   Back pain
  My poor girlfriend has had chronic back pain for the past few years and the doctors tell her it's probably not going to get any better.I ask you guys just about everything else, so I figured I might see if anyone here has any suggestions about how she can avoid and alleviate the daily pain she lives with. Little stuff, like "sleep with a pillow under your back" or whatever we can try to see if it helps.It's usually in the very lowest part of her back, on her right side. Her doctors tell her it was probably something that would set in later in life, but due to her being so active and because of some falls when she did gymnastics when she was younger, it set in a lot earlier. She's also very small, 5'1 and only maybe 115 pounds, so it's not due to the strain of body weight or anything.She exercises 3-4 times per week (mostly pilates and yoga), which she says helps her feel better. Some of the things she tries is taking a shower, using heating pads, and aleve when it gets really bad. She's very healthy, in shape, and has a pretty good diet. Usually I'll give her a massage at night which helps, but lately it's been getting so bad that I don't even think that does much.So anyone have any suggestions to help the poor girl out? I would very much appreciate it.   
  All i can say is dont let it get the better of you. She must use her back, although painful. Both my mum and her mum suffer from bad backs and my gran gave up on it a long time ago and barely bends over.I would say that if it is set in for life, the only chance she has is to keep using it.Dave   ;  Thanks Dave. I'll make sure she doesn't fall into that trap. She tends to not, though, she's quite active as I said. And also, it seems as though the worst things for her is to stay still. She's in the most pain after she's sat in the car or something.Great suggestion, though. Something I hadn't thought of.   ;  Install Linux?   ;  Get a different bed. That sweedish space foam stuff is supposed to be great for this.   ;  1. MRI- now relatively inexpensive (if no insurance or not covered by policy).2. Determine if the pain is due to nerve damage, inflammation, or both (components: disks, bones, nerves, blood vessels, surrounding tissue).3. If nerve related, see an MD specialist: Neurologist- seek out the best in town. Neruologists can administer epidurals directly to problem areas (not long term solution; may last 6 months).4. If inflammation, see an MD specializing in the spine (Orthopaedic Surgeon, etc. (surgery: absolute last resort (not good stats on outcomes)).5. Pain management (opiates, etc., not recommended unless nothing else works): MD specialist- Physiatrist.6. Consult with MD: see if large doses of Ibuprofen provide relief (short term).7. See a good Chiropractor: can help immensely with pain reduction and long term improvement in health.8. Take all the supplements: Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Anti-inflammatory fatty acids, Turmeric, CMO (Cetylmyristoleate), many more. Try Mangosteen fruit juice (it works).9. Change diet to reduce inflammatory food intake (no milk products, no beef products, no refined sugars, etc. Read the book: The Zone, by Barry Sears). Read Deepok Chopra's, Perfect Health. This will help with all possible illnesses.10. Don't give up: do lots of research- know as much or more than your doctor(s) about the problem and potential solutions.Lots of info on google. Example:Spine Health;  I second trying some different solutions and consulting some specialists. Chronic back pain can be caused by loads of different things, even strange things like food allergy which might have no other symptoms.   ;  My chiropracter is a miracle worker.  People say you have to keep going in forever, but that has not been my experience at all.  2-3 visits per problem usually does it.  I probably average 2 appointments per year, at like $40 a session.  An even if you do have to keep going in, pills are usually the same.  I rare see a non antibiotic cure, usually just "here, take this pill forever".But if the chiropracter cannot fix it forever, maybe try a different one or do more medical research.  There are doctors out there looking for new ways to approach problems all the time.   ;  go to a doctor, get a blood test done and ask them to check for the HLA-B gene. If the gene is present there's a good chance it's  Bekhterev's disease - a chronic disease which causes pain in the lower back.It's not curable, but there's medication that can help alleviate the pain.   ;Quote:Original post by WitchcravenCHIROPRACTOREDIT: Doctors prescribe drugs to make you forget the pain is there (in the hopes of it recovering itself in a day or two), chiropractors fix the cause of the pain.   