Posted , 7 users are following.
ive got constant pain very lower back. I thought it might be sciatic but pain on both sides. Pain in a rectangle in lower back. It does track down underneath buttock area but no rest. Can someone relate to this? I start out walking and worry I won't make it back as it takes my breath away. Had X-ray two days ago, results in a week. Thank you
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elizabeth20203 Reymax
Posted
Elizabeth.
spinworm Reymax
Posted
I cannot say what you have but my experience is pain that started over 20 years ago after an accident. Quite debilitating at times when walking but after being seated for twenty minutes or so much easier to cope with. The pain causes a sharp intake of breath and that triggers more pain, which is familiar!
Daily tasks that required extension of arms, carrying, washing up (nobody believes this one), cutting the lawn all triggered a bad episode. However, a load on my back (rucksack) and the onset is often delayed. You do look daft cutting the lawn looking like Sherpa Tensing!
I have had more x-rays and MRI's than I can count, all resulted in a shrug of the shoulders. Having been on increasing strong pain killers over the years there was another specialist last year. He diagnosed fibromyalgia, not something I was convinced about but the end result was Fentanyl patches. These took all the pain away but they come with a variety of side effects. I had to come off them after Christmas, a most unpleasant experience.
However, on the positive side the pain has not returned, my activity levels are much improved, I wouldn't say I'm fixed but it is all very manageable now. I don't know why the pain has gone and no one has the time or enthusiasm to take a poke about to see if it could help anyone else. I'm 60 so the lower vertebrae are now fusing, trapped nerve stabilised? Increased activity, core muscle strength much better? I’m sure the Fentanyl helped by allowing greater physical activity.
My experience (others may disagree) has shown that if there is nothing obvious on x-ray/MRI there is little they can do. Pilates, physiotherapy, pain killers and sympathy has been my treatment and that isn’t criticism of most professionals I have dealt with, most have been as frustrated about it as I have.
I suggest that you think about movement, do you have any repetitive tasks, is there anything you could do differently, is your general posture aggravating an injury? These are the sort of things you can do yourself and be in control.
I understand your situation and one of the aspects (with the benefit of hindsight) I wish I had pushed for was pain management. I was going though opiate withdrawal (not one I expected for the bucket list) and there was an excellent programme on Radio 4, a doctor in the Bristol area and how she didn’t believe pain killers were that effective and those that are have undesirable side effects. The pain that we suffer is (after all) only electrical stimulation of the brain and as such it isn’t actually where we feel it. Has anyone had experience of pain management as an alternative to pain killers, I would be interested to learn of others experiences?
jenny spinworm
Posted
Last November I had a heavy fall tripping over something in a dark car park and breaking my right elbow and nose.
I also landed heavily on both knees and now nearly six months later it has come back big time affecting both my lower back, right hip and both knees. Going up and down stairs or slopes is very painful and I can't straighten up.
The doctor gave me diazepam and a whole load of carefully chosen pain killers as I have digestive problems. They helped a lot except after a deep sleep I woke feeling as my head was stuffed with cotton wool. The most helpful thing was six days using belladonna plasters, but the effects gradually wore off and now I am worse than ever plus I am itching all over and getting no sleep. All difficult to contend with as also have a 94 year old husband with Alzheimers and I do most of what is needed without any help on a day to day basis.
My osteopath says it is the sacro iliac joints causing the pain, the doctor says a trapped nerve and OA, which I know I have had since the accident. What next I wonder. I cannot take painkillers as they stop me coping and only mask pain and when you have them all the time they don't have any effect.
I did have pain management about 30 years ago at The Mddlesex hospital, bt then it consisted of diazepam daily and acting like a zombie. After two years I discharged myself.
I now understand that you can be referred for pain management courses, but have to be vetted thoroughly first before being considered. perhaps we should all get down on all fours again, which incidentally helps!
Good luck Jenny
Holly1974 Reymax
Posted
An X-ray will show if any bone probelms, but usualy MRI scan done for back problems as can see the soft tissue too, such as herniated / bulging discs and if nerve entrapment. Neve irritation is not always so easy to see, and an MRI scan done when lay down can may not show how you are affacted when stood up. My pain clinic dr wold me this a few years ago and said there are a few machines that can do 'stood up'' MRI scans,although keeping still for so long may be a challenge !! I get sciatica down both legs, left and right buttocks, like adagger going in, then track down outer leg/ back of leg and down outer part of foot and into outisde toes. It varies in intensity and if nerve pain alone or whether the leg decides to go ''dead'' ( numb) to0....always come back eventually, I have 3 bulging discs, narrowing of the foramina which the nerves pass through ( like a polp mint shape ) and some osteoartritis too. Diff. to say which responsible for which, so I would sit tight and await to see what an MRI reveals. I get other nerve pain too, nerve pain that radiates around outer part of hip ( originates from spine I am told ), also occasioanlly get it where like someone pouring scolding hot water down front upper part of my thigh, that is pretty intense too. There are not many meds that work for nerve pain, and those that do come with costly side effect profiles !!. See if their are any postional/physio stretches you can do that may take the pressure off the nerves, also I find Minfullness meditation helps as relaxes the body, and natural reaction to pain it to tense up which makes it worse ( I have good materials by Vidymala Burch, have a look on Amazon if it becomes longer term worth a look )...Good Luck