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Lower Back Pain - Help narrowing it down?

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Posted 9/6/2012 8:51 PM (GMT 0)
I'll keep it short. Basically a month ago my lower back began getting sore after moving furniture. This happens once in a while and I just deal with it until it goes away.

It was normal soreness until I decided to clean my bathroom. I bent over and when I stood up was greeted with pain so bad I fell straight to the floor screaming. I spent two days barely moving and only able to lift myself up or lower myself with my upper body, as any tensing of my lower back was excruciating.

Doctor said he was pretty positive it wasn't nerve pain or sciatica because of the movement tests. He thinks it's a simple strain, but it's the first time it's ever hurt this bad, for this long.

The pain has also moved from my lower back through my right butt cheek down the back of my thigh and stops before the back of my knee.

Has anyone had anything similar? If I move my hips forward in a thrusting motion, it hurts in my lower back. When I sit down or stand up, I feel it in my thigh. I'm also fairly sure it's a muscle issue because ibuprofen seems to help the inflamed feeling and ice packs help as well.

Any help narrowing it down will be greatly appreciated.
Posted 9/6/2012 9:12 PM (GMT 0)
I'm not sure what you want narrowed down? Did the doctor do any X-rays or scans? Sounds like the doctors treatment is working, if it continues to be bothersome you could try massage or chiropractor?
Posted 9/6/2012 9:29 PM (GMT 0)
Doctor hasn't really done any treatment, except for me getting a TENS unit but that was unrelated to this. Everything I'm doing to manage it daily is my doing and the doctor said to keep it up.

I was looking for what could be causing it, if anyone else has had something similar and what it was diagnosed as.

No X-Rays yet, I go back later this month. I'm going to request one because the pain hasn't vanished yet.
Posted 9/7/2012 1:23 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Cave,

Your symptoms sound exactly like mine did. However mine was a ruptured disk at L5-S1. I have the exact same pain down my butt and into my leg. (years later it goes all the way to my foot). Anti-inflammatory meds and ice do help. Without an MRI I'm surprised your doctor ruled this out. It won't show up on an X-ray.

The two physical tests the doctor gave me were have me lie on my back and he places his hands on top of my feet and pulled while telling me to hold my feet up straight. The right one went right down.
He also had me stand and try to stand on my tiptoes one leg at a time. Couldn't do it very well with the right foot.

You could also sit up straight and have someone push down on the top of your head. If it hurt in your lower back, it's nerves.

So there is my completely unprofessional diagnosis lol. I hope y ou do find out what is going on with your back. Back pain is so miserable there is just nothing you can do that doesn't involve your lower back!
Posted 9/7/2012 1:31 PM (GMT 0)
I'm so sorry you are having to deal with back issues. They are so painful and so "out of the blue" until the final time when you herniate the area and then wham....the pain is over the top.

I agree that a xray won't show anything and is IMHO a complete waste of time (unless you insurance requires it before an MRI). Anyway, the MRI is the best and fastest way to tell what is really going on. Since you ae getting some reief, perhaps it is not that bad and will heal on its own. Mine didn't, but that's another story.

I wish you luck in your journey for pain relief.
Posted 9/7/2012 4:00 PM (GMT 0)
Did the Dr. rule out sciatica/nerve pain before you had the symptoms go through your butt cheek and down your leg?

I would go back and get it checked as it sounds like it could be this or as others mentioned, there could be an issue with your lumbar discs.

There are some fantastic stretches that will help if it's just a muscle spasm or sciatic nerve.

The key is making sure you get up and gently stretch periodically throughout the day, do not spend much time in a recliner as that is terrible for the spine. And then making sure you do not sleep on your stomach and have pillows to align your spine when sleeping on your back and sides.

If it's a disc issue, there are dozens of modalities to help the pain and 85% of people with spine problems have them solved non surgically so that is great news! It just "seems" as if that is not the case with being on a chronic pain board.

There is physical therapy, injections, traction, acupuncture, massage, etc.

The good news is that if ibuprophen has been helping then they can either prescribe Flector patches for you which are the medicine dicloflenac epolamine which is an anti-inflammatory. They can also offer a Medrol dose pack which is a steroid treatment that you take for 6 days. Or get an actual injection of steroids that release over time.

As well as a muscle relaxer that we have discussed in your other threads is very helpful to take as needed.

Keep us posted on the upcoming appt.
Posted 9/7/2012 9:35 PM (GMT 0)
He ruled it out by making me turn and bend and such. Certain positions weren't setting it off so he thinks it's unlikely.

I sit in a computer chair most of the day, but I get up and stretch often. It starts to hurt after a while. I think part of the problem is my mattress. When I wake up, the pain is at it's worst...I just can't afford a brand new mattress right now.

I'm going to ask for a stronger anti-inflammatory. Ibuprofen helps but I take so much of it, usually 2400mgs a day.

The X-Ray would probably be pointless, if it's a muscle issue or a nerve problem it won't see much. I'm going to see how he wants to diagnose it considering it's been a month and will be 1.5 months when I do see him.

The appointment is on the 24th so we'll see. As I said in the other thread the Morphine Sulfate 15mg 3x Daily isn't helping much currently, so we'll see what he wants to do about that too.
Posted 9/7/2012 9:51 PM (GMT 0)
I bought a $130, 3 inch mattress topper that is tempurpedic like material and has done an amazing job of helping my pain levels.

As I mentioned...at least there are choices on the anti-inflammatories from the Flector patch to the steroids. So hopefully that will give you better relief.

You may find that adding other modalities will help lower your pain instead of having to up the MSContin dosage. This is what I always request with my PM as with chronic pain, I know I am at this for the long haul so I use every other possible way to lower my pain to a 5-7. This is why I haven't had to up my dosage in more than 3 years. I want to keep it as low as possible and only go up when everything else isn't working.

Good luck..
Posted 9/8/2012 6:14 AM (GMT 0)
Snowbunny I just got one of those toppers to, actually I got two of them, I have two extra long twin adjustable beds in a king sleigh bed frame. They had a sale on the toppers at a local department store, I like it, it is really comfortable!

CaveJohnson do you have a body pillow, try sleeping on your side with your knees up a little, like in at fetal position with part of the body pillow or regular pillow between your knees, and the rest of the body pillow or another pillow up by your chest so you can kind of hug it. It keeps you body in line, and keeps your spine from twisting. It might help you with your pain, also do you have a recliner, if so how does it feel on your back. I know I slept in a recliner for many many years before I got an adjustable bed, I just can not lay flat on my back, so I sleep in a fowlers position, or on my side, but I can only sleep on my side for 20 minutes or so, and my arms go numb and I wake up in pain, then I go back to the reclining position. Anyway sleep is important, and do what ever you can to get it.
Good Luck to you!

White Beard
Posted 9/8/2012 1:56 PM (GMT 0)
If possible Snow, I do want to reduce my pain other ways too. I don't like having to up my dosage, but the dosage didn't work from day 1. It doesn't really take my pain down even 2 notches, so I'm okay with going up because it doesn't work at all. If it was taking away 1/3rd-1/2 of the pain I would live with it as is though.

My mattress currently has a topper, one of those foam egg crate-ma-jigs. The bed used to be the most comfortable bed ever, now it's getting kind of uncomfortable.

WhiteBeard I wish I had a recliner, I used to but it broke (cheap construction) and now I have an atrocious loveseat.

The loveseat is the first thing to go, it was free and is horrible. You can't sit normally in it at all, my girlfriend and I need to buy a new one but we're limited due to the size of the living room in our apartment.

I do try to sleep with a pillow in between my knees, or under my lower back. There's times it feels like the mattress isn't supporting my lower back and it's just "hanging" there if that makes sense. Like my upper back/buttocks are on the mattress but my lower back isn't.
Posted 9/8/2012 2:33 PM (GMT 0)
I guess my point is that your Dr. may not want to up the dosage right now so being open to other ways to lower your pain is good.

It's really about letting them know that your levels are not getting down to a 5 or so and ask them what they feel is best to help acheive this.

It's not about whether or not you have chronic pain at being young at age 27....but Drs. are going to still be more cautious with you at that age with opiates so that they don't keep increasing quickly to keep your tolerance from developing too fast.

So...just trying to help you get the best care and I certainly hope that whatever the Dr. decides to do, that it can help you better..
Posted 9/10/2012 2:23 AM (GMT 0)
I am open to other ways, but as it is nothing is working. Today my morphine is doing very little and it's worse than ever.

Chriopractor doesn't work, PT is good but too expensive, I'm open to acupuncture and I already have a TENS Unit. I 100% refuse any more epidurals and the Pain Clinic already said there's nothing else they would do.

So they basically already told him I'm SOL and medications/surgery are the only way to go.

My tolerance is already sky-high it seems. According to the official word that's not possible, but besides my back the rest is roughly the same in terms of pain level.

It's just that ALL my pain goes right through the medication like it's not even there. Either my tolerance is high permanently, my pain is significantly worse yet seems exactly the same, or the medication is way different.

I mean I get 3 15mg a day, and I can take all 3 within an hour of each other and it barely touches my pain, at all. Then I'm left with nothing for the day, or I can take the 3 spaced out and it does even less than nothing.

It's making me extremely angry, the one haven I had from the pain no longer helps.
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