Aleve or Advil (or Tylenol)

[nscrbug]

I have chronic back pain...not really SI-related, though. I have spondylolisthesis (slipped vertebra) at my L5/S1. I wake up every morning with back pain. For the most part, stretching and using my inversion table first thing out of bed, gets me to the point where I can at least stand up straight and be mobile. Then by the time I get to the gym, my back has loosened up enough where I'm good to go...until I sit down again for a long period of time (like at my desk at work). I have found OTC NSAIDS to not be very helpful for my particular situation...and Lord knows, I've tried 'em all at some point. I will occasionally pop an Aleve or Advil after a particularly long and grueling ride, but I have to be honest and say that I don't notice much (if any) pain relief from it. What did work for me, was taking Celebrex (which is a prescription NSAID marketed for arthritis). It was prescribed to me by my foot doctor last year when she thought I might have arthritis in my some of my toes. She wrote the script for a 1-month suppy and told me to give it a try and see if my toe pain improved. I took 1 Celebrex pill per day...it didn't do much for my toe pain, but my lower back felt wonderful...so that was an unexpected bonus. Of course, since I was only taking it on a "trial" basis, she didn't specify refills, so once I finished the bottle....no more Celebrex. I suppose I could always ask my primary doc to write me a script for it, but I manage okay without it...for now.

[jessmarimba]

I'm not sure if I have a 55cm or 65cm ball. The medium sized one. When I lay on my stomach I kinda of roll over it, and if something hurts a LOT I back up bit and relax there until I can keep going.

My back pain is from breaking it, but I don't know if it's muscle or bone or nerve pain or what. I know the upper back muscles tense up and the ball helps those relax, but I think the lower back pain is from an increased arch in the upper back caused by the angle the break healed at. It sort of relieves the pressure on those vertebra when I can lay over the ball. Similar to an inversion table, without the head rush (I can't afford one of those, anyway).

I have found that pilates helps me a lot, but I am working individually and in small classes with a specific teacher who knows how to deal with injuries. I have one "spot" that I can't seem to fix and on days it's acting up she helps me to modify things to benefit without aggravating it.

The other thing that has helped me is that I pretty much don't wear shoes with any heel. Not running shoes, not dress shoes, not sandals, not boots - pretty much nothing. Even normal-soled running shoes can aggravate the pressure in your back if it is already sensitive.

[skywalkerbeth]

Jess, my God, I'm sorry. Breaking your back!! You are a trouper.

ncr, is Celebrex safe? For some reason I thought I heard there were issues with it.

This morning (post re-fitting last night) I went out. 18 miles, no meds whatsoever before I left.

I don't feel too bad actually. There is some soreness, but better than it was and now I am icing per doctor's orders.

Maybe the fitting made a difference...

[nscrbug]

Jess, my God, I'm sorry. Breaking your back!! You are a trouper.

ncr, is Celebrex safe? For some reason I thought I heard there were issues with it.

This morning (post re-fitting last night) I went out. 18 miles, no meds whatsoever before I left.

I don't feel too bad actually. There is some soreness, but better than it was and now I am icing per doctor's orders.

Maybe the fitting made a difference...

There are issues with ALL NSAIDS...and Celebrex is no different. They all have warnings placed on the packaging. From my research though, it is supposed to be a tad bit gentler on the stomach. I'd say the best thing would be to ask your doctor about it.

[Dogmama]

There were problems with Vioxx (sigh, I loved Vioxx...) but Celebrex seems OK for now. However, if you're allergic to sulfa drugs (like me) they don't want you taking Celebrex.

But, there are no "safe" NSAIDs. Short term is probably OK but long term can cause problems.