Back pain despondency

[BackPainQuestions]

My back “went” about 3 months ago. It never really got totally better, but it was not as bad as the early days when I could barely walk. I was prescribed painkillers, physio and have been doing everything recommended. But it is not right. I can’t lift anything, even a light load of laundry. I fear having to sneeze or cough. I can’t focus at work as it is painful if I sit at my desk for more than 20 mins (I WFH). My family are fed up. The GP says nothing else can be done and keep with the exercises.

This is never going to improve is it?

How do people cope?

Have you had a diagnosis of the problem? Any scans or an MR?

MRI!!

Thanks for your replies. I’ve been told it is “mechanical back pain”. I did ask GP about a scan and it isn’t needed unless things like I cannot control my bladder.
The physio said it could involve a disk in my back but nothing more about what it was, just what exercises to do.

If you can pay for a private MRI for a few hundred pounds. Then take the results to your gp. If if is anything substantial they will have to act (yes I did this),

Thanks. Can I ask what your MRI showed and what it meant could be done?

I would need to try and save some money for an MRI, but it would be possible. I will do anything.

I got my MRI a weird way, went to physio privately who said "something is very wrong" and she sent me for an MRI
Anyway it came back as a massive disc herniation and then I was referred for surgery. Got cauda equina the night before my planned op

Oh gosh, that is scary. I assume my physio does not think it is that bad then if they have not said I need a scan.

i hope your surgery was successful.

Sometimes it takes quite a long time.

I had sciatica for a year. I now live fairly scared that it will come back and work really hard on strength and mobility to that end - I still get some milder episodes where it's irritated.

At the time a TENS machine was helpful - I wore it to work, which alongside regular painkillers helped me get through.

Sitting down was much more difficult than standing/walking - can you get a standing desk?

My DD ( 30) was told the same….just get on with it….,she went for a private mri….she has early onset disc degeneration( very rare in Her age) ….she’s now been referred to neurology by the gp

I'd go back to the gp and say that your physio thinks it's a disc problem and ask them to rule that out. It does sound like you need a scan and possibly a referral to the pain clinic. I care for my dc and my back is absolutely shattered. I don't have any disc issues, it's all wear and tear and muscle tightness. For that I've found the only thing that helps is regular sessions with the osteo and deep tissue massages. I can't afford to keep that up atm and it very quickly becomes unbearable. It's awful how something so debilitating is seen as unimportant but it's really worth keeping on at your gp. There are pathways they can go down to help you with the pain if it's not something that can be "treated" by the nhs. They certainly need to rule out anything more serious before dismissing you.

I have chronic back issues and have since I was 15 (31 now) I find keeping up with my strength and mobility exercises is the main thing that helps. when it's bad I have a heat pad that I have on it whenever I can.

Please push them for an MRI. Gonprovate, try another GP, be a bother to them. My DH had the same, they fobbed him off for 18 months. He needed an op due to a bulge on his spine, they tried to tell him it was a folic acid deficiency. he now has permanent nerve damage and muscle wastage down his leg. Not trying to scare you but doctors easily dismiss back pain.

I also slipped a disc and few years ago, and am actually suffering with a tweak at the moment. I really feel for you, back pain is the worst!

I went through that when I was young - 24.
My GP sent me to a specialist who immediately put me in hospital and called in a neurosurgeon .
They wouldn’t allow me out of bed and gave me all sorts of very unpleasant tests - pre-MRI - and they came back undetermined ugh.
But they decided to operate anyway, and sure enough I had ruptured disc. They removed it.
I haven’t had a problem since, 40 years later.
Honestly, @BackPainQuestions— somebody needs to start taking you far more seriously.
I never would’ve survived long without intervention. Every step was agony.
Can you pinpoint the event that caused it? Like did you lift something too heavy? Try to retrace your every step.
If it IS a disc, exercise is going to aggravate it, not alleviate the pain. Lie flat on your back, put a pillow under your knees and use moist heat under your back. There’s special heating pads or you can dampen a towel and wrap it around your heating pad. Make sure to protect the electrical cord.
I certainly empathise. Don’t stop demanding treatment and tell the doctors you think it’s far more serious than what they’re suggesting. Even if it isn’t, at least you’ll know for sure what exactly it is.
Good luck & sending love.

I’m in Australia and have private health insurance, so what I say is not applicable to negotiating the NHS, just what was wrong with my back and what was done.

My back issue started in lockdown - a facet joint problem which sorted itself with exercises, just minor flare-ups that resolved very quickly. Then it went very badly early this year after my dog lunged and it pulled my back right out. I had sciatica too. Oddly the only things that really helped long term were those cheapo stick-on heat pads. However the problem wasn’t going away.

I had a scan which showed the facet joint pressing on the nerve. I had a CT guided injection at the 4/5 vertebra which didn’t work - it doesn’t work for everyone. I’ve since had a spinal decompression operation, a laminotomy six weeks ago - an op where you walk out the next day (with a ton of painkillers) and after a horrid first week am fine. For context I am retired and live alone so I have to do everything for myself . The post-op therapy was take the painkillers and walk.

When I’m allowed, I’ll return to the gym to continue with vback-strengthening exercises.

While it’s true most back problem sort themselves out in time, your experience sounds so acute and misery-making it more than justifies going back to the GP. The interference in your day-to-day life is surely more than enough to warrant further investigation.

All the best @BackPainQuestions

DH was fobbed off with physio and exercises on the NHS. A private MRI revealed disc issues requiring surgery (went private for this too) and he's been fine since.

Go back to the GP and insist on a referral. Most slipped discs go back on their own which is why they are reluctant to refer straight away, but it's been a few months - get a referral. It could be a number of things and you need an MRI to get a possible diagnosis.
My physio recommend an MRI.
Turned out it was a slipped disc and after exhausting all other treatments, they finally operated. Surgeon said it was calcified and would never have gone back itself so definitely right to operate. You need to start the ball rolling with an MRI scan.
However keep doing the exercise as well.

Op I have the same problem. The only thing that works is the heat pads you can stick to your clothes. They last 24 hours, only thing that works for me. Good luck x

Thanks everyone, this is all really interesting to read. I was believing that I was just being a whiner, but it sounds like pushing the GP/physio more is not unreasonable. I’ll also look at saving some money for a private MRI in case I need it. I’m also encouraged that people have had good outcomes, or at least an improvement. Thank you.

I’ll also look at the heat and tens suggestions.

Can you ask your GP for a MRI scan referral???

I think so. Fairly sure it was my GP who sent me for an MRI but she also referred me to a consultant. It was about 15 years ago.
I passed on the info from my physio who said I needed an MRI to see what was going on.

Can't remember all the details especially as I was in so much pain.

Thanks - I did ask but they said not necessary as I didn’t have certain symptoms like loss of bladder control. I will ask again though.

Private might be a good idea - find out how long the waiting list is on the NHS first.

I didn't have loss of bladder control. They did ask that as obviously if you have, they will fast track you. I didn't, so had to wait.

MRI and private physio if you can. I had similar, turns out I had 2 buldging disks which the physio sorted out and I've been fine since