Do you have to play the role of an elderly person in a play? Or do you want to prank your friends? Whatever the reason, to learn how to convincingly fake a back injury you will need to choose a realistic type of injury, memorize the symptoms and train in acting… with the right guidance it will be child's play! It is important to point out, however, that you shouldn't never fake a back injury for personal gain, as it is a fraud.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Fake a Distortion or a Tear
Step 1. Act as if part of your back hurts or is extremely sensitive
Strains and sprains are two types of similar (but not identical) problems with related symptoms affecting the back. Tears typically occur when a muscle or tendon is torn or stretched, while sprains affect the ligaments. Either way, this type of injury will generally be associated with noticeable pain that will gradually pass over a week or two. To convincingly fake such an injury, you will have to pretend that part of your back (e.g. upper, lower, shoulder area, etc.) hurts you a lot, like a bad blow.
- For example, let's say you are pretending that you have suffered a tear in your upper back after trying to pick up a heavy box, assuming the wrong posture. If so, to produce a credible staging, you could do the following:
- Groaning or screaming in pain as the injury "occurs".
- Let the "pain" gradually subside over the course of about an hour, until the back simply becomes "sore".
- Jerk whenever something touches your upper back (e.g. when a friend pats you on the back, accidentally bumps a coat hanger, etc.).
- Move slowly and gently when you need to support your upper back (e.g. sitting in a chair, etc.).
Step 2. Pretend the pain intensifies with movement
A true tear or sprain can leave you feeling the same as after exercising hard, but in the wrong way. In the period of time it takes your body to repair damaged ligaments, tendons or muscles, the surrounding area will be more sensitive to any kind of discomfort, even those caused by a simple movement. If you intend to stage this type of injury, then you will have to pretend to feel pain and simulate a sense of stiffness every time you move the affected part of the back.
- For example, if you are pretending to have suffered a sprain in the upper back, every time you do these movements you assume a facial expression full of pain and behave as if you do not have your normal flexibility available:
- Throwing something.
- Collect something from the ground.
- Tearing something (e.g. packaging, hard food, etc.).
- Putting on or taking off your coat.
- Raise one hand.
- Doing any type of strenuous exercise (such as running, jumping, etc.).
Step 3. You can also try to act out cramps or spasms
In fact, particularly severe sprains and tears can inflame the muscles in the area of the injury, causing painful contractions called cramps, or involuntary movements called spasms. Cramps and spasms can be very painful and typically occur when the affected muscles are used, although they can sometimes occur quite randomly. A cramp should be more "painful" than just aching from a healing sprain or tear, so try to stage the pain and amazement you feel well. Additionally, your muscles will eventually contract and tighten, so you should probably pretend to flex your back muscles forcefully until the cramp is "gone" (which typically will take a minute or two.)
- For example, to fake an upper back cramp you could do this:
- When there are other people nearby, bend over to pick up something from the ground. Jiggle and touch your lower back.
- You twist your face into a sore grimace as people watch you. Stand up very slowly and pretend you are still in severe pain.
- Let the "pain" gradually subside over the course of the day.
Step 4. Prepare a compelling story to explain the distortion or tear
Pretending to have suffered this type of injury will generally attract many curious questions, so make sure you have a good story ready for use. Generally, most of the sprains and strains in the back result from having excessively strained the muscles, tendons and / or ligaments (or all these parts of the body at the same time). Strains and distortions can have slightly different causes, so make sure you know the difference so you don't hurt the credibility of your story. Below you will find a list of possible causes.
- The tears they are usually caused by:
- Suddenly twisting or pulling the muscles in the back, especially when carrying a heavy load.
- Fatigue your muscles by trying to lift too heavy a load.
- Strain the back muscles too frequently, especially with poor postures.
- The sprains are typically caused by:
- A sudden blow to the back.
- A fall.
- Forcing the back to stretch beyond its natural flexibility.
- A sudden twisting or bending of the back.
Step 5. Learn how to "cure" the sprain or tear
Make the sprain or tear in your back more believable by pretending to cure it. Typically this type of injury, although painful, can be cured with simple home remedies which should be pretty easy to stage! These injuries typically improve with the following treatments:
- Ice packs.
- Warm compresses or baths.
- Small doses of over-the-counter pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medications (such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, etc.).
- Gentle massages (for cramps).
- Slowly release tension in the muscles (for cramps).
- Rest (especially for more severe sprains or strains); Doctors generally advise not to stay in bed beyond two days, as prolonged rest periods can slow recovery. It is up to you whether to apply this rule in the case of your bogus injury.
Method 2 of 3: Pretend a Herniated Disc
Step 1. Choose whether or not to simulate neuropathic pain
A herniated disc (also called a herniated disc) is a type of injury that occurs when one of the fluid-containing discs between the back vertebrae ruptures, spilling the fluid inside them into the surrounding areas and causing a painful inflammation that can also affect the nerves. Disc herniations generally fall into two categories: to start, choose which of the two you want to simulate.
-
Hernia with sciatica:
the actual disc (usually located in the lower back) may or may not be inflamed but, in addition, the affected person will experience excruciating pain, called sciatica, in one or both legs or from the neck to the arm.
-
Localized herniated disc:
in this type of injury it will only be the area around the disc itself that is inflamed and painful.
- The rest of this section will focus mainly on how to stage a hernia with sciatica, since it is more difficult to represent. To mimic the pain caused by a localized herniated disc, pretend that your lower back is very sore and stiff (like a blow) and that bending, turning, or carrying heavy loads causes you to feel a lot of pain. intense.
Step 2. Pretend shooting pains in your lower body or arm
One of the "manual" symptoms of pain caused by a herniated disc is the appearance of intense and sudden pain in one or more limbs after the occurrence of the injury. This occurs due to the liquid leaking from the ruptured disc, which puts pressure on the base of the nerve and causes an intense sensation of pain, even if the limb is not actually injured. Typically a herniated disc will cause this type of excruciating pain in one or both legs, but sometimes neck and arm spasms may also occur.
- Pain in the legs it is typically most intense in the glutes or hamstring, but can also occur in the calf or foot. Pain in the arm it can be concentrated in the neck, shoulders, elbow, hand or arm itself. In either case, the pain can be so intense that it causes painful exclamations, gasps, and prevents you from performing common actions that you would normally do without problems. Pain can appear when you perform an activity that strains the lower back, not the limb itself, among which we can mention:
- Get up or sit down.
- Lean backwards.
- Hunch over or turn around.
- Carrying heavy loads.
- Extend one leg forward (because doing so tightens the lower back and hip muscles, not because you are using the leg muscles).
Step 3. Pretend to feel tingling in the limbs or a feeling of numbness
Another symptom of a herniated disc that indicates nervous suffering is an annoying tingling sensation practically identical to that experienced when a limb falls asleep. This sensation can be accompanied by a sense of numbness, but it can also occur if the affected limb maintains its complete sensitivity. Typically, the numbness is localized in the same place where the nerve pain caused by the injury occurs.
The tingling is generally not exactly painful, so don't try to "stage" it with particular intensity. You may want to remember to mention it, though, to add credibility to your play. You can also pretend that, by trying to use the affected limb when you are experiencing this tingling, you feel it as "numb" (just as if it were asleep, as already explained above)
Step 4. Pretend that the affected limb has become stiff and weak
The nerve damage caused by an injury to the spinal discs can cause the same muscles affected by this very intense pain to quickly become weaker and less flexible than before, even if outwardly they appear normal. These changes can affect the posture and gait of the person concerned, especially when the pain hits one of the legs. Sometimes this type of problem is also accompanied by the occurrence of contractions.
- For example, if you are faking leg pain from a disc injury, try to pretend that your muscles are affected by the following problems:
- Having a limp and lopsided gait, keeping the affected leg as if it were more rigid than normal. This type of walking should be accentuated immediately after doing something to stimulate the injury (bending over, turning over, standing up, etc.).
- Not being able to lift and straighten the affected leg too much without feeling pain and stiffness (remember this is one of the tests doctors do to diagnose this type of injury).
- Not being able to perform activities that use leg strength without experiencing pain, such as running and kicking, or activities with a strong impact such as jumping.
Step 5. Prepare a compelling story
Most disc herniations affect the lower back, so they can be caused by activities that excessively strain the muscles and structures in this area. Some herniated discs are caused by a single and defined lesion, while others develop over time, due to poor posture or age. Here are some activities known to cause herniated discs that you could use to make your story more believable:
- Bending or turning abruptly, especially when holding a heavy load.
- Fatigue the lower back by bending backwards or forwards with the wrong posture, especially when holding a heavy load.
- Use your back muscles (not leg muscles) to lift heavy loads.
- Wear related to aging.
- More rarely, get a sudden blow to the back or fall.
Step 6. Pretend you are healing yourself
In general, the herniated disc that causes sciatica should be diagnosed and monitored by a doctor. Though you must not telling a doctor about false symptoms (as it would be a serious waste of his time and experience), you could pretend that you are thinking about going to the doctor, in order to increase the credibility of your story.
The pain caused by a herniated disc can be alleviated with anti-inflammatory treatments such as ice packs, hot packs, taking ibuprofen and so on. However, these remedies alone will not be enough to heal such a lesion, but will only serve to diminish the pain temporarily. Although most people who suffer from hernias get better within six weeks, sometimes more powerful medicines, or even an operation, may be needed
Method 3 of 3: Fake a Spine Fracture
Step 1. Pretend to experience severe, debilitating back pain
A spine fracture (also called "vertebral fracture") is a very serious injury, which can sometimes even cause permanent damage to the body. This type of injury occurs when one or more vertebrae in the back break or separate. The most immediate symptom is severe pain in the middle or lower back, which makes it impossible to keep moving. The pain may be similar to that of a fracture in another bone (such as one of the bones in the arm), only in this case it will affect the back.
Faking this kind of pain can be challenging. At the time of the "injury", in fact, you should immediately scream in pain, fall to the ground and start wincing and squirming from the intensity of the pain. If you are able to cry on command, this is a good time to practice your skills
Step 2. Act as if the pain "gets worse" when you stand or move
Just like most broken bones, fractures in the spine cause constant pain that persists after the initial injury. The pain is particularly intensified with any movement that strains the back, even if only minimally, including:
- Standing.
- Walk.
- Get up or sit down.
- Bend over.
- Turn around.
Step 3. Continue feigning moderate pain even while lying down
One of the worst things about spinal fractures is that even staying in bed doesn't completely reduce pain. Since it is impossible to lie flat without partially straining certain points on the back, even resting in bed will be painful, although not as painful as standing or moving. Typically, for actual fractures, the pain can be relieved with pain relievers or sedatives.
Step 4. Keep your back curved or bent
Since a spine fracture involves concrete physical damage to the back structure, it could cause actual changes to a person's position and posture (although it was more common in the past when treatment for this type of injury was limited). Try to stage this kind of problem in your staging. More specifically, spine fractures can cause:
- A "hump" posture.
- A decrease in height.
- Inability to stand up straight.
Step 5. Pretend (optionally) nerve injury
When you suffer a spinal fracture, the bone of the broken vertebra can put pressure against the nerves of the spine (although not necessarily). In this case, the symptoms are very similar to those that may occur in a herniated disc, including:
- Shooting pain in one or more limbs.
- A tingling sensation, as if the limb had fallen asleep.
- Weakness and stiffness in the affected limb.
- In severe cases, loss of bladder / bowel control.
Step 6. Have a good story ready
Spinal fractures are typically caused by sudden, violent injuries. It can be difficult to stage these types of injuries; for example, convincing your friends that you have just been involved in a car accident could take a lot of work. Knowing the types of injuries that can result in a spinal fracture, however, may help if you intend to pretend you suffered one a long time ago. Here are some examples:
- Serious car accidents.
- Bad falls.
- Shootings.
- Injuries in a violent sport (such as a rugby tackle, etc.).
- Wounds in combat.
- Remember that all of the above examples will typically cause you other injuries as well such as broken bones, scars, lacerations and so on. If you are trying to reproduce a staging as authentic as possible, keep this in mind.
Step 7. Pretend you are healing
A spine fracture cannot be treated at home with a couple of over-the-counter medications. This type of fracture requires immediate medical attention to establish the extent of the damage suffered, so that the appropriate drugs are prescribed and other serious problems can be treated, such as damage to the nervous system and so on. Do not try to have your phony spine fracture treated by a doctor. As mentioned earlier, this would be a blatant abuse of medical resources that could have very serious consequences. If you intend to pretend that you have already been discharged from the hospital, it is advisable to proceed as follows:
- Wear a lumbar band or back cast.
- Don't stand up.
- Wear compression stockings (special stockings designed to prevent blood clots from forming in the legs of bedridden people).
- It mimics the symptoms of nerve damage noted above.
- Take small doses of over-the-counter pain and inflammation medications. Do not take stronger pain relievers, as they can have serious side effects if used incorrectly.
Advice
- Try purchasing a lower back band at your local drugstore to complete the staging, especially if you are pretending to have a lower back injury.
- If you intend to fake a back tear in the most realistic way possible, you can try using some makeup to mimic the presence of superficial bruises in the wound area.
Warnings
- Try not to assume bad postures for extended periods of time when you pretend to have hurt yourself. A crooked or sagging posture can cause serious pain (and, over time, even real damage to the back).
- It is worth remembering that you must never, ever, ever pretend that you have a back problem as a form of fraud (e.g. to stay home while sick, etc.). Not only would it be dishonest, but it is also a crime for which it is possible to go to jail.
