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low back pain due to sleeping position? suggestions?

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Posted 1/22/2015 5:14 AM (GMT 0)
Hi all,

I thought I might pick your brains, since many of you have back/lower back pain and this is something totally new to me. Been having this pain for about a month now. First it started only on one side of my lower back, and I thought it was because of the position I was sitting in on the couch to study. I changed my position, but the pain didn't go away. Instead it got worse. And it continues to get worse. Now it involves all of my lower back and is really impacting my ability to move around.

I can't bend over without being in significant pain and getting "stuck" and needing to support myself in order to get back up or to sit up from lying down. I also feel it when I walk, stand, or sit. Pretty much the only time it doesn't bother me is if I lie flat on my back, but then I can't get up! I'm not sure how I'm going to drive 5 hrs on Friday right now. Or how I am going to get the car packed/house ready for me to leave, since that will require a lot of bending and lifting (especially since I am preparing to leave for several months). Just going for a 15 min drive today was agonizing.

I really suspect that the back pain is related to my sleeping position. I've slept the same way for years (on my side with a pillow between my legs and under my knee -- otherwise I get hip pain). So it is kind of odd that it would just start bothering me now. But I can't think of anything else that it could be. I haven't done anything physically strenuous lately, and I don't normally have back problems.

So for those of you with lower back pain, is there a different position that I should be sleeping in to prevent/help with this?

I've been using a heating pad, plus I sleep with a heated mattress pad (I freeze otherwise). So there is constant heat on my back. I even picked up some of those disposable heating pads today at the pharmacy for the drive home. And I got an icy hot patch to try, too.

Any other suggestions? This whole back pain thing is totally new to me. But boy, it makes me even more sympathetic to what you all with chronic back pain must go through every day. It is bad enough with facial pain and all the secondary problems that that causes for me. But at least I can move around. With the back, I feel like an old lady because I can barely move. But I'm only 26!

I can't imagine that this is anything more than muscular (although it is surprisingly painful). But if it doesn't improve by the time I see my pcp next week for my regular PM appointment, I'll have him take a look. The drive is going to be a killer, but the one nice thing about going home is that I will be able to go in the jacuzzi at my parents house. That sounds really good right now. Wish I could take a hot bath or something here, but I am afraid to, because I think I'd get stuck in the bathtub!

Oh, I should mention that I cannot take any OTC or prescription NSAIDs because of my liver condition (can't metabolize them properly & so I run into toxicity issues). So advil, aleve, etc is out. The only OTC pain reliever that I can take is tylenol. And it doesn't help that much. But I've been taking it anyway.

Thanks for the help, guys!

Skeye
Posted 1/22/2015 10:20 AM (GMT 0)
You know the first thing I am going to say is get that checked out right? Don't assume that it's muscular by any means and I will say its not sounding that way simply because muscle doesn't get stuck Skeye. To answer your question though as I have a pars defect at L5-S1 which basically is a unhealed fracture to the spine the best piece of equipment I have is a roll pillow. Any of the small ones will do as long as it fits comfortably in the small or lumbar area when you sit or lie... make a conscious effort to use it especially riding or driving and anywhere your going to sit any length of time. It keep reminding you to keep that area in straight or proper alignment and helps prevent the stuck part by slouching or curling up.

It's not a easy place to have issues with since this is the part of your back that carries the most work and is a center of gravity in your weight distribution when standing and sitting.


I am a solid recliner sleeper so I can't help much with sleeping position. Unfortunately between two bad knees and a fracture in the spine my sleeping in a bed was long ago trashed for the comfort and position of my awesome sleep chair!! Thanks to new ortho designs it offers support everywhere I need it and prevents me from thrashing all over the bed during the night ending up causing more pain issues from positional sleeping patterns.
Posted 1/22/2015 2:54 PM (GMT 0)
I've had back problems for years...various reasons...but last summer I developed bad hip pain. I assumed it had to do with my back...wrong...it was from wearing flip flops in the summer! My point is, so many things can throw us 'out of whack'. How old is your mattress? Average 'life' is 10 years. And that is if you turn it every 6 months! I don't sleep in one position, ever! When my back is 'bad' I tend to sleep on my back with my legs elevated. Well, at least I start out that way! I've also been told not to wear the same pair of shoes every day. A different pair each day is recommended. See the doctor. Guessing is dangerous.
Posted 1/22/2015 4:49 PM (GMT 0)
Skeye, so sorry to read about the new problem. I slept like you for years on the side with the pillow between the knees. That is what the ortho told me to do. He also told me to never sleep on my stomach, which I could never do because of my back. He said most people with back problems can't sleep on their stomachs for that reason.

Like Vickie, I sleep in a recliner now and it works well for me. I can at least get out of the chair where getting out of the bed was getting impossible unless my husband helped me. I also sleep with oxygen & some nights I would lose my cannula & wake up out of breath, lol. So, the recliner has been the best so far.

Invest in a little roll pillow for sitting & driving. You will be amazed at the difference it can make. I have one in my SUV & one for the house. Be sure to pull off & get out & walk around when you make your trip next week too. Use those times to make a quick pit stop to get something to drink or a snack.

I would tell my dr next week & let him check things out. Its always best to be on the safe side. Let us know what you find out.
Posted 1/23/2015 12:16 AM (GMT 0)
Sitting in a car can be awful if the car's seat doesn't suit you. If your's isn't great borrow or rent one that does!

Like mattresses, pillows wear out. They're only good for 6 months. I find if my pillow's too hard or soft or flat or high it affects my lumbar spine dramatically. The difference is between being able to get out of bed and needing help.

There are cheap mesh back supports you can put on your car's seat, or any other seat. They help some people. I've found them for $1 at dollar stores up to $5 in drugstores.
Posted 1/23/2015 3:53 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks everyone!

I'm definitely going to try the roll pillow/lumbar support when I sit/drive. Besides bending over, sitting is the most painful thing. And fortunately, I have a TON of those roll pillows because I have bad shoulders (many years of high level competitive swimming and 3 surgeries). So the only way that I can sleep without my shoulders hurting me is if I have one roll pillow under my "up" arm, and another one to rest the rest of my arm/hand on to keep my arm/shoulder level. And the roll pillows are also what I use between my legs when I sleep.

Actually trying a night or two in the recliner isn't a bad idea, either. I had to get a recliner to sleep in for several months after each of my shoulder surgeries. And I have it here with me in my bedroom of my house at school. No recliner at my parents house, but I'm actually going to be stuck up here a few more days due to the bad reaction I'm having from my rabies shot yesterday, and a snow storm coming our way. So that will at least give me some time to try it out. And if it makes a difference, I can always bring it home with me. It is pretty small and normally easy to move by myself. Although I'd need my landlord to help me get it out to/in the car because of my back.

@Vickie,
I'm definitely going to have my doc (pcp) take a look at my back if it isn't any better by the time I see him for my regular PM follow-up next week. I think the getting "stuck" thing is just from pain and weakness, not neuro. But it does bother me a little that this has been going on for a month now, and that it's getting worse, not better, despite everything I try to do to treat it. It's just so strange, because I can't think of a single thing that I have "done" that should cause this. That's why I was thinking it might be the way I am sleeping. Maybe something that I'm doing without knowing it? I do move around a lot when I sleep... I would think that I'm too young for most of the degenerative stuff -- but then again you never know. And I do have a history of being a medical oddball... So no worries, I'll definitely get it checked out if it continues!

@Pitmom,
My mattress is only 4 yrs old. And I actually got a new memory foam topper the beginning of the fall. Good mattresses definitely do make a difference, though. I remember the first time I got a new mattress -- it was like heaven! My mattress at my parent's house is a little older. It's probably going on 12 yrs now. And I would LOVE to get a new mattress for home (mostly just because I want a bigger bed now that I have both a 60 lb and a 90 lb dog sleeping on my bed with me). But unfortunately, neither my parents nor I have the money for that right now. Besides the bed being small with the addition of my 2 dogs, I really can't complain, though. That bed is actually still quite comfortable.

Skeye

Post Edited (skeye) : 1/22/2015 8:56:52 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/23/2015 5:17 AM (GMT 0)
Hi skeye can you use Ben Gay or something like that? if you can and if it's muscular maybe try using something like that might be worth trying?

You don't happen to have heated seats in your vehicle do you? I have heat in the lower back and bottom of my seat and it is great for the lower back pain! also I recline my car seat quite a bit to make driving more comfortable!

skeye I slept in a recliner for over ten years until I got my adjustable beds! Now that I have the adjustable bed with a wireless remote if I get uncomfortable during the night I just grab the remote an press a button and adjust up or down the head of the bed a little! Also since I have this total right knee replacement I can raise the foot of the bed up so I can get my knee higher than my heart to help get the swelling down! These bed were the best investment I have ever made! if you have back problems or other sleeping positional problems I highly recommend considering one! Mine also has a variety of different vibrating modes but I don't use any of them because the vibrations often set off muscle spasms in me!

Anyway I know how painful back and lower back problems can be! so please take care of yourself skeye and have your doctor check it out! it might not be anything serious but you never know for sure unless you get it checked out!

Good to hear from you skeye! But not good hearing your having more pain! Just be careful on what you do until you get checked out!

Wishing you all the Best!!!

White Beard
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