To ask if I should worry about this back pain?

[MotherOfRats]

Since January this year I've had really bad lower back pain, constantly.

I started noticing that every morning after sleeping & lying still for the night, my lower back right at my tail bone would be incredibly stiff and painful but would gradually loosen up after an hour or two of moving around in the morning. The pain would remain throughout the day but at a tolerable level and would flare back up at night/in the morning.

I phoned the GP after it went on for a couple of months and they said it sounds like sciatica and to keep moving as much as possible and that it'll go away on its own.

It's been another 4 months now and the pain has only gotten worse. It's now at a point where I am in severe pain all day long, not just the night times and mornings. It feels like a constant ache/intense pain in my tail bone area. It keeps me awake at night because it is so painful and there is no way to lie that relieves it.

I am on 60mg of amitriptyline for migraines and I'm now finding that the pain is so severe it wakes me from the deep sleep amitriptyline puts me in.

I'm 28 so feel too young to have this sort of back pain. Has anyone else experienced this? Are there exercises I can do to help it? Not that I can even imagine how I would do any exercises at the moment as just breathing seems to make my back hurt. I even struggle to go to the toilet as the pain is so great I can't relax.

[HeyBlaby]

You need assessing by a physio, not sure if your GP surgery has one on site/if they are doing face to face appointments currently.

[user12699422578]

Have you told your GP it has continued to get worse?

[MotherOfRats]

Yes, told GP a couple of weeks ago and they said it'll get worse before it gets better and to keep exercising but I'm now at a point where I feel I can't exercise any more as it is too painful. Every movement is extremely painful and the pain is there constantly now, even when I'm sitting still.
No physio on site at the GP, closest one is at the hospital but they are not seeing patients at the moment due to covid.

[gamerchick]

How old is your bed? It's surprising how much an unsuitable mattress can plague our lives.

[SpillTheTeaa]

I they're fobbing you off. Don't go quietly until they have at least referred you.

[MotherOfRats]

I never thought about my mattress! It is 5 years old. I don't even know where I'd start in choosing a new one that's suitable.

[Fatted]

Get back onto the GP OP. I have going to be that scare mongering poster and tell you about my relative who had what they thought was back pain. It was constant like yours, but came on quite quickly over a couple of months. It was caused by a cancerous tumor putting pressure on their spine. Hopefully it will not be as serious as this, but please do go and get it checked.

[Thisisworsethananticpated]

I’d do a three fold effort

First go straight to physio , that’s the only thing that helped . Can you afford to pay ? Even in London it’s about 50 an hour

I did try osteopath , but physio gave me exercises which I still do now

Secondly are you normal weight ? I only ask I as lost a few stone which helped

Lastly persist with GP and be very factual

• started this day
  
• did this
  

Pain was this much
Now is this much

Have you got a yoga mat ? As you can start with some very gentle stretches

This can be fixed but it’s sooooo miserable 😖

[Thisisworsethananticpated]

And do persist with GP , I really mean that
It could definitely be back pain that’s not been treated and has got worse and stuck

But it could be something scarier

[MotherOfRats]

I can't afford to see a physio privately unfortunately. I would need to be referred by the GP. I think I will try phoning them again tomorrow. I'm so tired from not being able to sleep properly and I'm also mentally exhausted from being in constant pain.

I definitely could do with losing 2 stone. I'm 11 and a half stone at 5ft 4 I'm embarrassed to say. Lockdown has played a part in the weight creeping on I must say.

[MushyPeasAreTheDevilsFood]

My sister had similar when she was early twenties. Back pain that The gp prescribed physio, she was screaming in agony With that, loads of painkillers prescribed. It got so bad. My parents
Borrowed a friends campervan to take her to hospital. She couldnt bend to get in a car.

The hospital scanned her and it was a tumour on her spine.

A few years after a colleague of my mum was complaining about lower back ache they had which was getting worse and painkillers wasnt touching it. My mum told her to ask for a scan. They were nurses at the hospital. Again, it was a tumour.

[giantangryrooster]

Hope this link works, the first excersise in the video has really helped me.

This position on both sides, if link doesn't work.

[giantangryrooster]

Ps I've had lower back pain since mid twenties, it's normal don't have to be sinister.

[MotherOfRats]

Oh God, trying not to panic now! My GP doesn't seem remotely concerned which is probably good news but it's frustrating because I am in so much pain and it's been going on for so long! If I press my fingers on my lower back/tail bone area it is incredibly painful. Arthritis runs in my family, could it be related to that?
Thank you for the links to the exercises. I'll definitely try them tomorrow.

[giantangryrooster]

I'm sorry do the first excersise before you go to bed, feel the stretch in your thigh, that helps.

Don't panic people with back pain is common, rarely sinister and even rarer at your age, promise.

[teaflake]

I would ring the GP again, really get your symptoms over. I don't believe you should be left in constant pain.

[Durgasarrow]

It is also possible that it is axial spondylitis or ankylosing spondylitis. Just out of curiosity, do your hands or feet hurt in the morning?

[Thisisworsethananticpated]

Ah OP ! Sorry to scare you , I
Meant bug GP more for
Physio and proper
Pain management

For what it’s worth mine was fixed by

Lost 3 stone and properly worked my core
I’ve also gained some back

Physio giving me the right exercises

Getting fitter

Stopped smoking

I know the tumor tales are horrible and scary

But mine wasn’t a tumor

[Sparticuscaticus]

I had years of lower spine pain.

Your GP will wait for you to contact him/her as usually it resolves after a while (

[MotherOfRats]

Definitely going to contact the GP again today. I also reckon I need to lose weight because it can't help if I'm carrying extra weight around on a bad back!
I've somehow got to manage keeping up with my 3 year old today. The weekend wasn't so bad as DP was available to take over but he's back to work now. But seriously, I can hardly walk!

[Neron]

A tight psoas and tight hamstrings will cause a lot of back pain. If you're able, watch a video or 2 on YouTube about stretching out both these muscles. It's not necessarily the cause, but you mind find it gives you relief plus YouTube is free and you have nothing to lose by trying them

[Neron]

Forgot to add, the pain pattern sounds like inflammation. When you're still for long periods of time, the fluid pools in the joints meaning they can't move as they should and results in pain. As you move around, the fluid is pushed from the joints and the pressure is relieved. Putting ice on the area can also help with the pain.

[DaveMinion]

If you have a family history of arthritis you need a referral to rheumatology. I have the exact same pain and it is axial spondyloarthrosis (which can go on to full ankylosing spondylitis).

Good luck xx

[DaveMinion]

Ps don’t worry about the tumour that pp mentioned. That would be a pretty unlikely thing as they are rare.

[MotherOfRats]

Thank you for your replies. I feel less worried now as I tried the stretches a PP linked up thread and although it was incredibly painful to get down on the floor to do them, I did feel a bit of relief afterwards so I think you're right that it is inflammatory. I've phoned GP & they gave me the number of the hospital physio to book in for a telephone appointment. I have it next Tuesday. In the mean time I'm trying to keep active and not sit too much & will keep trying the stretches.