Dealing with back pain for about a year, very hard to get things done.

[Virinreiber]

So for various reasons I was semi-homeless, I lived with my grandparents in 2021 until December that year, but their house was too small to accomodate a third person, so I slept in their garden lodge. It was fine, but sleeping on a sofa for four months has really fucked up my back.

Do I go to the doctor and see about getting pain meds or something, or do I go to a chiropractor?

Both seem like a lose lose situation to me as I've heard iffy things about chiropractors, but I don't just want to be put on pain meds and it gets left on that. Is there anything I could do for back pain other than being put on meds/chiropractor breaking my back potentially.

I don't necessarily have an issue with being given pain meds, but the idea of just having pain meds for the rest of my adult life when I'm only 22 feels depressing to me.

I work at home, and I get delivery, so I don't get out much since most of my friends are busy. But it'd be nice to not get back pain when cooking cause I've been standing around for too long and needing to sit down because of it. I feel like I'm decades older than my age.

Being referred to a physio (which your GP can do) is definitely a good thing. Also getting blood test and scans. Insist on this or you'll get fobbed off.

I had a few years of back pain before discovering I had arthritis (also very young).

Do you have budget to spend on treatment things? Lots of people swear by chiropractors and osteopaths but it's really expensive and pointless if you only go once or twice. The same can be said of pilates and reformer pilates.

Stretches and exercise are great but you need to be careful you are doing the right ones and not making it worse. I did yoga for years and then discovered because I have hypermobility it was actually really not good for me. You really want to see someone who can assess you properly. It might well be you just need to do a bit of physio (daily light exercises) to sort out your back or there might be more.

Look after yourself mentally. I am young too and also find it very very hard mentally to feel pain in just doing daily things. It feels very unfair. It's really common when you have chronic pain to become depressed so looking after yourself is so so important.