Lower Back Pain

[Jodi1980]

How bad have you ever had it?

 

[HisEllyNelly]

I have had scoliosis since being a child and really bad sciatica since I was pregnant with DS, so when I get it I can be so bad it makes me cry. Normally I load up on pain killers and lie down with the heating pad.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

Not that bad beause I get adjusted on a regular basis.

 

[ilovepcot]

Bad enough for a friend to phone for an ambulance and be wheeled into surgery 2 hours later!

 

[TnKrBeLlA012]

I just spent the last week on pain killers and muscle relaxers. Couldn't walk or get out of bed. Horrible pain!

 

[helenabear]

For me this says a lot... bad enough to have to go to the doctor and be put on strong pain killers and muscle relaxents so I could sleep at night. Followed by several months of PT where I was required to do excercises ever coupled hours as long as I was awake. It hurt to sit, stand, lay down... beyond just tears due to pain, I would feel sick as well. For me it was awful.

 

[WeluvDisney2]

I had 2 herniated disks in my lower back a few years ago. I was in physical therapy as well. I was told that once you injure your back it is very easy to hurt it again. It acts up every once in a while. I could not get in and out of bed and it seemed like I couldn't move 1 centimeter to the side without getting a terrible sharp pain. I also had a baby and toddler to care for. Good luck to you, I hope you feel better soon!

 

[Alice28]

Very bad; spazzed out a muscle and couldn't get out of bed for 2 days. It was so painful.

Also, be sure it isn't your kidneys...I have learned that lesson well. Kidney stones are more in your flank region, not low, low back, but they hurt like nothin else.

 

[thatchicktrish]

I had a herniated disc in my lower back about 2 years ago, I had no health insurance at the time so I had to wait about 9 months to get any kind of help for it. I spent 9 months on vicodin, percocet, etc. not walking, not feeling my right leg and foot, tingling, burning pain. I ended up having a laminectomy and discectomy when I finally got insurance, in the 10th month of dealing with this. My disc material had been ruptered out of the disc casing for so long that ligaments and muscles had started growing around it. *shudders* most painful year of my life.

 

[mbw12]

Awful. Herniated disc in my lower back....pain shoots down my left leg. My stomach cannot tolerate any type of painkiller....so that is out. I will say that once I started going to a chiropractor, it has helped ALOT and reduced the amount of flareups and the extent of the flare ups. also, we purchased an inversion machine at home...so when my back feels a little out of whack....I just go hang upside down for awhile and it helps to alleviate the pain. It may look weird...but it feels soooooo good!!

Bobbi

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

I have scoliosis, so I am prone to it.

I've found that plenty of stomach crunches helps keep pain at bay.

 

[Jennifer S]

Funny you should ask. I just got up off my heating pad. My lower back pain is pretty bad. I get these spasms that make you want to fall down. I guess I should call the doctor but I hear there isn't much you can do. Any suggestions?

Also, what is a herniated disc and how do you know if you have one?

 

[MELSMICE]

Used to wake up with lower back pain every morning - not nearly as bad as others have mentioned though. Some mornings it hurt to straighten up & I would be very achy.

I finally started sleeping with a pillow under my knees when I was on my back & then between my knees when I was on my side. Helped a little but not much. Got one of those foam pillows for neck support from a hospital equipment store. Used it alone & still had a lot of achy pain.

Now, every night I use the foam pillow under my own pillow & still have the pillow for my knees. I have been pain free probably 999 out of 1000 mornings since then.

For those of you dealing with severe back pain, I sincerely hope it subsides sooner rather than later. Good luck to all of you.

 

[AZKathy]

Originally posted by Jennifer S
Funny you should ask. I just got up off my heating pad. My lower back pain is pretty bad. I get these spasms that make you want to fall down. I guess I should call the doctor but I hear there isn't much you can do. Any suggestions?

Also, what is a herniated disc and how do you know if you have one?

I have been told that I need to put ice on my lower back and not heat. The ice helps decrease any inflammation that is there from the injury. You should also call your doctor and find out what you could take for this, usually they tell you to take some non-steroidal anti-inflammatories like Motrin. You can also be sent to physical therapy for sessions to increase the strenth in your back and possibly go onto a pain management anesthesiologist for epidural steroid injections or even get referred to a neurosurgeon.

A disc is the "cushion" between your vertebrae. Whenever there is a disease process like degenerative disc disease or an acute injury, the outside of the disc will tear and the insides will come out. Also, there could be a bulging of the discs without tear, but both will put pressure on the nerve roots that come out of the veterbral area. That will cause pain going down the back of your buttocks and legs. Your doctor can get an idea if you have disc problems with a physical exam and then order an MRI to get a better picture of the disc problems. The nerve involvement could get so bad, it could cause bladder or bowel problems.

Hope this helps a bit. I have been suffering with two levels of degenerative disc disease and herniation for the past year and I still have not returned to work.

 

[Jennifer S]

AZKathy - thanks for the info. It doesn't sound like I have a disc problem. I think I need to excercise more. The problem now is I can't because it hurts. I guess I'll call the doctor.

Sorry to hear about your problems. I can't imagine feeling like that for a year! Good luck to you.

 

[goofy4tink]

My lower back is my 'stress point'. If I have any kind of stress that's where it hits!!! Just yesterday I felt it start going into spasm again. Grabbed 4 ibu, got out the heating pad. Thank heaven I caught it early. My doctor has told me that crunch ups will help strenghten that area. So, I'm starting to try to do some every day. Man, when the back goes out, life is truly miserable!!!

 

[sha_lyn]

My lower back has been acting up since Saturday. It was so bad Sat night that my DH had to pull me off the bed by my ankles os I could go to the bathroom. I could not rotate my spine at all without extreme pain. I've been alternating heat and ice, and ibuprophen and Naproxum sodium for 6 days now. Mornings right now are the worst. I wake up very stiff and sore. It is hard to get up of bed. I can stand or lie down, but sitting doesn't work too good. In fact I need to get off the computer so I can stretch out.
The masage thearipist said it started in my hips.

 

[RadioNate]

had compression fractures in 3 vertibre at 17. Hurts daily, used to it now so it doesn't really phase me any more.

Crunches help.

Can't take any more heacy duty pain killers because of the ulcers that all the pain killers caused.

Most people don't know the kind of pain I'm in until it gets so bad I can't move.