muscle spasm in lower back !!!AGONY

[emmadee79]

Hi.

I'm new here but just need some advice / help or even someone to give me hope that I will be normal again.
Since 2009 I've had sciatica which usually starts January lasts couple of months then goes. luckily whilst pregnant over 2011/12 I didn't get it. This year however it came back around January. from May it got worse & worse , to the point of walking my son in the pram daily to barely being able to walk, get off the chair, out of bed and basically in agonising pain through my right leg and bum cheek!! after many trips and painkillers of all kinds I got an xray . results came back saying, loss of lumbar lordosis due to muscle spasm! I was told to go for physio which made no difference and I went back to doctors and am now waiting on an Mri scan, but have to see a physio for a referral first.
For the past 6 weeks I've been bent over like an 84yr old in crippling agony. The last 2 weeks I've had some improvement due to different stronger painkillers but by tea time after doing normal daily household chores and playing with my son (15mth) I'm in agony again.
After all the rambling I'm doing as anybody else had anything like this. is there hope??
I've bought a DVD 'pilates for dummies' to try and get my body back straight, and build up core strength. it's only on for half hr , quite simple , but I can't complete the whole DVD cos it causes too much pain. xx

Oooft, you have my sympathies. My back went into spasm on boxing day last year and took 3 months, including a month of physio to sort out.

Pilates is good, but if it hurts, stop and try again later. Try to focus on keeping your hips neutral (can't remember the correct term for it) but that helped even lying down. Also, crawling when I could instead of walking helped a little because it took the pressure off my back for a little while.

I've just had a bout of sciatica which led to another spasm but this one has only lasted a couple of weeks

I've had sciatica (caused I think by back muscle strain after I had weak core muscles after an abdominal operation)
I've found that weight lifting classes at my gym, and crunches (a variety) every single day have helped, along with ibuprofen gel rubbed in every morning even if I wake up and feel OK. I also do the NHS back exercises to stretch and loosen my back.

It's miserable, and nobody seems to understand how bad it can be!

I really feel for you, back pain is bloody miserable.

I find heat pads are pretty good when my back is bad. I've found the cheapo packs in the pound shop are good, they usually sell the pads that you stick on your clothing.

Have they given you diazepam or similar?

Get earliest appointment with GP or book telephone consultation if quicker .
You can't go on like this .
My GP offered diazipam for frozen shoulder because she was convinced it was muscle spasm ,so that seems to be a method of treatment for spasm and might work .

awww it's horrible isn't it. I'm doin the nhs exercises, and also find crawling around helps and with having a little one I have the perfect excuse for doing that lol
I sit on my exercise ball aswell to try and keep my posture and core strengthened.
Yes I have diazepam 2mg , I had tramadol 1st which made me feel really really really drunk but not in a good way. I'm on naproxen and co-codomol 30/100 .
I was out everyday with my little lad in the fresh air with the pram and now I can't leave the house without taking the car. it's really frustrating. I'd rather give birth twice a week than have this pain lol
Thanks for replying. I'm trying to be positive to trick my body to getting better. x

Oh wow emmadee sounds awful - you're amazing to be able to talk about it the way you do .
I'd be whingeing to high heaven .

I don't know anything about it ,but if your muscles are in spasm ,should you be trying to exercise them ?

And random piece of info - friend of friend v. bad back was given some kind of epidural shot to help .

I take my hat off to you ,I really do .
Wishing you better .

Don't do pilates until you are pain free or you could injure yourself.

See another physio, did the other one give you acupuncture or ultra sound/massage?

YY to ultra sound and acupuncture/dry needling .
I had both for frozen shoulder and v.effective .

gingeroots I'm sick of whinging and ooooing and arrrring every time I move , I've cried every tear I have and thrown many things across room (which hurts ) lol so I'm now on the positive track and my minds set to not being like this and I will get better!!
the last physio I had wasn't brill and didn't seem sympathetic at all. So I've been rushed through by my doctor to see an NHS physio for a full hour assessment on the 18th.
I've heard a lot about acupuncture and think I'll give this ago next if physio dosnt come up with answers or an MRI or something .
Thanks for all your answers xx

Try a chiropractor. I had irritated my sacro iliac joint a couple if months ago, and my muscles went into spasm. It's not cheap and I am not totally better, but I am back on my bike now and barely on painkillers.
Also he did some acupuncture on my bum last week which really helped. Also get some Epsom salts online. Put a couples of mugfuls into a hot bath and soak for at least 20 minutes. I sure that helps a bit. Get well soon OP.

Immediately you need to
a) take anti-inflammatories - such as diclofenac or naproxen if not already doing so, alongside paracetamol. take these regularly every day. EVERY day.
b) take another painkiller such as codiene alongside. You can get 8mg over the counter in the form of co-codemol (codiene and paracetamol), I normally take 15-30mg from GP. You can take codiene and paracetamol together (but if co-codemol, no additional paracetamol).
*if breastfeeding, seek advice on medication. I am not a doctor.
c) use heat/ice every 2 hours - heat 20 mins, ice 20 mins, 2 hours repeat again
d) do some very simple exercises only just to get your back moving - I will send details of these over to you if you want me to by PM.
e) try to walk a little, even though it hurts.
f) you might find it more comfortable lying on your side with your worst affected leg pulled up to your chest.
g) buy Sarah Key's book - Back Pain Sufferers Bible. It's fabulous, has those simple exercises in and talks about how to manage acute pain and chronic pain (you manage them differently).

These things will help you now.

Then you need to
see your GP and insist you get your MRI ASAP. If you cannot manage any longer with the pain you are in go to A&E, tell them your leg pain is unbearable and ask for an MRI immediately. Also ask your GP to refer you to pain clinic as they can give you injections to help with the pain. And ask for spinal pathway referral for assessment. Do the lot. Tell them you simply cannot go on like this.

You have to shout, and scream. Daily if necessary, if you want to be heard. Or else you will just be left to get on with it.

You may be offered some nerve blocking medication - either gabapentin, amytriptiline (most common) or pregabalin (most expensive so not usually offered first). Give them a try but be prepare for side effects. I found amytriptiline worked wonders for sciatic pain, but side effects were so bad I couldn't function on them.

you have a trapped nerve, so physio can't do a thing unless you are very lucky and happen to see a senior and experienced physio who says 'ok, this person should not be here, she should be with my colleague in the spinal team. like now' and calls your gp to rush through a referral after talking to them directly about their concerns.

Do not minimise Ever about your pain. Tell them it hurts so much you throw things, tell them you are in tears most of the time and can't function. Don't for a second let them think you are coping. If you cope, they will just send you off with some basic exercises which are shit.

sorry. More.

Do Not do exercise such as pilates if you have 'red flag symptoms' such as leg pain. Back pain itself is actually ok, as long as you listen to your body and don't overdo it. But, if any exercises increases leg pain, or continues leg pain already there, stop immediately. In particular if the pain goes beyond the knee, or there is pins and needles and/or numbness anywhere in the leg.

A good physio will do dry needling or acupuncture, sounds like you need a change. Supports physios are the best ime.

SPORTS I mean

pavlov's post brilliant IMO .

Especially how you must get across to them how much you are in pain and how it's affecting you .
Only things I'd add - medical profession take pain that prevents sleep very seriously . So stress that as well .

And you may need to take preventative measures against constipation ( lots of water ,prunes ,dried fruit ,movicol ) if taking codeine ,paracetomal etc .

yes to pain that disturbs sleep. Absolutely. Write it down if you think you might miss something important, as there are so many important aspects to back and leg pain that it is easily forgotten when in tears in the doctors surgery explaining everything that is wrong, again. And yes to lots of prunes .

Apart from saying pain disturbs sleep, saying that it is causing marital problems really helps too-they're must be a check list with specific things on it, but ime they take that seriously.

There

valium you know, I never thought to tell them that! But it so does! I shall remember that for any future reference myself...

wow thanks a lot.

I'm going to write a list to tell the physio, so hopefully she'll know I'm being seen by the wrong person! and I'm going to ring my GP and make another appointment. It actually is effecting my relationship in a way, I know he's trying to be sympathetic but when your not in pain it's hard to understand! He's at work all day and comes home to me looking like an 84yr old instead of 34!!!!!!!!
I'm making appointments now, and making a list so I don't forget anything!
Thanks so much, it's true I suppose if you don't keep showing your face your forgotten about. xx

Hi I know this is old but what helped you get better in the end? I'm going through the same thing. 😔