Back problems :(

[sunnydays]

I need some advice from anyone who has had back problems while running a daycare! Lat week my lower back went completely wacko on me and I had to close my daycare for two days. This week I am open, but the pain is killing me! It hurts to walk, to bend, to stand up from sitting, to lift kids up...and carrying them is almost impossible. I have been to the doctor and massage therapist and I started physio last night and will continue, so I am hopeful that soon it will get better. But, in the meantime, I need to keep my daycare open, so I am wondering if anyone has any tips for making things easier on my back? I am only lifting the kids when absolutely necessary and I am not doing any structured activities or extras. Today we played outside, but only because I have to take them out to get my son to the bus and my neighbour (another daycare provider) came out to help...otherwise I couldn't have managed it safely as it is too hard to help them up when they get stuck in the snow etc. I spend my entire naptime lying with a heating pad and it helps...but mornings are excrutiating! Any tips???

[mimi]

Can you get up a little early and do some stretches or maybe put the heating pad on before you start your day? I know when I get up I am so stiff so I do some stretches(yoga) and it really helps loosen the muscles. Hope you feel better soon:flower:

[cfred]

Hi! Sorry to hear your back's giving you grief. That truly sucks when you just can't close down. Back in the fall, I had 2 pinched nerves in my neck. My left arm, neck, shoulder and upper back were absolutely terrible. In fact, I could barely move, lost most use in my left arm and mobility in my thumb. Terribly debilitating. My very best advice - GO TO A CHIROPRACTOR!!!! I've always avoided them like the plague as I'd always thought them to be a bunch of back crackers. Not at all!!! In desperation, I finally called one and thank god I did! He fixed me right up. After the first session, there was a noticeable difference. Though it took several sessions to get me totally lined up, it was well worth it. My guy uses the BAK method, so google that. No bone cracking or anything like that. It's a little gun like thingy he places at different points which works miracles. Then, at the first few sessions, he also used these little pads that send electric shocks to the area to bring down inflammation. It didn't hurt, per se, but felt kind of like a mild stinging. Worked like a charm. Now I just get the gun thing and a little deep tissue massage. And, this is really, really important - NO HEAT PADS!!!!!! Only use cold as you've likely got inflammation which is exacerbating the problem. Though the heat feels fabulous while it's on the site, it just makes it worse. I would sit with an ice pack wrapped in a towel on the back of my neck. What a difference!

Really, look into it. My first session was $100 (around that), then $45 for following sessions. It starts off with 2-3 sessions per week, but quickly reduces to 1. Now I'm down to 1 session every 2 weeks and I feel totally back to normal. I really thought the problem would just go away, but it continued to get worse and worse to the point that I'd be in tears just trying to do every day tasks. I had to resort to using a sling. If you can get in somewhere tonight or tomorrow, you'd be well advised to do so to start healing and feeling better.

Hope you stop hurting soon :)

[sunnydays]

They used the electric currents on me last night at physio...not sure if it did anything or not. I felt like it was a bit better this morning when I got up...until I started trying to actually do things (like rush 6 preschoolers out to the bus stop...LOL). I have been waking up a bit earlier to lie on the floor with my heating pad, but maybe I should do it for longer. Both the massage therapist and the physiotherapist said to alternate heat and ice because the ice will help the inflamation, but I have other muscles that are really tight because they have been trying to compensate for the loose muscles near my spine...so those ones need heat.

[cfred]

I should qualify the heat thing.....Once the source of the pain is located (the vertabrae that are out of line, pinched nerve, whatever) don't put heat on that spot. It can still be used on other 'tight' spots, but not the specific origin. That's what my chiro told me. I would still sleep with a heat pad wrapped around my arm as that was a great area of pain, but not the source of the pain, if that makes sense. He told me I could alternate on the actual site if I wanted but was better off to just use cold on that specific area where the problem was originating. The little gun thing he uses apparently alters the electrical charge....didn't really understand, but it worked really, really well. If physio can provide that as well as the little pads, excellent, ask for it.

[sunnydays]

Thanks Cfred! That's what the physio said too...but it is very difficult to put heat all around the base of my spine without putting it on it as well...would have to cut a hole in my heating pad LOL...so they said just alternate. At least it seems we were both told the same thing..that is comforting. They also gave me exercises to do and will give me more as we continue. I am faithfully doing them and hope it can avoid this happening to me repeatedly...because as we all know, a daycare provider who cannot walk, bend, lift, etc is a pretty useless one!

[cfred]

I hope you feel better soon. I've never been prone to severe back problems and was totally thrown by it. One thing I always do is first, go to my doctor or walk in clinic. They'll freely prescribe an anti inflammatory (Celebrex is what I always get) and those awesomely groovy muscle relaxants for bed time. Ye Haw! Love those things....sleep like the dead!

[playfelt]

That for sure is not good as a provider. My hubby has back issues and part of it is because he had muscles issues with how the front core ones connected with the back and shoulder ones so they weren't moving in tandem as in one contracting and one expanding as he moved or something like that. He is doing physio and works with a trainer on exercises - a few for each side. Mostly the issues come from lifting Brianne when there were no other options as well as her wheelchair in and out of the van since we don't have a wheelchair van since I can manage to get her up into the van and into a seat still while he lifts the chair - both situations we realize are not good and only a matter of time.

I have used various creams over the years and there is one that stays cold ie is meant to be like an icepack as compared to gets hot and another one called iceyhot or something that goes on cold but gradually warms up to soothe the area. Those you could put on around the sore area to relax those areas while avoiding the actual area.

I had a parent in care that was taking yoga to help with back issues and found it helped. She had had problems so bad she had surgery as a teen. She found that hot yoga where the room is super warm while you work out the best. You might want to ask the physio if something like that would be an option too.

As far as coping not getting down on the floor to change diapers and instead having the children get up means less bending as down on the knees relies on the back and stomach muscles for getting back up and they are connected so overuse the stomach and the back will hurt more. Maybe a table and step ladder to create something like the walk up wooden change tables many daycare centres have.

A pain that low is often from stooping too as in bending over instead of bending the knees and getting down which is very common to do when kids are only 2 feet tall so forget the part about getting down on their level and talking to them face to face for sure.

Have they given you any muscle relaxer pills. Forget what John had but they did help a little.

For kids in playpens put them in standing as in just lower them down and have them lay down themselves and stand up to be gotten out as compared to leaning over. When carrying do not carry on the hip which will push the spine to one side or the other but hold them in front with both hands and facing out which means you will be leaning slightly forward instead of backwards.

Next week is March break. Can you get a teen - even someone in grade 7-8 to come over for at least the mornings to do the lifting parts for you and let you have a week of not doing that motion hardly at all. Just giving the back a rest will help.

[Momof4]

Sunnydays, have you ever tried a chiropractor? Sorry you are in so much pain, that's awful.

[Naftafia]

Oh my heart goes out to you! I have been dealing with terrible back pain and leg numbness for nearly 5 months now! :(
As you likely know the big things are minimum lifting, avoid bending, avoid twisting and contract your tummy muscles when walking, transfering etc..... Try to be as careful and aware as possible of all your body positions and movements. Little things like twisting while sitting to feed children sitting on both sides of you, emptying/filing the bottom tray of the dishwasher, bending to zip a child's zipper or bending down to put your boots could all be triggers and/or aggravate your symptoms.
The position you take while sleeping is also very important in order to rest your back and not keep does muscles contracted, if sleeping on your side, place a thin pillow between your knees for your hips to be even and if sleeping on your back, place a pillow underneath knees and upper thighs to slightly flatten the muscle curve.
It is so difficult but you need to pace, plan your activities according to what you could do and rest. Delegate house chores and meal prep to your spouse and/or anyone who could help until you get this under control.
It is also so important to find a good health professional, wether you choose chiro or physio, they could both help or not so much, as long as they treat the issue not just the symptoms and give you tools to manage symptoms and prevent re-injury.
I wish you a quick recovery :)

[sunnydays]

Thanks so much everyone! I feel like such an invalid!! I like the step up change table idea from Playfelt. I use a change table as I found a long time ago that changing on the floor was too hard on the back and knees etc. But, it nearly kills be to lift the bigger kids up there and on of my daycare parents actually joked about steps up to the change table this morning (she's a doctor and understands). I will have to see what I can come up with. Miraculously, one of my 16 month olds who I have been training for 4 months now to crawl up and down the stairs, without much success, today actually did it on his own :) Yay! Unfortunately, his same age buddy who was doing well, decided it would be funny to resist today...so you win some you lose some..LOL. I have two more physio appoinments this week, so I am hoping it helps. I will think about some of the other suggestions here too. Thanks again everyone!

[playfelt]

Canadian tire for sure cause that is where we got it but walmart, home depot, home hardware etc have small step ladders as in 3 steps and they fold as in designed to reach the top shelf of the cupboards or change a lightbulb instead of standing on a chair. That should work just fine to get the kids to change table height.

[Spixie33]

Oh no! i feel awful just reading your post.

I had this situation about 1.5 years ago. Terrible back pain and the only thing that helped was taking the Liquid Extra Strength Advil. They took the pain away so I could work and do the daycare....otherwise I never would have managed.

Unfortunately my back pain lasted a few months off and on....then went away and I noticed numb toes, then numb calfs and soon I was losing my balance and stumbling and unable to run.

After several doctor appts, Physio etc...and then eventually ER visits, Xrays and MRIs....it turned out I had a severe pinched nerve in my back that was slowly paralyzing me. I came thisclose to being incontinent and being unable to walk ever again.

I had to go for emergency surgery on my back and shut down the daycare for 3 months.

So...I feel bad reading these posts about all the back pain. It brings back a lot of memories. Please take care of yourself first before it gets worse.

I agree that the chiropractor is a great place to start. Some will do free assessments for you. I used to be scared of them too but when I went for my assessment they knew something was seriously wrong before my family doctor did and said that they could not treat me because something seemed to be seriously wrong with my back.

I also recommend a good mattress and pillow that are supportive and then make sure you bend knees and avoid lifting as much as you can. It is amazing how much bending, lifting this job takes and the kids can be quite heavy.

Good luck. I hope you get some relief soon

[sunnydays]

Thanks Playfelt, I think I will head out to get one tonight...should have done so yesterday after physio, but was so tired I wasn't thinking straight! It has been a tiny tiny bit better yesterday and today, so I am hoping it is starting to heal.



Canadian tire for sure cause that is where we got it but walmart, home depot, home hardware etc have small step ladders as in 3 steps and they fold as in designed to reach the top shelf of the cupboards or change a lightbulb instead of standing on a chair. That should work just fine to get the kids to change table height.

[sunnydays]

Oh Spixie, how awful! And lucky that they caught it in time!!! You are scaring me...but I am pretty sure the physio's assessment is correct as it makes total sense in terms of what I am feeling. If it does not start to work though in the next couple of weeks, I will consider a chiropractor. My doctor did not refer me to one...so in order to get it covered by insurance, I would need to go back to my doctor and request it...and he was not keen on it! We'll see. It is true, I never noticed how often I have to bend or lift until now when I can't do it! Thanks for all the support!





Oh no! i feel awful just reading your post.

I had this situation about 1.5 years ago. Terrible back pain and the only thing that helped was taking the Liquid Extra Strength Advil. They took the pain away so I could work and do the daycare....otherwise I never would have managed.

Unfortunately my back pain lasted a few months off and on....then went away and I noticed numb toes, then numb calfs and soon I was losing my balance and stumbling and unable to run.

After several doctor appts, Physio etc...and then eventually ER visits, Xrays and MRIs....it turned out I had a severe pinched nerve in my back that was slowly paralyzing me. I came thisclose to being incontinent and being unable to walk ever again.

I had to go for emergency surgery on my back and shut down the daycare for 3 months.

So...I feel bad reading these posts about all the back pain. It brings back a lot of memories. Please take care of yourself first before it gets worse.

I agree that the chiropractor is a great place to start. Some will do free assessments for you. I used to be scared of them too but when I went for my assessment they knew something was seriously wrong before my family doctor did and said that they could not treat me because something seemed to be seriously wrong with my back.

I also recommend a good mattress and pillow that are supportive and then make sure you bend knees and avoid lifting as much as you can. It is amazing how much bending, lifting this job takes and the kids can be quite heavy.

Good luck. I hope you get some relief soon

[DisneyPrincess]

The Chiro was magic for me, plus she told me to put cold for 10 minutes now and then when the pain is very strong.. like needles. When the pain feels more like soreness, you can put heat. But when you see the Chiro, they'll tell you whats best.

I did also deep tissue massages but that was a mistake as it made the pain worst. Better to do just swedish massage to relax the muscles.

Hope you feel better, I know that pain, been there in november for 3 months even...

[Spixie33]

Oh Spixie, how awful! And lucky that they caught it in time!!! You are scaring me...but I am pretty sure the physio's assessment is correct as it makes total sense in terms of what I am feeling. If it does not start to work though in the next couple of weeks, I will consider a chiropractor. My doctor did not refer me to one...so in order to get it covered by insurance, I would need to go back to my doctor and request it...and he was not keen on it! We'll see. It is true, I never noticed how often I have to bend or lift until now when I can't do it! Thanks for all the support!

It was awful.

The interesting thing is that I went to my family doctor twice and she had no idea that it could be something like that.

Doctors will typically send you to get pain meds and physio because they consider the chiropractor 'new age' or alternative a lot of times. My doctor was happy to write prescriptions...send me for blood tests and xrays and physio but rolled her eyes at the thought of a chiropractor.

meanwhile when I decided to listen to my own gut and see the chiropractor- she knew there was something more serious going on before my doctor even did. She told me I should see a specialist.

I was always scared of chiros because you hear a lot of horror stories but the whole thing changed my mind.

Just take care of your back - even if the pain goes away. You don't want to be going in for ruptured disk areas or hernias or anything. The pain is definitely a warning so listen to your body.

Between all the bending, carrying, putting kids in strollers, out of strollers, changing diapers, lifting them into booster seats/high chairs, pulling wagons or pushing heavy strollers....our backs go through a LOT !!

My surgeon said my back injury was something they would normally see from someone who had a very physically demanding job in the trades -- not playing with kids all day :S

Glad you are feeling a bit of relief :D

[sunnydays]

The physiotherapist told me the same thing...heat for soreness and ice for sharp pains. It is definitely getting better today, so I am going to keep on with the exercises and going to physio for now as it is working. I actually found the deep tissue massage to help a lot, so I am going for another on Saturday. I am finding that other areas of my back are now hurting because they ahve been compensating for the injured part...so I need a good overall back de-knotting!



The Chiro was magic for me, plus she told me to put cold for 10 minutes now and then when the pain is very strong.. like needles. When the pain feels more like soreness, you can put heat. But when you see the Chiro, they'll tell you whats best.

I did also deep tissue massages but that was a mistake as it made the pain worst. Better to do just swedish massage to relax the muscles.

Hope you feel better, I know that pain, been there in november for 3 months even...

[Fearlessbaby]

Try to do some yoga- it can do wonders, but take it slow and listen to your body,,, I hope you're back recovers fully,,, good luck!