Back pain, steadily worsening, radiating up and down? Help :-(

Posted , 5 users are following.

Around 3 weeks ago I awoke with lower back pain that I managed with anti-inflammatories and other painkillers. Soon after the pain began radiating to hips and both legs. The intensity of the pain would worsen and relieve slightly giving me periods of respite. However, for around a week now it has been steadily getting worse. Also around 1 week ago my upper back began to ache too, and I had a slight swelling, but with heat and ibuprofen this seems to have gone down but the pain is continuing. 

Today my entire back is aching (lower back, upper back, everywhere), as are my hips and legs (mainly down the front, but the backs of legs are slightly tender) and my sacrum and tailbone area feels very sore. Any movement I make today sends pain through my entire back and I can find no comfortable position. Occassionally my flank aches too. 

Is this just standard back pain, and does anyone know of anything I could do to ease it before GP surgeries open again? The pain is driving me insane. 

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • Posted

    You should be using ice not heat on your back. It's important to use ice on new injuries because it helps reduce inflammation. Also you didn't describe the type of pain, is it sharp or dull achy how would you describe it?

    • Posted

      Thanks for the reply. I’m always aware of the pain, it’s a constant ache that is sharp with sudden movements. Even when I breathe in pain seems to radiate throughout the back. 

      Thank you - I’m getting the ice! 

  • Posted

    I can't say this is an absolute given but my experience with other people's back pain is that if it is a sharp pain it is usually temporary. The long lasting disabling back pain is normally a dull ache. Understandably everyone is different. Of course any pain radiating down your leg is a different kind of pain. Most people describe it as an electrical shock running down their leg or feeling like bugs. But that is when it's sciatic pain from the sciatic nerve being punched. I've known a few people who have trouble sitting as do I. I have cushions on all my hard chairs so that I can sit on them for a few minutes without pain. But I am lucky because I know someone who can't sit on any surface without pain. I wish you the best of luck with this problem. Be sure that your doctor orders an x-ray of your back. You might eventually need an MRI but starting with a regular x-ray is the normal course of things.

    • Posted

      Thank you. It’s not as if I had even been doing anything to injure myself - I was simply awoken in the middle of the night with back and hip pain 3 weeks ago. I’ll continue with the ice, awkward positions and anti-inflammatories until I can see my GP. 
  • Posted

    I've known people to have their pain begin when they bent over to pick up a piece of paper. Apparently you must have pulled it in your sleep and it did not have to be anything tremendous. Just a simple pull of the muscle in the wrong direction can do it. And in fact some people have their pain start for no apparent reason.

  • Posted

    Hello,

     please don't take backpain as simple thing.why dont u take treatments? Like massages of ayurvedic treatments..Reasons of backpain can be many but treatment should be taken in time.i suggest you ayurveda treatment for you.

    • Posted

      Hi neetha60462,

      Thanks for your response. I got an appointment with my GP at the start of the week and I’ve had scans and things done yesterday. The pain into the front of my hips and groin worsened to the point I could quite honestly hardly stand. I’d never felt anything like it. Hopefully I’m on the way to getting it sorted. 

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