Back Pain.. Help.

monty619

hoping to find someone with experience with back/lower back issues or some sort of medical knowledge.. so heres all the info.

I have been having back pain for almost two months now where it is a soreness in my mid/lower back particularly on my right side... I tweaked it lifting weights (no pop or crack sound when injured) and it has just been a dull ache there and gets worse after lifting for back or legs but gets slightly better after time off...

i can do a full on workout if i properly warm up but i feel like an old man with this problem... over these two months i have taken roughly 3 weeks off from lifting at different times.. (two weeks off when i initially tweaked it, and one week this week)

-never had pain down my legs
-only had sharp pain once when trying to stand up from stretching
-primarily hurts with twisting motion and not frontwards and backwards motion
- no problem walking, after sitting a long time it gets tight and hurts.. standing a long time (work) it gets tight too

saw a doctor and took xrays... no degenerative disk damage, no slipped disks, everything is aligned... he said that if i were to take an MRI the prognosis would be the same either torn muscle or ligaments and recovery would be to just rest but ultimately thats what i would have to do.

heating pad, advil, foam rolling, stretching (primarily hips, glutes, and hamstrings) on the regular and pain is the same even with time off.


ANY ADVICE OR PERSONAL LOWER BACK PAIN EXPERIENCE WOULD BE APPRECIATED

thank you.

monty619

bump

kardsharp

Hi Monty,

I suffer from back pain too. Sometimes it too bad to work out, other times I can live with it. I do accupuncture and see an osteopath and they are miracle workers for me.

Namaste, Kristine

imajuett

I had some lower back pain like you described after I tweaked something. I put it off for several month until I lifted my 14 month old daughter wrong one day and suddenly could barely walk. I went to a chiropractor and found that my pelvis was actually misaligned. They fixed me up and no more trouble. I'd highly recommend seeing one. Hope you figure something out soon!

ruperthumphrey

Personally, I would go see a chiropractor and have you iced it at all, normally when an area is inflamed due to some type of injury it is better to ice to relieve some of the swelling

BARKIETHEBEAR

I have used acupuncture for my pain helps

lelaspeaks

One herniated disc and one bulging disc in my lumbar spine this year. My happy place was resting on my stomach and a hard floor. It stretches it out without over exerting it. Another lesson is learning the concept of tucking your hips. It's hard to describe, but when you stand, lift, workout, etc., the concept of tucking your hips is critical. Also, when your lower back hurts, it's instinct to bend over and try to stretch your lower back out. Wrong idea. Work on gentle back bends with a hip tuck. Finally - core strength. That's about everything. Lower back pain sucks. I'm telling you though, resting on your stomach for about 5 minutes a few times a day is like heaven.

If you google - lumbar spine physical therapy exercises, it will give you a ton of ideas. Learning how to stabilize your core without pressing it in the ground, but also not arching too much is a life lesson. It's been almost a year and I still work towards it, but I paid a lot of money in PT learning how to fix the pain as fast as possible

lelaspeaks

ALSO - hanging from a bar - like a pull up bar helps decompress it. Also heavenly.

MoreBean13

I think you might need to take longer than 3 weeks off. I dropped a squat and tweaked my back in the fall, and ended up taking a full 6 weeks off lifting. It sucked, but it worked and now I'm finally back to my pre-injury strength- which took another 6 weeks to ramp back up. Sorry :ohwell:

freddykid

I was in a car accident 6 years ago and hurt my lower back. It is the same type of deal with your injury, my doctor said muscle or tendon strain. It took like 3-4 years for spasms/sharp pains to finally go away. Back pain would knock me down about once a month. Stretching and exercise helped but not much. I started to use daily vitamins as a supplement and eating banana for potassium.. I after I watched my diet to make sure that I had enough vitamin/minerals my pain nearly disappeared. Not sure it would work for you. good luck healing up.

babydocDO

I'm an osteopathic medical student. Sounds like some strained musculature and/or vertebral somatic dysfunction since the imaging came back clean. I would definitely recommend some manipulation from a local osteopathic physician or chiropractor. Acupuncture also has positive benefits according to the literature. You probably need at least 6 weeks of rest from exercising too.

Natihilator

No medical knowledge, but the fact that you said the pain is on your lower back, right side makes me think it might be your SI joint - I have problems with mine too, which I set off when I first started getting into lifting weights.

Doing lots of careful stretching (and I mean LOTS...like throughout the day, every day) and lowering weight resistance has helped some, along with chiropractor visits to get 'reset'. I also cut out deadlifts from my routine, and switched from doing back squats to front squats as it's supposed to put less stress on the lower back.

dare2love81

Sounds like what I have. It's possible that your hips are misaligned too. Go see a physical therapist or, better yet, a chiropractor. And until you do, keep away from the lifts that aggravate your back.

My chiro and trainer showed me some exercises to help strengthen my lower back to prevent future lifting injuries, but you need to find the source of the pain first. The longer you put it off, the longer it'll take to heal.

vjohn04

Did you get an X-ray or an MRI? An X-ray isn't going to tell the whole story.
I would know.

Sorry just reread your post...

Go get the mri if you think its serious. You don't have to get radiating leg pain for a disc issue.

tobnrn

Back injuries can take awhile to heal. I would suggest taking an anti inflammatory med like ibuprofen and alternate heat & ice. The ice decreases swelling & the heat relaxes the muscles. It can take 6-8 weeks for a strained back muscle to feel better. Take it easy for a bit and feel better.

jha1223

I'm going to second (or third it?) to get to a chiropractor. Some people think they are quacks and yes there are some out there. Here's my advice on finding a good one:

Try and find one that went to Palmer. They know a lot, believe they can do wonders, but don't think they can cure cancer with their work. Ask them what they think chiropractic can help. If they something along the lines of "even the common cold", leave.

When you first start seeing one, they should want to see you somewhat frequently to get things in line, but that should taper off with time (a month or so). Once I got lined up, my chiro said, if he is seeing me more than once a month, he isn't doing his job or I am doing something very, very wrong.

See if you can find one that is associated with a physical therapist. The chiropractor can fix or help repair alignment issues, but knows his limitations and will want to get you to someone who knows their business with lifting form, sports impact on muscles and bones and the like.

Bottom line is this - chiropractic work is initially repair and then maintenance. If they want you there all the time, they are just soaking your pocketbook. They should also ask your goals. Why are you lifting? What do you want to accomplish?

Before you drop the huge amount of money on an MRI, see a chiro. If you really need one, a good chiro will let you know.

Good luck!

monty619

haha forgot to mention ive done chiropractor and acupuncture too (not for this injury but other stuff) and chiro doesnt help much as much as i like to think it would... and yoga is my only form of exercise right now =/

ninerbuff

Sounds like a strain. Can only say that rest and time will help to heal it faster. Sucks, but maybe cardio only for a few weeks may be your ticket to recovery.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

jenilla1

Sounds like a strain. Can only say that rest and time will help to heal it faster. Sucks, but maybe cardio only for a few weeks may be your ticket to recovery.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Took me 13 weeks until the pain finally faded - and for about 8 weeks it was near debilitating. Rest and time (as stated above) and gentle cardio - light jogging and walking actually helped. I needed lumbar support and a heating pad to sit. Still don't know what I did - just woke up like that one morning. I googled some physical therapy stretches for the lower back and did those a few times a day - those seemed to help. Good luck and be patient! :flowerforyou:

Hlami

Hi Monty.I'm sorry that you have this problem, especially because you want to be active and healthy, I will be sharing from my experiences...

.I've just come out of hospital from ignoring my back issues, I also have a high threshold for pain according to my doctor because from the tension and spasm in my back I've powered thru my pain and kept going for months nd months. The result of this was hospitalization for pain management on some wonderful pain drugs, the strong stuff they don't send anyone home with, three nights there and 5 days flat on my back at home, and that was 4 weeks ago. I still have some pain from this episode on my lower right sight, sort of in my butt-meets-back location.


I've only now gotten the green light from the physiotherapist to go ahead and start with walks and light excercise...it's not worth the trouble it causes to keep going despite the pain. Please get it looked at, a second opinion if necessary...

My advice is that you should rest completely ,and get a consult with an orthopedic surgeon , and after that maintenance with a physio, maybe some good anti- inflammatories . He explained my condition as being brought on by pain from a minor injury, having the muscles go into a protective spasm, to prevent irritation of the inflamed area in my lower back, which caused more pain as I kept up my daily routine, which caused more of a spasm - a vicious cycle until the whole back from my neck to butt was in such bad spasm, I couldnt lie down, stand up, sit down, move... Yes, my friend it can get that bad...

I agree that you should absolutely rest up, before you're forced to by your body, pain is its way of crying out to you to help it.. Don't ignore it. By the way, my first spasm occurred while I was in training for boxing two yrs ago, probably exacerbated by stress. I had a very strong core, abs the works...but it still happened.

I hope this helps.. I'm not a doctor ,but I know how much it sucks... By the way, chiropractors assist to align your frame, but if there's a condition Exacerbated by a tissue injury you might not be getting the advice you need. Massages are great, but can make things worse if your back is not in it's normal condition.. I'd be very picky who touches my back from now on.

Hlami

Go to an orthopedic surgeon, they deal with musculoskeletal-skeletal stuff... Chiro's and physios may not be able to help... Massages are good, but not if you have a medical condition, they can mess you up further.

teebeegeebee

Hi

I injured my lower back right side 2 years ago

MRI scan showed slight disc bulging 4-5mm

Doctors said that when my muscles spasm (pain signals) it is causing one of my facet joints to rub - burning sensation

I have had a multiple approach to treatment to avoid injections or surgery

I do clinical pilates daily to work my core muscles, and flex my spine, including use of a clinical reformer machine 2-3 times a week
I go to the gym most days now as Im getting the weight off to help my core
I have heatpacks,take celebrex (muscle relaxant) and endep to help me sleep

I have done hydrotherapy and regularly attend physiotherapy for joint movement sessions

All up I still have some pain however I am armed with all the things I need to self treat it when it arises, I would push your doctore to look again at you and your situation

take care

monty619

bump

lawkat

Did you doctor mention sciatica or piriformis syndrome? I strained my piriformis a few months back which then caused by sciatica to begin and pain stretching down the back of my leg. I also have some minor lower back pain which is related to posture and lack of core work. At the recommendation of my doctor, I have begun PT. Between PT and also adding some pilates and yoga classes, both my lower back and sciatica are much better I do a variety of stretches and core work which is what I needed.

I would look into PT. They might be able to better figure out what is wrong with you since it isn't your spine.

lawkat

I had previously gone to and orthopedic surgeon who did nothing for my back. He took some x-rays and said I should stop running, but nothing about PT or working my core.

MaraDiaz

I think you might need to take longer than 3 weeks off. I dropped a squat and tweaked my back in the fall, and ended up taking a full 6 weeks off lifting. It sucked, but it worked and now I'm finally back to my pre-injury strength- which took another 6 weeks to ramp back up. Sorry :ohwell:

I agree. Your body is screaming at you to rest. Don't ignore it.

jzammetti

Personally, I would go see a chiropractor and have you iced it at all, normally when an area is inflamed due to some type of injury it is better to ice to relieve some of the swelling

I would do this as well - but perhaps you need to allow yourself time to fully recover as well. Sometimes woorking through the pain is bad.

bananaas2

I have dealt with back problems from time to time through out my life. Recently I was limited to being able to only stand for 10 min. or less then have to sit. A major part of my fitness program has been walking, hiking and dance. Unfortunately I have to carry firewood for heat up 3 flights of stairs. I had to quit lifting weights and was shown the proper stretches I needed to do to help my back repair and then was turned onto the book "The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook" by Clair Davies. It might be worth your time to check it out. There are a lot of very positive reviews on Amazon also.

I'm not back to my full range of activities but I've improved significantly. I work on my back about 3 times daily.

Good luck ---Gary