# Advice for travelling with back issues?



## Zak (Aug 19, 2016)

So I've got a jacked-up back.
Disc degeneration, narrowing of the thingy due to osteoporosis,
etc. etc.

I've come to the conclusion that leather-tramping
or train hopping is probably not the way to go.

Most likely rubber-tramping it, car living.

My basic problem would then be...work.
I.E. I'm good for manual labor until i'm not and being not good
would be due to the back going out at an inopportune time.

thinking about sticking around CALI to use the medi-cal 
for some surgery

or just hoping Ibuprofen takes care of it later.

I dunno.

anybody with similar issues?


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## MolotovMocktail (Aug 19, 2016)

I get back pain when carrying a heavy backpack. Before I hit the road last time my friend gave me a jar of topical cannabis cream. It's basically weed cooked into coconut oil. It sounds bogus but I've found it actually helps with the pain when I rub it on my back. Might be worth going to a recreational state to buy some and see if it helps. The shops there will have it for sale as well as a number of other marijuana-based products that could help with the pain without getting you stoned.


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## Zak (Aug 19, 2016)

Interesting. Thank you.


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## Art101 (Aug 19, 2016)

I have a wonderful back myself.I tend to carry a minimal amount of gear....clean socks a change of pants and shirt,along with a sleep I g bag and some food,also a large bottle of mydol.Dont laugh it for me through 2 ski seasons as a lift operator and 600 ML trip each way by freight.


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## Tude (Aug 19, 2016)

ugh - my back has fucked with me for the last year - fucked me so that I have walked minimally, biked nothing. Messing with a muscle that goes from hip to hip. For a while there I would nearly freeze in zipped up pain if I bent the wrong way etc screaming in frozen position.

Tried physical therapy - to me that was a joke. All she gave me was stuff that I had researched online - wtf - yoga poses for $20 a week? wtf - and I didn't like her. Trying swimming now at the Y this next weekend - they have water aerobics and such (yep - I'm sure there's a joke out there some where hehe).

And the city bus is killing me - good gawd - please miss bus driver do you have to JAM those brakes on so the bus stops and shimmiese forward and backward (oh the back likes that) every single fucking time?. 

Anyway - I've changed out my daily backpacks trying to alleviate the stress on back but mine is triggered by bending down so it's middle core muscles - and they need to be revamped. yay. Oh yeah physical therapist didn't want me to bend down or twist - and to do her yoga exercises every two hours and can I book a conference room to do it. da fuk Don't bend down. Lady I have 3 cats who use two litter boxes. done with her hehe


And wtf is this clicking noise when I do bend over from the middle of my back. This is new.

Hope ya find a solution - I'm trying here now.


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## Hyena5 (Mar 26, 2018)

i've had chronic pain for 4 or 5 years now all up and down my spine that radiates thru to my arms and legs. i've nursed acute injuries in my back, neck, and spine. i've been doing manual labor for a little over a year now as well.

not to sound like too much of a fuckin normie or anything but as far as free remedies go i've found stretching and posture exercises to be the most helpful in managing my pain. if you can find single occupancy bathrooms in a store i've used these just to get some privacy if i'm spending the day in a walmart parking lot, though of course try to stay off the floor lol. otherwise just hit up a local park in yoga pants w a water bottle and as long as youre not too crusty people wont even spare a second glance. take deep breaths and hold ur stretches for 15 seconds minimum if u can.

ur right physical therapy is kinda scammy. in my experience there's nothing u will hear from a physical therapist that you can't also find free online with some determined googling.

99c stores near me tend to have little lumbar-support inserts made of mesh and wire to put in your chairs. they break easily but i use them on long drives and to help sleep since i sleep in a swung-back passenger seat and not on a mattress. also you can roll your clothes/pillows up inside them for extra padding/support 

you mentioned manual labor, so if you're doing that then it's imperative to use good lifting posture! it sounds dumb and it sounds like it comes from the Employee Safety Handbook (because it does lol) but having your spine in the right position will allow it to reinforce itself and make full use of its muscles. stick your ass out, lumbar forward, shoulders back, and lift with your legs. always use a back brace. any law-abiding warehouse will/should have one for you

apologies if i'm covering basic shit or shit that's inapplicable to ur situation! didn't know where to start so started here w what i know! YMMV, hope this helped tho


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## siid (Mar 30, 2018)

MolotovMocktail said:


> Before I hit the road last time my friend gave me a jar of topical cannabis cream. It's basically weed cooked into coconut oil. It sounds bogus but I've found it actually helps with the pain when I rub it on my back. Might be worth going to a recreational state to buy some and see if it helps. The shops there will have it for sale as well as a number of other marijuana-based products that could help with the pain without getting you stoned.



Woaaah. Wish i read this when i was on the west coast. Thanks for bringin this up, i wouldnt have thought of it. 

I have scoliosis, my back always hurts 


I wouldnt say these are ways i _deal _ with it, more like ways i suffer through it lol: 

having a back pack that fits, an ill fitting pack will pinch your back in places you dont normally have back pain 

hyperextension exercises, core exercises, to strengthen back muscles and improve posture

being mindful of my posture, however its hard to keep up 

pack impossibly light. Just dont even pack anything. 

jk. 

hang from bars to create length in my spine. 

I dont know. its not really “dealing with the pain”, just stuff I do. Still always struggling with posture and backpain. 

However, if anyone has any specific back problems related to muscles/ nerve pinching/ poor posture/ muscle weakness/ scoliosis/ muscle imbalance / pelvic tilt / I know TONS of good strengthening exercises, stretches, techniques that most physical therapists use, feel free to message me, Ill be happy to share them with you if i can help somehow. ::nurse::


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