pain reliever opinions sought

Well, I can say that the Vicodin works better for relief of pain, unfortunately with very recent experience. I am not finding that the ibuprofen has done much for me. Sorry to hear that you are having lower back pain too.

Icing is good too! That provides the fastest relief for me, though not as long lasting as the vicodin (hydrocodone).

You can take both, by the way; the ibuprofen theoretically could help reduce inflammation, which might be causing some of your pain.

P.S. By icing, I mean the cold stuff in a bag, not as in chocolate frosting; though, come to think of it, I kinda have been self-medicating with something similar…

"Sorry to hear that you are having lower back pain too."

It's my own fault for being such a fat b@stard.

"Icing is good too! That provides the fastest relief for me, though not as long lasting as the vicodin (hydrocodone)."

Cool! I've got some chocolate icing I could use….

"P.S. By icing, I mean the cold stuff in a bag, not as in chocolate frosting;"

Now you tell me. I hope this stuff washes off….

I'm a big fan of Peter Egoscue and Pain Free .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqNnmC09eUU

Drugs will get you through the night, but it is amazing what you can accomplish just lying on the floor for 30 minutes.

I like his stuff too, and have the book – great for muscle stuff (unfortunately not what I have right now).

I think you should seriously consider getting a doctors opinion on such a matter. My .02 would be the vicodin if its needed randomly or just on trips or whatnot, but in no other circumstances. Hydrocodone is addictive and I've had friends get it prescribed to them for back pain and end up in bad positions after getting addicted to it. Most people think it would never happen to them, but let me tell you that it does.

Bottom line is do yourself a favor and get a doctors opinion on the matter!!!

Thanks Greg, I'll check it out.

They are designed to use for different levels of pain.
Ibuprofen=I'm uncomfortable
Hydrocodone + acetaminophen=Oh my god I hurt and I still gotta walk outta here!

The other factor is that Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory and helps with swelling; acetaminophen does not.

Ibuprofen may be better for something like a twisted ankle, as it will help limit swelling.
For back pain, hydrocodone + acetaminophen may work better for perception of pain. Does the hydrocodone make you loopy? Will you be hiking somewhere that dizziness will compromise your safety?

All pain relievers need to be used with caution, too much ibuprofen will mess up your kidneys, too much acetaminophen will mess up your liver, too much hydrocodone will mess with your brain.

Chronic back pain is often a muscle imbalance issue and can be helped with a combination of stretches and strengthening exercises. Many people with a lower back bow (lordosis) have overdeveloped quadriceps with weakened abdominal, hamstrings and gluteal muscles. Can you stand against a wall and push your hand all the way behind your lower back from left to right because your lower back bows forward so much? Stretch your quadriceps, especially after hiking. Sit on a surface that lets your knees be 90 degrees and bend over to touch your toes to stretch your lower back. Kneel on a surface with your knees at 90 degrees and stretch to either side. Then, place 1 foot flat with knee at 90 degrees, push the other knee slightly behind you to stretch the hip flexors. (I'm not describing this well, Jen Mitol where are you?). Lay on your back, and bring your knees to your chest, repeat–strengthen abdominal muscles with no crunches. Place feet on floor and raise hips–strengthen hamstrings. These exercises and stretches are simple and easy to do, but make a world of difference.

"Chronic back pain is often a muscle imbalance issue …"

+1

Everything is connected.
Everyone has to play well with others.
A strong and balanced body is a happy body.

I'll use drugs to get to the exercises, knowing that Only consistent (yep, every day) strength and balance will address the big picture.

Thanks Diane. I should have mentioned in my original post that this is temporary back pain due to some stupid move I did (but don't remember doing), not chronic. So the meds would just be to get me through a couple of nights until the pain subsides, and why I'm not inclined to go to a doc but instead use meds I already have in the house.

And yes, I really need to strengthen my core. I bought a book called Foundation which I need to delve into. And, of course, it would help to get rid of this gut I've been carrying for the last couple of years.

stretching

weight lifting

swimming

but there are times my back has been really sore. Moving any muscle in my body sends a twitch to my back. Taking pain reliever enables it to heal quicker.

years ago I tweaked my back sledge hammering. I was worried I'd have to cancel backpack trip. Carrying backpack actually seemed to relieve it, got better and wasn't a problem.

which one of those pain relievers has a really small difference between therapeutic level and liver damaging level?

just popped up:

https://www.yahoo.com/health/fda-strengthens-stroke-and-heart-attack-warnings-123667790507.html

ibuprofen and naproxen (Aleve) can cause heart attack and stroke

probably okay if you just use occasionally or if slight risk is better than huge pain

"which one of those pain relievers has a really small difference between therapeutic level and liver damaging level?"

Acetaminophen. I've read that it's the leading cause of Acute Liver Failure in the US.

If you start taking a lot of ibuprofen, be on the lookout for stomach problems. I was taking it for a shoulder injury and after a few days I thought I had appendicitis. Lucky symptom search lead me to an article talking about the side effects of taking too much ibuprofen.

I used to be a big Vitamin I user. A recent physical revealed osteoarthritis in my back plus higher than normal blood pressure. Through some research I discovered ibuprofen "may" cause elevated blood pressure. My doctor recommended acetaminophen (generic Tylenol) which I tried. It worked and my blood pressure seems to be back to normal.
I do carry a M367 (Acetaminophen and Hydrocodone 325 mg / 10 mg) pills in case the shit does hit the fan and I need a strong pain killer. Personally I'd never consider any prescription pain meds for other than an emergency. Then again I have a past history of really abusing things that gave me an artificial "feel good" state of mind.

Step 1. Hike JMT in 4 days.
Step 2. Stop doing 1.

There are many variations on 1, such as "eat shards of glass", "stick pin in eye repeatedly"…

Not a medical type, but a fellow back pain sufferer. I am surprised nobody has mentioned Aspirin. Less nasty side effects than Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen and for many people very effective.

My go-to for back pain is magnesium salicylate (Doan's pills) works great on back pain, particularly lower back pain, it is a NSAID like Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen. Similar side effects. I find it more effective than most other OTC pain relievers for back pain.

If you have access to a TENS machine (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation)it can be very effective as well.

I learned about the core strengthening exercises and muscle balance after I sprained my back pulling a calf on a heifer that laid down. That forced me to work laying on my side with my arms over my head, and with my pelvis pushing against a pole for leverage. Wasn't feeling very good as I drove away from the farm, stopped at the grocery store to buy a bag of frozen peas to put behind my back for the 1 hour + drive home. Next morning, couldn't stand up, had to crawl to the phone to tell work I wasn't coming in, then call the chiropractor and massage therapist.

Both those things helped, but it wasn't until I started doing the exercises that I really started to ease the pain. Yes, that one incident was the trigger, but often it is the day in, day out poor posture, repetitive stress that sets up the problem in the first place.

Drugs should only be used for recreational purposes only.

Using them to treat pain is a recipe for disaster ;-)

Two Ibuprofen
One Alleve

Taken together with a cup (at least) of water. The IB reduces inflammation. The ALLEVE reduces pain – for most folks.