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Author Topic: My Back  (Read 11547 times)

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Offline bear60

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My Back
« on: February 18, 2011, 08:48:14 am »
One of the most unpleasant aspects of getting older is the aches and pains that go with it.  I am having one of the worst sciatic pain attacks I've had in years.
Luckily,  Kurt has just purchased one of those inversion boards, that hangs you upside down by your ankles.
Got out the heating pad so when I sit I have heat on my lower back.
And
Ibuprophen.
Anyone with suggestions?


Joel
Poz Bear Type in Philadelphia

Offline bear60

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Re: My Back
« Reply #1 on: February 18, 2011, 11:44:47 am »
Saw my dentist today and he took one look at me and said:  "loose the gut, and see an orthopedist..... for an epidural."
I am holding off a bit longer.
Poz Bear Type in Philadelphia

Offline leatherman

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Re: My Back
« Reply #2 on: February 18, 2011, 11:59:39 am »
ouch!

I can sorta sympathize. I have a muscle in my back that occasionally screws up thanks to an old snow-shoveling injury. :o As long as I always remember how easy it is to wrench it out of place again, I take things nice and easy and don't have problems. However, my rt shoulder has become a problem and I was just in the MRI machine yesterday hoping the scans just show old age or arthritis's or something and not avascular necrosis.

hmmm, dentists are doctors, right? Sounds like you should take your doctor's free advice in another specialty before he officially branches out into ortho med and charges you.  ;)  :D
leatherman (aka Michael)

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Offline MarcoPoz

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Re: My Back
« Reply #3 on: February 18, 2011, 05:58:07 pm »
Bear,

UGH!  That's the worst!  I hate it.  Always seems to happen to me when I let myself get out of shape--or as we Michiganders call it--winter.  I use ice at first.  If you get a chance to get to a hot whirl pool--thet can feel wonderful.

Here's the part that may bring tears to your eyes, but helps me too:  http://www.bigbackpain.com/back_exercises.html#backstretchingexercises

Another counter-intuitive action that seems to work for me is getting outside and walking--especially on terrain that isn't perfectly flat.  Just go slowly and gingerly.

Of course, I'm also a BIG fan of Vicodin and Glenlivet 15  ;D

Offline denb45

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Re: My Back
« Reply #4 on: February 18, 2011, 07:04:41 pm »
Joel, if that doesn't heal on it's  own and you don't get any better with the pain, go to the doctor
back injuries (if that is what you have don't get better, they can get a lot worse) I wouldn't use that
inverter-board until you feel better, muscle pain usually isn't that painful, and go's away, but, lower
back pain can be serious , I do hope you feel better, and post back and let us all know how your
doing   {{{HUGS}}}  Dennis  :)
"it's so nice to be insane, cause no-one ask you to explain" Helen Reddy cc 1974

Offline rondrond

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Re: My Back
« Reply #5 on: February 18, 2011, 08:09:24 pm »
Did Kurt buy the inversion board for your back?  or for other activities? ;)

wait-a-minute...I googled and this is not what I envisioned..http://www.ehow.com/how_6662471_use-inversion-board.html

Must of had my mind in the gutter and envisioning you all dressed in leather...or something... ::)


What were you doing when the pain started?  or before the pain started?

My back freezes up just going from the kitchen down the hall, gathering trash and rolling the bin to the curb. I have to use the fence to hold onto to get back to the porch.

DRG has really gotten onto to me about my weight gain..I've gained 20 lbs. in two weeks, but...the Lyrica she prescribed has listed...side effect...weight gain.

She wants me to start walking, and there is a jogging/skateboarding/skating/dog walking/biking roadway that runs beside the Trinity River for miles and miles....

Did the doc give you any stretches to do?
"I'm not done yet"....Glen Campbell

"I may not be exactly where I want to be, but I sure as Hell am not where I was"
Wynnona Judd

Diagnosed/HIV
1993
AZT
Norvir
1994-2001
Crixivan/Epivir/Zerit
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Offline Jeff G

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Re: My Back
« Reply #6 on: February 18, 2011, 08:15:21 pm »
Sorry to hear about your back Kurt . Please let me know if that board works . I have been reading for years about those inversion boards and to be honest when my back hurts stretching it out like that does sound like it might could help .

I started a thread over in off topic this week about my bad back problems , I sure hope you feel better soon .
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Offline J.R.E.

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Re: My Back
« Reply #7 on: February 19, 2011, 03:04:55 am »


What were you doing when the pain started?  or before the pain started?



Hey Bear,

I've had about 3 or 4 sciatic nerve episodes throughout the years.  I can sympathize with you, because it is extremely painful. For me, it starts in the butt cheek, and goes right down the leg, but it feels as though it affects the entire side of the back.

I am thinking like Ron is.  Do you remember what you were doing prior to the pain starting?

Each time ( for myself)  My sciatic nerve episodes started after doing something physical.     (and it doesn't always have to be extreme physical)

  And, it's usually been a result of twisting, and attempting to lift something,  I've always been told to keep your body in alignment, when lifting, to help possibly avoid a sciatic episode.  Just some thoughts.

Hope you feel better soon.  I think I took some sort of muscle relaxers for it. Sometimes It went away fairly fast, other times it took a couple of days.

Ray
 
Current Meds ; Viramune / Epzicom Eliquis, Diltiazem. Pravastatin 80mg, Ezetimibe. UPDATED 2/18/24
 Tested positive in 1985,.. In October of 2003, My t-cell count was 16, Viral load was over 500,000, Percentage at that time was 5%. I started on  HAART on October 24th, 2003.

 As of Oct 2nd, 2023, Viral load Undetectable.
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Offline Miss Philicia

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Re: My Back
« Reply #8 on: February 19, 2011, 08:37:49 am »
I think I'd go to a doctor for this before attempting a home remedy of an inversion board that could possibly make the situation worse, but that's just me.
"I’ve slept with enough men to know that I’m not gay"

Offline J.R.E.

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Re: My Back
« Reply #9 on: February 19, 2011, 08:55:56 am »
I think I'd go to a doctor for this before attempting a home remedy of an inversion board that could possibly make the situation worse, but that's just me.


No, I would be hesitant also.   I just wanted to add, that bed rest, is probably the best thing you can do, besides getting to a doctor for a Diagnosis, and proper medication.

Ray
Current Meds ; Viramune / Epzicom Eliquis, Diltiazem. Pravastatin 80mg, Ezetimibe. UPDATED 2/18/24
 Tested positive in 1985,.. In October of 2003, My t-cell count was 16, Viral load was over 500,000, Percentage at that time was 5%. I started on  HAART on October 24th, 2003.

 As of Oct 2nd, 2023, Viral load Undetectable.
CD 4 @676 /  CD4 % @ 18 %
Lymphocytes,absolute-3815 (within range)


72 YEARS YOUNG

Offline Miss Philicia

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Re: My Back
« Reply #10 on: February 19, 2011, 11:40:23 am »
IIRC when my boss at my last job had similar issues he avoided the bed/mattress and swear by sleeping directly on a hard floor.  I know he went to some specialist when it flared up so I must assume he was doing as instructed.
"I’ve slept with enough men to know that I’m not gay"

Offline Jeff G

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Re: My Back
« Reply #11 on: February 19, 2011, 12:18:27 pm »
IIRC when my boss at my last job had similar issues he avoided the bed/mattress and swear by sleeping directly on a hard floor.  I know he went to some specialist when it flared up so I must assume he was doing as instructed.

My Uncle has had so many back surgery's I have lost count , when he visits my house he plops down right on the hardwood floors , says its comfortable and he can get more dog loving form Zita my bulldog .
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Offline denb45

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Re: My Back
« Reply #12 on: February 19, 2011, 01:33:09 pm »
My Uncle has had so many back surgery's I have lost count , when he visits my house he plops down right on the hardwood floors , says its comfortable and he can get more dog loving form Zita my bulldog .

My other half just had one of those back implant spinal simulators installed in his back after 3 back surgeries, and all he has to do now is push a button on his portable and it sends a signal to has back pain, and it gives a shock to his back and covers the pain sensation to the brain, now, he hopes to get-off-all of that Morphine & Oxycodone, but that's gonna take a while, after a month his back scars healing nicely, but he still has a few more months to go......the price-tag for that surgery was a whopping $71,000 but luckily his workman's comp Insurance carrier of NYC covered all of it, when I saw the bill, I almost DIED of a heart-attack  ??? , until I then saw it had a ZERO balance owed  :D
« Last Edit: February 19, 2011, 01:40:24 pm by denb45 »
"it's so nice to be insane, cause no-one ask you to explain" Helen Reddy cc 1974

Offline rondrond

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Re: My Back
« Reply #13 on: February 19, 2011, 02:05:05 pm »
IIRC when my boss at my last job had similar issues he avoided the bed/mattress and swear by sleeping directly on a hard floor.  I know he went to some specialist when it flared up so I must assume he was doing as instructed.


Katie, who had back surgery and has a scar on her back that would satisfy any SYFY watcher that an alien could have taken over, is always complaining that her bed is too soft. I've even shoved a piece of plywood between the mattresses to satisfy her. It worked, but, the wood keeps inching it's way back out and then scratching her legs..  :-\

I have laid on the floor with my feet up in the couch, and it worked, I felt better, but then, I had to get back up off the floor...which wasn't pretty... ::)


Joel must be hurting too bad to even sit at his 'puter... :-[


"I'm not done yet"....Glen Campbell

"I may not be exactly where I want to be, but I sure as Hell am not where I was"
Wynnona Judd

Diagnosed/HIV
1993
AZT
Norvir
1994-2001
Crixivan/Epivir/Zerit
No Meds for 7 Years

04jul07/DVT-right leg/Bi Lateral PE's     
16oct08/DVT-left leg
Aug09 Diagnosed: COPD

05may2015
Un-detectable
Tcells 700
44%

Offline aztecan

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Re: My Back
« Reply #14 on: February 19, 2011, 03:50:52 pm »
Hey Joel, I would probably opt for the doctor visit too.

I don't have the sciatic issues, mine usually hits right between the shoulder blades, especially when I have been driving a lot.

The hard floor does seem to help.

Are you feeling any better?

HUGS,

Mark
"May your life preach more loudly than your lips."
~ William Ellery Channing (Unitarian Minister)

Offline BT65

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Re: My Back
« Reply #15 on: February 20, 2011, 05:06:07 am »
Joel, I'm sorry you're having all the pain.  I would go see an ortho, and see what (s)he can diagnose, and suggest.  Inversion boards, whirlpools, I'm sure all sound lovely, but I would wait to see what the doctor suggests. 
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Offline bear60

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Re: My Back
« Reply #16 on: February 21, 2011, 12:54:11 pm »
I truly appreciate all of you who suggest not getting on the inversion board.  Even my dentist said: make an appointment with an orthopedist.
But I am one of the most stubborn guys you will ever meet.  I preach a great line but never follow my own advice.  In part because I needed immediate relief....now.  I was having a hard time getting dressed and.... tying shoes...forget it.  Now that is just not acceptable. So I read up on sciatic neves pain online.  Its associated with the L4 L5 vertabra.  Kurt has been through more physical therapy than all of us put together and he is my advisor. He oked the inversion board.
I am pain free. But not out of the woods.
I have an appointment with my acupuncturist tomorrow.
I am going to get a refferral to an orthopedist.

Thanks to all of you, I feel better because of your words too.
Poz Bear Type in Philadelphia

Offline rondrond

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Re: My Back
« Reply #17 on: February 21, 2011, 07:04:12 pm »
Joel,

I'm glad to hear that something worked to relieve that intense pain.

You bugger. I know. I feel the same way. It hurts...get rid of it...I don't care how...just make it go away...now. Sometimes, you get lucky and one of the myriad things you are trying...and you are at the point of trying anything.... actually works.

acupuncture...needles? does that work? I've never done it, and seeing it in the movies, never thought I would.


speedy recovery...
"I'm not done yet"....Glen Campbell

"I may not be exactly where I want to be, but I sure as Hell am not where I was"
Wynnona Judd

Diagnosed/HIV
1993
AZT
Norvir
1994-2001
Crixivan/Epivir/Zerit
No Meds for 7 Years

04jul07/DVT-right leg/Bi Lateral PE's     
16oct08/DVT-left leg
Aug09 Diagnosed: COPD

05may2015
Un-detectable
Tcells 700
44%

Offline rondrond

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Re: My Back
« Reply #18 on: February 25, 2011, 10:40:02 pm »
Did the acupuncture work?  How are you feeling today?

"I'm not done yet"....Glen Campbell

"I may not be exactly where I want to be, but I sure as Hell am not where I was"
Wynnona Judd

Diagnosed/HIV
1993
AZT
Norvir
1994-2001
Crixivan/Epivir/Zerit
No Meds for 7 Years

04jul07/DVT-right leg/Bi Lateral PE's     
16oct08/DVT-left leg
Aug09 Diagnosed: COPD

05may2015
Un-detectable
Tcells 700
44%

Offline bear60

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Re: My Back
« Reply #19 on: February 26, 2011, 11:33:10 am »
Ron...Thanks for asking.  
The pain has gone from a debilitating, searing,  fire...... to a low grade annoying twinge.
Acupuncture cannot cure hip pain like sciatica but it will relieve the pain.  I had skipped a month.  Some months I have two or three treatments. So I was way overdue for an acupuncture treatment.  Next week I go to get a massage.  And another acupuncture treatment the following week.
Clearly I need to see an orthopedist.
Poz Bear Type in Philadelphia

Offline denb45

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Re: My Back
« Reply #20 on: February 26, 2011, 12:15:37 pm »
Ron...Thanks for asking.  
The pain has gone from a debilitating, searing,  fire...... to a low grade annoying twinge.
Acupuncture cannot cure hip pain like sciatica but it will relieve the pain.  I had skipped a month.  Some months I have two or three treatments. So I was way overdue for an acupuncture treatment.  Next week I go to get a massage.  And another acupuncture treatment the following week.
Clearly I need to see an orthopedist.

 ???
"it's so nice to be insane, cause no-one ask you to explain" Helen Reddy cc 1974

Offline rondrond

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Re: My Back
« Reply #21 on: February 27, 2011, 09:54:29 am »
Those twinges are worse, to me, as I keep thinking that at any moment, it's going away... :-\
"I'm not done yet"....Glen Campbell

"I may not be exactly where I want to be, but I sure as Hell am not where I was"
Wynnona Judd

Diagnosed/HIV
1993
AZT
Norvir
1994-2001
Crixivan/Epivir/Zerit
No Meds for 7 Years

04jul07/DVT-right leg/Bi Lateral PE's     
16oct08/DVT-left leg
Aug09 Diagnosed: COPD

05may2015
Un-detectable
Tcells 700
44%

Offline Theyer

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Re: My Back
« Reply #22 on: March 04, 2011, 04:13:02 pm »
RE. themake it go away school off pain management

Fentalyin morphine patches and oxynorm codine tablets have a certain something.

lovemhtv
"If we can find the money to kill people, we can find the money to help people ."  Tony Benn

Offline Jeffreyj

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Re: My Back
« Reply #23 on: March 04, 2011, 08:35:07 pm »
Joel,
Sorry to hear you are in so much pain. I hope you get some relief from the massage.
Feel better soon.

HUGS
Jeff
Positive since 1985

Offline sfpvguy41

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Re: My Back
« Reply #24 on: March 05, 2011, 02:07:46 am »
Have you had a DEXA scan for bone density?
Labs: (undetectable since 2005)
12/13: 634 cdr, 37.3%, 758 cd8, total chol 183, triglycerides 131
8/13: changed to Edurant from Reyataz
12/12: 828 cd4, 34.5%, 1078 cd8, total chol 192, tri 196
12/11: 787 cd4, 37%, 979 cd8.
9/11: 758 cd4, 38%, 944 cd8, und.
8/11 dropped norvir, incr reyataz to 400 mg
6/11: 621 CD4 CD4% 41, CD8 680! Undetectable. Creatinine and eGFR are ok now.
Switched from Truvada to Epzicom in late April 2011
AGT/AST and creatinine back to normal mid-April.
Cut Norvir from regimen.
Switched back to Reyataz/Norvir late Feb 2011
2/11: CD4 664 34%, CD8 963, diagnosed with osteoporosis, high AGT/AST and creatinine.
12/10: CD4: 676 CD4%: 34 CD8: 1012
Switched from Reyataz/norvir to Isentress 10/10
8/10: CD4: 731 CD4%: 40 CD8: 866
Diagnosed Sept. 2002 started meds May 2005.

Offline bear60

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Re: My Back
« Reply #25 on: March 05, 2011, 12:20:26 pm »
Theyer.....Nope, havent had a dexascan.  I am so stubborn that I havent even talked to my doctor about this.  But....and I mean it...after this last bout with pain....I am going to talk to my doctor.
Poz Bear Type in Philadelphia

Offline sfpvguy41

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Re: My Back
« Reply #26 on: March 05, 2011, 01:21:23 pm »
I know very little about back pain, never having had any before, but now with an Osteoporosis diagnosis, I read that at my level of bone loss I can have stress fractures in my lower lumbar vertebra just from a situp or twist or standing too long!  Jesus.  Perhaps I should just stay in bed all day.  My dad had stress fractures in deteriorated lumbar vertebra from lung cancer spreading and was in terrible pain, so I really don't want that.  I've started supplementing with Vit D and Calcium and taking Fosamax, and changing my excercise patterns, to fight it.  So if that was the cause, you'd want to know so you can address it, don't be stubborn!  The DEXA test is nothing to sit through, just a machine whirring away above you; I think Harry Potter is inside with a wand.
Labs: (undetectable since 2005)
12/13: 634 cdr, 37.3%, 758 cd8, total chol 183, triglycerides 131
8/13: changed to Edurant from Reyataz
12/12: 828 cd4, 34.5%, 1078 cd8, total chol 192, tri 196
12/11: 787 cd4, 37%, 979 cd8.
9/11: 758 cd4, 38%, 944 cd8, und.
8/11 dropped norvir, incr reyataz to 400 mg
6/11: 621 CD4 CD4% 41, CD8 680! Undetectable. Creatinine and eGFR are ok now.
Switched from Truvada to Epzicom in late April 2011
AGT/AST and creatinine back to normal mid-April.
Cut Norvir from regimen.
Switched back to Reyataz/Norvir late Feb 2011
2/11: CD4 664 34%, CD8 963, diagnosed with osteoporosis, high AGT/AST and creatinine.
12/10: CD4: 676 CD4%: 34 CD8: 1012
Switched from Reyataz/norvir to Isentress 10/10
8/10: CD4: 731 CD4%: 40 CD8: 866
Diagnosed Sept. 2002 started meds May 2005.

Offline agulha14

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Re: My Back
« Reply #27 on: July 12, 2012, 12:54:57 pm »
Ron...Thanks for asking. 
The pain has gone from a debilitating, searing,  fire...... to a low grade annoying twinge.
Acupuncture cannot cure hip pain like sciatica but it will relieve the pain.  I had skipped a month.  Some months I have two or three treatments. So I was way overdue for an acupuncture treatment.  Next week I go to get a massage.  And another acupuncture treatment the following week.
Clearly I need to see an orthopedist.

Hi Bear -

I know this is an old topic, but thought I'd add my few cents worth anyway. I'm HIV+ (13+ yrs), an acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist, and a volunteer assistant coach and massage therapist for a nationally ranked springboard & platform diving team (Indiana University).

I see a fair amount of low back pain and sciatic pain in my clinic, and you're right - I wouldn't ever claim acupuncture can 'cure' sciatic pain, but it should be able to help.

The main thing I find, however - as in every patient I treat for low back pain and sciatic pain - is that their quads are too tight (these are the muscles, as I'm sure you know, that are at the front of the upper leg); when they are too tight, they pull the pelvis out of line, and the low back gets pinched. Then the muscles around the vertebrae in the low back seize up to try to protect it, and this further compresses the nerves and other tissues, resulting in nasty pain (I went through several years of this as a result of a dislocated hip, so I know what you are dealing with).

Over a period of time, the compression can result in disk issues, and this can in turn lead to bone-on-bone problems in the lumbar area. By that time it's hard to reverse things, but at every step in this development, traction (like your inversion board) is a great idea, but will only be a temporary relief unless the pelvis can find its normal position - that will only happen if the quads get loosened up. As your massage therapist to focus on that for a few visits, and see if it helps.

all the best,

David
03/15/1999 - dx as HIV+
07/30/2003 - started HAART (Sustiva + Epzicom)
long history, not very interesting...
07/10/12 - started Atripla

Offline Ann

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Re: My Back
« Reply #28 on: July 13, 2012, 04:17:26 am »
Hi Bear -

I know this is an old topic, but thought I'd add my few cents worth anyway. I'm HIV+ (13+ yrs), an acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist, and a volunteer assistant coach and massage therapist for a nationally ranked springboard & platform diving team (Indiana University).

I see a fair amount of low back pain and sciatic pain in my clinic, and you're right - I wouldn't ever claim acupuncture can 'cure' sciatic pain, but it should be able to help.

The main thing I find, however - as in every patient I treat for low back pain and sciatic pain - is that their quads are too tight (these are the muscles, as I'm sure you know, that are at the front of the upper leg); when they are too tight, they pull the pelvis out of line, and the low back gets pinched. Then the muscles around the vertebrae in the low back seize up to try to protect it, and this further compresses the nerves and other tissues, resulting in nasty pain (I went through several years of this as a result of a dislocated hip, so I know what you are dealing with).

Over a period of time, the compression can result in disk issues, and this can in turn lead to bone-on-bone problems in the lumbar area. By that time it's hard to reverse things, but at every step in this development, traction (like your inversion board) is a great idea, but will only be a temporary relief unless the pelvis can find its normal position - that will only happen if the quads get loosened up. As your massage therapist to focus on that for a few visits, and see if it helps.

all the best,

David

David, I understand you mean well, but as someone who was not diagnosed before 1996, you are not permitted to post in the Long Term Survivors forum.

Excerpts from this forum's welcome thread:


This forum is a safe place for long-term survivors (LTS), defined as people living with HIV who tested positive for the virus before the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in 1996. This forum is a result of LTS members petitioning for a place to discuss issues unique to those who lived with a diagnosis of HIV through the initial decades of the AIDS epidemic.

//snip//

However, given the creation of this section by and for LTS members, we ask that ONLY LTS MEMBERS post in this forum.

//snip//


Please read the complete LTS Welcome Thread. You should also read any other Welcome threads when they appear at the top of certain forums.

I explained this to you this yesterday as well.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Ann
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