For the chair.
But seriously, all the 50-200$ chairs on Amazon and whatnot are made for like the hypothetical average 5'8" 170 pound world citizen. You can either bite the bullet and get something solid from a quality furniture producer, or start doing exercises to help your neck and whatnot. This will actually help you a ton.
This should help you with your back posture. Look up YouTube videos to help you how to use it.
Link: Amazon Basics High-Density Exercise, Massage, Muscle Recovery, Round Foam Roller, 12", 18", 24", 36" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XM2MRGI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_HX38FP3A6XXWK618G00D?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I have the basic black roller I was given when I went to physical therapy, looks like this one from amazon. Works perfectly fine for me but maybe I just don't know what I'm missing? I've tried out the spikey ones but I don't feel they're worth the extra money. Heck, some people use PVC pipe. Any basic roller and a few lacrosse balls and you should be good, IMO.
There are a ton of fancy ones out there but I really love this simple foam roller on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XM2MRGI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_2TyaBbRDJQF34
It’s high density and really durable so it gets all the spots I need worked and seems to last forever!
I am sorry you had such a difficult childhood, and am so proud of how far you've come. I know your mother wants the best for you and is proud that you are clean from drugs and healthy.
A foam roller may be helpful for your back
Have you considered speaking to a therapist about your past? Once you find one that you trust, they might be able to help you process and come to terms etc.
I was wallowing in my own self-pity and then I read your post and am humbled; you are much more resilient and stronger and I admire your drive. Know that I am rooting for you. Difficult things are difficult, and you are building towards your future while fighting demons. Take care, and remember to breathe.
There’s two types. Get the high density. It would have advertised as such. Amazon Basics High-Density Round Foam Roller for Exercise, Massage, Muscle Recovery - 12", 18", 24", 36" https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00XM2MRGI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_PGA4P02R1PXXT88A5P39?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I have tried a bunch of different options, and I always come back to cheap dark gray one from Amazon.
Amazon Basics High-Density Round Foam Roller for Exercise, Massage, Muscle Recovery - 12", 18", 24", 36" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XM2MRGI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_gl_i_18ANERVDB19WP15ZY3FS?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
If you are unhappy with the doctor try getting a 2nd opinion. Why do you think you have OA? From your description could be also other RA diseases or maybe damaged joints as you think (based that you said you were weightlifting improperly)
What country are you in, if in US, are you in Kaiser?
It sounds like the doctor is still looking for the cause. I'm guessing you can't stand it because the pain is so bad. I think you should emphasize this and if you didn't, say all these things about joints, stiffness, and especially that you were weightlifting, because that could shorten the life of your joints, it is also possible that your doctor is right and there might be something else.
The fact that you also mentioned neck (unless you were lifting with your head :), makes me wonder that maybe it indeed is something else.
Maybe she could order multiple tests to speed up the diagnosis and prescribe some NSAID to ease your pain during that time.
BTW: I normally have AS but also at one time I had extra pain around my whole back and neck and got to the point that it even woken at night and couldn't fell asleep again. My rheumatologist said she thinks it is a stress. I indeed was stressed about project. She told me to have fast paced walk for 15 minutes every day, and not work late. And that I can also roll on roller like this one: https://smile.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-High-Density-Round-Roller-24-inches/dp/B00XM2MRGI (place vertically and roll from left to right). And you know what? It worked almost immediately. I was surprised because pain was similar to my usual arthritis pain, just in different than usual places. Apparently when stressed and muscles are tense they press on joints and if it happens for a while it starts hurting.
I'm not saying that this is what you have, but sometimes things might not seem what they are.
Amazon has some for pretty cheap that are still pretty great. I've found the full-sized roller to be much for effective, personally, than the muscle stick type rollers. With the sticks, the pressure is mostly related to how hard you can press it, whereas the traditional roller uses bodyweight.
I've used this model pretty much daily for almost 2 years and it's still going strong. Best $20 piece of running kit I've ever bought. https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-High-Density-Round-Roller-36-inches/dp/B00XM2MRGI
Anyway, I know this doesn't address your OP, but I hope it helps!
Use it often. Use it before doing activities. Use it after said activities. Worth every penny.
I would roll with that one. Honestly the 18in would be fine but if you have the money buying the bigger one won't have any drawbacks.
Here's the one I have (I bought the 18inch)
It'll work, I just prefer the basic ones with no bumps. Easier to roll on and probably easier to find the exact spot you need that's tight. If you find a spot you really need to get into a lacrosse ball or tennis ball would be better than the bumps on that anyway.
I'd just get this and a lacrosse ball.
I have some pretty persistent back problems and I've got a whole set tools to keep things in check. I recommend this foam roller from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-High-Density-Round-Foam-Roller/dp/B00XM2MRGI/ref=sr_1_5?s=exercise-and-fitness&ie=UTF8&qid=1469886907&sr=1-5&keywords=Foam+roller
Here's a suggestion that may sound weird, but I swear by it.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XM2MRGI/ref=twister_B018KFP8E4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
It's a foam back roller. I use it when I wake up, or when I've been sitting in front of the computer for too long. You'll be amazed at how it seems to crack every knot in your back and legs when used correctly. It may hurt at first, but once you get used to it, you'll find yourself using it every day and your back pain will reduce significantly.
Just a suggestion for you that doesn't including adding more drugs to the equation. Yeah Foam Rollers are mostly used for Yoga, but there is an incredible stress relief when you use the foam roller correctly. It can eliminate stress instantly and make you feel better quickly.
I would suggest getting a foam roller, it literally changed my life. From time to time I had bad upper back pain which usualy turned into head aches. I watched a you tube video on them and ordered a cheap one off Amazon. BEST $10 EVER SPENT, PERIOD.
I can literally feel every joint between my vertebrae stretching and cracking in my upper back, even those hard to reach ones between my shoulder blades. The first time I used it I laid on the ground for 10 minutes in total bliss from how well it stretched my back.
I used to crave getting firm massages because they would take care of the knots in my back. Now I can roll them out myself.
I consider the high-density Amazon Basics one to be in my Top 3 best purchase decisions of my life.
I've had mine for about four years now, with daily use in the morning and night, and it hasn't lost a drop of its firmness or even gotten a scratch.
Make sure to hit every point, including your inner thighs by your groin region. Edge is great on your butt but be very careful the first few times. You hold a lot of tension in your butt cheeks and the pain of pressing on the knots is enough to make you dizzy, but do it everyday for a week or two. Once you adjust it'll greatly increase your range of motion, adding in side leg stretches. I recommend starting on surfaces like the couch or bed, and alwaysalwaysalways use the foam roller for balance. Do five dip-stretches with your toes to the side and five with them to sky like in the picture.
Also balancing on it. If you have a 1-5 lbs weight, while balanced, keep the weight in the hand reaching to to the sky, while the other's out to the side, like in the doodle. The hand that's out to the side, you should be slowly fanning from your knee to above your head, and it helps twist your wrist (carefully) while you're doing the fanning motion to really loosen up the nerves down your arm.
I'm in the diagnosis process now, don't be scared but it is important to be doing stretches every morning from now on. Treatments aren't enough on their own and the more limber you keep your body, the longer you postpone the damage.
(Also, the tendons from your calves go to your lower back, so calf stretches can help with pain at the base of your spine)
Try one of these https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-High-Density-Round-Roller-36-inches/dp/B00XM2MRGI/ to stretch, just lay with it up your spine from your butt to your neck and put your arms out.
Also what the guy said about bands and anti-inflammatories, look up the Throwers 10 program.
Agree with a cheap one from Amazon. I use this one and it does the job https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XM2MRGI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_B41WB585Z1PN4ZE6HC1Z?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Yeah, after than initial whoosh, 1-2 lb per week is definitely a comfortable rate. I'd also recommend a foam roller, Amazon Basics has a good one:
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-High-Density-Roller-Speckled-Colors/dp/B00XM2MRGI?th=1
Yes! What's helped me mitigate the pain over the years is to: 1) do 15 minutes of stretching/mobility exercises first thing in the morning (free routines are available on the Nike Training App and 2) take a break from walking and do a "lower back squat stretch". I also use a foam roller afterwards. It's only a few bucks on Amazon.
It's unfortunate that your chiropractor has not been more forthcoming in terms of patient education on topics like spinal rehabilitation, mobility exercises, indentification of weak vs. tight muscle groups, ect. but also your physical therapist? That's, like, what a physical therapist is supposed to be good at. Maybe you can look into options nearby but off base that would be willing to spend more time with you. A quick Google search may help find a chiropractor with a wider variety of services.
If you have the option to do this, here are some protocols that my help you which a provider may advertise on their website: selective functional movement assessment (SFMA), functional movement screening (FMS), myofascial release; instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM/Graston); functional rehab; kinesiotaping (RockTape or KT); McKenzie mechanical diagnosis and therapy (MDT); and Active Release Technique (ART). Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head that may relate to you. However, I will say that without a thorough history & examination I can only guess at what may be appropriate for you and this is in no way an accurate guaranteed solution to your problem.
Lastly, if your primary issue is that you are tight, spinal movement is restricted, your posture has been identified as poor and you are seriously interested in putting the time into fixing yourself, I will rattle off some techniques and resources that may help you get an idea of where to focus your attention. Since you have identified your thoracic spine as the primary region for which you seek treatment it is important to understand what is normal and then compare yourself against that (with an exam). Normal T-Spine range of motion (active or passive) goes something like, flexion; 50-70 degrees, extension; 20-30 degrees, lateral flexion; 25-35 degrees, and rotation; 40-55 degrees. So when doing exercises you have to make sure you are working through each and every plane of movement as well as stretching/releasing the muscle groups that activate motion respectively. That's some Google searching and light reading that you can do on your own.
Finally, here are some exercises you can add to focus on mobility. If you do not have a foam roll, get one. Exercise bands help too but the foam roll is numero uno. Something inexpensive like this roller as an example will do just fine. Exercises that focus on rotation & extension such as quadriped thoracic extension and thoracic windmill and the modified reverse fly and band resisted thoracic extension are just a few examples of exercises work well for covering the rotational component of thoracic movement. The Foam Roll Thoracic Extension is definitely a cornerstone movement for thoracic mobility. Lastly, a common occurrence in patients with postural and thoracic mobility/pain issues is that breathing patterns and diaphragmatic muscle activation is less than optimal. For this area, your yoga is a great tool for retraining breathing patterns to be functionally sound. A quick exercise that incorporates breathing and postural correction is the Brugger exercise as an example of this important part of thoracic mobility and postural rehabilitation.
Everything I have presented here is to present ideas of what types of exercises may help you if your condition is primarily musculoskeletal in nature. Your past medical history and instructions given to you directly by your primary care physician, physical therapist, chiropractor, physiatrist or orthopedic specialist that you have had direct contact with is going to be the law, as they have had the time for a proper exam. That said, no one component alone is going to fix you. Incorporating healthy lifestyle components like good nutrition, proper hydration, adaquate sleep, regular chiropractic corrective adjustments and stress reduction is just as important as anything else I've presented here. In closing, as questions. If you have questions that your doctor's won't answer for you, fire them. If you have to go elsewhere, go. If you have to pay out of pocket for care you need because your insurance doesn't cover what actually helps you then that's something you have to come to terms with. Everyone wants the best of the best until they have to pay for it. A good practitioner of physical medicine that will spend the time with you to teach you to do as much as you can independently so as to correct the cause of the problem instead of just treating symptoms can save you a lot of time, aggravation, pain and need for medical intervention later in life if you follow through with their instructions. I hope something I have presented here helps you. When your buddies have similar problems, share the information that helped you get through it. Knowledge exists to be shared for the benefit of everyone, not hoarded behind a pay wall. However, health care providers spend a lot of time learning techniques and information to help heal those in need and those skills are worth the cost of changing lives, eliminating pain, giving people their lives, their health, and their mobility back to people who forgot what it was like to function as a normal human should from a biomechanical/kinematic perspective. Good luck and thank you for your service.
do yourself a favor and go buy yourself one of these things.
Did you know those foam rollers at the gym are cheap? Foam Roller