Fell down on some stairs :(
 

So, it was raining and I slipped and fell onto the stairs. Needless to say, I'm pretty sure I bruised my lower back pretty well. Does anyone know how long until the bruise feels better? I have final exams next week :(

Ekks. I recommend you to see a doctor about this. You don't want to have back problems later down the line in life.

I would definately agree to see a doctor but in the meantime try to ease the pain with a bath soak with epsom salt.

Just fill a bathtub with warm water and 2 cups of salts. It works wonders to help reduce stress and relax muscles.

I think you will find only time will heal bruises, make sure you sit on seats with plenty of cusioning for comfort.

Also, be careful walking down stairs in future:thumbsup:

RICE that sucker. Rest, ice, compression, elevation. Obviously it's hard to elevate your lower back, but rest, ice, and compression with an ACE bandage or brace will help. Taking NSAIDs for the pain and swelling is also a good idea--ibuprofen or naproxen sodium is best; Tylenol is not an NSAID.

Also, an herbal remedy has helped me a lot with bruising/pain. Go to your local organic food store and look in their herbal/naturopathy/homeopathy aisle for arnica montana in a topical gel. Boiron makes a good, safe product, and the arnica really helped when I badly bruised my knee a month or so ago. It will help with the pain, swelling, and keep the bruising down.

Ouch! Sorry to hear that.

Hopefully you've been resting and gulping ibuprofen. Chances are it could take a while until you're back to par. If you don't feel somewhat better within a couple of days, you should probably go see the dreaded doctor.

I just fell down my back steps today, courtesy of three or four steps that are entirely encased in ice. I feel your pain. I don't think anything will help, really, besides rest and maybe some ice. I also like the bath idea, I might do that except my bathtub is really disgusting.

ice it up 20 minutes at a time 3 or 4 times a day. numbs it up and keeps any swelling down
switch to warm packs after a couple of days if its still bothering you. if there is a bruise, it will help it to clear up faster.
motrin 600-800mg every 6 hours as needed. naprosyn works well too.
if your young, it should clear up in a couple of days. few days if you are older.

Arnica is great! I use it all the time.

ibuprofen as well as acting as a pain killer acts as an anit inflammatory so it might be worth taking some or getting the gel that you can put onto the site of pain
i feel for you as i have done this myself, not only does it give you a shock it bloody hurts, hope your feeling better soon

Yeah, the last few days have not been fun. Ibuprofen has been helping, though I have yet to get arnica.