Drink until you can't feel it.
Anyone tried "stick-on heat Pads" for back pain?
- Thread starter Simon
- Start date
And take some poppers for good measure. That opens a whole new can of worms!
Simon, physiotherapy is a profession not a therapy. If you saw 10 physios, you'd more than likely get 6 different therapy programs, each advanced on different timelines and intensities based on the personality and experience of the therapist.
When reading the literature, it is advisable to read lit reviews so you can appreciate the effect of an intervention on a sample greater than 1. It is also advisable to understand exactly what you are reading and the specific protocol/therapy used. People who get grants to do research usually have to dilute new therapeutic interventions to get ethical approval from standards committees who always err on the side of caution. This can skew research towards ineffective results. And what is called physiotherapy in Dutch studies will be something totally different to Australian or Canadian studies.
Ultimately though, your back is the only experiment you are interested in, and you will come to know what stirs it better than anyone else.
I'd suggest that at this stage, whenever you see health carers, your focus be on asking them to help you understand the anatomy and neuroscience of your back and pain. This can only help you explore various exercise programs and lifestyle adaptations more knowledgeably. The fear of not understanding the cause of your pain when it flares can make the pain worse.
After I got ross river virus and chronic fatigue syndrome, it wasn't too long before I had early onset gout develop. The first few attacks were not diagnosed correctly by the 3-4 5 GPs I saw in that time because I was still in my 20s, when gout is quite rare. The pain was excruciating as it was occurring in larger joints that had been injured in football. On two occasions I had to call an ambulance because I could not walk, and I had many joint effusions tapped and cortisone injections into knees.
What eventually helped me was getting the right diagnosis and the right understanding of the pathophysiology. That led to the right meds and me understanding the right diet and activity adaptations. Even though I still am not 100% compliant with the lifestyle changes, I am doing more of what is right, and that makes a huge diff. Further, I have been able to use my flareups as experiments with ice/heat, hydration, sleep cycle, meds, food, exercise. I know I have a much deeper understanding of my pain and that of many others with inflammatory pain because of the systematic and trial and error approach I've taken.
What I think is hard to come to terms with for many in chronic pain, is that medicine is not a perfect science. The body and mind are way to variable for that, and medicine by no means understands everything about the body. Health professionals have time restrictions on what they can do and convey, and most specialize and fail to see your problem simultaneously from several disciplines. The time pressure also imposes a systems based cooker cutter approach to their therapies, which can compromise the quality and appropriateness of what they do. Most physios are unlikely to give you more than 3 new exercises at a time because most clients are not capable of absorbing more. And yet, truly effective therapy might require a program of 12 exercises carried out in three x 1 hour session 6 days a week. Most people wouldn't follow a regimen like that though.
You can only benefit from self education and systematic logical self observation, and trial and error.
But be wary of marketed products. If they provided significant relief to most sufferers they'd quickly be a universal panacea. There is no conspiracy by health carers to hide stuff that really works. It is however, unfortunate that arrogance, self deception, and narrow mindedness is rife in all health professions, including mine.
Back pain is a very common experience that many people deal with. Heating pads are the common and natural method recommended for the relief of back pain. It can reduce back pain by blocking pain signals sent to the brain. Heating pads actually do not treat the root cause of the pain but just give a instant relax out of pain. The actual fact is that most people do not use these pads properly and fall in trouble.
The heat pads (heat plasters) whether Salonpas, or any other brand aside from possibly containing some capsicain type derivative and some Menthylated or Eucalypt extracts are essentially counter-irritants........that is, they irritate the skin to over-ride the sensation of pain from deeper (more organic/structural entities). Not a lot different to Deep Heat, Tiger Balm, Finalgon and so on.
The "blocking of pain signals sent to the brain" to which Weston alludes may be more relevant and attributed to a device such as TENS or concomittant electro-therapeutic modality such as a spinal cord stimulator which is in situ and aimed at helping palliate neurogenic (non-mechanical) pain.
The "blocking of pain signals sent to the brain" to which Weston alludes may be more relevant and attributed to a device such as TENS or concomittant electro-therapeutic modality such as a spinal cord stimulator which is in situ and aimed at helping palliate neurogenic (non-mechanical) pain.
These pads actually heat up via chemical reaction when they are opened and exposed to air. They aren't the capsicum type, though I'd be happy to try them too if I see them. I imagine it would be similar to the effect you get from a menthol product like Deep Heat or Tiger Balm.
I am not a fool and don't expect any cure from this. Just after a bit of relief similar to what I get from a hot water bottle. But these would be a bit more handy for leaving the house.
It is amazing to see what sort of responses I get from a simple query about a product. I know everyone is well intentioned and I thank you all for your help.
My Pharmacist is ordering me a box and I will try them out.
I am not a fool and don't expect any cure from this. Just after a bit of relief similar to what I get from a hot water bottle. But these would be a bit more handy for leaving the house.
It is amazing to see what sort of responses I get from a simple query about a product. I know everyone is well intentioned and I thank you all for your help.
My Pharmacist is ordering me a box and I will try them out.
Please let us know if you don't get the advertised "8 hours of long-lasting, constant external heat"
Spirits do the job quicker, but i'm not sure you're liver will like this solution!
Hope you find something that relieves the pain, everyone reacts differently to treatments, just don't give up, keep looking/trying.
JC
simon's pain was caused by a major parachute accident when in the armed forces - he's had pretty severe surgery amongst other treatments ... so it's not a run-of-the-mill back pain. (simon, let me know if you want me to delete this - just thought it needed explaining).
i was going to suggest tiger balm as stronger than deep heat, but i gather you've given this a go.
if the pain is "infused" into you nervous system have you tried hypnotherapy? could be worth a try.
. Too much hair. Hubby said they were good. Worth a try I guess.
Try asking about removing limescale from a toilet. It'll go gang busters. That is the sort of thread that will never say die. We forumites love a bit o' stain removal.
