To think once you develop back pain it never goes away?

[FairTurtle]

I've had this now for 6 weeks, out of NOWHERE. It's constant. I've seen a chiro and an osteo and it's still no better. GP isn't concerned. NO HISTORY of back problems whatsoever. I'm 28 and healthy besides this. Wtf??????? Yoga poses and core strength exercises aren't helping.

It probably depends on the individual but sadly yes that's been my experience - really hurt my back lifting a bed resulting in days of full on agonising spasms, 8 years later I still have endless issues. It hurts to stand still too long, or walk to much, I constantly use heat and ice. Have seen all the professionals and tried all the exercises going, it's miserable!

I developed a nagging pack pain in December which lasted for months, but it's entirely gone now. I think it came from spending too much time sitting in a poor chair.

@BedDepartment Thanks! I'm hopeful. I am trying to consider posture etc. Was it a bad work chair?

@Itsallabouttea I'm so sorry to hear this. I'm guessing you've seen all the specialists and doctors etc and tried everything but I do hope it gets a little better with more time. I'm seeing an osteopath later this week.

Even stupider, I was working from home, and as my study on the top floor is freezing in cold weather, I was marking scripts at my kitchen table, sitting on a hard kitchen chair! Completely self-inflicted, but actually naggingly painful for months.

Don’t lose hope OP.

I’d never had ever had any back issues and out of the blue when I was 31, I had back pain. Very painful, couldn’t sit at times. Doctor said rest but not too much, gave me painkillers, printed out some exercises to do, but told me only to come back if it I still had it in a couple of months. Anyway just over 6 weeks later and it was gone. More than 10 years on I’ve not had any further issues.

I hope it’s similar for you. 🤞

@BedDepartment Oh! So I used to wfh sitting on the sofa which I thought might have caused it. I'm now actually sitting on a hard kitchen chair (with lumbar support) as I thought this was the best thing!

I’m the same age and have back pain too 🙈 I find that I really, really need to prioritise moving. I need to walk every evening and I stretch before bed too. In the winter/bad weather when I walk less I get pain more often and feel very creaky. I hate the gym, I just go for long walks outside.

I can’t laze about in my office chair all day anymore, I definitely need to get up regularly.

@HeartbreakerEyes Thank you!!! I'm so glad you got better. Just worried as all the NHS and other medical sources etc say "most people recovery within 6 weeks" and the pain is still very bad for me. The fact it hasn't changed or improved with core strengthening (albeit I've only done this for 2 weeks) and yoga is making me even more worried.

Threw my back out at the gym in 2016.

Its never been right since.

No amount of yoga, stretching, pilates has ever really helped very much.

I've seen a surgeon and he said I have a bulge in my L5 S1 and show signs of degenerative disc disease.

All I can do is make sure I'm as strong and fit as possible and manage the pain when it hits.

I have disc bulges and was given a sheet of 6 exercises to do by physiotherapist which helped tremendously.

Acupuncture sorted mine.

@OttersAreMySpiritAnimal Ooh, interesting. Was it acupuncture needles directly on the back? How many sessions?

I get a lot of neck pain/upper back pain - achey and knotted muscles that cause migraines. The only thing that stops it fully (and I have tried many things) is hiit training . 20 mins Joe Wicks 40 seconds on 20 seconds off. Twice a week. Burpees, planks etc.

Weight lifting eases it (maybe gets the blood flowing) but hiit is better. Yoga, Pilates, massage, osteo, acupuncture - didn’t work.

I used to think I would never get rid of my back pain. It debilitated me for 25 years on and off, sometimes I would have to shuffle down the stairs on my bum and I couldn't even stand to shower.

I saw chiropractors, physios and osteopaths etc and nothing seemed to help. I tried pilates, yoga, home exercises and everything else I could think of and nothing seemed to work.

I got a dog 7 years ago and things improved after a few months of hour long daily walks. I have had a couple of episodes of back pain in that time but they resolved in a matter of days and the background stiffness which was a permanent feature previously has completely gone. I have no proof the two things are connected but it's a hell of a coincidence. I should mention that I use to run when my back pain allowed so my conclusion is that for me it's specifically walking rather than more exercise that helped. It did take a few months though.

My back got fucked up during my last pregnancy, after I gave birth it got worse and worse, the pain radiated down to my legs and I could barely walk - going up and down stairs was near impossible.

A year and a half of physio (exercises set by my physiotherapist and a weekly exercise group run by her for people with back pain) and the pain was gone and I was able to move around normally again. Kept up the exercises for another year, and do them occasionally now when I feel like my posture is getting bad or I've not been exercising (normal exercise) regularly.

It did take months before the exercises really seemed to have an effect though. Its not a quick and easy fix, and it was hard work and I felt like giving up because it seemed like nothing was helping but my physio made me keep going (and then invited me to the weekly group)

All the doctors I saw, on the other hand, just suggested rest and painkillers (though tbf also did investigate thoroughly with MRIs and x-rays and whatnot) but thankfully also referred me to the physiotherapist in the end, who said rest was the worst thing to do.

Have you seen a physio? Not an NHS one a private one. I have had diffent back pain issues over the years and yes they can be fixed but the only thing that has ever fixed it has been proper physio. I don't hold with chrio or osteopath (especially any manipulation of the neck) it can be quite detrimental. But proper physio with the right exercis, fixed my posture problems in my 20's and the pain from my accident in my 30's.

@MigGirl Thank you! Yes, I saw a private physio - she did seem very young (I don't say that to be mean, but just because she might be inexperienced) but said that my hip flexors, glutes and core are weak and need strengthening. I have been doing the exercises now for almost 2 weeks and no difference...but I'm guessing it takes longer?

I injured my back lugging a pram up a flight of stairs and had back problems for about 20 years after. Then I took up yoga and my back problems disappeared, never to return.

Yes it will take a while keep going, it should get better.

I also should have said, I have a mild form of Long COVID, which makes it difficult to exercise. In my experience people are not very sympathetic about this and seem to think I'm faking it or it's "not a real condition" hence why I didn't mention it in my initial post. Feel like I will just have to push through the fatigue and exercise :(

Yes it takes a lot longer than 2 weeks. You might notice some improvement in 2 months, or it might take longer. You just have to keep it up even though its exhausting. Not easy I know, but eventually you'll realise it gets easier to do the exercises and then the pain starts reducing, and then you notice how much better the exercises make you feel so you do them more willingly.

@Natsku Thank you!!! You have given me hope. Reading stories of chronic, decades-long back pain online is probably not the best thing for me right now.

Back pain is also exhausting. Do what you can at the moment without pushing yourself so hard it becomes counterproductive. Even if the best you can manage is 5 minutes now, just keep at it and it will get better but it does take a frustrating amount of time.

If it is your hip flexors then you need to do the exercises every day and to a certain extent push thorugh the discomfort (not if you feel a muscle has torn or pulled obviously!)