This is about month 5 or 6 for my bad lower back pain that comes and goes. It hurt real bad today an it has my trainer a little concerned. My original family doctor thought I was just having muscle spasms and gave me flexeril. It doesn’t seem to work at all. Cold/Hot therapy wraps, and even the normal tylenol and advil does not work either. It hurts bending over, walking doing some exercises, and even sitting. It is not a cyst because the pain does not travel down my leg at all. I’m not sure, but he thinks I have an injured or slipped disk
My doctor referred me to a physical therapist, but mom isn’t so thrilled about all this due to money. Even though we have insurance, nothing is cheap. My mom and dad don’t really believe I hurt as bad as I do, and there excuse is that I am just very overweight and my back can’t handle it. The doctor said I may need to get an x-ray or even an MRI, but mom kind of freaked out. I really want to get it checked out though. If its bad (and I’m pretty sure it is) it needs to be treated or I will be messed up for life. I just don’t know how to get it through to my parents
You are absolutely right. You need to get this checked out before you are messed up for life. I don’t know why your mom is so freaked out. Ask her calmly, see if she can tell you what she is afraid of. (People freak out because they are afraid of something). See if you can get your Dr or one of his assistants to explain to her why you need extra tests. Drs have so little time to spend with each patient, sometimes they don’t give clear messages. You may have to be a squeaky wheel to get him to give you enough time to make your mom understand what you need. One of the crummy things about becoming an adult is having to take things into your own hands. If you need more help try talking to one of the counselors at school. Get as much help as you can to help your mom see that this is a major problem. Moms sometimes don’t want to see that their child has a problem because they think they did something wrong. Good luck.
Steve, this is interesting to me on a few levels. First that you have a trainer and that he or she is still working with you even though you have this problem. Where is the money coming from for this? You must be fairly young in that your parents are still in this picture and that you have been to see a doctor. Here is the one point that is very interesting in that you state that you are overweight. How much overweight are you. A simple fact is that for ever 1 pound over that you are it is 10 pounds in stress to the lower back. So you can see being overweight is not being kind to your back. The good news is that you report no pain, weakness, or numbness running down either leg. So here are 4 movements that I would like you to do. They should stop the pain and help you overall. Follow them even if some of them don’t seem to be related to your back. Sit in a straight chair, kitchen, and raise the left arm up as high as it can go and then do the same for the right arm. One arm is going to go up further than the other so start with that arm. Raise that arm up as high as it will go for 30 seconds and then rest for 15. Repeat that twice more and then do the opposite arm 3 times the exact same way. Now turn the head to the left as far as it can go and then do the same to the right. One direction is going to go further so start with that direction. Turn in that direction as far as you can for 30 seconds and then rest for 15. Repeat that twice more and then do the opposite direction 3 times exactly the same way. Get up and walk around. There should be less pain and more mobility to the back. Return to the chair and follow these movements. Remember never enter into any area that is painful! Keep the hips and feet planted and turn the body to the left as far as it can go without pain and then go to the right as far as you can without pain. One direction will go further so start there. Turn in that direction as far as you can without pain for 30 seconds and then rest for 15. Repeat that twice more and then do the opposite side 3 times exactly the same way. This last movement is difficult so do not enter into any painful areas. Bring the Left knee up as close to the Right shoulder as possible and then do the Right knee up as close to the Left shoulder as possible. One combination will get closer so start with that one. Bring that knee up as close to the other shoulder as possible for 30 seconds and then rest for 15. Repeat that twice more and then do the opposite combination 3 times exactly the same way. Get up and move around. There should be less pain and more mobility. Hope that helps!
It is important to know what is going on with your back. If something that needs to be treated, and it is left untreated, it could get worse or lead to further problems down the road. This could affect your life as an adult, and could affect your ability to work as an adult.
There is a good chance that your problem is minor at this time. Since you don’t have any pain running down your leg, that is a very good sign. Irritated nerves in the spine (in the case of disc injury) can still cause muscle spasms. The ONLY way to detect a possible disc problem is to get an MRI. The MRI can see what the X-ray can’t; muscles, tendons, nerves, and discs. Even if you have a minor disc problem, treating it NOW could prevent more serious problems down the road. The low back bears a great deal of weight, so yes, weight loss will help. However, if there is a problem with a disc or structure in your back, it will get worse if it is not treated. I will give you a short version (at least try, this spans over 10 years!) of my story, about ignoring back problems. Maybe this will help, a story from a real person recovering from back surgery, at age 32.
I used to get periodic spasms in my low back, and I have taken a spectrum of muscle relaxants, but nothing would relieve the spasms, and they would last for months. The pain would often be unbearable, so I would be referred to physical therapy to help get the muscles to relax. Physical therapy would give me enough relief to get things to a tolerable level. I would have these problems repeatedly, and I’d do the same thing; physical therapy.
I started to notice that my right thigh/leg went numb when lying in certain positions, but I ignored it and went on with life. In 2001, I had a severe low back spasm episode, just before I had knee surgery on my left knee. When recovering from knee surgery, my right leg started burning like hell. Because of the knee, I had to sleep in a recliner, but the recliner irritated my back/nerves. I would literally wake up screaming. Since I was in physical therapy for my knee, I asked about it. I was told to see my doctor, which I did. I saw the doctor, but since the symptoms were becoming tolerable again, I didn’t do the MRI or see the spine doctor I was referred to. I didn’t want to spend the money. I just let it go.
When driving to work in 2007, I noticed that I started to get a burning sensation in my right thigh, and the numbness started to happen more frequently. I ignored it, because if I changed positions, it would go away. I didn’t notice the other issues, such as not being able to walk as fast (sign of weakness in leg) as I used to. The spasms in my back came back, and I would sit in the hot tub in my apartment complex to relieve them, so I could go on my rollercoaster trips. The burning continued to get worse, so I found a position at work that did not require heavy lifting (I worked in a meat market!) with the same company. I thought things would get better, so I planned another coaster vacation.
I got back from vacation, and started in my new role. It required standing for prolonged periods, and my problems worsened, fast. I worked hard to get in that position, and things deteriorated, fast. I was distracted from the spasms/leg pain one day while driving, and I decided that it was time to see the doctor.
The MRI was ordered, and I was sent to pain management. I was diagnosed with spondylolistesis, which is a vertebra that has slipped over another one. In my case, the slipped vertebra was compressing a nerve root, and was continuing to cause more problems. I was given three injections (under sedation, not as bad as you’d think!) and was sent to physical therapy. This was the beginning of my financial problems, because all of this, at once, was putting a big drain on my savings account. These procedures did not work, so I was referred to a neurosurgeon. I have had fusion, laminectomy,.and nerve decompression surgery. I am getting around well, but I have nerve damage that is causing that awful burning and numbness I first experienced in 2001. This procedure is requiring time out of work, which is causing more financial struggles. If I paid attention to this problem when it started, I probaly would not be on disability or out of work right now!
This condition has drained my savings, has caused depression, weight gain and more. There is a possibility that I may not be able to return to the position I worked so hard to get into, because of how FMLA leave works. I have bills waiting in the mail, and even the copays (hospital stay will be $1,000) from my insurance are not affordable right now. Disability just doesn’t pay enough.
My biggest wish: I wished I got this treated earlier, when the more conservative treatment options (physical therapy, injections) likely would have worked! It would have saved me SO much (more than money) in the long run!
This is what physical therapy will do for you: it will strengthen your core muscles, that is, the muscles that support your spine. Strong muscles equal a stable spine, and this could reduce your problems a great deal.
Share my story with your parents if you would like. Taking care of this now will save you from pain and an empty bank account later down the road. Tell your parents that you will commit to a weight loss program if they help you with your back pain. I am overweight myself, and am currently dieting for the same reason.
Take care.