Methods for coping with constant Backache requested please!

[Milliways]

DS (12) has had a bad back since October. Got better over Christmas but very bad again now.

He has prescribed painkillers & is waiting a referral, so cannot add any extra drugs.

We use: massage, sympathy, hot water bottles, hot showers & baths, constant stretching etc.

He has real problems completing a full day at school - sitting in a classroom is hard. Homework has to be done in 10m shifts, stretch, start again etc.

Does anyone have anything obvious we may be missing. I hate watching him cry

Can you buy a back-support strap/belt from Boots? Will that give relief?

Ooh, do they do small ones? (He is very skinny! - wears age 10/11 trousers)

why is it taking so long for the referral to come through?
if it hurts that much, then i really dont think he should be up and about at all. i had a slipped disc and the consultatn told me to lie on my back for ten days. dad only let me up for toilet breaks. the rest of my body hurt, btu it meant i avoided surgery.
if he cant do a full day at school, then he shouldnt even be trying. do the bits youdo with him already, they soudn fine, but dont make him sit and walk around if he really cant.

Not sure. Check Boots website.

if it got better over christmas, that may have been because he wasnt walking round all day, the way they do in school? let him rest, rest resst. on a flat, hardish bed. or sleeping bag on pile carpet.
years ago, i had a pupil with a curved spine in one of my classes. in my lab, we only had benchs and stools. but i insisted we brought in a table and two chairs, for him and his friend to sit on. his mom was appreciative, and it meant he could actually attend the science class.
i really dont think your ds should be in school righ tnow.

He had on off trouble in October. Started with a trip to A&E as thought he had injured himself. Nothing found.
On off aches, Saw GP. Take Ibuprofen. Got worse, take diclofenac. Got no better - it's purely muscular, will go away.

Got lot worse this week so GP referring us to Assessment centre with Physios etc. He can't lie on floor or bed for too long.

School let him get up when needed. I've banned all text books from his bag. He asks for proper chairs in SCience but yesterday the teacher said only one chair & he needed it! DS then needed to go to sick room.

He has missed a lot of school, but if keeps on I will have to let him miss more.

I find a small TENS machine helps with my constant shoulder pain but not sure if it's ok to use on children.

lie him on his back on flat surface.
use a butter knife, or a fork, roll it up his little toe slowly, using equal pressure on each toe and foot. ask him to describe to you if it feels equal or not. when everything is normal, it should feel equal
make a huge fuss. thi s pain is not acceptable. if necessary, take him to a&e if you get no luck anywhereelse and say you want x rays to rule out a bone fracture.
he can be given work from school to do at home. his back is more important than year 8 national curriculum

my slipped disc started as small backache, thought it was just from travelling. but it got worse. the first three days i was at work, just taking paracetamol, wearing normal high heels. backache often gets worse if not treated properly.

He has no referred pain, nothing in legs, arms, buttocks etc. He has been bent, prodded etc and I believe it is muscular. He swims (swam!) a lot and I think butterfly stroke, which he always struggles with, may have been a factor! Got bad after a gala in November.

He also did diving which involves a lot of stretching and twisting.

Millarkie: I have a small Tens machine hidden away - must dig it out & read instructions/rules!!

He is in bed now btw

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i dont really know anything about muscular problmes. sorry.
hope you get that referral soon. he needs it.
positive thoughts ....

Thanks

awww poor boy , he has my sympathy's , sounds very much like me right now. Ive been stuck at home for days, with all and sundry doing my nursery runs so I dont have to cart dd2 in and out of the car, buggy etc. Im sooooo fed up with this house!

Had an MRI Sat to see if I have a slipped disc. Have postponed an isotope bone scan (to see if hairline fracture in rib) for now, as waiting to see if this improves in the next few weeks. Also been on gradual increase of pain relief, from ibuprofen to diclofenac and tramadol.

How long is referral for ? Id go back to GP for now about pain medications. Have you tried some of the large gel packs for the freezer, Ive been using those in the damaged area. Really gives me relief.

Heat can actually exacerbate any inflammation, as it makes the molecules that create it rub together even more and faster,creating more pain, so Ive been told by a chiropractor.

hth

Has he had a growth spurt recently Milliways? If he has any slight curvature it can be exacerbated by a quick growth. Also worth getting them to check if he has any discrepancy in his leg length or unevenness around the hips.

dd has a leg length discrepancy and a resultant slight scoliosis. An increase in growth has often been accompanied by an increase in pain - the muscles seem to take a while to catch on.

I hope you can get your referral pushed through quickly - it's not on for him to be in so much pain.

What is he having medication wise?

Kept him off school today - which worked as I had already booked the day off to take DD for a minor op. He is much happier being at home and talking about being ok for school tomorrow. Shows that rest works!

He has grown a bit - but needs more to catch up with his friends.

He broke his leg a few years ago so hope nothing wrong there length wise etc.

He is on Paracetamol & Diclofenac. Got him a heated wheat cusion from Aldi today. Have also found a self-inflating mat for him to lie on - better than the floor or his bed!

Milliways - worth exploring if it was bad break or close to a growth plate. Although I think any problem there would have shown by now.

dd has paracetamol, diclofenic and codeine - quite a combo but seems to work for her.

Glad the rest has done him good - maybe you could negotiate shorter hours at school for a while?

I am now looking at him carefully (after you said Scoliosis) and he does have one shoulder & shoulder blade higher than the other!!

We are now awaiting an appt for the Paed. Orthop. Back Clinic.

Hope you don't have long to wait Milliways.

Update: He was off school Wed, Thu & Fri - improving slowly. We went out for a meal on Sunday & he went downhill pm. Stayed off school Mon, went back Tues & had a terrible evening.

GP still not called back despite me asking for referral to be speeded up.

So, off to A&E today in desperation. They confirm it is muscular and they cannot buck the system or refer him any quicker, in fact they suggest private physio/osteopathy until appt arrives.

Back home, chase the referral dept & get the first appt of..........

6th March!!

Have now booked him a private osteopathy appt this evening. He cannot keep missing school, (esp as he can't even sit & play his computer, read a book or anything when he is off!!)

Hi Milliways - keep pushing for an osteopath assessment, MRI scan and proper extensive x-rays, my condition was not taken seriously when I was younger and I now live with constant chronic pain in my back and limbs as a result.
I am missing some of the linking bones of the spine (pedicles/ tails which connect the vertebra) and was a gymnast which made the problem worse and caused stress fractures to the spine as well.

I was watching my dd2 doing butterfly the other day thinking how damaging it looked for possible stress fractures, I wonder if your ds may have sustained something similar although the condition usually affects gymnasts, dancers and bodybuilders/ weightlifters.

AFAIK, A&E cannot possibly know whether it is muscular or not until a full assessment has been done, I was fobbed off by various doctors and consultants for years with bad diagnoses.

I do Pilates to strengthen the core muscles in my back which has helped no end and walking will help him if he keeps his core tight all the time - if he is taking diclofenac be rigid about the amount of water he drinks (at least a pint while taking and plenty throughout the day).
Osteopaths are great but should be treading with caution until a proper diagnosis has been made - I wouldn't be surprised if they are loath to touch him until they know more.

Best of luck and much sympathy for your ds from me - it's crap .

d'oh - that should have said Orthopaedic assessment, sorry!

Thanks. I can keep calling back to check for cancellations - even have a website to check , so will be doing that.

I should imagine the actual Orthopaedic clinic will make an Xray - esp if we have to wait > a month from now if it is still just as bad. Believe me, I will scream at them if they fob me off as well. COuldn't get too worked up at A&E as their hands are tied, but they at least listened to me & tried some suggestions.