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.

@LexMitior Was going to ask for an X-ray if this isn’t improving after a week but will that not help? I doubt I will get an MRI on the NHS but will take your advice and ask.

Worried about taking so much time off work. It’s potentially leaving all my customers without a cleaner for weeks. Oh god this is such a disaster 🙁

Brilliant! I hope it gives you some relief. I’ve always got mine from Lloyds Pharmacy and use the wireless ones. Whichever you get I really hope it helps x

Mine is as a result of slipping off the end of a rope while abseiling down a mine shaft (team building exercise when I was 17 🤦‍♀️) I know have degenerative disc disease, a curved spine, arthritis of the spine and something else which I’ve forgotten the name of at the moment 🤣 I’ve learnt how to live with it though, not nice at times but I do get respite as long as I’m careful. Just to say that an X-ray won’t show anything it’s an MRI you’d need to get to the root cause

Mine is a wireless one too. It was only £23 but has good reviews. I could spend a fortune on ordering things that might help so trying to be a a bit frugal!

Really looking forward to it coming, this is my life now- excited about a TENS machine arriving 😂

@salcombebabe thats awful. Hats off to you for getting on with things and staying so positive. Careful hug from me 🙂

You at least have a cool story about a mineshaft expedition, mine was just a result of doing too much cleaning. 😬

It puts my moaning into perspective!
MRI is what’s needed then. Ok I will definitely try to be persistent about that if this carries on. I’ve not seen any improvement yet but realise I need to be a bit patient.

They start with an x ray as it is cheap. MRI is hard to get: I had to be nearly crippled to get one.

Prunes, porridge, movicol.

Noted! Thank you

Yes I can imagine. You poor thing. So frustrating! My husband keeps telling me to make more of a fuss with the doctor.

I will if this doesn’t start to improve at home. I was told to wait a week and call back if no better.

Just looked at the cost of a private MRI…wow 😮

My private MRI was £600. Are they more now?

Back from osteopath he says that I'll be sore tomorrow. Apparently it's my glutes, hip flexor etc which are very tight through compensation and they've got weak. Jakers I was pushed and pulled. When he was working on my glutes I asked how you treated someone with butt implants. He said he'd never had to treat someone like that. But it would be a challenge 😂

I looked at the price of a full body MRI which starts at £1,500 at our nearest private hospital. Thinking about it though I don’t need full body do I ?
Sorry these tablets make my thinking so foggy!

@justasking111 so pleased it sounds like your getting the targeted help you need. What a funny way to spend your day- having your buttocks manipulated 😂
something different .

Ah my MRI was lower torso so stomach and bowel. Hence the price perhaps. Less analysis required

Yes that makes sense, thank you.

If your pain is lower back then the MRI would be lower back/pelvic area, I think it’s about £300 privately. Such a shame we have to even consider going privately but that’s another subject! Very often GP’s try pain meds and physio initially so won’t consider MRI until some months (years) later so do push for a referral.

Yes it’s disappointing (but not that surprising) that the NHS pathway for this is so minimal.

Thanks so much for your information, I really appreciate the benefit of everyone’s experience.
Im perhaps naively hoping that my back resolves itself with some rest and treatment at home but bracing myself to have to pay for an osteopath and <gulp> private MRI. All very difficult.

Thanks for taking the time to reply x

To give you hope my back pain did resolve! I’ve had two major episodes and have to be careful - I know one wrong move will throw it into spasms which are difficult to break. But I’ve been ok for several years now. And alcohol not great with codeine but the latter made me sick!

@resistingreality that does give me hope! Thank you. I hope you stay pain free 😊

I realise it’s not ideal mixing codeine and alcohol, my poor liver haha. Thought I could miss a codeine dose and try the Chateau de sciatica. at the weekend 😉prepared to try anything that might work.

Had a small breakthrough after nagging my teens- one of my sons has located a tennis ball! Can now try the massaging trick.

X ray won't pick up a herniated disc. You need MRI scan for that. Sciatica is usually caused by herniated disc so I imagine the GP is thinking no need for MRI. Thing is it could be caused by something else and doing exercises designed for a H Disc might aggravate your pain.

Did GP refer you to a physio? I have occasionally been lucky with a decent NHS physio. A good physio will incorporate osteopath type manipulation, acupuncture and traditional physio. I have had acupuncture on NHS.

I only got an MRI when I was admitted to hospital for pain management as I couldn't walk, sit or stand. (It was partly due to mismanagement by the GP that it got to that point.)

On the positive side, I've since made such a good recovery (without surgery, though that can be a good option - it was life changing for a friend of mine) that my back has stood up to two pregnancies with not much more than a niggle (and some dubiously legal outdoor swimming during lockdown, which unfortunately coincided with the first pregnancy).

Thank you @Jewel1968 and @110APiccadilly
I rang the doctor again today because it’s still agony to stand straight or walk about and I’m getting a bit anxious now.

Again, no appointments available just a phone consultation but he said I should wait a week on tablets before they’ll do anything more and emphasised that I must keep mobile. Aargh.

I’ve been trying to pace up and down our hallway like a caged bear, moaning and yelping like a lunatic. 😐

Sorry to hear you’ve suffered with similar. Its so shit isn’t it? It’s nice to hear you’ve recovered well x

Our NHS trust seems to work by self referral to a local physio unit. I’ve completed the forms online and waiting to hear so some hope there.

Going to attempt washing my hair. Just feel so horrible and look like absolute shit so hoping that will give me a boost.

Appreciate your replies. It’s pretty lonely being stuck at home with a bad back!

Was anyone else put on codeine and pregablin for a length of time for your back issues?
Ive been taking the max dose of both since Saturday and feel so spaced out

Its safe to continue do you think for another week or so? I don’t want to become addicted and have withdrawal symptoms.
Bit alarmed that it says “Causes addiction-contains opioid” in big letters on the box 😮

Osteopath yesterday said that I would be sore for a day or two. He gave me three simple exercises.

Glute bridge
Step downs
Squats

I can't do the step down our stairs are too steep.
The squat bend knees stick bum out and hold must look comical, Marx bros. Haven't tried the glute bridge yet 🙈

Feeling like I fell on my hip and bruised it.

Had x-ray report back.

MY SI joint is damaged which explains a lot of the symptoms.

www.healthline.com/health/si-joint-pain

This is so me 🙈