Low back pain 7 for weeks - nothing working? Help!

[FairTurtle]

Help! I've posted about this before but weirdly can't find the thread. I have low back pain that started randomly just 7 weeks ago now. I'm 33F and not overweight, eat well, etc.

I've been to an an osteopath several times, as well as a private physiotherapist (who gave me exercises, which I am doing, and says I need to strengthen muscles), and have also been doing daily yoga stretches gently. It's still there, sometimes better, sometimes worse, and when it gets better it always seems to get worse again for no reason. I've done massage, used lacrosse balls, etc, but nothing seems to be shifting it. Acupuncture is next on the list.

I've not had an x-ray or MRI as I've been told it's just muscular pain and the treatment approach will be the same. The GP, physio and osteo all said it's not a disc issue. I don't have any tingling/radiating or numbness feelings so I accept this. At a loss for what to do now. I'm continuing the exercises, I do them every day, and am trying to build my core strength.

Not sure if it's relevant but I'm also have hypermobility spectrum disorder (although my back itself doesn't seem to be hypermobile - I can't bend and touch the ground with my hands).

Losing hope. Any stories of people who had back pain for a few months and then recovered?

Keep on with the physio. My physio told me it takes 6 weeks to see the difference, and you have to do the exercises regularly. There’s no magic fix sadly! It does get better though - my back pain stems from a sports injury and I really do notice that the physio exercises improve things for me.

I have hEDS. Weight training was the best thing I ever did. Slow and steady like and figure how to get around some things that won't work but ultimately a stronger body and joints

@PenCreed Ok, thank you! Just weird as mine wasn't a sports injury at all - it just randomly started one day! I've been doing the exercises for about 5 weeks now so was really hoping to see a major improvement by now. But I'll keep going. Thanks for the encouragement.

I should add - I've never had back issues before hence why it's so disconcerting. I also have a very good wfh set up with an ergonomic chair and good computer height, etc. I move around/stretch/get up regularly.

Not an expert but have had back issues, would say do as much core exercises as you can, I cannot emphasise this enough, gently at first, like mountain climbers, lying on your back doing slow bicycles, or pelvic tilts in particular, they are awesome, and if you feel up to it, try swimming. You can do core exercises while watching TV, for me it made a huge huge difference. Some of the easier Heather Robertson core workouts? Also I would advise you to reflect whether you have recently started some new or different activity, for me things like hoovering (a killer!), moving house, moving boxes, lifting stuff from IKEA into car etc, will set it off. How is your mattress on your bed, is it supportive? Do you have to lift up a baby or small child. Did something change with your work. When you stack the dishwasher or washing machine, first squat to do it, don't bend over. Put a plastic bag on the car seat so you can easily swivel out. Do you maybe need insoles for an imbalance in your back or feet? Hopefully someone with more expert advice will be along but these are the things that have enabled me to ward off my back issues (although they come back on occassion).

just to add: stretching is good but actually building the core muscles is better..

also please rule out a kidney issue/gynae issue with your doctor.

@choixduroi I should say kidney and gynae issues have been ruled out as I have pelvic ultrasounds earlier this year for an unrelated issue

oh that's good at least. Hope you feel better very soon!

It could be a slipped disc just not impinging on nerves. It can take 6-12 months for discs to heal. It might also be worth isolating exercises for a few days because some may be exacerbating it and you won't know if you're always doing all of the exercises.

Look at Tom Morrison on instagram for flexibility. I had recurrent shoulder pain and it’s really helped me with that (I have paid just looked at his free stuff)

Weird that it just came on and you don't have a specific cause for the pain to have started. I had bad lower back pain, but I put it down to sitting with bad posture. Solved it by switching to a standing desk and doing more exercise.

Now I don't want to freak you out, but I did know of someone who went years with back pain and was told it was muscular/posture etc. only for it to turn out to be cancer. So if it came from nothing, doesn't improve with exercise or better posture, then mention it to your GP.

@mansplainingsincethe90s Thanks! When I say it was "random", I more meant that I can't remember specifically injuring it while playing a sport or anything. But I had a pretty poor wfh setup until recently, and my muscles are generally quite tight. I also first noticed it when cleaning my flat, so possible that I tweaked something but didn't notice the specific moment, iyswim?

My GP has done basic bloods so I doubt it's cancerous, but I will definitely make sure I rule anything sinister out.

Exactly what I was going to say. Gynae problems cause back pain alot more than I realised

Keep on with the exercise, mine was essentially from having a desk job, I know do back exercises regularly, weight train and do Pilates once a week and it hasn't come back (touch wood). But you have to do the exercises every day.

It takes time. My sciatica took nearly a year to resolve. I have spent the six years since strengthening my core, back muscles and glutes as well as regular yoga/low impact cardio to try and stop it recurring, although I understand it is likely to.

I also had to change the exercise I did and the way I sat/did certain things.

Another vote for Tom Morrison (on youtube) - his partner has hypermobility so as a team they are very aware of it.

Hello, I'm a pilates teacher and I sometimes work with people with hypermobility. You mentioned you don't think you have spinal hypermobility because you can't touch the floor with your hands (I know this is part of the Beighton test) but hamstrings in hypermobile people can become overactive as a protection mechanism and in turn stop you from touching the floor.

Your physio / GP ruled out disc prolapse but also be aware of spondylosis and spondylolysthesis. They're not uncommon in people with hypermobility. I'm not an expert in how they test for these, they may have ruled them out already, but it's worth you reading up on both of them if you haven't done so already.

There may be small postural changes you can try and implement to help but I know how hard this is if you're hypermobile.. eg do you lock your knees out? This can tip the top of the pelvis forward and increase the increase curve in the lower back. If you can train yourself to soften your knee joints it may help to get your lower back in a better position and ease compression.

@TheFTrain This is so interesting, because my hamstrings have been super tight my whole life! Literally, I'll stretch them before bed and in the morning they're super tight and hard again. Stretching them physically hurts.

I'll look into spondylolisthesis.

Go to your GP for a thorough pelvic exam and pap smear.

This might not be muscular at all.

I'm hypermobile and I've had a lot of back issues although mine tend to be upper back. My physio told me my hips were out of alignment which is what causes it. Solutions I have found are muscle relaxants when it's really bad (they can be addictive so be careful), sometimes they reset me and it helps a lot. Weleda Arnica massage balm, just rubbed not even massaged into the sore spot helps a lot (there is also a weleda arnica massage oil that doesn't help me at all so make sure to get the right one if you get it, it's confusing because the balm is an oil). Tennis ball rolling in the sore spot. Strengthening core muscles through Pilates. Driving for long hours to work exacerbated the problem, as did sitting all day working, so moving around if you are sitting a lot. Stress would make me tighten up and caused problems. I have gone through periods where it is terrible and times when it's not a problem so there is definitely hope for improvement. Yoga also helped me. Hope you find a solution.

Forgot to say I have to stretch, if I don't stretch before a walk it causes issues in my body.