[Lowcountry_Glocker]

Hey yall, can any of you offer some remedies for this? It's been getting really bad lately. Some discomfort has been the norm since I started but as of late it's become really hard to bare. I've been having to take 1000mg of tylenol within the first hour of my shift just to get through it. Days off don't seem to help, either. Usually eating the tylenol then too. It's both a dull, constant pain, that at times gets quite sharp. it's to the point it really hurts to bend over. At 25, I don't think this is normal, and I'm thinking a visit to the doc may be in order.

My girl is suggesting stretching/yoga, but I'd like to get some insight from those of yall with some first hand experience. FWIW we are a duty belt only agency, no vest rigs, period. so it's all on my hips. And it's not the result of tweaking it at work either, just been getting steadily worse.

 

[BL33D 4 M3]

Get an MRI. Mine revealed dehydrated bulging L4 and L5 disks and some stenosis. You may need surgery and it may be duty related.

 

[fgutie35]

MRI will show exactly how advanced your disk hernias are. Depending on the results, will tell the doc if therapy can take care of it, or surgery. On the meantime, do not make it worse. Wear a lifting belt if you are going to lift heavy objects (50lbs or more) and try to rest and stretch your back in a way that it separates the vertebraes, so it can release the pressure on the disks. As some one who already bursted a herniated disk and had back surgery, I highly suggest you take care of that back. Life is not the same after surgery!

 

[315]

Pardon my bedside manner but get your A$$ to a doctor!!! Drugs just mask the symptoms. If there is really something wrong get it figured out before it becomes worse or even irreversible. Been there done that when it comes to a back injury.

 

[BOOSTED12A]

strech your hamstrings. standing, one leg at a time. only thing other than cortesone ahots that help my 8 fubar disks. it dosent really get better but you get used to the pain some. i eat lots of naproxin. bjt as said, get an mri so the docs can see exactly what is wrong. have you shrank any? i lost a little over an inch in about 2 years so im only 5' 10" now. i hope some PT will help.

 

[Kelo6]

I too am 25 and was recently diagnosed with sciatica. Totally blows and the duty belt doesn't help. My chiropractor has been very helpful in re-stretching and correcting my spine.

I would also take the advice here and see a doctor as well. If it's worse than a pinched nerve and is a bulging disk or something you definitely want to get on that ASAP.

Yoga/stretching/physical therapy is definitely helpful (developing core strength in your spine to strengthen the disks) as well as drinking lots of water and keeping hydrated.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[M7425]

While radiographic imaging may be indicated, there’s a right way to do this to avoid serious hiccups in the long run...both medical and financial. If this is a work related issue, a comp claim needs to be handled a certain way. Your supervisor or personnel unit can start the ball rolling. Make sure see an experienced back specialist.

Clinically speaking, be careful with long term use of acetaminophen (Tylenol). It can cause liver issues you don’t wish on people. Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) or other NSAIDS like Aleve will better address the inflammation than acetaminophen.

 

[Lowcountry_Glocker]

Gents I appreciate the replies thus far, truly. My pain is far from debilitating, but surely enough to be aware of it, near constantly, especially in the squad... it's like I just cannot get comfortable, a constant ache. and my truck... the '89 bench seat probably ain't doing me any good. I think a trip to the doc may be in order.

 

[Altaris]

My girl is suggesting stretching/yoga, but I'd like to get some insight from those of yall with some first hand experience.

Yoga/stretching/physical therapy is definitely helpful (developing core strength in your spine to strengthen the disks) as well as drinking lots of water and keeping hydrated.

Yoga and core strength can help a ton of back problems(they have for me).
Do you sit down most days, for long periods of time? Or are you out moving a lot? For me, my low back pain came from too much sitting, and not enough stretching of the right muscles. The hamstring(as suggested earlier)was actually the opposite of what I needed to stretch and worsened the problem for me. People who sit a lot usually have tight/shortened psoas muscles, which then pull on the spine, and cause low back pain. Once I found that out, stretched them out, and did core work, I haven't had a single issue since then.


All that being said, if it is bad, go to the doctor, as numerous different things can hurt the back.

 

[varget]

physical therapy helped my lower back pain. still do my exercises daily and they keep it at bay. at 73 I think I am way too young for pain. stretching hamstrings, psoas, straight leg and bent leg lifts, bridges, pelvic tilts and lat pulldowns can be done in about 12 minutes once you get a daily routine down. seeing a doc is a great idea but beware of anyone who starts sharpening knives w/out giving physical therapy a chance first...........they may mean well but surgery is the LAST option IMHO. good luck with it and perhaps google "exercises for core and lower back" or something like that. Lots of info on the net and this is not an uncommon problem. best,

 

[Lowcountry_Glocker]

Yoga and core strength can help a ton of back problems(they have for me).
Do you sit down most days, for long periods of time? Or are you out moving a lot? For me, my low back pain came from too much sitting, and not enough stretching of the right muscles. The hamstring(as suggested earlier)was actually the opposite of what I needed to stretch and worsened the problem for me. People who sit a lot usually have tight/shortened psoas muscles, which then pull on the spine, and cause low back pain. Once I found that out, stretched them out, and did core work, I haven't had a single issue since then.


All that being said, if it is bad, go to the doctor, as numerous different things can hurt the back.

physical therapy helped my lower back pain. still do my exercises daily and they keep it at bay. at 73 I think I am way too young for pain. stretching hamstrings, psoas, straight leg and bent leg lifts, bridges, pelvic tilts and lat pulldowns can be done in about 12 minutes once you get a daily routine down. seeing a doc is a great idea but beware of anyone who starts sharpening knives w/out giving physical therapy a chance first...........they may mean well but surgery is the LAST option IMHO. good luck with it and perhaps google "exercises for core and lower back" or something like that. Lots of info on the net and this is not an uncommon problem. best,

my girl found me some stuff. particularly yoga. I took a look at some of the poses. I am surely going to feel like a nerd but I am going to give them an honest try. and yes, to answer you, rural-ish county. most of the shift (12's) is spent sitting besides traffic and calls. some days, you pray for a few minutes to sit (mostly day shift), some, you pray for a good call/dog track/perimeter (nights). but I can safely say, most of the days are usually sitting and driving. Thats the usual, now I have had days where I can't even find the time to put a dip in, let alone type, and I've had nights where I had one alarm call in 12 hrs.

 

[peng]

2 words. Muscle relaxers.

They have ones now that don't make you loopy. Not a permanent solution, and all the exercise stuff is a great idea longer term, but when the pain hits, these can be a great help and reduce the duration.

 

[pgg00]

I see a chiropractor regularly. The adjustments keep me in line and makes for my back being alot more comfortable.

Will your agency allow suspenders at all? Some of our guys use them and swear by them. We just approved load bearing vests so some are trying those as well

 

[ReaPer105]

Get that gear off the back of your gunbelt. You need to keep it clear. Sitting on cuffs, glove pouch, ASP, Taser pushing radio back around, keepers...I learned all this the hard way. Keep the back area clear of gear. Departments will HAVE to recognize the need for this or lose some cops on disability. If you expect a cop to last 30 years you gotta stop loading him down like a friggin' pack mule.

 

[SmokeRoss]

It's the hunching. Try a different technique.

 

[Lowcountry_Glocker]

Get that gear off the back of your gunbelt. You need to keep it clear. Sitting on cuffs, glove pouch, ASP, Taser pushing radio back around, keepers...I learned all this the hard way. Keep the back area clear of gear. Departments will HAVE to recognize the need for this or lose some cops on disability. If you expect a cop to last 30 years you gotta stop loading him down like a friggin' pack mule.

I do my best. in the back area, I have, from left to right, radio, flashlight, glove pouch, cuffs, and baton.
I keep my radio riding on the tazer, to make distance. I do not carry gloves in the pouch as it presses really hard on my spine when sitting. similarly, cuffs and ASP are as far over to the right as possible. too skinny to have a second set on the belt. the flashlight Ive added, it was not supplied. but I like having it on the belt too much to give up, otherwise, I'm sitting on it in my cargo pocket.

I do run a level 3+ steel plate on the front of my vest as well. she's about 8-10# and probably aint helping. I had one on the back too but it was just too much weight. again, not something I'm willing to give up either given our current standing in society.

I see a chiropractor regularly. The adjustments keep me in line and makes for my back being alot more comfortable.

Will your agency allow suspenders at all? Some of our guys use them and swear by them. We just approved load bearing vests so some are trying those as well

most surrounding (more rural) agencies have gone to the vests, not us. Popular consensus on shift is we'd kill for them. unfortunately, not in the works for the foreseeable future. IDK what it is but this agency cares too much about appearance... everyones belt even has to have the same gear order.

 

[pgg00]

I do my best. in the back area, I have, from left to right, radio, flashlight, glove pouch, cuffs, and baton.
I keep my radio riding on the tazer, to make distance. I do not carry gloves in the pouch as it presses really hard on my spine when sitting. similarly, cuffs and ASP are as far over to the right as possible. too skinny to have a second set on the belt. the flashlight Ive added, it was not supplied. but I like having it on the belt too much to give up, otherwise, I'm sitting on it in my cargo pocket.

I do run a level 3+ steel plate on the front of my vest as well. she's about 8-10# and probably aint helping. I had one on the back too but it was just too much weight. again, not something I'm willing to give up either given our current standing in society.


most surrounding (more rural) agencies have gone to the vests, not us. Popular consensus on shift is we'd kill for them. unfortunately, not in the works for the foreseeable future. IDK what it is but this agency cares too much about appearance... everyones belt even has to have the same gear order.

I would start filing for work injuries based on them not allowing you to take stuff off your belt. Get your doc to state it is because of their requirements

 

[SmokeRoss]

I would start filing for work injuries based on them not allowing you to take stuff off your belt. Get your doc to state it is because of their requirements

Is there any place I can file for all the moose and elk quarters I had to pack out?

 

[pgg00]

Is there any place I can file for all the moose and elk quarters I had to pack out?

Your boss

 

[collim1]

Please stop taking acetaminophen like that! Not good for you long term, and not very effective for that kind of pain anyway.

I had some serious back issues. I let it get way out of control before I saw the doctor. An MRI revealed a real mess in my spine and took multiple other types of imaging and biopsy to figure it out.

Turns out I had a autoimmune issue eating the marrow in my vertebrae.

Surgery wasn’t happening, make that an absolute last resort. I attacked it with steroids and immune suppressants.

Chances are you need physical therapy to strengthen your core and realign your spine, neck and shoulders. They will also reteach you proper posture.

I keep my back in shape now with a workout routine. Swimming, jogging, core strength and body weight exercises. Cardio increase your stamina and prevents your core muscles from fatiguing throughout the day.

Avoid surgery at all costs. I know a lot of people who have had multiple surgeries that weren’t effective.

You are a young man. Even if you have some bulging or herniation you can prevent further damage and even allow healing if you can strengthen that core up.

And welcome to policing. 24lbs of duty gear 48hrs per week doesn’t get any easier as you get older..........err more experienced.

And yes like stayed above. Time to rethink your duty belt. I parted with some gear to lighten me up and it helped a lot. I don’t have any gear behind 3&9 o’clock.