For those who suffer from mild to moderate back pain - what do you do when you have to move (relocate from your current residence)?
I have a cross-country move coming up and frankly I'm not sure how I'm going to handle the moving details. I can't really help move furniture, heavy boxes, well pretty much everything in my house. Would this be the appropriate time to put the crowbar to my wallet and pay someone to do it for me?
I'm afraid that if I try to do too much I'll have a relapse of my back problems and have to start a new job in terrible pain and discomfort.
Note: The vast majority of my stuff will go straight to storage - so it won't move with me.
Ruptured Psoas, ruptured Quadrus Lumborum, sprained sacro-illiac joint, torn inner oblique (from the rehab, not the injury), slight bulge in L4-L5 disc.
Up until a week ago - totally pain free and back to a healthy workout and lifestyle. Now I'm back to square one.
We moved about 250 miles a few years back. We rented a uhaul but paid movers to load on that end and also to unload on this end. I still ended up doing too much and paid dearly for it. Break out the crowbar and save your back. Good luck.
I am in no way associated with the medical field. Anything that I post comes from personal experience only.
DDD, Facet Arthropathy, DJD,Collapsed Disc, Sleep Apnea
PT, Epidurals, Facet Blocks,Medial Branch Block, Rhizotomy,Discogram,Annular Tare L3/L4 Endoscopic MicroD and PLDD,
Methadone, Percocet, Baclofen, Welbutrin
i have moved many times and each time it gets more and more difficult..
if you can afford it, go the way of having someone do it for you.. 
the wear and tear on your back is so not worth it... your tears and aches and pains will make you sorry you did not let go of the cash... so please take j.j. Grey's and my advice and have someone do it for you.. there is still alot of work you will have to do,like putting all the boxes away!!! so get a mover and that way you will save your back.. 
think about it!! Jenny 
Double laminectomy L4-L5, bulging discs, DDD, Bone spurs, nerve damage in left leg and hip, DJD, and that to familiar visitor,arthritis
My two cents -- definitely pay for the movers! If you're moving cross country and starting a new job, you have enough emotional stress to make your pain levels spike. No need to add an additional level by straining muscles.
Best of luck, sounds exciting, starting a new adventure!
Judy
Herniated disk (L5) no surgeries to date, super nasty nerve pain, left leg. 3 epidurals (Jan, Feb 09) (Short term relief) June 09, Second opinion from Ortho doc with new MRI -- not a surgery candidate -- referred to pain management doctor.
Not to sound like a broken record, but "pay someone else to move you". My husband and I recently relocated and even with paying a company to move us, I found myself fiddling around with stuff in preparation and of course with things after we arrived. It's just going to happen. However, it does settle back down. The key was to have others there to do all the repetitive motion of pulling things out of cabinets and placing them in boxes and loading and unloading and even unpacking! Moving companies have what they call "door to door service" which means all you do is stand or sit there and give them directions and they do all the work. This includes removal of all packing material and boxes.
"C"
"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain. "
- Dolly Parton
I've done moves both by myself (well, with help from friends and family of course) and with professional movers. Let me tell you, having professionals move you is so much better!! If you can afford it, hire movers for the whole move, ie packing and unpacking as well as the actual relocation, it's so much easier on the body and the mind. Plus, if they break or damage something, it's covered under insurance. If you can't afford all of that, then definitely hire them for just the loading and unloading part of it. Either way, you won't regret it.
Kelly
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Anterior Foraminotomy in April 09 for:
stenosis C4/C5, protruding disc at C5/C6 with osteophyte complex, herniated disc at C6/C7
OA in neck, hip, knees
PTSD and Anxiety Disorder
**A Proud Canadian Soldier**
BUT NOT A DOCTOR!!! My thoughts are just that... my thoughts based solely on my experiences, so take them for what they're worth (and sometimes they may not be worth much)