Back and shoulder pain

[Kushkii]

Hi  i have had back and shoulder pain the last maybe 6 years, getting worse in winter.

Also i feel the need to crack my neck, back hips etc

Get tempoary relief from this

I have asked several drs l why im cracking so much and they just laugh at me

Like im not 'that' old

I have started walking this year which is good but i am so fed up with the pain

I cant tolerate anti inflammatories or tramadol as i get very bad ibs which the drs think is in my head and they dont think ibs is actually real

Does anyone else experience this type of chronic pain and how do you manage it daily? Any really simple practical techniques i can do?

 

[Kalsima]

Thankfully @PushkiiI do not. I remember joining years ago when we were all younger no one had problems that were severe. Now I have a pacemaker and my friends I known forever have knee and shoulder problems that require surgery. I will ask my friend who was shoulder problems or hopefully they will respond. You seem too young. Ill tell you getting old just plain sucks!  Hope you find the relief you need. Love ya Hev

 

[Kushkii]

Ya i think it is wear and tear. I have done a fair bit of driving in my life so maybe that could be it

 

[jtab]

@Pushkii Hi there. Sorry to hear that you’re in pain as that is never fun. I crack and pop a lot too. My family thinks it’s crazy lol. I can just about pop every part of my body. It certainly does give temporary relief, but not for long.  I noticed that I can actually make my neck hurt worse sometimes when I try to pop it too much so there is definitely a limit. Even when it feels like it’s really needing a good crack, it just ends up making it worse, so I have to forcefully stop myself from doing it. 
The cold really does seem to make certain pain much worse. I’ve noticed it in my senior dog. She has arthritis really bad and when I wake her up in the morning to go outside, it takes her much longer to stand.

Not knowing your age, could it perhaps be arthritis? And sometimes age doesn’t factor into it as my sister got arthritis in her early 30s.

It sucks that you can’t tolerate anti inflammatory meds as naproxen (Aleve) really helps, especially when taken on a daily basis because it’s one of those meds that work better the longer you take it. Other than that, perhaps Tylenol would help as it isn’t in the anti inflammatory family. It just blocks nerve signals that relieves the pain.

Icy hot is another thing that comes to mind as well as a hot bath with epsom salt added generously to the warm water, soaking for about an hour daily.

You might read up on fibromyalgia, as it affects everyone in different ways, but is more prevalent in women. Men can also get it too. Not sure of your gender.

Without injury being the cause, it’s almost always some type of inflammation.  Treatment varying from the things listed above to a few others.

Kratom works wonders as well. It works as a natural anti inflammatory and although it is not an actual opiate, it works very similar and attaches to your opiate pain receptors throughout your body. It’s a natural substance from a plant if your unaware of what Kratom is, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s not very strong as it can be and is very capable of treating a wide variety of pain. It’s pretty cheap too and can be found online or at most vape shops. Be careful though if you choose to go that route because although it’s natural, it can be dangerous if taken in large amounts or with certain types of meds or drugs. Just generously read up on it and always start with very small dosages. You can always add more, but you can’t take less once you ingest it. It comes in different strains and colors, but red works best for pain. If you want to know anything about it or have any questions, I know a lot about it, so feel free to message me. I’m more than happy to help. 
 

I hope you feel better soon.  Take care.

 

[Kushkii]

Thank you jtab for your response, I actually did honestly believe it was fibomylgia this time last year. Actually I noticed in my old dog's they used to be stiffer in the cold. 

I am in mid 30s and F so I don't know if that adds much to the story. I actually never heard of kratom, I thought it was a molecule or planet  

I'll have a look. Is there any particular muscle relaxer that would help also? 

I really must make more time for the long baths and hot/ice

 

[Painful heart]

I have body aches all the time I’m in my early 40s ... all doctors will give out is ibuprofen or say take Tylenol.. I’m glad my doctor will give me some good stuff but only so many a month.. he did tell me to try white maeng da he said it helps with pain and other stuff!! But you have to take like 15 capsules to feel the effects!! I’m. Scared to take that many plus they are so big to swallow.. 

 

[iversusvsversusi]

@Pushkii Sorry to hear this.  Hope to help a little...

I have some fucked up health issues, and I too, am 30 now. wow. I suppose Ill just leave it at that.

Ive been all over the place, from my local chiropractor, to doctor, to reiki healers to the mayo clinic, mt sanai and all the other big hospitals in NYC...

Not sure if thats relevant or necessary in the least, but, a tip that would literally save and or change soo many peoples live's and I wish I understood it sooner. who knows?...

STRETCH YOUR PSOAS 

If you're in too much pain to stretch, think about doing it safely with the help of some medication, whichever you choose.

yoga / meditation - amazing for your body and my journey started all from Wii fit. Wii fit with the little balance board is a fantastic way to begin learning - and tracking progress.

There's a reason yoga's been around for so long, there's more to it than just stretching. While im on the hippy kick, SOUND, specifically certain frequencies played in specific ways is incredibly healing / soothing. I think it takes a certain type of skill to make it work though - like binaural beats, if you know how to let go, and breathe into it, and open up your ears, they certainly have the ability to alter your brain wave state = perception = pain


Before I say cannabis, you can find CBD products easily and they WORK. I can attest to Restorative Botanicals products are all fan fucking tastic. 

CANNABIS. AS MUCH OF WHATEVER KIND HELPS YOU.

NITROUS, a box of some 8g nitrous cannisters is not the most practical way to go due to its short duration, but laughing gas has been used forever and safer than most other things, and it works. I picked this up from Timothy Leary. Apparently when he was dying of cancer he was using a lot of nitrous in the beginning. <3

Im sure youll get a bunch of info, or if not, you can find a bunch of info regarding Kratom. If you have no opiate tolerance, you can go very far with kratom. Even if you do, you can.

For pain I have had success with Bali Kratom, Also Maeng Da

It became hard to find a good quality source for an affordable price.

There are always new crazy ways to get out of pain, but I would kill to be back, sitting in the grass, just breathing. Keep good posture, look into the sacred vowel sounds in relation to the chakra centers on the body. 

Good Luck

 

[jtab]

@Pushkii No problem, I’m very happy to be of any help.  Kratom would help you a lot. It does kind of have a planet sounding name lol.  Again, I have a ton of information about Kratom as I use it on a daily basis. There is also a Kratom section on this forum for information. You very well might have fibromyalgia. Especially being female as it tends to affect women a lot more. I’m also in my mid 30s, but male . I think I may also have it although there is not really any diagnostic testing for it. It’s kind of like they test you for everything else and when the process of elimination is done... boom it’s fibromyalgia. Lol. But seriously, it sounds like you may have it, and it starts rearing it’s ugly head in the mid 30s or so I’ve read. I think just about any muscle relaxer would help, but they are not all created equal. Some are better and stronger of course. Tizanidine (my favorite) is a really good one but it will make you very sleepy. Also check out baclofen. There are other names for both too. I would stay away from methocarbomal as it isn’t strong and kind of pointless in my opinion. You may find the ones I mentioned available on the forum for purchase as well.
 

@Painful heart your dr was absolutely right about the Kratom and the Maeng Da but not white. White is very energizing. A bit too much for me in fact. All Kratom helps with pain but Red is the absolute best and they have red Maeng Da.  They do make it in capsules and yes 15 would be an absolute bitch to take, but they also make it just in powder form. While it is kinda yuck to taste, it’s a lot easier to ingest than the godly amount of capsules. Capsules are only beneficial in my opinion, for avoiding the taste but not much else. It’s harder to measure and takes longer to kick in. The powder can be mixed with a little water and just chugged or taken like a shot. Some don’t mind the taste. It’s kinda like matcha if you’ve ever had it which is just ground up tea leaves that you ingest the whole leaf kind of just like Kratom. 
 

Like @iversusvsversusisaid, with no opiate tolerance, a little Kratom goes a long ways and even with a super high tolerance like me (200mg oxy at a time, ridiculous) It is still effective.  I just measure it out by the spoonful. I take 3 spoons 3-4 times a day or as needed.

There is a shit ton of different Kratom strains and each come in different colors , but general rule:

White strains- Some pain relief, very energetic, highly euphoric plus a few others

Green strains- A little more pain relief, moderate energy, moderately euphoric and a few others.

Red Strains- Most pain relief, relaxing , very mildly euphoric, best for opiate withdrawal plus a few others.

Other colors are mixtures

GOLD- Basically a mixture of all 3 colors above

The colors represent the maturity of the plant at the time of harvest . White being the youngest and red being the most mature.
 

The strongest strain is Maeng Da in any color. Bali is another good one. My favorite, and I’ve tried most everything from all around,  is Green Dragon. I’ve also tried 75% of all the brands. I’ve been taking Kratom for 4 years now. I know there are some good companies and some not so good ones. Since Kratom is not FDA regulated, they are not required to be tested for purity but there are a handful of companies that are part of the nation Kratom association and to be part of this prestigious club, they do testing and list it for public viewing. I found one of these vendors and found the absolute strongest Kratom that I’ve ever had and great prices. I get a kilo every 2 weeks for around $70 which is a good price especially for the quality. Some other places may be cheaper but that doesn’t necessarily mean better. Not all Kratom is created equal. And some companies put fillers in it, it’s not pure, no one really knows exactly what’s in it or if insecticides were put on the initial plant, or it’s very weak.  I’m not sure if I’m allowed to post the source here, so I won’t, but I’ve listed it under the Kratom section, and you can also pm me if interested, but there are some other good companies too. 
 

I have a shit ton of other info about Kratom, so if anyone else wants more information or has questions, feel free to ask. Anytime.

 

[Kushkii]

Thanks for all the info, I think i will have to read in to a lot of them, I do think some sort of a muscle relaxant would help, it's trying to find the right one I suppose. 

Stupid question is kratom a herb or type of tea? 

 

[Kushkii]

@iversusvsversusi Thank you, I definitely think that yoga would help alright. Something really simple though. I wouldn't be the fittest ha ha! 

 

[Kushkii]

@jtab thank you so much for all that info. Did you try many  muscle relaxant before you you found tizanide and baclofen? 

 

[jtab]

@Pushkii I have tried my share of muscle relaxers for various reasons, some didn’t seem to help much or at all, some made me incredibly dizzy and some even made me feel nervous but tizanidine or brand name is Zanaflex, really was helpful and my favorite. I believe it also has anticonvulsant properties as well. 
Baclofen is a very popular muscle relaxer and prescribed quite often. It seemed to help a lot with pain and wasn’t as strong as tizanidine, which sometimes can be helpful when you need not to be groggy or sleepy.

 

[LysergamideLandscapes1938]

I will second the calisthenics such as yoga, as well as the Keaton. Both are amazing help, and yoga is not just good for curbing pain, but turning back the clock on your damage typically, assuming it isn't a nerve issue. Fibromyalgia is a nervous system problem, if I recall correctly, so it likely will help with it, but not fix it. Various nootropics for bodily functions outside of brain boosters are potentially helpful, and even dopaminergic nootropics as well.

 

[Kushkii]

Thanks for all the replies

Bloods checked, Dr gave me. Stark warning re diet

Low Hb, low ferritin, low ca, low mg. High cholesterol. 

Since "trying" to eat better (hard to do with an Ed) and taking multivits

Daily 15 mins walk

More time off work

More salt baths

The pain is improving

I think part of the pain was due to immobility, low mood, Sad, Malnutrition 

Basically not looking after myself but I'm going to continue my walks try and up them slowly to maybe half hr come summer and eat more meat, try get more sun. And journal writing. 

 

[Kushkii]

Gosh Pain is so complex!!!