 44.

    Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason

    May 6, 2014 at 3:35 pm

    You found my favorite back pain remedy. For winter back issues, after shoveling snow, I prefer a bourbon sour while sitting next to the fire.

    I’ve had good results with ultrasound from a Physical Therapist. Exercises for the core muscles help long term. I’ll have to try them some time. Other than that, get yourself a back brace and use it any time you’re lifting something.

    The only other advice I got was “Never never twist and lift at the same time.”

  45. 45.

    Gin & Tonic

    May 6, 2014 at 3:37 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: Uh, tag close fail, and I can’t ever edit.

  46. 46.

    Ash Can

    May 6, 2014 at 3:39 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: That’s good to know. Thanks for the correction.

  47. 47.

    ? Martin

    May 6, 2014 at 3:39 pm

    Sometimes we do seemingly unnecessary things, but like so much state legislation, maybe this will catch on elsewhere.

    Under a bill that easily passed the Assembly on a 72-1 vote Monday, state government agencies would be prohibited from displaying or selling Confederate flag imagery.

  48. 48.

    Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason

    May 6, 2014 at 3:40 pm

    @raven: My brother went to a PT for tendonitis. The prescription was for him to “aggressively rest” his elbow.

  49. 49.

    Anoniminous

    May 6, 2014 at 3:44 pm

    @BGinCHI:

    Echo Chamber

  50. 50.

    Punchy

    May 6, 2014 at 3:52 pm

    Digby sounds like the name of a line of John Deere backhoes.

  51. 51.

    mai naem mobile

    May 6, 2014 at 3:53 pm

    Assuming it’s just an acute situation – ibuprofen or Aleve unless it’s contraindicated for you, rest,hot showers,heat,cold. Don’t do the nsaids for too long. They tear up your stomach and aren’t good for your kidneys. Good luck. I’ve done it twice pretty badly and a few times mildly, and both times I wanted to cry.

  52. 52.

    Face

    May 6, 2014 at 3:54 pm

    I got some little dealies called ‘Miracle Balls’

    I’ve got a pair of them myself. Or so I’m told.

  53. 53.

    BGinCHI

    May 6, 2014 at 3:56 pm

    @Face: Balloon Juice: Come for the pet pics; stay for the sophistication.

  54. 54.

    raven

    May 6, 2014 at 4:00 pm

    @Punchy: I painted my chevy with John Deere Blitz Black!

  55. 55.

    NotMax

    May 6, 2014 at 4:02 pm

    Not a doctor, but some advice from one who has been there many times:

    First, take it easy and don’t overdo and listen to your body. If certain bending or stretching makes the pain worse, don’t bend or stretch that way.

    Second, as others have wisely stated, it takes time. And once it does feel better, give it more time on top of that to strengthen. Also, pay attention to posture when sitting (it may even be worthwhile to temporarily swap in a straight back chair at the computer desk for a while). Also, if standing for extended periods (for example, at the stove or sink), make sure to be wearing supportive footwear – flip-flops and the like get put into the closet until the injury is better.

    Third, heating pads are a godsend.

    Fourth, get some of this stuff. It contains absolutely nothing medicinal and has no business working at all or doing anything beneficial, but dammit, it does work on soothing and alleviating the pain. Do not get the store brand or other types of what looks like the same blue goo – they are all inferior. It’s my go to choice for days when the arthritis in hands or knees decides to bellow its presence (I try to avoid pills of any type if possible).

    Fifth, if pain is severe enough that you must use meds then do so, at least for a little while, but (IMHO) as a last resort as masking the pain via meds can also lead to inadvertantly re-injuring the area during normal daily tasks and routines.

    Sixth, wheedle the spouse into providing a gentle massage. Or two. Or three.

  56. 56.

    Jim Faith

    May 6, 2014 at 4:05 pm

    +1 on the yoga – first from a therapeutic perspective to heal, and then maintaining strength and flexibility to actively fight back against aging.

  57. 57.

    Belafon

    May 6, 2014 at 4:06 pm

    @Face: But are they Big Balls?

  58. 58.

    NotMax

    May 6, 2014 at 4:06 pm

    Oh, one more important thing:

    If taking Tylenol or other acetaminophen, lay off drinking alcohol.

  59. 59.

    Cliff in NH

    May 6, 2014 at 4:06 pm

    Ha, I thought the tagging was to turn the orange and straw into a bong, before I noticed it was a artful shadow, not paint.

  60. 60.

    raven

    May 6, 2014 at 4:07 pm

    @Belafon: In Cowtown.

    Workin’ on the railroad
    Sleepin’ on the ground
    Eatin’ saltine crackers
    Ten cents a pound
    Big Ball’s in Cowtown
    We’ll all go down
    Big Ball’s in Cowtown
    We’ll dance around
    (Ehhhh, come in momma, the hog’s done got me)

  61. 61.

    feebog

    May 6, 2014 at 4:09 pm

    What’s an effective remedy, aside from bourbon?

    Scotch.

  62. 62.

    ranchandsyrup

    May 6, 2014 at 4:09 pm

    Soma is what they would take when
    Hard times opened their eyes
    Saw pain in a new way
    High stakes for a few names
    Racing against sun beams
    Losing against their dreams
    In your eyes

  63. 63.

    mai naem mobile

    May 6, 2014 at 4:10 pm

    @? Martin: the one person who voted against it is running in the GOP gubernatorial primary.

  64. 64.

    peach flavored shampoo

    May 6, 2014 at 4:12 pm

    I think we should all go dick on Betty (heh) and figure out exactly where this intersection is. Then triangulate that location with her proclivity to engage in chicken-rearing and the town’s zoning laws to elucidate precisely where Mrs. Cracker resides. Then show up at her abode with Slurpees and Myer’s Mark and get drunk with the Cracker Clan. Anyone in?

  65. 65.

    Amir Khalid

    May 6, 2014 at 4:12 pm

    @Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason:

    “aggressively rest”

    And what on earth did the physio mean by that?

  66. 66.

    chopper

    May 6, 2014 at 4:14 pm

    @Ash Can:

    AHAHAHAHA!

    i wonder what the Russia First crowd here is going to say. look! ukrainian nazis!

  67. 67.

    Mike E

    May 6, 2014 at 4:17 pm

    This is a sore subject.

  68. 68.

    Scout211

    May 6, 2014 at 4:18 pm

    Betty, if you can tolerate NSAIDs, I recommend Alleve (naproxen sodium)

    In other news, our local paper had an AP story in it this morning. Nationwide, highway deaths are down, except in places like West Virginia where fracking is occurring. It seems as though fracking trucks are causing accidents, injuries and deaths.

    We heard about it here first and all mourned the death of Subaru #1

  69. 69.

    srv

    May 6, 2014 at 4:19 pm

    I am so excited!

    Can we have a readers review post for Monica’s new book?

  70. 70.

    JustRuss

    May 6, 2014 at 4:19 pm

    Long term: exercise. I was having back pain in my 30s, started doing aerobics and yoga regularly. At 51 I rarely have any pain, unless I spend a few hours on my hands and knees. I’ve done a few projects with pavers this year, and it makes every bone and muscle in my body sore. But a couple days later I’m fine.

    Bourbon is good too.

  71. 71.

    MattF

    May 6, 2014 at 4:19 pm

    I have occasional back spasms– hot bath and ibuprofen usually helps.

  72. 72.

    BGinCHI

    May 6, 2014 at 4:20 pm

    @srv: No.

  73. 73.

    Commenting at Balloon Juice since 1937

    May 6, 2014 at 4:29 pm

    Do some yoga.

  74. 74.

    Susanne

    May 6, 2014 at 4:33 pm

    It’s really best if you store the alcohol in a high cabinet so that you have to raise your arms high above your head while twisting your body to reach the bottle. The stretching often pulls your muscles so that they then relax and they’re fine afterward. If that doesn’t work, at least you have a tasty beverage. This is absolutely true, by the way. I found out completely by accident, but I’ve been using it medicinally ever since.

  75. 75.

    MattF

    May 6, 2014 at 4:34 pm

    @Susanne: Oooo. And put the really good stuff on the top shelf, I guess.

  76. 76.

    Susanne

    May 6, 2014 at 4:44 pm

    @MattF: Exactly! It’s medicinal!

  77. 77.

    Betty Cracker

    May 6, 2014 at 4:49 pm

    @Susanne: I may have to shift my booze stash, which is currently in a low cabinet. It’s really hard to reach in my present condition. I can stand or sit without much pain, but getting up or bending down hurts like the devil!

  78. 78.

    mdblanche

    May 6, 2014 at 4:54 pm

    @beltane: Unpossible. Just the other day I heard the President’s approval rating hit an all time low in the low 40’s. Though I suppose that’s at least an improvement over his previous all time low in the high 30’s.

  79. 79.

    Susanne

    May 6, 2014 at 4:55 pm

    @Betty Cracker: I’ve been there more times than I can count. Truthfully what you need to do is strengthen your stomach muscles so they support your back. I exercise my back every day. First, I do “I am a little teacup” which involves stretching one arm over your head towards the other side and bending to the side in the direction of the other arm. I also lie on my back and pull my knees up to try to touch my nose with them. I never can, but it seems to stretch out the back. Hot showers with the spray directed right where it hurts also help. Good luck, and let us know if these work for you.

  80. 80.

    Calouste

    May 6, 2014 at 4:56 pm

    So Rob Ford flew from Toronto to Chicago, had a chat with the border officials there, and then decided that he didn’t really want to enter the US. But he wasn’t denied entry, no sirree.

  81. 81.

    Amir Khalid

    May 6, 2014 at 5:03 pm

    @Calouste:
    What’s he doing, taking weekend trips to Chicago? Isn’t he supposed to be in rehab or something?

  82. 82.

    Jay C

    May 6, 2014 at 5:07 pm

    @Ash Can:

    It’s OK – it just took them a little while to unskew the polls……

  83. 83.

    Gin & Tonic

    May 6, 2014 at 5:07 pm

    @Amir Khalid: I think the suspicion was that he was headed there to enter rehab. The Ford family has business ties in Chicago, and a residence there. This entry interruptus was lastweek.

  84. 84.

    Mike E

    May 6, 2014 at 5:08 pm

    My daughter just called, her back has been an issue and now is experiencing numbness in her foot/feet. Good news is her college bcbs plan is in effect into July; bad news is she’s having difficulty getting an appt at back practices near her. She’ll be visiting me tomorrow and I’ll know more then but she needs to get in and see somebody soon.

  85. 85.

    mdblanche

    May 6, 2014 at 5:10 pm

    @mai naem mobile: He’s the frontrunner on the GOP side also too.

  86. 86.

    sicilian dish

    May 6, 2014 at 5:17 pm

    find the sorest spots in your glutes (butt) put a tennis ball on the floor under that spot on you butt and roll around, if that’s too painful then just lie still. Keep stretching and rolling around on a tennis ball – find all the sore spots in your back and release them through pressure points. Bourbon will only make you think there’s no pain until the bourbon wears off.

  87. 87.

    Botsplainer

    May 6, 2014 at 5:19 pm

    The funny part of the Benghazi bit is that all the twisting and turning is being done to deflect criticism off that genyoowine authentic ‘Murkan racist halfwit pastor (and exemplar of the finest American Fundivangelical shitheelery) Terry Jones.

    I shudder to think of the defense that Bull Conner would have gotten had the Internet and Fox News been around in his day.

  88. 88.

    Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason

    May 6, 2014 at 5:26 pm

    @Amir Khalid: I think “aggressively rest” meant don’t do anything, meaning absolutely anything, that involved stressing the elbow. Or the tendons. Specifically including laying off the saxophone in his case.

  89. 89.

    Roger Moore

    May 6, 2014 at 5:27 pm

    @mai naem mobile:

    the one person who voted against it is running in the GOP gubernatorial primary.

    Technically speaking there’s no such thing, since California has moved to a jungle primary. There is a small but finite chance that the many Republican candidates will suppress each others votes to the point that somebody unexpected will wind up facing Gerry Brown in November. It would be funny to see him running against, say, Cindy Sheehan.

  90. 90.

    Roger Moore

    May 6, 2014 at 5:29 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:

    I think the suspicion was that he was headed there to enter rehab.

    Shouldn’t he go to cousin Betty’s clinic, then?

  91. 91.

    Gus

    May 6, 2014 at 5:30 pm

    Welcome to the wonderful world of lower back pain! It will go away with proper rest, but it will be back. If it lingers, I’ve found physical therapy to be beneficial, but keep up with your stretches.

  92. 92.

    Jebediah, RBG

    May 6, 2014 at 5:35 pm

    @BGinCHI:

    In Arabic, “Ben Ghazi” means “place of the lies told of Hilary Clinton.”

    It is one of those cosmic coincidences that it means that in EVERY language.

  93. 93.

    Kathleen

    May 6, 2014 at 5:54 pm

    I’m a fan of massage and chiropractors. I’ve also heard walking can be good for back pain (depending on where the pain is of course). Any activity that moves blood and oxygen into the back that doesn’t cause pain. When your condition permits, developing strength in your core (which has already been mentioned), including your abs. Also, too, I wish I drank. Sigh.

  94. 94.

    cincyanon

    May 6, 2014 at 6:03 pm

    If it’s lower back and no spasms then:
    600mg Ibuprofen (that’s usually 3 pills) + water
    Ice pack for twenty minutes at a time after you’ve been up a couple hours.
    Heat pad before you get out of bed if mornings are particularly tough.
    You can also use a topical like IcyHot or Aspercream

    You can have up to 1200mg of Ibuprofen a day with no issues but drink water. Ibuprofen keeps swelling down. It is not a pain reliever like Tylenol.

  95. 95.

    Trollhattan

    May 6, 2014 at 6:09 pm

    @Susanne:
    You are now my new doctor. Will send my insurance information off-line.

  96. 96.

    Roger Moore

    May 6, 2014 at 6:09 pm

    @cincyanon:

    600mg Ibuprofen (that’s usually 3 pills) + water

    How much to take depends on your weight. My doctor recommended that I take 800mg as a routine dose for a headache.

  97. 97.

    Trollhattan

    May 6, 2014 at 6:18 pm

    @Roger Moore:

    With all the ibuprophen contra-indications that have 1. been known of for decades and 2. been squelched both in public and within the FDA, I keep a very wary eye on how much of it I use. Not saying don’t ever take it, it’s just that it can cause permanent liver damage with startlingly speed. Acetaminophen has its issues, too.

  98. 98.

    Anniecat45

    May 6, 2014 at 6:32 pm

    Well, step one is to go to a doctor and find out exactly what it is.

    I mis-diagnosed my back problem after a similar event in 1988 (picked up a big heavy box and twisted around to get it out of a storage locker). I’m a paralegal but I was sure I knew exactly what was wrong with me and what to do about it. So I suffered for six months, before I finally had to go to a doctor when my back hurt so badly I couldn’t stand up straight.

    Turns out I was totally wrong about what the injury was and what I should have done about it. The doctor diagnosed me in 10 minutes, outlined initial treatment, follow-up physical therapy and a maintenance regime of exercise and occasional massage. That fixed my problem. I’m still maintaining on the same back exercises and massage every couple of months. I was just damn lucky I did not cause nerve damage, either with the initial injury or my amateurish effort to treat it myself.

    That was the last time I tried to be a doctor.

  99. 99.

    Susanne

    May 6, 2014 at 7:00 pm

    @Trollhattan: ;-D Was it the “I am a little teapot” that sold you? Term of art.

  100. 100.

    AkaDad

    May 6, 2014 at 7:28 pm

    I used to unload ship containers by hand. Each container held 44,000 pounds of product, which took around 2 hours to unload and palatalize. I’m now basically disabled with nerve damage in my back.

    Prescription drugs can reduce the pain, but they make me sick and turn me into a non-functioning vegetable. I don’t drink, so in order to alleviate the pain I smoke weed. It doesn’t eliminate the pain, but it makes life bearable and I can function properly. Vaporizers and edibles work as well for those who don’t want to smoke.

  101. 101.

    PhoenixRising

    May 6, 2014 at 7:32 pm

    I too have been a little teapot at times, it’s the best. Good advice, all of it.

  102. 102.

    George Giordano

    May 6, 2014 at 7:33 pm

    Here: 56yo professional male with a really, really bad lower back. Try Yoga. I’ve been at it for 6 months and I’m 100% better than I was (daily back blow-outs). Still a long way to go. The secret is your core. Try crunches. No situps. Planks. Posture, both sitting and standing. Stretch your ham strings. Do all of this everyday (except the yoga but do this 3 to 5 times a week. When you need to lift something, stretch first, then use your legs. Pushing or pulling, contract your abs and then go slow.

    I could go on and on. I have a program of about 14 things I do regularly. The above is just some of it. And, every yeas you wait to start this it’s much harder to recover from.

    Good luck. If you want to know more, feel free to contact me.

    -GG

  103. 103.

    Trollhattan

    May 6, 2014 at 7:38 pm

    @Susanne:

    Well, that and the high-liquor-cabinet-shelf therapy.

  104. 104.

    Susanne

    May 6, 2014 at 7:44 pm

    @Trollhattan: The high cabinet also works with chocolate, for the tea-totalers among us.

  105. 105.

    cincyanon

    May 6, 2014 at 7:48 pm

    @Roger Moore: I’m with you. I sometimes, in the midst of a back-gone-out episode, have to take it in a 24 hour cycle. It’s not recommended to take much more than 1600mg in a 24 hour period (always drink water). Not to forget, some people have reactions to Ibuprofen. Ibuprofen can have adverse affects on the kidney if not taken with a big glass of water. Tylenol type pain killers affect the liver (and faster) and I already enjoy some other, more sociable, liver busters.
    Long term problem (not twice a year episodic): doctor recommended physical therapy; Pilates; yoga; core workouts; acupuncture;

  106. 106.

    Jennifer

    May 6, 2014 at 7:50 pm

    Every back injury is unique, so I’d hesitate to declare this or that thing would be helpful. However, having a lower back issue that flares up once a year or so, what works for me is when I feel the pop coming on, getting in the floor and stretching my lower back as much as possible (by reaching out for feet with legs straight). In my case, it won’t stop the pop, but when it comes it will just hurt for a minute rather than lock up everything (seriously, a couple of times it’s gone out and I couldn’t even really roll over in bed. I’m laying there thinking, am I going to have to piss myself because I can’t roll over to get my feet to the floor?). In any case, I make myself move around as much as possible as soon as possible, of course taking care not to try to lift heavy things, etc. My experience has been that laying around doesn’t help after the first day – you get better quicker when you’re moving around some, perhaps because moving helps stretch and work the muscles, though I don’t know for sure.

    For all fellow back pain sufferers, I would definitely recommend getting one of those “bed buddy” microwave heating pads. What’s nice about the “bed buddy” is that you can strap and fasten it into place in just the right spot, so it stays in place whether you’re up moving around, sitting, lying down, whatever.

  107. 107.

    rk

    May 6, 2014 at 8:31 pm

    @Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason:

    If anyone has elbow issues (tennis elbow) this is the best exercise. I had the pain for over a year, then discovered these exercises. Pain went away in a week.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV-RjM_Y_hc

    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/phys-ed-an-easy-fix-for-tennis-elbow/
    I bought the red flex bar from amazon.

  108. 108.

    Michael G

    May 6, 2014 at 8:47 pm

    “Accept the fact that your back is going to hurt sometimes. Be very grateful for the moments that it doesn’t. Every second spent without back pain is a lucky second. String enough of those lucky seconds together, you have a lucky minute.”

  109. 109.

    Ruckus

    May 6, 2014 at 9:44 pm

    @different-church-lady:
    I had a Dr as a customer once and he recommended that I should be on a certain drug. I asked him if he normally prescribed meds without doing a history and an exam, because if he did he was a pretty crappy doctor. As it happens if he had done a history he would have found out that the drug he recommended had some serious side effects for me. I had even less respect for him after that and I wasn’t sure that was possible.

  110. 110.

    Bonnie

    May 6, 2014 at 10:07 pm

    Laughter and lots of it. Just add it to all the above remedies.

  111. 111.

    Vixen Strangely

    May 6, 2014 at 10:33 pm

    Alcohol is a muscle relaxant but can be bad for inflammation. So I recommend moderate drinking, combined with a plan of loafing with alternate deep muscle stretches–not cracking the old spine, per se, but testing to see if the tenderness is softening up all right. Worst activity–sadly, probably all the natural ones like sitting at a computer. Most pills are useless or dangerous (Tylenol is worst (kidneys, liver, don’t ever drink with), ibubrofen can be a stomach-killer, and I use Aleve infrequently when my arthritis threatens to make me a crazy person. Think a violin bow strung with piano wire scraping the tendons of my knee–then I hit Aleve, but mother vodka knows best for regular pain situations.) I like moist heat on muscle strains but YMMV. If you can get one of those buckwheat or rice-filled microwaveable heating pads, they feel pretty good.

    Backs are really weird. I sometimes have my hip freeze when driving–but for some odd reason, cracking my neck can sort it. No wonder there is such a variety of advice!

  112. 112.

    NotMax

    May 6, 2014 at 11:00 pm

    @Vixen Strangely

    east to make one of those microwaveable heating padlets.

    Get a heavy woolen sock.

    Fill it about 3/4 with uncooked rice (or a bit more, but not stuffed full).

    Sew it tightly shut.

    Voila – instant microwaveable heating pad.

  113. 113.

    NotMax

    May 6, 2014 at 11:01 pm

    @NotMax

    Easy, not east.

  114. 114.

    Bill Arnold

    May 6, 2014 at 11:05 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:
    The Forbes article claimed a 30% turnout, and 50% in favor (15% of electorate?). I don’t read Russian; is the turnout percentage wrong?

  115. 115.

    Susan K of the tech support

    May 7, 2014 at 3:29 pm

    Time to heal. Then…. exercise to strengthen.

    For us in sitting too much culture, it’s time to get a renewed relationship with glutes. Largest muscle in the human body, they’ve gone to sleep because we sit on them, and have tight hip flexors.

    Learn the difference between bending at the waist and hinging at the hips. That, right there dramatically changed my life for the better.

    Planks for strengthening the core. Hip bridges for re-acquainting my central nervous system with using my glutes.

    I did those, and then learned to deadlift and swing a kettlebell (8 sessions with a RKC/SFG certified trainer for that. Began all this on a birthday after I’d become eligible for that A A R P org — not that I joined it, but it’s a marker). Lost weight, gained strength, put a (previously) bad back in check.

    (And, having said all that, I’ve had a bout of the aw-the-hell-with-its. I feel it in my back when I haven’t been working with kettlebell. Gained some of the pounds back. Started in again, immediately bruised toe so badly that I thought I broke it. So I’m starting in again again. It gets better.)

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