Lower back pain

I have a current, crazy lower back story for you guys. Those who know me here know I went out on permanent disability for a vast, inoperable permanent bloodclot in my upper-right subclavian which causes inescapable vascular pain. This is pain that can be nauseating. I haven't had low back pain since I was working which I stopped after 38 years in 2010. Today's Monday-two Saturdays ago, for the first time since I stopped working, my lower back went out just by me simply wiping the side of my vehicle of dust. I've been walking crooked for two weeks and everything I do-sit, lay, stand etc. is painful. Today, while getting my mail, I was re-entering through the front door and my left shoulder hit against the door jam. A sharp pain shot through my spine down through my low back that knocked the wind out of me. As I walked up the stairs, I realized my low back felt aligned again and my pain was better. I then reached back and rubbed my low back in upward motions while standing straight, and felt the discs above the injured one, the three above, all pop into place in a row low to high. Now I'm straight again, but the rawness is still there with that little healing "itch" within what pain there is left. I cautiously think that accidental bump into the door jam made my back jerk back to where it's supposed to be.
Discs are a funny thing-once yours slips, I believe it makes a sort of "rut" in the bone where it can slip out on you in the future. The moral to my text wall is-once you injure a disc, you have to be oh-so-judicious in every move you make forever.

 

As far as I understand, discs don't "slip" - there are two mechanisms by which a disc can cause pain, both of which involve pushing on nerves. One is a bulge - the disc is inflamed/compromised, and it bulges out. That's obviously bad, but can be treated conservatively - enough rest, conservative movement, perhaps steroids (injections, or more likely oral prednisone) and eventually the bulge heals. Then you just have to get everything to stop pushing on the disc (correct posture, improve range of motion so you can move without flexing your low spine but stay in neutral to slightly extended position, strengthen the muscles supporting the low back to keep you in a braced neutral lumbar position even when you're lifing, address sitting issues, etc.). The next step beyond a bulge is a rupture - that's when the fibrous wall around the disc actually ruptures and some of the disc's internal gooey stuff comes out (and all hell breaks loose). That's a lot more likely to require surgery to get the stuff that squeezed out cleaned up (since it pushes on nerves and has nowhere to go, it might otherwise cause nerve damage), but after the surgery it's the same routine.

I'm 48. I had my first disc bulge this last year. I've always been physically fit, and I've only now found out how much bad "spine hygiene" I've gotten away with over the decades...

 

So about Tacomas and back pain - I happily drove my Tacoma for over 70k miles and 5 years. Love that truck. Then I had my disc bulge last fall (well, thought it was an SI problem first, long story). So I started figuring out what all that meant for me driving my truck. My PT and chiropractor both told me very clearly that I needed to change my seating position - open up the hips, get lumbar support beyond the stock lumbar wedge you control with the wheel in the SR5, and be way upright. All great - so I went to work. Turns out, by the time I had the seat jacked up an inch in the back to get my butt off the floor (to open up the hips and prevent lumbar rounding) and went way upright (to allow me to press my hips back and force myself into that neutral lumbar curve), I was way too high up. I'm only 6'1" - but am built a bit ape-like, with a long torso relative to my height. So I took the driver's side visor out and replaced the windshield with one that didn't have a tint strip at the top - which made for reasonably acceptable (but far from great) visibility. Still - any time I hit a pot hole and drove on logging roads, I hit my head on the headliner. Argh. And after about 1 1/2 hours, it was still no good - I couldn't get upright enough to keep it from hurting (whereas in my wife's Outback, I can do 3-4 hours easily as there's enough headroom to enable the posture I need).

My biggest disappointment with the 3rd gen is that they kept the cab roofline (and thus the lack of headroom - masked by mounting the seats so damn low). I would have gladly traded in my 2nd gen for a 3rd gen otherwise. I'm pretty bummed around that.

 

My mom has had (2) 5th gen 4runners and the power seats are a life saver on long drives. They have a much better seating position than my tacoma does, I’ve taken both of her 4runners on several 12-13 hour trips and I have no back pain at all driving it, but my tacoma will have my back killing me after 2-3 hours. The seat sits too low in the Tacoma to be comfortable on long drives.

 

Yep, the 4Runner has a good bit more head-room. At least unless you load it up with the sun roof, which eats into that. So that allows them to mount the seat a bit higher. I think this sort of shows the Taco's age - at the time, a mid-sized truck was a bit of a new thing, and it was a huge size increase from the 1st gen. If you want ground clearance, and a full frame, and a truck that doesn't seem huge in its niche (remember that at the time it was competing with Rangers, Dakotas, Nissans that were all a good bit smaller), something had to give. Works for most people, just not for ape-like tall-torso'd dudes with bad lower backs.

 

+1 on the inversion table, when I threw out my back I tried all kinds of BS to no avail. Got an inversion table and it was practically healed a week later. Granted injuries heal with time anyways so its unclear what fixed it (time, inversion table, or both) but I do believe it helped.

 

First of all, see your MD. Second, I’ve always heard strengthening your core is crucial, but again seek PROFESSIONAL consultation first.

 

I got a new mattress probably a year ago and haven’t had much trouble since. I’m pretty physically fit, I’m maybe 30-40 pounds heavier than I ought to be but I’m in pretty good physical condition. I’d say I’m a pretty good amount stronger/tougher than the average person. I work in a pretty physically demanding job where I’m moving/lifting things frequently throughout the day. I’m currently about 200 lbs (5’10”), I’m wanting to get back down in the 165-170 range. Thanks for the advice though.

 

Only in day 5 with my new ride...but I am having some back problems as well. At age 65 this is my first challenge with this...lucky me! My last two Nissan Altimas had great lumbar support but my new Tacoma feels like the support is an inch or two lower than needed. I am only 6'1".

Has anyone else experienced this? I may need some kind of support pillow to stay comfortable on long rides but it will need to be very firm!

 

I Have a degenerated L5S1

Been dealing with it for the last year and a half. Burning pain down the front of my legs and now my feet are starting to burn and act weird. Getting cold and hot easy, doctor said it’s from the disc sending the wrong nerve signals to the feet. Definitely just go into a orthopedist. I went for a year without knowing what was wrong and honestly it just causes more mental strain than anything else.

 

First surgery at age 29 (62 now)...went to a SPINAL NEUROSURGEON - NOT an orthopedist. This was before MRI's were common. I had a herniated L5-S1 disc and after seeing the cat scan he had me come back again for a second one (free) as he couldn't believe I could walk as bad as it was. Did the nerve blocks - 1 per month for 3 months - useless for me. Got surgery after going through 9 months of living hell......3 pieces of cow bone added to my spine. Started doing exercises to 'get rid of my beer gut' - all were good to strengthen my back and also started running every day and lifting weights. The following year I got my 'red card' to go out west and fight forest fires. My surgeon wanted to do a video on me to show perspective patients that surgery doesn't disable you.

I was good to go for almost 10 years.....I could do anything and everything I did before surgery, including the western firefighting. Then I blew out my next disc, L4-L5. Lost all feeling from my waist down for about 5 minutes - temporary paralysis. Wife and daughter freaked out. Called the doctor the next day and had surgery #2 that week. 2 titanium screws added to my spine then. 6 years and 3 more surgeries to clean out bone spurs, calcium deposits and other crap later ended my western firefighting chances......this was only a 2-3 week per year opportunity, not full time job.

Dr. told me I have degenerative disc disease progressing upward. All my lumbar discs are going little by little. I retired from full time work (forester) 4+ years ago, but still do it part time.

I have an inversion table for when the pain gets bad enough. No more pills!!! I like my beer too much and they definitely do not go well together!!!! I have been sleeping in a recliner for, I don't even know how many years now. 6,7,8, or more. Standing - especially on concrete is tough for me, have to constantly shift weight from foot to foot. Can't sit still either, constantly shifting/fidgeting ......this DID get me out of jury duty, though!!!

My surgeon is in his 80's now, I think, doesn't operate any more, but still is active in his practice.

I would have surgery again without a doubt - if needed. After my first one, I was 'normal' for almost 10 years.

 

Hey all, I wanted to follow up as I am planning on buying my first Tacoma. I almost bought a Tacoma about two years ago and was instead enticed into buying a Prius Prime... Not going to knock it in case there are fans out there, it is truly a great vehicle for anyone who wants a Prius and wants 133or so mpg. For me... I am a 28 year old dude with mild scoliosis, difficult time building muscle mass, a stressful lifestyle and a terrible commute that will cause flare-ups so bad I swear to God I've aged like Tom Hanks in Big, however to an elderly degree! Now I didn't really consider to what extent my car was really adding to the mix because, well, it's a brand new vehicle with a great adjustable seat, however, I have found that because I need to stoop low while I get into it and the seat is never actually "level" to the ground then I almost immediately twist my hip, lumbar column and most days of the weak hear some form of click. By the end of my commute, no matter how many times I adjust my seat, the pressure and tilt on my lumbar (exacerbated during turns and bumps) absolutely drives me INSANE.
Well a few months of PT and core strengthening later, my body is still fighting back each time I squat into that car, doesn't matter if I squat, slide, pivot, sway, crouch in the damn thing has to go.

There's my "pocket full of 2-cents" regarding buyer beware with back issues!!

Now I need to know, has anyone ever experienced something similar, then migrated to a sturdier/taller vehicle such as the Tacoma only to find improvements??
*** I am finding all too many posts about back issues getting worse since getting a Tacoma, I am just at 6 feet tall, my hamstrings are/may always be tighter than an average persons, legs get very tense and this pulls on lumbar muscles thus contributing to scoliosis. I actually have trouble some days with lumbar support and wish to have a nice upright chair to let my back "flatten" a little (the tight leg muscles give a anterior tilt creating a "duck butt" for lack of a better term). Again, anyone with a similar issue, would love to hear input!

During the test drives, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my back, there is less "G-Force" being pulled on the various parts of my back, etc. I feel the smoothness of the off-road suspension and can sit upright enough that I have better visibility. But I fear falling into a trap for myself worse than this Prius trap... I imagine I can always add a lumbar support pillow on days I felt I needed it?


***

 

Get a MRI. I had lower back pain and just toughed it out for years. Turns out it was two herniated disks.

 

My Tacoma was not good for my back, a trip longer than about 3 hours would have me in pain. My mom has a 5th gen 4runner and the seat adjusts well enough that I can make a 12 hour trip with no pain. I think it’s the seat height in relation to the floor that causes me issues.
I traded my Tacoma for a 3500HD Silverado in December, the seating position in it is much more comfortable on a long drive, I don’t have any pain at all. I wanted a Tundra, but opted for a Diesel 1 ton pickup to tow with. I love it so far, it’s getting 18-19 mpg on the highway and around 9-10 MPG towing while grossing around 30,000 pounds.

 

Dealing with this as well guys, I bought a conformax gel pad for 90 on Amazon lumbar only. went out and bought used scion xb seats for swapping, and the Dremel. lookup @SafetyDang I spent 150 for the seats i feel your pain this is my daily driver, trying to find a solution. I am 5'11 and the seats will sit about 2 1/2 inches higher or else use 3rd gen 4 runner seats. good luck! you can reach me with questions. I have owned my truck for about 5 months roughly? first was having neck pain so I drove with a neck pillow. Now I get lower/tailbone pain and its hard to deal with I'm not taking pain meds everyday. I am about 125lbs 5ft 11.

 

Post up some pics when you get the seats switched. I’m 5’10” and about 210 lbs. I definitely need to lose about 40 lbs, but my back pain was a problem even when I was 165 lbs and in the best shape of my life, so the extra pounds aren’t the issue.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/scion-xb-seat-swap-video.162158/

Working video further down. I also have back problems and this helped a great deal.

 

We’re in the same unfortunate boat. I’ve had AS since 2005. I was on Remicade for a few years but had an allergic reaction to it (just about passed out while getting my dose via IV), so I switched to Enbrel. I’ve been on the Enbrel for about 10 years, it’s fantastic. I hope you’re doing well.