improvement of Back Pain, inflammation on CPAP

[Hoover]

Hello,

First - thank you for all the great information and support here. I have been on the hose sine 7/17/07 and am finally feeling almost human.

For the past year and a half I have had back pain during the night that only allowed me to sleep lying down for about 4 hours. I'd wake up in pain then sit up for a while, luckily I can sleep sitting up. Then when that was painful I'd walk around and sometimes catch another hour lying down. This, in addition to my undiagnosed OSA made me a very cranky zombie.

So, now, I'm feeling much more energetic and last night slept 7 whole hours before i woke up in pain. This has gotten progressively better since I started CPAP and I have hope that in a few more weeks I may be able to sleep almost normally.

It makes sense with cortisol/pain relationship and OSA causing inflammation and the role of sleep in dealing with chronic pain. My MD also thought that water retention could also have been affecting my pain. Btw my hs-crp (an inflammation marker correlated with heart disease) has been way high for about 5 years and Drs. just kept telling me to exercise more. I haven't had a test recently but I'll bet anything that it has come way down. I'm also taking fish oil, anti-inflammatory herbs, and adrenal support.

Just wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience.

Sweet dreams.

[Snoredog]

pain can impact your sleep acting through the hypothalamus:


I seen a new therapy for lower back pain they are currently testing out, it looks like a metal bolt they stick in between the vertebra that acts as a wedge to remove nerve pain and offers near instant relief once inserted. Works sorta like a wedge inserted in a coil spring on a Nascar race car.

It is supposed to address lower lumbar pain especially if you experience sciatica, right now I hang upside down in an inversion table for that, seems to be about the only thing that helps.

[Hoover]

Wow, great graphic.

With your wealth of knowledge I'm sure you have already tried this...but just in case. Do you know about stretching the piriformis muscle deep in the gluts to relieve some sciatica?

I also get relief floating on my back in a swimming pool or big hot tub.

[Jirel]

I went off the cpap for a night because my nose was so sore. The next day I noticed that I was having breakthru pain again in my knees. Then it hit me, I had had no "breakthru" pain since about 3 days after starting the cpap! I have arthritis and lupus and take pain pills every morning and night and still occasionally have pain. The lack of joint pain was taking place during a time period full of thunderstorms, which generally cause me a fair amount of pain. My back pain isn't a lot better yet but then I'm almost in a wheelchair because of that and I need more than a few nights of good sleep for that to get better, but I'm quite happy with the relief of joint pain.

[NomoreCrashcart]

Wow, great graphic.

With your wealth of knowledge I'm sure you have already tried this...but just in case. Do you know about stretching the piriformis muscle deep in the gluts to relieve some sciatica?

If this is what's achieved by swinging left leg over right (and vice-versa) while lying on your back and working on <whatever that muscle is at the butt-cheek dimple--please forgive my clinical language>, then that exercise is the reason I no longer have to take opioids for lower back pain. The relief was almost instantaneous when I started doing the exercise correctly.

[amandalee]

Interesting. Awhile back I had some bloodwork done, and the doctor was very surprised that my C-Reactive protien (probably that same inflammation marker you mentioned, Hoover) came back quite high.

Hmmm....

Once I get adjusted to CPAP therapy, I bet the number would come back alot lower if I were to take the test again.

[Snoredog]

Wow, great graphic.

With your wealth of knowledge I'm sure you have already tried this...but just in case. Do you know about stretching the piriformis muscle deep in the gluts to relieve some sciatica?

I also get relief floating on my back in a swimming pool or big hot tub.

I have a LifeGear inversion table, I set it to lean back about 20-25 degrees and get on it about 5-10 minutes every morning when my back flares up for 3-4 days in a row and that is all it takes to relieve my Sciatica, before I had 3 epidurals, physical therapy and they wanted to fuse it, I said no thanks, got the inversion table at Costco for $189, and haven't had any more problems. When it used to flare up on me, I couldn't even walk, the pain was constant.

http://www.massageking.com/images/1123/ ... 0Table.jpg

Or you can go to a spine doctor and get on their DRX-9000 and pay them $4,000-$5,000 for treatments which do the exact same thing as that inversion table only they stretch you horizontally. You only need to get your legs elevated about 8-10" over level for it to be effective.

I keep it set up in one of my spare bedrooms in case I need it. All it does is apply plain old fashioned traction.

Get rid of the inflammation associated with Hypoxia from untreated OSA and you'll have fewer back flare ups. I also take a 325mg Ecotrin every day as a replacement for Plavix in prevention of another stroke. While it doesn't help my GERD and ulcers any, it does help with the inflammation in my back.

I lowered the dose to 81mg for 10 days once, felt like I was like 70, every bone and muscle in my body hurt when I got up, guess I developed arthritis from my first stroke and never knew it until I lowered the aspirin dose.

My Sciatica pain comes down L5-S1 as shown all the way to my little toe, I know it interrupts my sleep many times, that is when I get back on the inversion table for a few days, I get instant relief once I climb off it.


That new device they are trying for your back is called an implant.

[socknitster]

I too have suffered from a lot of pain in joints and lower back and some sciatica from time to time. I was told I was predisposed to fibromyalgia, but didn't have it yet. Since cpap, that has really changed. I'm feeling much less painful. I can weed a garden bed and not pay for it for days or weeks. Heck I can weed my whole property over a weeks time and not pay for it much at all. It is nice to feel my age again (35) instead of 30 years or more older!

I have done extensive physical therapy and would recommend working not only the piriformus but all core muscles--all the ab muscles (there are many types), butt and thigh muscles. There are lots of good physical therapists out there that could help you set up a good exercise routine that should only take minutes a day. Also there are some good videos that work these muscle groups for people with back pain based on the same principles.

My fave is called, "Back in Shape: Relax, Strengthen, condition your way to a healthy back." with Mimi Solaire, Yoga Instructor. It is very gentle, fairly easy and not too long. It is available on amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Back-Shape-Mimi-S ... 356&sr=8-1

Jen

[echo]

I also used to have lots of joint and nerve? pain (shoulder blades, sciatia..) - and for me , cutting down on / eliminating sugar has worked miracles, in addition to treating candida (and bowel imbalance) and supporting the liver (all also related to fibromyalgia). I might add that most doctors do NOT recognize candidiasis as a 'real' medical problem unless the patient also has AIDS... but it IS a real wisespread problem.