A
female
age
36-40,
*i_the_tree
writes:Hello again everyone. My bf has a very bad back, he broke it in a car crash back in 2006, he crushed one the vertebrae at the base of his spine. Now he's sort of learned to live with it, but there are times when it is very painful for him, especially as he's stressed out and is tense anyway.I do my best to help him out giving him massages etc but sometimes it's just not enough. I've been toying with the idea of arranging a sports massage for christmas maybe, to try and give him some relief during this stressful time. Not sure if it'll do him any good really, just wondered if people had any ideas on how i could help him further. I realise that the pain will never go away permanently for him, but i just want to try and help him as he can't sleep some nights as he can't get comfortable.Thanks guys and gals x
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female
reader, fi_the_tree +, writes (10 December 2011):
fi_the_tree is verified as being by the original poster of the question Just to say:
A MASSIVE thank you to jonas, who did some research for me, and gave me a lot of advice on forms of treatment for relieving back pain.
Thanks jonas, i really appreciate it!!
A
female
reader, fi_the_tree +, writes (8 December 2011):
fi_the_tree is verified as being by the original poster of the questionThank you for all your ideas guys. When he broke his back he was given a choice, either have surgery or lie on his back for a month, he chose the latter. He's not been to see any doctors yet about his back, he seems to think that they wouldn't be able to do much for him anyway.
I like the idea of getting a heat pad actually, that could help him out alot actually as he spends alot of time out in the cold.
I do massage his whole back and his arms too, just never thought to go any futher than that, will have to give that a try.
Thanks again, will try and update further in a week or so :)
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A
female
reader, bluecow +, writes (7 December 2011):
 Can I also suggest you encourage him to see a doctor before going down the route of organising such a physical massage which could do more damage than good.
As an alternative to sports therapy what about acupuncture? You could buy him a couple of sessions to help relieve him of the pain... and not run any risk of hurting him further. OR what about one of those microwavable/freezable packs which will help to relieve the pain.
xxx
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A
female
reader, So_Very_Confused  +, writes (7 December 2011):
 While Massage may feel good, it may not be the best thing for him...
Does he see a spine doctor or a pain managmeent specialist?
does he do physical therapy? there are exercises they can give him to help strengthen the muscles that help support the spine.
I live with chronic back pain and I understand the pain he has...
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A
female
reader, FloridaCatGirl +, writes (7 December 2011):
 I'm sorry about your boyfriend's back pain. The first thing I would do is make an appointment with a doctor. Seek a second opinion if the first doctor is unable to relieve the problem. While he's at his appointment, your boyfriend should ask his doctor about inversion therapy & chiropractors (for temporary relief), as well as suggestions for exercises that will help him build his core muscles.
Good luck!
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A
female
reader, Candid Cally +, writes (7 December 2011):
Either a hot pack or a cold pack should help. (it will depend on his personal preference, and how his muscles are feeling at the time.). Both my fiancée and I seem to prefer a hot pack applied to the area for at least 15 minutes before a massage. If you do not have a hot pack, you can place uncooked rice in a clean old sock (sock can't have holes), tie off the end, and microwave it starting with 30 seconds. Take the sock out I the microwave and shake it a bit, and if it isn't quite warm enough, put in back in the microwave for a little longer.
Next, if you are only massaging the area of his back where he was injured, you are probably not helping him as much as you would like. A back injury can cause changes in posture, an even in the way a person walks. This causes muscles in places like the arms, shoulders, neck, legs and buttocks to become tense as well. My fiancé has had pain in his lower back because one of his calf muscles and hamstring were pulled from running and his foot was on the side with the pain was tense too. I spent a couple of days trying to massage the pain from his back, just to have him tell me the pain began to subside as I massaged his foot, got better when I reached the calf, and was gone by the time I began to massage his hamstring.
Sometimes the pain feels like it is coming from where the injury is, but it is really coming from another region close by. That is why it is important to massage more than just the one area. Finally, pay attention to the tense areas when you massage. Follow them with your fingers and work on the badly knotted areas over many days in a row.
Perhaps look into taking a class or workshop on massage to make your technique even better.
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A
female
reader, aunt honesty  +, writes (7 December 2011):
 If his suffering is so bad that he is losing sleep over it, I think he should go to his doctor to look up different options on what could help him. I understand you want to help, but unfortunately this is a irreversible injury and the only way to sort out the pain, or make it a little bit more bearable is to get him to the doctor and checked out to see what they can do to ease it more for him.
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