Take (4) vicodins and (4) soma's! You will be amazed how many colorful fish you will see! Also, lots of fun when you watch the "Three Stooges"!!

I have had back problems off and on till I finally realized after I retired that I had to keep in shape to fish. Not talking about football days shape but I walk on a treadmill and at the lake just about every afternoon with teh wife and also we bought a stairstepper made by AirGometer DP for Life. I do it about four times a week and ride the stationary bike to keep my casting arms in shape...Seems if the legs are muscled then my back problems don't show up...Also the new boat has the recessed trolling motor and it helps....Never tried crunches but that might help they would be similar to the thearpy they gave me the last time it went out. As mentioned above stretch a bunch.

Hydrocodone and Tramadol helps but does'nt get rid of it.I'm scheduled for an epidural injection.I have DDD in L-3,4,5 and S-1.

LOL Easy 202ZX you'll be needing to borrow more duck tape told hold them batteries down on the Skeeter again soon.

I take MOTRIN... it works and has a muscle type relaxer. I double the dose... and my bloating even has gone away.... But it does help better than the other stuff over the counter I have taken...

Hey Mark111, I do not know if you have had those injections before, but I will forewarn you; they SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just added one to my boat and so far, it seem to help. I use a butt seat and alternate between leaning, standing and sitting. Also, I use Aleve sometimes.

They tell me they'll give me vercid. Won't remember nuttin. I've heard that before.

They did not put me out or give me anything and it was pretty bad. Its takes all of about 3 minutes but it was almost unbearable.

exercise regularly, stretch excercises EVERY MORNING, lose weight, butt seat....good shoes.....chiropractor.....these work for me....i still get stiffness....jes part of gettin old.....LOL
doug

Stretch the hamstrings two to three times per down while resting leg on the side of the bed or couch. Do a ten second hold and breathe.

100 crunches will strengthen back and stomach muscles.

Eat a low carb, high protein diet to lose weight.

There are some really good stretching and strengthening programs on the Sacroiliac Resources website. A physical therapist by the name of Don Tigney, I believe.

I also use an inversion table regularly to stretch everything out. When I have problems, I use it twice a day for no more than 10 minutes with a 45 degree angle or more. Check with physician first in case you have other healthy problems that might be adversely affected by this.

These are just things that have really helped me get over some of my previous back pain problems.

jignpig has some great ideas. Just don't pass out from the rush of blood to your head.

Did it help though? I have a bulging disc at L3 and L4 and they suggested that as my next option before any surgery. Is an epidural the same as steroid injections?? I stretch every morning for about 15 minutes and I have to be very careful with how I bend over or lift things. I see a chiropractor once every 2 weeks to keep aligned. Lower back pain sucks because it affects everything you do...walking, driving, sitting, even moving your legs hurts.

Epidural injections (I got both steroids and diagnostic blocks(painkillers) did nothing for me except take $$ out of my wallet, and inflict pain. I got the vercid prior too...about 4 shots of it...didn't work

Evo, thanks for telling me the injection I'm getting in a few weeks won't work,lol. I have been taking Tramadol/Hydro for 10 years and I have become immune to it. Your right about the good shoes. I am on my feet at work all the time and the wolverine boots help the best. They just are not the handiest in the boat.

you can also get your partner to come run the trolling motor for about 10 minutes, and lay flat on the back deck- make sure and throw out a c-rig and drag it along while you are laying there

HERE'S MY TAKE, FINALLY AFTER FIVE YEARS OF INJECTIONS, PAIN MEDS, PT, I WILL GO UNDER THE KNIFE IN LATE JUNE, WITH A TOTAL DISC REPLACEMENT AND THEN TWO FUSIONS. 85% THAT IT WILL WORK AND I WILL ONLY BE OUT 2 WEEKS. DOC SAID THE SURGERY WILL WORK BUT WILL NOT PROMISE ME MY FISHING WILL IMPROVE. I AM GETTING A RECESSED FOOT PEDAL ALSO. ALL THE IDEAS SUCH AS THE STRETCHING, BEFORE AND AFTER FISHING, EVEN DURING HELPS, PAIN MEDS HELP BUT DO NOT RID THE PAIN, TEMPORARY SOLUTION.

Shoes can make all the difference. I had a situation where twice I almost couldn't get out of bed the next morning after fishing. Figured out it was simply a new pair of Reeboks I had just bought with squishy heels. I've switched to flat bottomed "skateboarder" shoes like Vans or Airwalk and never had a problem since. 10+ years.

I keep seeing recessed foot pedal come up.....How do you "GET" a recessed foot pedal? Doesn't the boat come built from the factory with the recessed section of deck for the foot pedal to sit into? Well, most of em' anyway.

i didnt notice this until you said it.. but- when I wear my good sneakers my back hurts. in the summer, I wear my crocks- and it doenst hurt. or if I stand barefooted it wont hurt.. hmmm !

They work for some folks. Word of advice...if you're immune to hydrocodone and tramadol, let them know that...your tolerance will negate the effects the vercid (or whatever it's called) that they give you before the actual epidurals (like it did me).

Their next step was to put the epidural needles in and shoot electricity down them to "burn" the nerves.... no thanks!

I'm shooting for a multi-level disc replacement the next time anyone goes to messing w/my spine.

Good luck...and if you don't have one already...get a Champion...that helps

The epidural steroids did help some, but its more of a quick fix. I have two friends that have had the discs fused and now the one above and below are bulging now. Just some other info.

I have 5 discs bad lower back I have had 7 injection 2nd MRI Tuesday go see about surgery 3- 25 -08. The best thing for me is mobic 7.5mg it help me get by.GOOD LUCK TO ALL WITH BACK PAIN IT'S NOT FUN!!!