Agonising back pain

[SmileyClare]

Any advice?
Ive had niggling lower back pain for several weeks- carried on with life/ work as recommended on the NHS website. I have a very physical job (self employed cleaner).

However at the weekend I tried to get up, felt like my back gave way (?) and couldn’t- the worst pain ever- lower back all down my leg- just horrific.

Im now on Naproxen, pregablin and coccodamol but can barely stand or walk without feeling sick with pain.

please can anyone advise? Is there an ongoing back pain thread on here?
I really need to return to work soon as I’m self employed. And get on with everything at home- two teenagers here.

Just feeling so desperate.

See how it goes, but ultimately if no better in a couple of weeks then you need to move heaven and earth to get an MRI and then push, push, push for treatment. I had a steroid injection initially when I had back issues, which settled things down, and chiropractic treatment helped. But last time when my back went, the only thing that sorted it was surgery and I had nine months of agony until the surgery took place. I found I needed to be very sharp elbowed to get to see the consultant, but once I saw the consultant he booked me in for surgery pretty quickly.

It's the most horrific pain. I was tempted to chop my own leg off with the sciatica.

What would a chiropractor be able to do? They are skeletal not muscular (and snake oil 😂) they work on the premise you have small dislocations or an out of alignment spine or floating ribs (its all madness) the op really doesnt need her spine cracked right now.

Anti inflammatory (Naproxen), plus paracetamol (enhances the effect of naproxen), plus a short Course (3-5 days) of a muscle relaxant such as diazepam is shown in recent studies to be the best treatment for an acute lower back. Clinical guidelines in England (NICE guidelines) advise not using drugs from the group that include pregabalin, or opioids such as the codeine in your cocodamol, as they are generally less effective. I’d ask your gp for a muscle relaxant.

www.medscape.com/viewarticle/988968?ecd=wnl_tp10_daily_230305_MSCPEDIT&uac=313865MN&impID=5214380

I had sciatica caused by bulging discs and was out of action for about 6 weeks. I have a physical job (carer) and could not walk for more than a few steps without the screaming pain you describe. I coped by having the prescribed drugs from GP and if they didn’t work within a few days ring back and they can try other medications that may work for you. When able an NHS physio can recommend gentle floor exercises.
Just to reassure you that if it’s sciatica the pain ( most of the time) WILL eventually pass within a few weeks but when you’re in horrific pain it’s hard to see through it.

Thanks so much.
Felt a bit freaked out reading this thread and phoned 111 😬
The advice was to force myself to walk around and heat/ice and painkillers. And not to lie curled up in bed sobbing !

they have sent a message to my gp so will call in morning and beg for an appointment or referral.

Sorry to read others have suffered with this- it’s Hell. Very down about my prospects of continuing my cleaning business. I think I’ll have to cancel all my customers as I can’t keep them waiting for weeks. What an absolute disaster 🥲

Will ask about a muscle relaxant . I’ve been given pregablin and it doesn’t seem to be helping (although only on day 3 of taking it)

sofar, it's cost me over £1KI too, am in constant pain. Apparently, I have a pinched nerve ,at the bottom of my spine - hurts like hell! It's not cheap to go privately. So far it has cost me over £1K. I also have an inherited bleeding disorder which does complicate things. I have to have an injection and for 5 extra days before I can start the painkilling injection!

I have no idea what mine did, it worked like some kind of witchcraft though! As I said my chiro practices the McTimoney method which is incredibly gentle movements, no cracking whatsoever. She also fixed my DH's neck in 2 sessions and has an excellent reputation locally so I genuinely don't get the 'snake oil' perception some people seem to have of chiropractors

I used ice packs when I had a herniated disk. They were really helpful at alleviating nerve pain. If it's muscular, then something like deep heat is good. The pain down the leg is referred so position the cold/heat on the lower spinal area where you feel most sore.

From Healthline an extract from a pro chiropractor article.

While science may not currently back every existing claim of the benefits of chiropractic treatment, evidenceTrusted Source does suggest that people generally report high levels of satisfaction with this alternative approach.

A few research-backed benefits of chiropractic care:

It may reduce the need for opioid treatment.
It can make chronic back pain treatment more affordableTrusted Source.
It could potentially help improve posture, according to a 2017 case studyTrusted Source involving a woman with hyperkyphosis, or hunchback posture.
It may help relieve chronic painTrusted Source. Reduced pain could indirectly help ease depression, as 2021 research suggests chronic pain and depression often co-occur.

I would hardly call any of that a ringing endorsement.
For me the huge cost for something that may help etc. Is just so wrong.

I’m a bit confused by the conflicting advice on here but greatly appreciate all the replies.
Ice packs and hot water bottles are some relief so thank you. And lying holding my knees up to my chest- don’t know if that’s a good idea or not!

im hoping to try the NHS route first- horrified at one poster spending 1k . I can totally understand though- I just want this pain to go away and would spend that if I had it!
Don’t really want to be taking highly addictive codeine and pregablin for any longer than I have to.

I feel less alone anyway 😂and trying to stay positive <gulp> so thanks to all posters x

I think I remember your DH's roof fall, so unfair your business has been hit by physical issues too.

I've long covid and DH has been supporting me until he started with sciatica in January, super frustrating.

He had it once before and it took 5-6 weeks to resolve which seems to be similar this time.

He's had relief via weekly treatment with an osteopath who ruled out herniated discs and then a physio.

In hindsight he shouldn't have tried to keep working (tree surgeon) and a short course of Diazepam to relax it early on would have helped.

A budget treatment is an Epsom salt bath and magnesium supplements (I forget which one specifically but can look it up) for muscle relaxation.

Try not to worry too much about your clients, good cleaners are very hard to come by.

Definitely sleep with a pillow between your knees to support hips.

Thanks @stayathomegardener . My (builder) husband’s fall was pretty awful (I made a thread at the time and everyone was brilliant with their help and support) so this is really bad timing just as he’s getting better, although needs to have some of the hardware removed from his arm he’s making a good recovery.

Sorry to hear you’re experiencing similar problems with illness and your dh’s sciatica.

I feel terrible asking him to do everything when he’s still limping about himself ☹️

Sounds like you need to put yourself first for now.

If it is muscles spasms you could try buying yourself a home massager. I have suffered with horrendous back pain, spent a fortune on seeing a mcTimony chiropractor. Which helped massively. I keep up the exercises but also bought a home massager which has made a big difference as I can treat myself at home savings money and time. I have also leant it to our people who have found it worked for them.

Do not get a chiropractor. You do not want your bones being crunched and clicked if you have a slipped disc - which is what is sounds like.

Push for MRI tomorrow and then a cortisol injection. Then when the pain is gone you do physio treatments.

Do not do physio exercises now. When your pain is this bad you need to rest it. Nothing else will make it better.

Thank you I will try to follow this advice.

@Sharereportbookmark what sort of home massager do you use?

One of my husbands friends recommended me lying on a tennis ball and rolling around but an actual massager sounds preferable!

@SmileyClare I'm near Horsham, there is an osteo in Horsham who I would highly recommend, although appreciate money is tight. DM me if you could use a recommendation? Can I also suggest a shatki Mat which really helps my back when it gets bad (fractured it a few years ago) and downloading the Curable app? The cure for chronic pain podcast by Nicole Sachs has also been a total life saver for me. Not for a minute suggesting the pain is in your head, but there is a lot of evidence about mindbody work positively impacting pain, and some of the techniques and brain science I've learnt from these resources have really helped me feel a bit more in control of my back pain, when it flares, if that makes sense ? Best of luck

And yes I wouldn't touch a chiropractor
Physio only - mine sent me for an MRI as she was so convinced something was very wrong
When I came back after my spinal surgery and showed her the MRI she was astounded

It is a Wahl deep tissue percussion massager. I bought it on Amazon.

In some ways, the worst thing you can do is post on the forum because everyone will have different advice.

I am currently on my third bout of severe sciatica and this is by far the worst one last month I got stuck on my bedroom floor for five hours and couldn't move. In the end, I called an ambulance I spent 16 hours in A&E and was given morphine and sent home.

Sciatica can be a chronic condition not something for A&E. My suggestion would be to give your painkillers a week to kick in and then if it's still really bad ring your GP again and ask for an increase in dose.

Every single week in January, that's what I've done and probably some of February. Life is now manageable. I have been going to a physio but even she admits she can only do so much.

I appreciate I am an extreme case. You might feel better in a couple of weeks. The medication you have is an anti-inflammatory something for nerve pain and then I general strong painkiller.

I am on very strong medications you could consider asking for a muscle relaxant, but particularly with pregabalin. You need to build your dose up gradually, so it will take time to have any impact.

As for all the different options of treatment over the years, I've tried them all, and generally haven't found them to be useful, but they obviously work for some people

Hope you feel better soon

I had six months on the sofa unable to do anything with a herniated disc. I paid for an MRI because nhs won't list you for an mri until 8 weeks.

The mri showed a clear herniation my L5S1 region. I took it to the dr and got a referral to muscularsketal team who referred on for treatment in the private sector (I had surgery in November- my back "went" in July.
I saw a chiro and quickly realised it was quackery.
I spoke to a private physio who specifically said not to irritate the side that was painful with exercises on that side.
Take care, rest, take the painkillers and do not try to push through. I did that in the swimming pool and had to be hauled out in tears the pain was so bad.
Ask your doc for a referral for mri but don't be surprised if they don't, it's more likely to be the physio team that make that referral.
Good luck, please take care of yourself.

Thank you for all this really great advice. I appreciate the NHS route is not ideal and fairly limited.
Feel an idiot for ignoring my back pain and carrying on working now but here we are!

R.e back massager- great, I’ll take a look at your recommendation.

Honestly, the chances are that this is muscular - although I know you'll find that hard to believe. You're in a total spasm at the moment and it's very painful. I know only too well the feeling of desperation. I couldn't get up my stairs, couldn't roll over , shooting pain down one leg, just awful

What made me better ....

Regular painkillers so take what's on offer

Heat and cold

Tens machine which i wore turned up high and throughout the day

Heat patches

One session with a physiotherapist

Gentle stretching movement plus rest

I know it's awful now but it will improve - promise!

(I will say though that obvs I don't know what's wrong with you but most really as muscular)