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Severe back and rib pain after seizure

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Posted 4/5/2007 12:46 AM (GMT 0)
I had a tonic-clonic seizure about four weeks ago. Seizure lasted about five or six minutes. I typically just feel tired and groggy after a seizure. This time, however, I have very painful mid-back and ribs. I figured that it was just muscle soreness but the pain has not subsided over the past four weeks. I've done some online searches and haven't found much on the topic but one site said that, in rare cases, a broken back can result from severe convulsions. Has anyone experienced similar symptoms? Any thoughts or references would be truly appreciated.
Cheers,
John
Posted 4/5/2007 10:05 AM (GMT 0)

Hi John,

My immediate thought is "Did you hit anything whilst convulsing?" Perhaps you hit your ribcage on the corner of a dresser. Was there anyone else around who can tell you? I had a sz once and I had similar feelings. It turned out that I had hit the washing machine. Te only other thing I can suggest is talking to your doctor. It may be that he/she has some answers.

As for back breaking sz's... I suppose a jerking action could break someones back but me thinks that you would need a lot of jerk!

Hope this helps and welcome to HealingWell!

Darren

Posted 4/6/2007 5:48 PM (GMT 0)

With severe back and rib pain, I'd suggest seeing a good physical therapist.  I had my first seizure a few weeks ago and it left me with agonizing pain on the right side of my rib cage which would then migrate to the back.  No ribs were broken but the pain continued without relief.   A physical therapist almost immediately spotted the trouble: one rib was "jammed" and was not moving and flexing with the others.  Therapy and daily therapy at home has eased the pain enormously and he predicts it will be totally gone and the ribs healed within a few more weeks.   Good luck! Glenda G

Posted 4/7/2007 7:28 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you DJ, Glinda, and Gracie's Mom for your posts. I appreciate your sharing info. I checked the calendar and I'm actually five weeks post-seizure and the back and rib pain has not subsided at all. I'm going to see my GP and ask for an x-ray. Based on Glinda's post, I may just need a good stint on "the rack". lol Thank you again. Good health to you all.
Posted 4/9/2007 10:14 AM (GMT 0)

Hi John,

5 weeks does sound like a long time to be suffering from the pain in your ribs and back. An X-Ray sounds like the best course of action. Your GP might be able to suggest other treatments for you (Such as Physiotherapy) to get you back to your old self. It might be worth asking what caused it in the first place and if there are any ways to avoid it happening again. Let us know how you get on.

Darren

Posted 6/22/2007 10:37 AM (GMT 0)
I just recently had a seizure two days ago and quite honestly, don't remember one aspect of it. What I do know, is that I have intense pain all over my body including my abdomen, legs and especially mid-back region. Also, I noticed large portions taken out of my tongue due to chewing on it. As of right now, I haven't found anything that eased the pain besides a hot water bottle, and that barely works. I'm going to a doctor today to see if there's any medication to further help me.
Posted 6/22/2007 5:42 PM (GMT 0)
Whitney - Two days sounds like normal muscle soreness after a major seizure. The way I describe it to my family is this ..... do no stretching exercises, run 2 miles do 2000 sit ups and 500 push ups, see how many days you will be sore. I had a tonic clonic 2 weeks ago and my tongue just stopped hurting yesterday and my legs are still a bit sore. Is very normal.

As for the back thing, a GP is the wrong person to talk to. They will refer you to a person whom you should be familiar with, your neurologist. I have nerve damage on the entire left side of my body, most like caused by a seizure. Your neurologist will do an EKG iirc and possibly an MRI (one the back) as well. Sadly my diagnosis with mine is quite simply send 1000s of dollars in testing to try and find the nerve(s) that is causing it and then most likely be able to do nothing about it, or just do nothing about it. Hopefully will be better for you all.
Posted 6/22/2007 7:13 PM (GMT 0)

I agree with Paul. Anything up to a week after a major sz with muscle pain can be normal. I also like your analogy Paul. I used to tell people it was like going 10 rounds with Mike Tyson. (A famous boxer if you have not heard of him).

Let us know how you get on Whitney.

Darren

Posted 9/6/2007 3:46 AM (GMT 0)
Hi I have had seizures since I was nine years old I am now 29. I mainly had gran mal seizures as well as being satus which means the seizure can go on for hours. Well I wanted to share with you sometimes a person arches their back when seizing I know I have. Who knows they may even fall.
Posted 9/6/2010 1:08 PM (GMT 0)
In my case, my seizures only happen in my sleep, so I know I'm not falling. I had 3 GM Seizures on Aug 20th and still, I can hardly walk due to severe low back pain that radiates down my legs. I have been to the Chiropractor for a couple of adjustments, had a few acupuncture sessions, and no real relief as of yet. I am booked for a massage, but I have also talked about getting a back x-ray in case there's something jammed, jarred, pinched etc. I am also suffering from carpal tunnel since the seizures. The analogy I give for everyone is that it's like having ran 3 marathons, which is good because I am actually missing one due to my post seizure condition, lol...now I don't have to feel guilty. Best wishes.
Posted 9/7/2010 12:09 AM (GMT 0)
hi is any body there to answer my question?
Posted 2/25/2011 3:09 AM (GMT 0)
I had my very first seizure 10 days ago--it was NOT pretty! I walked into the JCPenney at our local mall and promptly had a full-on, fall down, pee-your-pants, head-bangin' seizure! I thumped my left side ribs and back as well as my shoulder and it knocked me unconscious for two of the three days I spent in the hospital! Fun, huh? I am STILL having pretty constant pain in that area--I use Advil and a heating pad, not much else. I plan to inquire about exactly what I hit when I fell--glad someone was looking out for me. It could have been SO much worse! Appointment with neurologist next week--we shall see what the verdict is. I am 44, female, basically healthy, no meds, no history of seizures/epilepsy/etc., not overweight or diabetic. I am also a registered nurse, so I have mentally tried to cover all the bases...not much luck there, either. SO...to address the question, YES, it is common to have disproportionate pain related to post-seizure recovery...from my very limited experience. yeah
Posted 6/11/2011 9:06 AM (GMT 0)
I had my first seizure after my daughter was deployed to Afghanistan in 2008. My doctor said it was due to stress and lack of sleep and I wouldn't have another. She is home safe now and the seizures continue. My last seizure was a GM on April 29th. My family was moving me from KY to TX. I had lost my job and could no longer chance living alone. My brother caught me as I fell and said I didn't strike my back on anything but I have had lower back pain and unbelievable muscle pain. I could not even walk for several days. I also have major confusion, memory loss and some speech issues in orienting my words at times.
I don't know how I will get a job, how to drive there, how my muscles will even be flexible enough to get out of bed to go to the job, or how I will remember how to get home once I do get there! It has become almost comical thinking about it.
My mom wants me to go on disability, I'm just 43. I just don't know what to do, or how to go about getting a diagnosis with no insurance.
This past seizure is the 1st one with any muscle issues although I did have my L5 and S1 disc in my spine bulged. Maybe they ruptured. I don't know any input would be greatly appreciated.
Posted 6/17/2011 8:56 PM (GMT 0)
Last August I had a seizure and was taken by ambulance to the hospital. When I came to I could not breathe do to the pain. The hospital said I couldn't breathe because I was panicking. They took an x ray and said nothing was wrong and sent me home. The pain became unbearable and more isolated to my mid back. I told my doctor repeatedly about it and he finally after all these months ordered a MRI. The results... My back is broken. I didn't hit anything when I seized, it happened just from the seizure. I also have a herniated disc and tissue protrusion and now have to see a spine surgeon.
Posted 7/3/2011 4:51 PM (GMT 0)
Hi All, about 7 weeks ago I had a stroke caused by a blood clot on my brain. I have more or less recovered from this, however the blood clot also caused me to have between 7 and 9 seizures. Since then I have had terrible back pain and pains in my ribs. I occasionally suffer from sciatica, however this pain is in the upper back, pretty much parallel with the shoulders. I also have pain in my shoulder but having done some research I have found that this is common after a stroke. My girlfriend informs me that while I was having my first seizure I fell out of bed a crashed onto the floor. The pain is sometimes so bad that I almost cry. I am planning to go to my GP and ask her to send me for an x-ray as I think I may have damaged my back. I just want the pain gone as I am hardly getting any sleep at the moment.

John D
Posted 7/25/2011 11:15 PM (GMT 0)
I had 2 seizures on the 4th July caused by long term use of Venlefaxin (Effexor) (small dose only 37.5 increased that day to 75) building up and depleting the sodium levels in me. Hyponatraemia is the medical term used.
I have also been left with excruciating upper back pain and even after 5 sessions with a chiropractor I am still in fairly severe pain. It's now 26th July, 3 weeks post the event, so I hope that in another week I will start to feel better. I think I'm less tired than I was but it's hard to focus on exercise because of the pain - a few brisk walks would be great, but at the moment I need a cane to help take some of the strain.
I have a decent pain tolerance (I hought!) but this is something else, there is no relief, sitting lying, standing - nada. Hot water bottle, some pain killer and a brandy gives 3 or 4 hours sleep but it all comes back just as bad as before.
Watch out for Venlefaxin (Effexor) - a lot of baggage accompanies this drug and i chose not to read the side effects, and I have to admit that the tablet helped me through some bad depression a few years ago, but rather than coming off it completely and facing the withdrawal symptoms i have been on a small dose for several years - just goes to show what a fool's paradise I was in, thank God the seizures happened at home and not whilst i was behind the wheel of my car, or in some remote Far Eastern jungle - Lucky to be alive I guess - Venlefaxine have been destroyed.
Phil. UK.
Posted 9/5/2011 8:32 AM (GMT 0)
Just over a week ago I had my most recent Tonic Clonic seizure, lasting about 45 seconds, first one in a couple of years. Ended up putting my back out - pain down my thoracic spine when walking, lying down etc, and general discomfort around my neck and shoulders. Went to the physio at work today (very lucky to have this service!) and she thinks I have suffered whiplash, which makes sense when you think about it. She reckons it will take a few weeks to get better, in the mean time I will be surviving on muscle relaxants, and a cocktail of other pain relief, in addition to some exercises from the physio. Sounds like this may be a similar story to some others on here?

Kendra

NZ

Posted 10/17/2011 1:58 AM (GMT 0)
Not sure if the original posters question was answered, so Ill post anyway.

I have suffered from grand mal siezures about 1-2 times a year for the last 10 years. (I had a few month span where I had a bunch when they first started happening.)

I just recently had one and had the typical bloddy tongue and pulled muscles everywhere, but this one left me with a sprained rib, which the doctor said would take 3 weeks or so to get better depending on how rough I am on it, if you have a bad enough sprain though it may take a few months to heal completely. I wouldn't be worried honestly, just do what the doc's say. :D

Also, my symptoms were hurting back and ribs, and everytime I coughed sneezed or laughed hard it felt like I was being stabbed in the ribs/back.

Posted 5/11/2012 7:39 PM (GMT 0)
I was drawn to this page to try to understand why I'm having such agonizing back pain; I too had 3 tonic clonic seizures almost 3 week ago and there seems to be no end in sight, every day the back pain is the same and no amount of pain relief seems to help; I can echo virtually all the above maladies, bit tongue, severe pain when laughing, coughing or sneezing, ( sneezing s the worse). I going to have to really nag my GP or get to the hospital for an x-ray............
Posted 4/25/2013 6:16 AM (GMT 0)
My son who is 28 years old and a healthy person had a seizure for the first time two days ago. During the seizure he broke his upper back in two places. He was sitting on the floor when the seizure happened and did not fall very far or hit anything, The doctors were puzzled as to how this happened. He is going through a bunch of tests to try to figure out why the seizure happened.
Posted 6/6/2013 12:18 AM (GMT 0)
Hi wondering1.....I have a similar situation to your 28year old son.....just under a year ago I had my first seizure at 26. I am a perfectly healthy person, never experiencing any health issues until then. I went through test after test after test and the doctors don't know what caused it. Also they tell me it's. it uncommon that they won't ever know the cause. I had another seizure almost 8 weeks ago and my back on the left side has been killing me...,,I doubt I broke it because I feel like it would hurt a whole lot more but I am thinking about asking my pcp for an X-ray or something. Personally, I think my seizures are stress induced but I can't get anyone to agree with me on that one.
Posted 6/6/2013 12:19 AM (GMT 0)
Correction....the doctors told me it is not uncommon that they may never know the cause of the seizures
Posted 8/14/2013 1:57 AM (GMT 0)
I meandered into this forum bc I'm going through the same thing right now. im 31 male, very athletic and healthy but I had my first seizure a few weeks ago on the sidewalk in the middle of the day. I felt everything go gray and watery (best way I can describe what I felt) and since I didn't know what was happening I didn't take precautions and ended up falling flat on my face on a crowde street. when I finally to my bearings back a few hrs later in the hospital I realized my back was killing me, just below my shoulder blades in my spine and back of my rib cage. but I thought it was the bed, bc it was very uncomfortable. it hurt to do the most mundane things like breathe and roll over in bed. I thought it would go away but here I am, weeks later, still suffering bad from this, but I'm glad I found this bc it's given me some more insight and the knowledge that others have dealt with this. thanks for the advice, at least now I know what direction help lays
Posted 8/14/2013 2:21 AM (GMT 0)
I actually just had another seizure last week and my body is definitely aching like crazy. When I had the one back in April my back was extremely sore for about 3 months.....no matter which way I laid down. It finally started to feel better, but then I had another seizure and while luckily my back isn't too bad, I feel like I pulled all the muscles in my legs...strange. Still, no doctors can tell me the origin of the seizures but I can tell when I am getting the warning signs so I can keep myself in a safe place. Hopefully you feel better soon! It's definitely a weird feeling.
Posted 8/16/2013 12:37 AM (GMT 0)
well, I will tell ya, as someone who has had epilepsy for 45 yrs., I can attest to the fact that when you have a seizure, it can make you hurt in places you never had pain before. the constant muscle strain is killer on the body. I was out of work for 3 day's one time when I had 5 seizures one night while I was sleeping. Laid on the couch all 3 of those day's.
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