Severe back pain only when lying down
Posted , 100 users are following.
Hi,
I am enquiring about a problem i have been experiencing with my back over the last couple of weeks.
Whenever i lay on my back in bed i get severe pain in the lower right side of my back and i have to take shallow breathes because it hurts too much to take full breathes. Depending on how i lie in bed depends on whereabouts its hurts and how painful it is. For example, if i lay on flat on my back or my left side, my lower left side of my back is extremely painful, if i lay on my right side the pain is not as bad but also moves in the right side of my abdomen and if i lay on my front the pain eases a small amount.
I dont get pain during the day when moving around and my general breathing is not affected, sometimes i do feel a 'twinge' if i yawn or take a deep breathe. I also go to the gym 3 times a week and its doesnt hurt during the workout. It literally only hurts when i lie in bed. It also doesnt hurt to the touch.
I know its not a pulled muscle from the gym as that would hurt constantly, but i feel my doctor would try and fob it off as that.
My current job is office based so i do spend many hours sat down during the day, but i exercise regularly throughout the week.
I have used anti-inflammetries and deep heat sprays and creams, which seem to ease it when i first go to bed but by half way through the night, i move in bed and its as painful as before.
What could be causing this pain?
9 likes, 136 replies
nicola_68910 rebecca204
Posted
This is exactly the same for me, I am fit and healthy and run obstacle courses, my back is fine during the day, but once I go to bed it all goes wrong, I wake up and try to get out of bed and the pain literally knocks my left leg out, I cannot catch my breath.
I changed my mattress to a memory foam
Which improved it for a week but now it is exactly the same, I pay a osteopath and take the strongest pain killers I can but as soon as I lay down it starts all over again, Im at my wits end! The doctor will not help at all and it's costing me a fortune
Roccdeezy nicola_68910
Posted
Sorry to keep repeating myself but this sounds like ankylosing spondylitis to me too. You should see a rheumatologist and have blood work done. I was just like you. Fine all day and miserable at nights or while sitting around. I am painless now! It's worth seeing a rheumatologist to get checked and rule out any type of auto immune deseases. It took me 20 yrs to figure out what was wrong with me. I wish I would have went to a rheumatologist sooner.
nicola_68910 Roccdeezy
Posted
Thank you for your reply, I did look at ankylosons spondylitis on the internet but only saw a bits that sounded similar, I do not have any pain or swelling in any other joints, my knees are very loud when exercising but pain free and no swelling either there or finger joints.
Roccdeezy nicola_68910
Posted
i have never had any swelling anywhere either and my fingers have never bothered me. I have still never had any swelling to this day. The main thing AS attacks is the back and hips. All of the other symptoms are usually in the later stages. It took years before my knees,ribs and other joints bothered me. The first symptoms for me was back pain that felt like it made it hard to breath and hurt when I was laying down or resting and leg pain(hip) that cause me to limp in the mornings and this would all clear up after an hour or 2 every day. See the post below.
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/back-pain-when-sleeping-or-laying-in-bed-or-while-sitting-around-being-lazy-547365?page=0#2420975
tony83756 nicola_68910
Posted
I have the same issue. I am in shape, go to the gym three times a week, coach football basketball and baseball. I am very active. I have dealt with this ever since i started a desk job. I have a sleep number bed with no relief. I have gone in and had the spine specialist do the ablation of my L4 & L5 facet nerves with great relief until I laid down for bed. The only way I can get a good night's sleep is in a recliner with pillows on my lumbar and head/neck. (Nothing on my buttocks) if I do that, I am more or less pain free). Give that a try. Heat also helps. The doctors said it more than likely arthritis. I am going to go back to the specialist and speak with them. I'll repost after that appointment. Good luck to all. Remember, no pressure on your buttocks. (At least that works fire me)!
nicola_68910 tony83756
Posted
I will definitely try that thank you, I have ordered a recliner sofa as well which will arrive in Feb so hopefully i can try you technic as soon as it arrives
Many thanks for your reply
Nicky
Roccdeezy tony83756
Posted
tony83756 Roccdeezy
Posted
I will keep in mind the rhuemotologist. Thanks! I did speak with my physical therapist today and told her of my issues and she flipped me over and worked her magic on my back. She found that my lower multifidus was weak. She gave me some excercises to strengthen it back up. She said that with it weak, when I lay down at night it isn't keeping my L5 in place and so things get moved around and sag through the night and the body recognizes there is a problem and knots up as a natural defense mechanism against injury. Then once you get up and moving things shift back into place and your the body relaxes and pain goes away. It makes sensense to me. I only did the ablation on the left side earlier ( the insurance won't pay the doctor the full amount if they do both sides at once) once I get the right side taken care of and I work on my excercises we shall see how I do at that point. I will keep posting when I get more info!
Vta805 rebecca204
Posted
Hey I'm having the same pain haven't been to the dr yet did you get treated for it
jeanette_46292 rebecca204
Posted
I work in an office all day, and I do stretching exercises throughout the day to help with my back, but not sure whether this will help with your pain at night
Jeanette
kp326 jeanette_46292
Posted
jim_41642 rebecca204
Posted
For what it's worth, I've had two X-rays and two MRI's, the last one with contrast. I've also had extensive blood, urine and stool tests. Neither turned up anything. My chiropractor believes it's extremely tight muscles that need a lot of work combined with some arthritis, made worse by my having polio 50 years ago. In the meantime, I'm placing a down pillow under the 'small' of my back which seems to help. Fingers crossed for us all.
william48199 jim_41642
Posted
However, the pain has progressively eased over the last three nights and is now almost completely gone.
Thanks to all for your suggestions and I hope your problems also disappear.
drew00389 rebecca204
Posted
Why don't once and for all everyone stop wasting cyberspace with sentences such as "consult a doctor"? It is clear anyway, that if people consult a doctor they don't come here complaining. :-) We want to consult each other, share our own experiences and make suggestions to each other, not being doctors. Not suing each other if one gives a wrong suggestion and if you try to sue you will not find a lawyer these days anyway. Thank you very much. ;-)
Patfl rebecca204
Posted
I have this exact same sympthoms - I get severe pain on my back in the middle of the night, if I lay on my belly the pain seams to move to the belly. I can't breath as breathing increasses the pain. It's like a stabbing pain in the core!
Last night I was able to sleep seatting up and I had no pain but if I try to lay down it starts again.
I read all the posts here and a couple of possible diagnostics (spine tumor or AS) but it feels more like something is getting pressured inside.
Any new developments on this issue?
drew00389 Patfl
Posted
Pain moving to the belly is not what I get although I never ly down on a belly. I think your related to a nerve system. Consult a doctor :-) Just joking, don't consult a doctor unless you can afford it. Unfortunately wjhat I suspect is this is nerve system damnage comes from such unexpected "phenomenon" such as geo-.engineering with toxic metals in the upper atmosphere and many people tried to stop the gov. and mil. from doing it but it is impossible unless everyone comes together and votes them out. Even after that the damage is done and the best is to claim free treatment and not to finance such as such ops.
morgan96907 Patfl
Posted
carole57474 morgan96907
Posted
No, I don't think that you have a spine tumour. Maybe you have a slight scoliosis - lateral curvature of the spine. My grandson has a slight curvature of the spine which came on when he was about 14. Can't be seen it's so mild but gives him back ache sometimes.