Mediterranean back refers to southern European immigrants who regularly claimed back problems and went on to injured workers benefits and compensation. I wish it was that easy.
With some smugness, not so long ago, I mentioned about my siblings and their sporting injuries that are nagging them in the older lives. Me, not being at all sporting, does not suffer from such injuries.
And then something happened. I arose from bed and felt a pain shoot down my right leg. Five weeks later, it is getting worse. I have been to my doctor who gave me anti inflammatory medication and recommended physiotherapy. I attended physio and was recommended some exercises, which I have been doing, and given some manipulation. No more than ten minutes sitting at a time, a bit hard in my life.
A week later for my second physio session, it was pointed out to me that the pain no longer was shooting down to my calf, but only in my thigh. This is a good sign.
I asked Bone Doctor about it and she said, about seven weeks is the correct time to heal with care for yourself.
Seven weeks later, it appears to be getting better but is far from gone. The worst is getting in and out of the car and driving is not too great either. Sometimes it almost seems gone, and then I get a stab of pain from the lower back to my thigh. The physio wants me to make a Work Cover claim as she sure my job is aggravating the problem. She also want me to take two weeks off work. I do have holidays in a couple of weeks anyway, so I shan't bother with the claim even though she wants me to take time off immediately. I am probably being foolish about this and possibly should have stopped work earlier, but I do hate a fuss.
It seems I have one of the pads between discs squashed out. Who knows why it happened. I don't. The physio cheerfully told me it will never be quite right, but manageable.
Worst is, here I am telling you about it and I am sounding awfully like my mother.
My diagnosis? You are getting old.
ReplyDeleteCheers Victor. I feel so much better after your diagnosis.
DeleteSciatica is horrible. Walking is fine and swimming is even better, but getting in and out of bed or a chair is nightmarish. But you can indeed be optimistic about improvement - the most damage creates shooting pain down to the toes. Once the pain retreats to the calves, then knees and thighs, you are heading towards normality again.
ReplyDeleteIf you are overweight, now would be a very good time to lose the excess ks. And do lots of swimming (but not breaststroke).
Walking does help. I should be swimming too, or at least moving in the water, as per recommendation. While my BMI is fine, I could lose some of that dangerous around the stomach fat.
DeleteTake the time off Andrew! Better to make a fuss than to have the damage become worse. Yelp, we're all starting to sound like our mothers. Ha.
ReplyDeleteRubye, do you think you are like your mother?
DeleteSitting proudly on my cork board is a bumper sticker [gift from bro] which says "Oh Shit, I Turned Into my Mother".
ReplyDeleteI sympathise with your back problems, and I agree the compo thing is sometimes a hard call. You are probably on the right track - I think if you were doing something unusual at work or your employer was being careless you would not hesitate to put in a claim.
Mediterranean Back - I'd forgotten about that old slur. Was expecting to read about something completely different, ahem.
FC, re your last sentence, I have been down that back problem road. The subsequent pain was worth it though.
DeleteI can't say work caused it, but a lifetime of my job may well have.
"Never quite right, but manageable".
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the club. I've been living like that since September 1986. And I'm no sporty type either. It's a work injury, but back then, treatment and work cover were non-existent, or at least I didn't know about them. It was "rest when it hurts, take some panadol". It does get easier though, I have many times when I go without pain or even discomfort for weeks or months. I've found that a hot water bottle against the back eases the pain better than ice packs. I don't have Sciatica where the pain shoots down the leg, just back pain from the very severe sprain I had and now there is some disc damage too. If you learn to recognise the twinges that foretell the pain, you can rest in time to stop the attack.
River, I know many people suffer from such ailments. It is just a bit of shock to me that I should, as I have never done anything to cause it. Thanks for some helpful information. I wonder if you could still make some sort of claim?
DeleteOne other thing; is it possible to make a Work Cover claim if it isn't an actual work caused injury? Yes, your work could aggravate the problem, but did it cause it?
ReplyDeleteI truly don't know River.
DeleteYou're getting long in the tooth so you should expect to suffer from aches and pains now and then which also take longer to recover from in our twilight years. I'm hoping not to turn into my parents because i'd be much more grumpy and negative than i am now.
ReplyDeleteTwilight years Windsmoke, splutter splutter. I have noticed a cut or a bruise does take longer to heal now. Perhaps turn into you least worst parent is an option.
DeleteHmmmm! I,m making a wild guess here Andrew.. But I,m 99percent sure that most of your readers including moi, have some sort of joint trauma. I know a few people who have made a career of claiming compensation, neither appealing or attractive!
ReplyDeleteWell Grace, we know about yours as you have moaned on and on about it. Sorry, just kidding. Being essentially an honest person, I really could not go down a road against an employer if I wasn't sure. I will take advice from professionals.
ReplyDeleteYeah. You might be being foolish about it. Unless taking off work would cause major financial hardship? I don't think it would. Right? I'm assuming it would be sick-leave.
ReplyDeleteSo you're probably just being stubborn or stoic. Can't blame you for having that attitude. I think it's hard to be otherwise.
But hopefully it's not too much of a cost to your health.
Dina, it does seem to be getting better, so hopefully nothing too long term
DeleteLook after yourself, it is the only back you'll get in this life time.
ReplyDeleteCannot have a back transplant then Fen?
ReplyDeleteHmmm, maybe not. If you could it would be a little odd
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