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Lower back pain

Posted , 4 users are following.

Wilksinator
Wilksinator

Hi, I hope someone can help. So my lower back has been causing me alot of pain. I went to the doctors around 3 months ago. He booked me an appointment at the local MRI with a suspected slipped disc, after a little while my back started to feel a bit better, still stiff and pain when bending over but nothing like when I first did it, I still went for my scan. About a week later, whilst putting my socks on, my back seized up in agony, I couldn't move and my legs went dead (pins and needles etc) Took around an hour before I could simply move, the pain was off the chart.

So the MRI scan has come back normal!! (took 5 weeks for the MRI to come back) My back is better than it was a few weeks ago but still sore and stiff.

So if its not a slipped disc what is it? I've got to wait another week to see my doctor, I'm just super fed up now. I'm a young bloke with no history of back problems. I've tried some stretches etc that I found online, but these seem to make my back incredibly weak when going about my day to day life (almost like I can feel its about to slip or hurt if you get my meaning)

Would appreciate any advice.

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • Nefret
    Nefret Wilksinator

    Posted

    According to your post I don't think your problems have anything to do with either PMR or GCA.  You could try some of the other forums for AS or DDD although the MRI came back clear.

    It may possibly be a trapped nerve problem so you could look at information for that as well.

     

  • EileenH
    EileenH Wilksinator

    Posted

    My personal suggestion would be muscle spasm which is trapping the nerves - the effect is similar to having a slipped disc but the cause is different. There are a few causes, one is myofascial pain syndrome, another can be inflammation of the sacroiliac joint. A good physiotherapist should be able to identify where the problem is if it is that. In fact - I never understand why patients are referred for MRI first and for a physical examination second. An orthopaedic specialist told me my low back pain which stopped me walking more than a few hundred yards without severe cramping pain was "wear and tear and there's nothing to be done - live with it!" - no real examination, no scans, nothing. Eventually I was referred to the pain clinic here in Italy after an episode like you describe and when the initial treatment normally used here resulted in a bad reaction to the medication  - my back muscles were like concrete, spasmed to protect against further damage and therefore causing pain. Physio and cortisone injections have pretty much dealt with it. In the past in the UK I had a Bowen practitioner and an osteopath who worked to prevent it happening - that is also worth trying, especially the Bowen technique (google it). As is medical massage (a sports physio is usually a good place to look for that).

    Good luck - but what I have suggested is more likely to get a good result than a GP who will hand out strong painkillers which may mask the pain - they won't deal with the cause and you will have the same sort of episodes again. The Germans call it a "witch's shot" - appropriate I always felt!

  • blodwyn
    blodwyn Wilksinator

    Posted

     Hi,I suffered from lower back pain for many years from the age of 25 and learned to deal with it with the help of a chiropractor.He didn't cure me but helped me learn how to deal with it.The worst thing to do is bed rest.You must try to keep moving.What job do you do? I followed an exercise regime designed to strenghen my muscles.Back pain is notoriously difficult to diagnose.It could be a trapped nerve which may be helped by traction or a stretching exercise.However having experienced it I can quite confidently say that it's very unlikely to be PMR.

    Ask your GP to refer you to a chiropractor or osteopath.Unfortunately this sort of condition is very common even in young people and rarely shows up on MRI scan or xray. For me the answer was painkillers,exercise and physiotherapy.

    Good luck.

     

    • EileenH
      EileenH blodwyn

      Posted

      Yes - alternative techniques are better than just painkillers - but I can't imagine the NHS having a GP who would/could refer to an osteopath! But they are worth every penny it costs when you find a good one!
    • blodwyn
      blodwyn EileenH

      Posted

      Hi,yes I agree it's difficult to get a GP to refer you to an osteopath or chiropractor but unfortunately I suffered for almost 20 years with chronic lower back pain until I saw one.I took a friend's advice and consulted one privately in the end.

      I've I had to give up jobs, had difficulty driving, terrible sciatica..in short it ruined my life and that of my children for years simply because GPs didn't know how to treat it.

      I was given bed rest on a board under the mattress which gave me weak muscles for lack of use,asprin which gave me stomach problems, heat treatment which made things worse.My answer was appropriate exercise,to try to keep moving,painkillers ( not asprin ) and physiotherapy and I've not suffered from this condition now for nearly 20 years and if I do get signs of it I now know how to deal with it. 

    • EileenH
      EileenH blodwyn

      Posted

      Oh absolutely blodwyn - my back trouble started in my early 20s and as long as I was in the UK I had the phone number of an osteopath handy! I also used Bowen therapy which is also good - and both together was sometimes needed. I did Pilates and that helped a lot. But I moved to Italy nearly 5 years ago, Bowen almost doesn't exist and both Bowen and osteopathy are only available at prices that make the UK look cheap as chips! I don't have the income to spend up to £500 evey time I have a bad back since with PMR it can happen more often. And the healthservice here does include options you don't get in the UK so it is swings and roundabouts.
  • jennissw
    jennissw Wilksinator

    Posted

    I agree...trapped nerve which will not be seen on MRI - I suffer from this off and on and it can be very severe and can resolve itself and be helped with antiinflammatories and even valium sometimes.

    You need to go back to your GP.

    • EileenH
      EileenH jennissw

      Posted

      Yes - it was valium given by an infusion that they wanted to use here - unfortunately I had a rare but known reaction to it so we had to go the long way round! Though since I'd had a couple of lots of the valium before they realised what was going on it had already worked fairly well!
    • jennissw
      jennissw EileenH

      Posted

      I dont take it as it makes my heart go a bigt whacky but, my x husband had it when the pain was severe and it helped him climb the stairs to bed. I am so sensitive to most meds.
    • EileenH
      EileenH jennissw

      Posted

      Bet it doesn't go as wacky as mine went! Atrial fibrillation with a heart rate of 230 for most of about 5 hours, interspersed with bradycardias of 30 to 40. Two nights in a row. Until my husband googled "iv valium" and found it was a rare but known side effect. So I declined a further lot - they'd stopped the mega-dose pred by then as they thought it might have been that causing it. I can only say it was an interesting few hours and I scared a couple of nurses almost to death! However - by then it had dealt with the worst of the pain and I could move again which was a start.
    • jennissw
      jennissw EileenH

      Posted

      Infortunately it does go very wacky too. I have suffered severe ectopics for years and used to get 6 - 8K a day until I sorted my stoamch out a bit. I also get bouts of svt and brachy - I have a very large group on Face Book, with many joining every day. I still get them but not as much or as many but do get several bouts of svt a day.
    • EileenH
      EileenH jennissw

      Posted

      Ooooh - how nice to find someone else like me! They did look at me as if I were something from Mars! However, as far as I know their selection of medications has done a fairish job...
  • blodwyn
    blodwyn Wilksinator

    Posted

    Hi go to patient.info and look up the treatment for lower back pain.There's a lot of good advice there.When I was first treated GPs gave me weeks of bed rest  on a mattress with a board under it which resulted in me suffering for many years.This treatment has now been proved wrong. I know it's difficult but you must try to keep moving.Take painkillers on a regular basis throughout the day to help you get through and don't give in to it.You can get through this.
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