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.

Put a spiky plastic ball or tennis ball on the wall instead of lying down. Do it stood up

I also use a theragun - can get similar cheaper in Argos. They can be very effective

And yes to a slim pillow between your knees

This has cheered me up. I’m really hoping it is muscular! It just feels frightening to be in so much pain and unable to move doesn’t it?

What am I doing with the tennis ball? Just rolling it around my lower back while pressing against a wall? Going to try that as soon as my tablets kick in tomorrow.

I had a number of “episodes” of sciatica during lockdown. The first one responded well to anti inflammatories and diazepam. Three months later, after doing a major spring clean, it returned with a vengeance. The muscle in my thigh were in complete spasm which didn’t respond to diazepam or painkillers. After 3 weeks I was ready to cut my leg off. GP was great, having suffered with chronic sciatica for years without bothering them they were more than willing to treat with other drugs. I was prescribed Baclofen which, gradually did the trick. I still take a low dose because it has taken 3+ years for the discs to heal.
I had a lot of numbness in my feet after the nerves were trapped for so long but they have gradually recovered.
My sciatica is better now than it has been for years. I am not allow to do heavy housework though. Any prolonged bending will aggravate it. If anything triggers it I increase the dose of baclofen for a day or so.
I’ve also found that sleeping with a pillow in the small of my back helps . It stops my lumbar spine over compressing when I lie on my side.
I would definitely recommend diazepam or baclofen. The gabapentine is a waste of time if you don’t stop the muscle spasms.

Mine is probably a combination of sacroiliac joint separation ( pregnancy 18yrs ago) and piriformis syndrome ( due to rotating my hip joint out to operate a foot pedal at work).

I really recommend a shakti mat. It’s like a plastic bed of nails, and I found really helps, plus makes you feel all warm and relaxed afterwards.
Good luck, back pain is miserable.

Thank you I will ask about the muscle relaxants recommended here.

I think vigorous mopping and bending over baths to clean them at work started this off. Going to be very mindful of my back if I can return to cleaning.
Its a real shame because I actually love putting on my gym clothes and cleaning other people’s homes. All my customers are really lovely too.

Some great recommendations thanks.

This thread has made me a bit more positive about steps I can take. Was feeling so desperate and frightened when I posted and crying my head off.

All your anecdotes are a bit terrifying to read but also strangely reassuring!

Physio is brilliant - I had a herniated disc some years ago and with physio have made a good recovery though I still have to be careful and exercise right. Once you've seen the physio, Pilates and swimming might be good, but get your physio's advice on that.

One really important thing: if at any point you lose bladder control, go straight to A&E. It's a sign things are badly wrong.

@SmileyClare yes, basically, re the tennis ball. Just sort of live around on it - much easier when stood up!

I remember all this happened to me about 5 years ago. My back 'went' as I bent over the bath to pick up a shampoo bottle. It went like an elastic band snapping

Was literally dragging one leg for a while, my daughter had to bloody put my pants on for me for a while! )not a young child I hasten to add!!)

The key really is the regular timetable of painkillers and then just cycle through everything on top of that. You need a muscle relaxant as a priority and then follow with everything else

Yes will look out for any red flags eg loss of bladder control.
Appreciate all these kind replies

I have had two herniated discs and corresponding sciatica. Most painful thing ever. In my case it lasted months.

My advice is:

• recognise what works for one won't work for another
• I have tried every type of professional from osteo to chiropractor to physio and I conclude a good physio is the best. Not an NHS physio
• TENS machine from boots was a life saver
• try not to chase the pain with the meds. By that I mean try and take the meds at the right time
• acupuncture by a physio was very good for me as it was part of an overall treatment
• push for MRI scan

@BatFaceOwl yes mine was the same. Just felt like something went snap and then lying on the bed trying not to scream and wondering how the fuck am I going to get up? I can sympathise!

Will be attempting some tennis ball action in the morning x

Tens machine is a life saver. The wireless stick on ones were rubbish though. Don’t recommend d those at all.

once you are better remember to keep doing the physio and keep a spare set of replacement pads for the tens machine. Just in case you find you need it again.

Thank you @Jewel1968 We could scrape money together for a private osteopath or physio appointment. It sounds like that would be worth it I will see what the nhs offer first and think about my options.

I had a bad back about a month ago. It was agony getting up from the sofa and getting in and out of bed. Walking around seemed to help a bit, but the best thing was buying a back support with magnets in, less than £5 from ebay and came in 2 days. Pretty much sorted me out straight away. Obviously back pain has many causes, but no harm in trying that.

I also found stretching my lower back helped, especially a yoga position called upward facing dog, but only do as much as you're comfortable with.

It looks like I could hire a TENS machine for several weeks and not too expensive.
Going to try everything at this point.

Oh and try an anti inflammatory like Ibuprofen

Check out kinesiology tape from Amazon, it's not expensive and it really helps with the pain.
Athletes use it on their sports injuries, and there are loads of tutorials on YT showing you how to apply it.

Try an ice pack on the worse area, it helps relieve the swelling.

Back pain is so debilitating I know, hope you get some relief soon.

Ive had this twice, comes out of nowhere, and its awful as no position is free from the pain. Its the first time ive understood the phrase 'writhing about in pain' as i would end up desperately trying to get out of the painful position but every way of lying is as bad as the last.

Second time i had it i ended up in a and e, 119 were going to send an ambulance for me as i didnt think i could get in a car, and standing up left me feeling really sick so they said i needed to be seen.

Ambulance felt like overkill so managed to get in a car (timed with codeine) and went to a and e, where they were lovely, saw me really quickly and a doctor did various movements etc with me to rule out serious issues, and declared it muscular.

I was certain it had to be more than that as it was so agonisingly sore, but sure enough it did clear up eventually. But in the throes of it i was living on really strong dose of naproxen and solpadeine max for about a week.

Just wanted to add my story as one where the NHS worked perfectly, i was diagnosed and given medicine and stretches to help the process, and i didnt have to spend lots of money on it. In fact because i got the naproxen at a and e, i didnt even have to pay a prescription cost.

Hope you feel better soon, and i do recommend going to a and e if you are struggling to cope with the pain. Even the reassurance of ruling out more serious problems can help the healing, as you can relax a bit more.

Will definitely try some stretching and yoga once the agony subsides a bit. I’m terrified of this ever coming back.

I stupidly tried “Pigeon pose” this morning after googling Sciatica exercises and nearly passed out with the pain 😂

I have sciatica and when it flares up it definitely helps to sleep on my side with a pillow between my knees. I also take 2.5mgs of diazepam along with codeine which helps to ease the spasm.

YY to the “writhing about in pain” I hear you. So awful when every position hurts.

Surprised how common this is tbh

I had an episode of severe back pain that was muscular spasm. Unbelievable pain. I got down one flight of steps with my DH's help and burst into tears at how awful it was!
My top tips. In the morning, take pain relief twenty minutes before you try and get up. Take regular pain relief until it starts to ease. I found walking really helpful - especially on slightly uneven surfaces. So, grass rather than tarmac. It was a gentle way to keep core muscles working.
After about two weeks I was more or less back to normal..
Disc damage is very different though, did your GP indicate what they thought was happening? Mine was very clear it was muscular and would recover fairly quickly.

I have a herniated disc I've had physiotherapy they manipulate the back which is painful but helps. I tried osteopath but it didn't help at all. I do the physio exercises I was given every day (regardless of if there's no pain) and several times a day during a flare up. I do Pilates a couple of times a week to build core strength.

Hot and cold helps and I have a back brace for flare ups so i can still move. Also you need to avoid bending forward. Bend with your knees.

I find pigeon pose aggravates sciatica for me. I believe it depends on whether your sciatic nerve goes through the piriformis muscle.