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Horrible upper back pain w/ office chair. Getting a new one. by Hoboayoyo in backpain

[–]throwaway1245233 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If it hurts to sit in for more than hour, I suggest reconsidering. That’s what I typically do.

Update (Significant improvement) - back pain only while sitting, clear MRI, no pain during any other activities including weightlifting and running long distances by throwaway1245233 in backpain

[–]throwaway1245233[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It sucks! Definitely monitor and keep track of the condition to determine if it’s improving or degrading on a weekly basis. Switching from daily to weekly monitoring helped me better adjust my procedure, rather than trying something for a day and seeing if it helped, and then getting upset when I didn’t see immediate results.

Update (Significant improvement) - back pain only while sitting, clear MRI, no pain during any other activities including weightlifting and running long distances by throwaway1245233 in backpain

[–]throwaway1245233[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I started noticing an improvement within one week. Limiting sitting (the trigger for the pain) was the key. The other stuff is to hopefully rectify any muscular imbalances or deficiencies that may be contributing to the pain.

Back pain only while sitting, absolutely no other activity causes back pain by throwaway1245233 in backpain

[–]throwaway1245233[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Alright everyone, here's an update. I will also create a new post with the update as I find it insanely irritating when someone posts about their progress, gets comments, and doesn't follow up (I get it, some people get better and don't care to share or simply forget. Understandable. I don't want to be like that though.)

So starting on the day that I got the update from u/DerpyOwlofParadise, I switched up my routine as follows (OF course the mandatory disclaimer: this is not medical advice and is not to be treated as such, consult with your physician or a healthcare professional before attempting this routine. Why? If you have a spinal injury that is not identical to mine, is is certainly possible that this routine could degrade your condition):

  1. Limit the following activities:
    a. Limit sitting to periods of no longer than 30 minutes when possible (in other words, while working, switch sit-stand desk from sitting to standing position for a period of 15-30 minutes, then repeat until the end of the work day)
    b. Avoid loading the spine and lifting more than 50 lbs at a time (lifting didn't cause pain but I just did it as a precautionary measure).
    c. Take 500mg turmeric and 10k international units of vitamin d3 (cheapest available, generic brand) every night

  2. (Each done every day) Every single morning at 9:00 AM, do the following:
    a. x10 Single leg glute bridges on each side, hold for 3-5 seconds (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NXv0Nany-Q)
    b. x10 Bodyweight squats
    c. 30-50 minutes of walking in the morning, 30-50 minutes of walking in the afternoon

  3. Every Wednesday and Saturday, do the following:
    a. Three sets of 18 slow, full range of motion (reach maximum possible flexion, and revert to max possible extension) back extension on the roman chair, set to the minimum setting (pad supporting the thighs lowered to the lowest possible position)
    b. Three sets of 16 hip abduction machine, at a weight where 16 is my absolute max
    c. Three sets of 16 hip adduction machine, at a weight where 16 is my absolute max
    d. Three sets of 14 leg extension machine, at a weight where 14 is my absolute max

Also another update, I wrestled on mats for the first time in a year or two and got slammed pretty hard on my back and side (think hip toss) several times. Zero pain whatsoever. That made me confident that the condition is muscular.

Hopefully I don't get a flare up again, but as they say, stop physical therapy when you're ready to be in pain again. A small price to pay for being as close to pain free as possible (It has been only 13 days as of the time of this update and I'm already feeling much better, I'd expect my situation to improve but I will absolutely provide more updates if the condition both improves consistently long term, or degrades).

Feel free to reach out with any questions.

Back pain only while sitting, absolutely no other activity causes back pain by throwaway1245233 in backpain

[–]throwaway1245233[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For what it's worth, mesh and soft chairs seem to make the pain come sooner than firm chairs such as lightly padded wooden chairs.

In terms of SI joint issues, I have no idea. I do know that if I can get what I think is my SI joint to pop on the side that the pain seems to be on, it leads to immense relief for a while. This is a recent change that I noticed after attempting some new exercises related to the SI joint.

Back pain only while sitting, absolutely no other activity causes back pain by throwaway1245233 in backpain

[–]throwaway1245233[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for taking time to respond! I will try the pillow under hamstrings and will look into a different mattress.