Back injury and baby
November 28, 2018 6:26 AM Subscribe
I have a minor muscular injury to my back (right side, lower back near the spine) and it's causing my whole back to lock up when doing tasks . I saw my doctor, but need to figure out how to take care of babysky, my 16lbs bundle of joy.
Babysky is 6Mo and loves her mommies. I am the parternal (for lack of a better word here)
parent in this relationship, so breastfeeding advice is not needed. But I do want to do things my baby likes and needs, carrying, snuggling, food feeding, diaper changes, tickles, picking up out of crib whatever. Also, I need to do normal household chores and work my job (walking required, but no heavy lifting). There is no obvious incident for the injury I can point to.
Doctor gave me 10 day supply of Flexeril (cyclobenzaprine), rest, and advice to do some stretching and be careful.
But walking with no weight is causing my back to get super tense all the way up even on the medication. I have no nerve pain. My arms and legs don't hurt. Just I feel like I can't move and it gets pretty painful. If I'm resting pain is totally managable.
I'm looking for tips and tricks to help me get through this and not make it worse because I picked up babysky.
Babysky is 6Mo and loves her mommies. I am the parternal (for lack of a better word here)
parent in this relationship, so breastfeeding advice is not needed. But I do want to do things my baby likes and needs, carrying, snuggling, food feeding, diaper changes, tickles, picking up out of crib whatever. Also, I need to do normal household chores and work my job (walking required, but no heavy lifting). There is no obvious incident for the injury I can point to.
Doctor gave me 10 day supply of Flexeril (cyclobenzaprine), rest, and advice to do some stretching and be careful.
But walking with no weight is causing my back to get super tense all the way up even on the medication. I have no nerve pain. My arms and legs don't hurt. Just I feel like I can't move and it gets pretty painful. If I'm resting pain is totally managable.
I'm looking for tips and tricks to help me get through this and not make it worse because I picked up babysky.
I know how frustrating this is!
To add to the "chilling on the floor with baby" suggestion, when mine was around that age and my back hurt, we'd lay on the floor and wiggle our legs in the air together. (The practicality of this depends on whether your baby likes to roll over and crawl away - mine was content to stay in one place.)
If you can carry baby comfortably but not pick up, maybe you could wear a carrier and your partner could help get baby in.
For the tensing up, stretching is key! I have a recurring injury in the same area and holding lunges for a minute or two makes a big difference. My baby thought it was fun to watch me stretch.
posted by beyond_pink at 7:07 AM on November 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
To add to the "chilling on the floor with baby" suggestion, when mine was around that age and my back hurt, we'd lay on the floor and wiggle our legs in the air together. (The practicality of this depends on whether your baby likes to roll over and crawl away - mine was content to stay in one place.)
If you can carry baby comfortably but not pick up, maybe you could wear a carrier and your partner could help get baby in.
For the tensing up, stretching is key! I have a recurring injury in the same area and holding lunges for a minute or two makes a big difference. My baby thought it was fun to watch me stretch.
posted by beyond_pink at 7:07 AM on November 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
Hi, I also have a 6 mo old and injured my back a couple months ago, I think from picking up the baby. The thing that helped me was going to my physical therapist. They did some work on my back and also gave me specific stretches to help it heal faster and stay loose, and that really helped. It took me nearly 2 weeks to feel better but I do think the stretches and PT helped (I’m breastfeeding so couldn’t take any drugs - could be why it took so long to heal). Anyway during that time my husband did most of the picking up baby, especially from the crib since apparently there’s really no great ergonomic way to pick up a baby from modern cribs. I also played more on the floor with him. Good luck, I know how much this sucks. I hope you feel better soon.
posted by FireFountain at 7:23 AM on November 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by FireFountain at 7:23 AM on November 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
Any chance you could see a physical therapist? Every one I have talked to has been fantastic at trouble-shooting ways to safely perform the kinds of activities you're struggling with (and/or set clear boundaries on what would just be a bad idea to try), and they were also the gatekeepers of wonderful things like dry-needling and warm-water exercise pools.
posted by teremala at 8:11 AM on November 28, 2018
posted by teremala at 8:11 AM on November 28, 2018
Physical therapist pronto. A good physical therapist will give you exercises and tactics for dealing with this safely. Please do not guess or take advice from Internet strangers only.
posted by Bella Donna at 9:53 AM on November 28, 2018
posted by Bella Donna at 9:53 AM on November 28, 2018
OK I can't diagnose your problem from your description because that would be crazy. You need to see a doctor, then a physical therapist.
But I will tell you a story about ME, who has something very similar to your description, but on the left side. And for ME, these five exercises have been wonderful.
In the past, only a shot of toradil could stop my worst back spasms. One year at the emergency room at Walter Reed the doc prescribed a morphine drip! That's how bad it has been for ME. With these five exercises, I can stop painful back spasms without any drugs at all. (I still keep the flexeril around for a backup.) And in 20 minutes I can go from staggering-baby-step-sideways-walk-with-musical-screaming-accompaniment to being able to walk relatively normally and use the bathroom and perform lightweight tasks. It sometimes seems miraculous.
But that is just ME. Your story might be different. See a medical professional. But also grab a towel and try those five poses. I hope you feel better.
posted by seasparrow at 10:12 AM on November 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
But I will tell you a story about ME, who has something very similar to your description, but on the left side. And for ME, these five exercises have been wonderful.
In the past, only a shot of toradil could stop my worst back spasms. One year at the emergency room at Walter Reed the doc prescribed a morphine drip! That's how bad it has been for ME. With these five exercises, I can stop painful back spasms without any drugs at all. (I still keep the flexeril around for a backup.) And in 20 minutes I can go from staggering-baby-step-sideways-walk-with-musical-screaming-accompaniment to being able to walk relatively normally and use the bathroom and perform lightweight tasks. It sometimes seems miraculous.
But that is just ME. Your story might be different. See a medical professional. But also grab a towel and try those five poses. I hope you feel better.
posted by seasparrow at 10:12 AM on November 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: As noted I did see my doctor and was given stretches and general stetching advice plus a muscle relaxant medication . If this doesn't resolve quickly I can do PT. This really is I need to rest for a few days and my baby is a 16 pounds and the opposite of rest, how do I cope for a short time question. I asked my doctor and she was like oh it's hard so that wasn't exactly useful.
posted by AlexiaSky at 12:04 PM on November 28, 2018
posted by AlexiaSky at 12:04 PM on November 28, 2018
I think a physical therapist could give you tips on how to do your regular baby care activities while minimizing further injury. Also they can massage you or give you other treatments that will help you feel better quickly. I had some postpartum hip and lower back weirdness and my physical therapist would do an ultrasound treatment to help with the pain before helping me do some exercises that helped strengthen the area and help me heal faster.
Can your partner pick up the slack so you do minimal baby care for a few days?
posted by apricot at 12:53 PM on November 28, 2018
Can your partner pick up the slack so you do minimal baby care for a few days?
posted by apricot at 12:53 PM on November 28, 2018
Tbh if it's at all an option I'd try to get some help. Either from a partner taking time off work, or asking any friends/family/acquaintances even if you don't think they'd be interested or able to help, or hiring someone if you can afford it. Reason being that if lack of rest prevents healing and this just drags on or becomes more severe, it'll be that much harder to deal with.
If it's not possible, then at least a physical therapist, who will hopefully have more useful input than a doctor.
posted by trig at 1:31 PM on November 28, 2018
If it's not possible, then at least a physical therapist, who will hopefully have more useful input than a doctor.
posted by trig at 1:31 PM on November 28, 2018
ditto with this a long time ago...
in my case i ended up in surgery and a grá for painkillers with whiskey
what worked for me in post op was physical therapy specifically around the core and hamstrings
that was 14 years ago and I continue to do routines to strengthen and make more flexible that part of the body.
again, this is what worked for me, go to a professional asap...as the kid gets heavier, the toll on your back grows also.
posted by lapsang at 4:03 PM on November 28, 2018
in my case i ended up in surgery and a grá for painkillers with whiskey
what worked for me in post op was physical therapy specifically around the core and hamstrings
that was 14 years ago and I continue to do routines to strengthen and make more flexible that part of the body.
again, this is what worked for me, go to a professional asap...as the kid gets heavier, the toll on your back grows also.
posted by lapsang at 4:03 PM on November 28, 2018
Apologies for being a broken record, but it is important to understand that doctors cannot tell you what physical therapists can and vice versa. A close friend of mine walked around in pain for 18 months because it wasn’t anything his doctor could fix and he continued to refuse my recommendation to see my physical therapist. When the pain finally drove him to make an appointment afterword my buddy turned to me and said: if I am ever the stubborn again, remind me of this.
I think I feel alarmed on your behalf primarily because my mom hurt her back when I was a baby, did not get the help she needed, and ended up with a permanent injury. Your doctor said, oh that’s hard, because your doctor is not a physical therapist. A PT can literally show you the safest way to pick up your baby, to put down your baby, and to carry your baby. That is what you need to do, if you cannot get someone else to do it for you, and that is what a physical therapist can tell you. You don’t need to know how the problem happened, you just need to see a skilled PT. You don’t need to toughen this out, you need to take your self-care super seriously for yourself, your partner, and especially your baby.
Honestly, I would probably hire someone to help with the baby but if you can’t do that, please please please go see a physical therapist and make sure it’s someone with good recommendations.
posted by Bella Donna at 1:04 AM on November 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
I think I feel alarmed on your behalf primarily because my mom hurt her back when I was a baby, did not get the help she needed, and ended up with a permanent injury. Your doctor said, oh that’s hard, because your doctor is not a physical therapist. A PT can literally show you the safest way to pick up your baby, to put down your baby, and to carry your baby. That is what you need to do, if you cannot get someone else to do it for you, and that is what a physical therapist can tell you. You don’t need to know how the problem happened, you just need to see a skilled PT. You don’t need to toughen this out, you need to take your self-care super seriously for yourself, your partner, and especially your baby.
Honestly, I would probably hire someone to help with the baby but if you can’t do that, please please please go see a physical therapist and make sure it’s someone with good recommendations.
posted by Bella Donna at 1:04 AM on November 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
« Older Poem about snow as metaphor for depression... | Reverb for the gym - highly specific playlist... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by galvanized unicorn at 6:53 AM on November 28, 2018