Hi all. For the past year or so i have been dealing with chronic back pain. On bad days, its completely debilitating, on good days, i can still only sit and work for an hour or so at a time. I have barely worked at all in the last year, have had to turn down many sessions, and am basically at a breaking point.

I have seen all the doctors, doing physical therapy, eat extremely clean, take all the supplements, medication etc etc etc. Im still struggling most days. I bought a standing desk, and that helps, but not really. My next step is to try a new chair. I have a herman miller chair, which is supposed to be the best for this, but its not cutting it.

Does anyone have any experience with mitigating chronic pain while producing / mixing? Any chairs you can recommend that i may have missed in my searches?

 

Have you tried pilates?

 

yeah, pilates and yoga almost daily.

 

Depends on the source of your problem. I've had piriformis syndrome, originating from sitting at a desk for years and suddenly starting to play soccer. The sitting made my muscles weak and imbalanced, issues that arose thanks to soccer. I've managed to clear these issues by working the muscles in specific exercises within three months, and alternating working standing/sitting.

What is the source of your problem?

 

Those Herman Miller chairs are supposed to be great for this. But maybe the problem is your desk. If you have things positioned where maybe you type slightly at an angle, or view your monitor. With repeated movements, even something seemingly minor can do this kind of stuff. Something like how people get carpal tunnel syndrome and try multiple keyboards before they figure out it is the angle of their mouse. You might have to look at the ergonomics of your entire setup.

 

I have severe leg and back pain after having cancer radiation treatments. I manage my pain with meditation, a TENS Unit, combined with some medications. I'm never 100% pain free but at least it's somewhat tolerable. My stamina and endurance is limited but I'm still able to play music, compose and get around places. I am content that at least I'm not completely disabled. See a physiotherapist and find out if a TENS unit can help you, I got mine on sale online for a good price.

 

How clean are you eating exactly? Because cheese (and all subgroups thereof), and to a lesser extent sugar, causes inflammation which very few quack western md's even have a clue about let alone treating it. Laying off ALL inflammatory foods for at least 2 weeks and taking a turmeric based anti-inflammatory each day might help your issue.

 

three slipped disc and spinal stenosis.

Ive tried various setups, looking into exactly like you said. Tried monitor arm, no monitor arm, monitor on the wall, etc. Different desk heights, placement, chair height and placement, still nothing has really clicked. Will keep trying though.

Oof, im glad you are able to see the bright side and maintain a positive attitude. hoping it continues to improve for you. I use a TENS unit regularly. It helps with some of the pain. Im also prescribed various medications, but try to avoid them, as i hate being reliant on med's, and they come with side effects. I do take them on really bad days.

I eat extremely clean. Zero gluten, zero dairy, no processed foods, 95% organic. I basically eat vegetable soups, chicken, and the occasional steak or something. The only sugar i have is from fruit, and thats minimal, an apple and a couple dates a day. I agree western doctors have no clue what they are doing when it comes to inflammation. My GF's mom is an excellent functional medicine doctor and has me up to speed on all of that. I take turmeric daily, as well as NAC, oregano oil, black seed oil, and a few other anti-inflammatories.

Thanks for the tips and feedback everyone! Im going to keep trying new things until i find a solution.

 

mate no chair in this world will fix this

replace one of them with calisthenics and cardio , cut sunfloweroil,wheat and processed food use curcuma with linseed oil and pepper ,supliment vit d .............................

i tell you like it is : you fckt if you dont get into the mentioned above.

 

Alright then, this is out of my league. I wish you all the best my brother. Btw I also have the Herman Miller Aeron, loving it! But try to stand as much as I can, much better.

 

hahah im fckt then. I already have zero oils except organic ghee and olive oil. havent had wheat in years, eat zero processed foods. Take about 20 supplements a day, majority being anti inflammatory. I don't do full on cardio, but i walk as much as possible. I shoot for a mile or two a day. usually uphill at a hiking trail across from my house.

 

Well with all the healthy foods you consume did you ever try other diets. I'm basically a carnivore, if I don't get enough of red meats I get extremely weak and have no energy, so I binge for a few days on rare beef, liver and blood sausage which gives me a burst of energy. I don't eat sweets, only use kosher, Himalayan or pure sea salt, I eat a lot of garlic, onion and hot peppers which I eat like candy because of their health benefits, I do eat pork, poultry, fish and seafood but nothing beats red meats. I attribute whatever energy I have to this dietary lifestyle. I always try to find alternatives to improve mine but I'm a stubborn mule who never gives up hope, doctors don't agree as they seem to assume medication is the superior to anything else. I hope you find some alternative solutions to improve your lifestyle and health, stay positive, never give up.

 

Ciao, ozonoterapia e risolvi.

 

Thank's for the encouragement and rec's. I do eat a fair amount of beef as well. I take liver supplements and eat a steak and burger patties probably bi weekly. I eat a ton of garlic and peppers too haha. love em!

wow! this looks great. I have not heard of it, will def look into it. thank you for sharing.

 

i have a problem in my back too.. try putting your legs over the table lol.. i do it a lot ... mouse and keyboard close to you fix the pain...

 

As much as healthy food *may* help prevent certain diseases, it won't cure three slipped discs and spinal stenosis. Not saying you shouldn't eat healthy (I'm a healthy mofo myself), but let it not prevent you enjoying the fun things once in a while. And be critical of your supplement intake, it's an industry built on scamming people. Unless you're deficient because of lack of access to healthy food (which sounds like that is not the case), 20 supplements sounds like A LOT.

 

so funny isnt it.20 supplements a day is counter productive as hell .dont eat at least for 12 hours a day .get a full bloodwork with all vitamins and all minerals and act acordingly .get raw honey , milk and only eat 110% organic . cow milk max2 liters a week /goat sheep have other cassein and they dont eat wheats and corn .
most important for you is finding the shortened and locked muscles in your body and work on them .
walking a mile or two is nothing .get into cycling.do calisthenics .

 

Last edited: Jul 4, 2024

does not taste good and cant be heated up high either .

most certainly is mixed with sunflower oil. do a refrigerator test with yours .
------------
get a guess why i posted linsead oil and i never said use it for cooking/bakin/frying.

 

You allowed yourself go flaccid and limp like a dropped pancake from a pan.

You need light athletics. Jogging with sprints on empty stomach, coupled with frog jumps, some push ups. Pull-ups, where you need to learn to just hang really nicely stretching your spine, attempting to pull yourself up couple inches then let yourself fall again still hanging.

Stretching: turning your torso gently from side to side

Sit ups: don't sit up fully, only lift your ribcage, check it out on YT.

Good spine stretches - hanging from a bar by your hands - and try turning your hips from side to side

Do wonderful hip splits with going into squat position and with your elbows against your knees push your knees OUT combating some pain ==> gently raise your ass an inch then let it fall back multiple times, while pushing your knees OUT assertively with your elbows against pain. Then stand up and do "hulahoop" hip rolls in both directions with your hands your hips. Works wonders for me.

Try a chiropractor, but without exercise it'll be like a pill for a headache..

Also you badly need to buy another chair which has completely different padding for your ass and lower spine.. Then switch chairs daily.

Or just do as I do: place hard blankets below your ass and some hard pillows. Try to unbalance your comfy sitting position.
Roll a towel to the width of 3 inches and place it behind you at your tailbone, so it supports your spine.

Unbalance and change the surface geography of your chair(s) as much as possible.

There is a chair looking like a flat top mushroom - leather cylinder - and you sit on it and its bottom is fixed, but the top rolls around with your ass as you change your angle - move the top of the chair - swiveling around your central position = your spine will be moving around, you can try that as well.

But for me the hip splits and chaotic surface padding helped most.

Exercise will give you more energy for the day as well.

Better look for a Jiu-jitsu or MMA club in your vicinity and ask them to show you basic exercise training and stretching. There is a wonderful two-man spine stretching, where (with your back) you lean on the other man's back and he takes your arms making soft "spring-motions" with his knees up and down he stretches your spine out wonderfully. Try that.

Don't forget to stand up from time to time and grab your hands and move them 180 degrees from side to side, while your legs, head remain in position. Then roll your head, chin touching your chest and raised shoulders.

You have pain because you cemented yourself into your chairs default surface padding, which fixed your spine disks into one position for eternity. BAD IDEA!!!!!

If you have a SOFT BED where-on you maintain Horrible sleeping positions:
Important to throw out your bed to the trash. Buy a thin and hard coconut mattress - 3 and half inches max height - and put it on the floor. Put some thin plastic sheets, thin bed-covers, real floss silk sheets UNDERNEATH in a multi-layer configuration for the winter. In summer leave only a simple thin sheet under it. For your head you can use pillows to hold your head level with your spine. Healthiest is sleeping on your left side. Get a compass / app on your mobile phone and TURN the bed toward NORTH accurately. Leave it there permanently if possible.

Sleep on it. You'll get used to the hardness in a couple nights, just imagine you are a soldier on a battlefield. EXCELLENT FOR YOUR SPINE HEALTH!!
You'll never ever sleep in a soft bed after that.
Couple nights will make all your spine and hip pain go away if those pains are merely from bad sleeping positions. Cheap and supremely effective! Don't be afraid from getting a cold in winter: use multiple warm / plastic sheet layers underneath!

Try to sleep some hours without pillows during the night as well: flat on your back, flat on your belly, various "one leg raised" positions on either side, etc.. Your health and energy for the day will improve wonderfully with your hip / spine pains subsiding drastically.

 

Last edited: Jul 4, 2024

but cheese is also a fermented product that helps to regulate the gut biome, I wouldn't give it up entirely unless you have an issue with dairy. Inflammation is constant in the human body, its a reaction to the environment, its the level of inflammation that is damaging. I would agree Tumeric could help as well as vitamin D, and the B vitamins are especially needed by the nervous system.
I concoct my own capsules, a blend of tumeric, asoefetida, ground pepper, and a powdered mushroom blend, have been using it for nearly 2 decades, and feel fit as your average fiddle.

pain is the extreme way your body tells you, that you are fucking up. it usually sends some earlier messages like discomfort, digestion issues, anxiety, etc. when you ignore the phone ringing, it delivers the pain package instead.

Sitting maybe one of your problems, and you may have to take a break to let your body heal. It could be similiar to carpal tunnel. I had severe wrist pain at one time, I was coding at the time and typing alot and using a mouse alot. I started wearing a wrist brace, but I found that getting rid of the mouse and switching to a touchpad, stopped the pain. My wrist is fine now, and I play the guitar daily with no issues, no pain, and no limited mobility.

Something in your work environement is stressing your back muscles, it may be the angle or height of the work surfaces, exacerbated by the time you spend in one position. Don't sit for more than an hour, get up and take a 10 minute walk around and shake things out.

good luck, you have to be sherlock holmes and seek out what caused the issue, by eliminating the culprits one by one.