E-Judo

Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.
E-Judo

Judo network and forum


+2
Cichorei Kano
genetic judoka
6 posters

    hurt my back and don't have health insurance

    genetic judoka
    genetic judoka


    Posts : 541
    Join date : 2012-12-30
    Age : 37
    Location : Florida

    hurt my back and don't have health insurance Empty hurt my back and don't have health insurance

    Post by genetic judoka Tue Apr 30, 2013 3:58 am

    so I did something unfortunate to my back recently. it's a pain in my lower back, but it's only on my left side.

    it started 2 weeks ago on friday, when I was doing a right side de ashi harai on someone and they stomped their foot down. as soon as my foot made contact I felt a dull ache in my back. so I stepped off the mat for a few minutes at which point it went away. it came back the following wednesday in practice after taking a poorly controlled fall, it lasted again for about 5 minutes, then it went away. same thing on the friday after that. this past wednesday there was no pain, then friday it came back, but wasn't as bad as previous times, but lasted a bit longer. it was still a little bit sore when I went to bed. then saturday morning I woke up with it still kinda sore, but went to BJJ practice anyway. doing forward rolls hurt, but only on one side (when rolling right hand forward). I didn't feel it at all while I was moving but as soon as I took a break it came back. after I got home it was really bad, and hasn't really gone away, though now (2 days later) it's not quite as bad.

    I feel it when I'm sitting and lean to the right, when I lean down while standing, and every time I take a step with my left leg I feel it, and I especially feel it going up the stairs.

    my wife says the lower left side of my back is slightly swollen, and the pain is only on the left side, the right side is fine. I don't feel any pain coming from my spine, it's all on the left.

    what could I have done to myself, and what do I do to get better?

    it goes without saying that I'll be taking at least a week off from practice. I've iced it a few times, and used heat. the hot showers seem to help a bit. usually when my back is hurting I use my foam roller, but that seems to actually make it hurt more for a little while so I'm not doing that anymore.
    Cichorei Kano
    Cichorei Kano


    Posts : 1948
    Join date : 2013-01-16
    Age : 864
    Location : the Holy See

    hurt my back and don't have health insurance Empty Re: hurt my back and don't have health insurance

    Post by Cichorei Kano Tue Apr 30, 2013 5:02 am

    genetic judoka wrote:so I did something unfortunate to my back recently. it's a pain in my lower back, but it's only on my left side.

    it started 2 weeks ago on friday, when I was doing a right side de ashi harai on someone and they stomped their foot down. as soon as my foot made contact I felt a dull ache in my back. so I stepped off the mat for a few minutes at which point it went away. it came back the following wednesday in practice after taking a poorly controlled fall, it lasted again for about 5 minutes, then it went away. same thing on the friday after that. this past wednesday there was no pain, then friday it came back, but wasn't as bad as previous times, but lasted a bit longer. it was still a little bit sore when I went to bed. then saturday morning I woke up with it still kinda sore, but went to BJJ practice anyway. doing forward rolls hurt, but only on one side (when rolling right hand forward). I didn't feel it at all while I was moving but as soon as I took a break it came back. after I got home it was really bad, and hasn't really gone away, though now (2 days later) it's not quite as bad.

    I feel it when I'm sitting and lean to the right, when I lean down while standing, and every time I take a step with my left leg I feel it, and I especially feel it going up the stairs.

    my wife says the lower left side of my back is slightly swollen, and the pain is only on the left side, the right side is fine. I don't feel any pain coming from my spine, it's all on the left.

    what could I have done to myself, and what do I do to get better?

    it goes without saying that I'll be taking at least a week off from practice. I've iced it a few times, and used heat. the hot showers seem to help a bit. usually when my back is hurting I use my foam roller, but that seems to actually make it hurt more for a little while so I'm not doing that anymore.

    From the way you describe the injury it most likely is a mere muscle injury. Applying heat, warm baths, good night sleep in a good bed, and patience, specific exercises in the gym (focusing on the rhomboid and latissimus dorsi muscles) is likely going to be effective. And don't forget massage; put that wife to use when you got one !!
    genetic judoka
    genetic judoka


    Posts : 541
    Join date : 2012-12-30
    Age : 37
    Location : Florida

    hurt my back and don't have health insurance Empty Re: hurt my back and don't have health insurance

    Post by genetic judoka Tue Apr 30, 2013 5:23 am

    well, that sounds a lot better than a herniated disk. is there any way, short of seeing a doctor, to know for sure? the wife has been quite willing to help, but since the roller was causing more pain I didn't know if a massage would do more harm than good so I have not put her to use yet.

    edit: also, thank you for the help. I forgot to mention that.
    Cichorei Kano
    Cichorei Kano


    Posts : 1948
    Join date : 2013-01-16
    Age : 864
    Location : the Holy See

    hurt my back and don't have health insurance Empty Re: hurt my back and don't have health insurance

    Post by Cichorei Kano Tue Apr 30, 2013 7:46 am

    genetic judoka wrote:well, that sounds a lot better than a herniated disk. is there any way, short of seeing a doctor, to know for sure? the wife has been quite willing to help, but since the roller was causing more pain I didn't know if a massage would do more harm than good so I have not put her to use yet.

    edit: also, thank you for the help. I forgot to mention that.

    Herniated disks do not typically produce a type of pain that I would describe as 'dull'. Diagnosing a hernia is something you should not attempt to do yourself, but something to leave up to a physician. You need imaging techniques (X-rays, MRI, CAT-scan) to diagnose it, although an accurate description of the kind or accident and the exact restrictions on mobility can help too. The effects of a hernia depend on its location (what level of vertebrae) and whether the hernia actually presses on the spinal column or not, and how deep the hernia is (only a partial break of the cartilaginous ring or all the way into the soft pulp of the nucleus). In other words, it is very well possible that a person with a hernia has no noticeable effects at all, from one extreme, or might be near paralyzed with a completely blocked back. It all depends.
    BillC
    BillC


    Posts : 806
    Join date : 2012-12-28
    Location : Vista, California

    hurt my back and don't have health insurance Empty Re: hurt my back and don't have health insurance

    Post by BillC Tue Apr 30, 2013 8:04 am

    genetic judoka wrote:
    what could I have done to myself, and what do I do to get better?

    Buy health insurance?

    Sorry, I know it's common for younger adults, especially when we all struggle to just stay employed, but runnin' around financially nekkid is a fool's gamble. Especially for a judoka ... consider it one of the costs of the activity. You wrote "no insurance" so I assume that's what you meant ... rather than "under-insured" or "high deductible."

    I didn't look, is Florida one of the "exchange deniers?" If not, then you've got that coming up anyway.

    Consider also ... it's exceptionally personal and I for one do not wish to hear your particulars ... but Florida was the scene of one of two unplanned pregnancies in my life. Definitely a circumstance for which insurance came in handy.
    JudoSensei
    JudoSensei


    Posts : 171
    Join date : 2013-01-04
    Location : California

    hurt my back and don't have health insurance Empty Re: hurt my back and don't have health insurance

    Post by JudoSensei Tue Apr 30, 2013 9:56 am

    I was suffering from similar symptoms for about three weeks, up until last week when it finally got better. I didn't see a doctor, but eventually, with rest, the pain went away. I had the same stiff, swollen muscle, for me on the right side of my lower back. I assumed it was a strained muscle, but it took longer to go away than I anticipated.
    Stacey
    Stacey


    Posts : 554
    Join date : 2013-01-17
    Location : your worst nightmares

    hurt my back and don't have health insurance Empty Re: hurt my back and don't have health insurance

    Post by Stacey Tue Apr 30, 2013 10:15 am

    weren't you looking for something to spend your tax refund on?

    Listen to the guys - rest. Massage. Rest. NSAIDs. Rest. And if it hurts, stop doing it for a while. Oh, and when it stops hurting, make sure you're stretching nice and gently.

    With a new wife, maybe a bit of health insurance would be a good thing..... if not, get some good life insurance.
    Heisenberg
    Heisenberg


    Posts : 99
    Join date : 2013-03-03
    Location : Central FL

    hurt my back and don't have health insurance Empty Re: hurt my back and don't have health insurance

    Post by Heisenberg Tue Apr 30, 2013 12:47 pm

    Don't the major NGB's provide limited coverage for judo related injuries that occur at a club practice? Might be worth checking into. If I recall you have to report it in a reasonable time, so you may want to check soon.

    I feel you on the injury. I dislocated a shoulder on the mat a few months back. Even worse than the pain was taking it easy for a few weeks while everyone else went at it.

    Luckily I have health insurance through my employer, but the deductibles alone are enough to go broke on. According to my EOB's the insurance company paid nothing and the entire allowed amount went to deductible and copay. My insurance policy was nothing more than a medical discount card.
    genetic judoka
    genetic judoka


    Posts : 541
    Join date : 2012-12-30
    Age : 37
    Location : Florida

    hurt my back and don't have health insurance Empty Re: hurt my back and don't have health insurance

    Post by genetic judoka Fri May 03, 2013 7:17 am

    Heisenberg, that would have been my plan if things got serious, but the deductible is 5k, well above the cost of a doctor's visit.

    Bill, yes florida is one of those states. gotta love it. and when I said "no insurance" I mean none. I was still under my parent's plan until I got married, now I've got nothing.

    stacey, yes, that's a good idea. now if only I could afford the several hundred a month it would cost, given that I only make several hundred a month... life insurance on the other hand is cheaper, and worth considering.

    JS, glad to hear it's not that uncommon of a thing, I was really scared for a bit.

    as an update:
    my week's vacation isn't quite over yet, but my back already doesn't hurt anymore save for rare moments that aren't even that bad. the judoka in me wants to get back on the mat tomorrow (in fact I might), but the intellectual in me wants to smack the judoka in me upside the head for thinking that.

    Sponsored content


    hurt my back and don't have health insurance Empty Re: hurt my back and don't have health insurance

    Post by Sponsored content


      Current date/time is Fri Mar 29, 2024 3:50 am