Despite my initial positive reaction to working standing up, since I made that post my back has gone steadily downhill again, starting with a dodgy weekend that I hoped was a blip, but grumbled on for pretty much all last week, before taking a rapid decline this week. This morning I’ve been in the kind of pain I haven’t had since late last year. So, coupled with the ogre3d.org hack, colour me extraordinarily pissed off this week.
One aspect is that I hadn’t been out walking this week until this morning, since it’s been icy and since my back was already bad, I didn’t feel it was worth risking a slip. I’ve been out this morning but it hasn’t helped – it was even too painful to do my stretching exercises afterwards. But I know it’s not just that, because it was dodgy last week too and I was going out every day. Still, the steep decline this week clearly indicates I can’t get back to normal work yet, even when an emergency prompts me to try.
So, I dunno. I’m trying to track it, trying to observe cause and effect, but it still seems elusive. I’m just going to have to keep trying (what other option is there?). If there’s one thing I hate, it’s illogical things, and this is like hooking yourself up to a 20,000 volt cable with a random number generator controlling the on switch. 
February 4th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Damn, I really sorry that things aren’t improving. I thought that you’d come up with a workable answer with your standing solution, but I guess that was a little premature. I still thing that a variety of postures and activities will probably help, namely standing, walking, sitting and slouching (but nothing for too long), but what the hell do I know.
I hope that things improve for you again soon.
Dare I ask if any consultants have suggested any surgery that could alleviate the problem?
In any event, I “googled” alternative back cures and came up with the following…
Acupuncture
Tai Chi
Bonging: bongers are traditional massage tools that give an invigorating, Shiatsu-like massage that you can do to yourself if self-flagellation is your thing
Putting a golf ball between your bum cheeks
Putting aside the oddities, would you consider trying acupuncture? I’ve heard nothing but good things about it from a variety of sources and really, there is no harm in trying (unless you are super squeamish of needles)?
If the worst comes to the worst, maybe “hooking yourself up to a 20,000 volt cable with a random number generator controlling the on switch” might cure your back problems?
February 4th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
The spine is so damn complicated that surgery is the very, very last option. From what I’ve read, you do NOT want to go down that route prematurely, because they can do more damage than good. Hell, they can’t even tell exactly what’s wrong most of the time in my experience, so I wouldn’t want anyone making surgery decisions based on the vagueness of the diagnosis I’ve had from the 5 doctors / osteos / psysios that have looked at it so far. Seems only a full MRI scan can detect that, and that’s so expensive that they reserve it for worse things.
Acupuncture – been there, done that, several years ago when I had my first back problem. Feels weird, worked fine as an alternative to painkillers (just way more expensive), did bugger all for the underlying problem which is musculo-skeletal. Really just a short-term fix.
I don’t have a lot of time for various massage techniques – they can help relieve the muscle tension, which helps in the very worst bouts, but they don’t stop it going off again. And depending on the vigour of the masseur it can actually make it worse.
Tai chi – used to do it (we used it as a cool-down after kung fu training – how long ago it seems that I was that flexible), it might help to take it up again since it probably fits in with the way I need to exercise. Difficult to join a class when you don’t know if you’re going to make a wrong move and collapse though. Maybe I’ll try taking it up at home again, I’m sure I remember a lot of it and can always get a book. Thanks for reminding me.
February 4th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
So that’s a “no” to the gold ball / bum cheeks suggestion then?!?
February 4th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Sorry should be “golf ball”, then again maybe gold golf balls may do the trick… I think I should shut up now…
February 4th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
I don’t even think that one deserves an answer
February 4th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
I don’t think Acupuncture even works. I’m sure it was classified as flim flam by James Randi along with other placebos such as homeopathy.
I hope you get better, but not at the expense of wasting your time and money on new age nonsense.
February 4th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
I did switch to stand up desk after your first week.
First week I’ve been trough incredible front foot-part pain, that indeed makes you wonder about unused body part “decrepitude”…
But now that it’s gone, everything is near perfect. I won’t switch back, and am even considering seriously the ‘treadmill stand up desk’ setup linked before.
I’m inclined to think that should give the best results possible, as I’m often under-exercising myself due to deadlines… and I certainly feel soon enough wrong effects of that too often.
February 4th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Could the colder weather have anything to do with it? I know I get a bit stiffer where I had a whiplash injury years ago during season changes etc.
February 4th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Not sure if you have previously mentioned or considered it, but it could be a diet issue. I believe what you eat (or rather don’t eat) has a lot to do with health. Maybe not enough Vitamins (C, D, some B12, etc) from fruits and veggies (supplements have not been proven that effective from what I hear)?
February 4th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Why not simply do the MRI scan ?
I had a sever back pain couple of years ago and the first thing they did at ER was to perform CT scan and when that wasn’t enough and my pain wasn’t getting any better, I had an MRI scan scheduled the next day – in my case they found nothing but according to them it was still usefull because it allowed them to rule out a lot of things.
I understand, they wouldn’t want to do MRI on someone who just showed up with a “sore back” but whatever you have, has been going on for months now and you are clearly suffering – at the very least they need to rule out the most obvious problems ( especially progressive things.)
February 4th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
@Paul: might have something to do with it yeah. The mornings are particularly bad, I tend to loosen up during the day.
@pjcast: my diet is actually pretty good. we almost always cook from scratch (no ready meals) so use lots of fresh ingredients, all our veg is fresh (ok, occasionally frozen peas), fruit every day etc. No fast food, not very much processed food, wholemeal foods like rice & pasta, fresh fish when we can get it etc. So I’m fairly sure it’s not that.
@warmi: the trouble is there’s only 1 MRI scanner over here, and it’s very new. You only get referred if you go via a specialist, which is normally only done in required circs because specialists are free over here (state insurance), wheras other medical bills like regular doctors & physios are not. Therefore, your chances of getting referred are low unless your doctor thinks it’s bad enough. If it carries on, I may have to push it.
February 4th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Hmm, maybe your diet is too good
j/k
February 4th, 2009 at 11:44 pm
Am I the only person thinking degenerative disc disease?
I hate to say it, but have you considered having the troublesome vertebrae fused? You’ll obviously lose a bit of flexibility, but when your discs are degenerated to the point of throwing your back on a regular basis, it seems to be the only long term solution I’ve ever heard about.
And good lord man, go get your referral already! Any condition that lasts longer than a week is supposed to be checked by a doctor, and anything they can’t figure out within a month obviously needs a specialist. Get mad and get your MRI.
http://www.spine-health.com/wellness/yoga-pilates-tai-chi/lumbar-degenerative-disc-disease
Hope you feel better soon.
February 5th, 2009 at 10:30 am
Hell, I’m still a *long* way from considering spinal fusion. From what I read, often that just transfers the problem to the sections above and below and is obviously completely irreversible. Definitely a very, VERY last resort. I have no faith at all in this kind of operation.
It’s frustrating that most sites (and most books, and most doctors & physios) focus on lumbar problems, which is precisely what I *don’t* have. My lumbar is fine (I did injure that about 5 years ago, but that’s since cleared up). My problem is in the thoracic, basically at my bottom rib on the right hand side. Allegedly it’s quite hard to suffer from ‘typical’ back problems here (like disc degeneration and other things that affect the lumbar), but somehow I’ve found a way to injure it. That site you linked has a section on it, which is useful!
http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/upper-back-pain/all-about-upper-back-pain
Note how they say it mostly affects computer users
Hence, surgery is even more unlikely to be useful in my case. I think I have a joint dysfunction where my rib connects to my thoracic, which supposedly is most amenable to physical therapy. It certainly adheres to the descriptions of that: really bad in the morning, gets better during the day, sore in the evening. My last physio said he thought it was that. What’s annoying is that I still seem to be able to aggravate it fairly easily in a short time. I’m fairly sure I haven’t fractured anything, since I had an X-Ray in October when I got taken to the hospital and that didn’t show anything up, which suggests it’s soft tissue damage. I guess I just need to take it easier and stay away from the desk more even with my stand-up configuration.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Have you tried a kneeling chair? I’ve heard they are good for reducing spine pain. Probably the better models for sitting for hours are the ones that include a backrest.
February 6th, 2009 at 8:28 am
After reading all I will say keep surgery the last option ( so messy ), DONOT remain in one position for long, that generally creates back problem in its own devilish ways. Do variety of work, as lying down is not a solution(again more of one thing). Take sufficient rest. Note that one day of standing did so much but lots of sitting was not that worse. Still sitting long time is dangerous. I will say your best bet is long long long, physical therapy done very carefully and slowly, especially in starting. Never get in Bruce-lee exercises the first day, it requires lot of regualr practice. Do whatever but slowly. That way it will be less random and dangerous. Reamain tension free and follow physical therapy as needed. There seems nothing else to do now. Radical therapy shortcut maybecome a long cut.
From my personal experience If I sit more than 6 hrs continously I get piercing back pain, awkward poses of 2 hrs is enough. Though I can do sitting of 8-10 hrs if done in intervals of 2 hrs with gaps filled with cycling, walking, exercise, playing with kitten, etc. etc, various activities done at relevant times. Anything continously for long time seems the killer.
February 6th, 2009 at 8:35 am
Though I agree writing a novel is far less strenous, as actual work time is spent thinking which can be done while doing some other things also, as compared to programming which is done subconsciously in rigid sitting pose generally.
When I do programming, I slouch and it brings backpain. Though of course slouch is meaning less in ur vocablury. You sit too straight already.
February 6th, 2009 at 10:02 am
@elvencode: I’ve seen them, but I fancied the HAG Capisco better because it seemed more versatile. Hopefully it will arrive soon…
@kinjalkishor: yes, variety is still clearly the key. A walk in the morning really helps when it’s bad, and stress and a long time doing anything makes it worse – even relaxing stuff like gaming. This week’s server problems have left me very tense (both because of the server itself, and because of the time it’s taken away from my usual work) which hasn’t helped.
February 6th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
For tension and worry spend time solving the problem (being busy) instead of thinking and being unhappy or pondering repeatedly which we tend to do. Being busy helps, Thinking too much kills sleep. I learned the lesson long time ago to nopt think repeatedly over anything for long. Breaks are must. Being busy helps very much, so that effort could be on solution. Think that now nothing can be done what has happened has happened. Try solution now. Just dont think about occurence of problem. Think about ur health for motivation.
And who said gaming relaxes or doesnot takes enrgy, it can even kill sleep, as it actually raises anxiety. Reading something before sleeping seems better. Also note that programming or problem solving makes mind more anxious and active, which again kills sleep. Though gming seems to take attention of senses which help to relieve from stress.
Hope you recover more and remain in good health.
Plz dont take the unhappy matters too much seriously inside the brain. It will suck your life energy.
February 6th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Also cold weather may not be the problem but it can certainly aggravate the problem.
February 6th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
I don’t want to sound grim here but I think ultimately it is all in our genes … some people are simply more lucky than others, can smoke for decades without any ill effects , others have problem doing things which seem normal and natural to many …
Sometimes things can be easily identified and fixed but quite often there is no silver bullet … one simply has to know his/her personal limits and work around them – I know I do
February 7th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
“Genetically different, baby!!”
(apologies to those who haven’t played GTAIV)