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ok i woke up 2 mornings ago and sat up and i felt this awful pain in my upper back, i think it is related to me being at six flags and riding the rides all day but idk, it really hurts when i twist my back and bend over, but i can do rings and plant drills with no/little pain, is there any way to stretch it? I have been icing it, sitting in the hot tub w/ the jets on my back, taking ibuprofen, and putting icy hot on it. I go to get my physical in 5 more days, is there anything i can do beside what i am already doing to relieve pain and stretch it?

Im not doctor, but when that happens to me its a really bad set of pinched nerves. All i really do is wait it out or hang from a bar and let my spine relax a bit. I think ive heard that 15 min cold followed by 15 heat, then icy hot takes away the pain. Be careful when you stretch it, sometimes when i would stretch it, i make it worst. Make sure its slow stretches, and stretch your lower back really well before you jump again.

thanks

Any certified athletic trainer will tell you NOT to go from cold to heat directly.

The most widely used timeline I've heard is to ice it for the first 48 hrs and heat AFTER those 48 hrs.

I don't think it's be a good idea to go directly from one extreme to the other on your body anyway.

****forgot something pretty important.

You should NEVER combine heat with an analgesic. It ok to use one at a time, but make sure you don't use both at the same time.

apsully wrote:Any certified athletic trainer will tell you NOT to go from cold to heat directly.

are you refering to all hot and cold? because our trainers tell us to do contrast baths all the time. hot tub cold tub. its great for your legs.

but i wouldn't go back and forth with ice bags and hot packs if thats what you mean.

i think the hot tub is good for the back, also if you know an actualy massage therapist talk to them. get the back to relax a bit.

i think hanging from a bar is good idea as vaulterboy mentioned earlier. ive heard that you need to be realllly careful stretching your neck. i think small circles is okay, but never really push it hard in any one direction.

You might be right about the switching from hot to cold... i really dont know.
Thats just something i was always told to do. If theres inflamation, dont use heat tho, im pretty sure thats a rule. You ice until there isnt inflamation then go back and forth between a hot bath and a cold compress. The 48 hours is probably the usual time given for inflammation to subside.

But yea never use like icy hot or atomic balm and then go in a hot bath or hot tub that night. It will scald you apparently.

yeah alright, i will do this stuff and then see what my doctor has to say about my back when i go. thanks