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.

I hung from our heated towel rail in the bathroom last week to stretch my back out. Sometimes wonder if hanging like a bat upside down would help

The tennis ball exercise does help with sciatica. And keeping active is better than lying down although it’s difficult when you are in the muscle spasm stage.
I was really surprised just how long disc problems take to settle. Once you are free of pain you really have to concentrate on your posture so that you don’t aggravate it. I think osteopaths are a waste of time. A good physio can provide preventative advice as well as exercises to improve core strength which rapidly disappears when you are guarding a back injury for months.
My back has been twinging all week, I overdid the housework at the weekend, so I just do the stretches and concentrate on my posture when walking. It’s instinctive to stoop or bend when you’re in pain but this just makes it worse because you don’t use the core properly. I find that if I slow right down, pull my self upright and use my stomach muscles to stabilise it’s much easier to walk around. Going up stairs is the hardest, it definitely helps to try and straighten up using core than lean forward.
I used Tens machine but it is not really that effective when sciatica causes muscle spasm.
The numbness takes a long time to recover and you often experience parasthesia as the nerves start to work again. I struggled with my foot dropping while walking leading to poor stability so kept going over on my ankle. When you are able to walk any distant make sure you wear trainers or flat boots to help. I came close to face planting a couple of times when I was out and about again.

Thanks @Angrymum22 thats all really useful advice. Really appreciate it. Although it’s not looking good for my cleaning business if recovery is going to be long 😢

Based on most posts I do think physio is the way to go.
My foots gone quite numb so reassuring to know thats an expected symptom of sciatica.

And yes I quite fancy hanging from a bar to stretch out like monkeys do. Haven’t got anything in my house to use though!

This seems such a common injury. Humans must be a bad design 🤔

I also recommend a physio rather than an osteopath or chiropractor. I saw a sports physio and he was very informative and taught me so much, I wish I had met him years earlier and not suffered for so long. Please be very careful with any exercises you are doing before getting advice, especially now you have a numb foot, it is almost certainly a disc pressing on the sciatic nerve. Unfortunately it probably will be a long recovery, there is no quick fix. Good luck.

Honestly, you lot have been ten times more helpful and informative than my gp

Thanks so much for all the advice and patiently answering all my questions 😂

Starting to realise this isn’t going to fix quickly. Life is so shit sometimes.

I’m sure a physio would speed things up. I was half hoping I could practice online exercises and help myself that way but I suppose you’re right; I should get advice first.
I haven’t heard anything from the NHS physio unit I self referred to . Have fairly low expectations there to be honest after reading other’s experiences.

Anyway, thanks again.

How is it today?

It’s hard to see any improvement yet! It’s always agony getting up in the morning, especially all down my leg and then eases slightly once my morning cocktail of drugs kick in.

Depressing really. I’m so used to be active all day usually.

One bonus is that we’ve discovered my youngest is quite good at cooking- he’s cooked for his dad and brother three times this week! They’re all trying to help.

I know that you are advised to keep mobile with back issues and as a rule I think that's true. However, for me in the first week or so I think that was a mistake - I think in trying to keep mobile, I made the spasms worse. Generally, I'm quite fit and do a fair amount of exercise but when this happened to me, I am pretty sure staying relatively still for a few days might have been a better way to manage it. (My GP friend thinks I have a herniated disc and the muscles went into spasms). However, I am very clearly NOT a doctor myself and we might have completely different underlying issues! (Now that I am 'better' the opposite is true - I do need to keep mobile otherwise I get very stiff). And because it was muscular I just didn't find that painkillers helped that much.

(I did go through a phase thinking I would be incapacitated for life! It was quite scary. I'm not - it did get better and once it started getting better it did so quite quickly, again, because it was predominantly muscular. I just had to break the cycle if you see what I mean.)

Going down your leg sounds like it's sciatica. That said, I had terrible lower back pain a year ago (within a couple of months of a clean mammogram) and was doing physio and naproxen. After a couple of months of that not helping, and having some numbness when urinating, my GP sent me to A&E and when they investigated it turned out to be stage four breast cancer (I never had primary breast cancer) in my spine and pelvis.

Those stick on heat patches you can get are quite good, I found, for trying to get and keep mobile as you've got constant heat applied as you move, unlike a hot water bottle, which is pretty hard to keep on you once you're moving.

Although if you wear them absolutely constantly you can damage your skin, so probably best to use for key times, e.g. just after you've got up.

The other thing I found helped was distraction at key points. So I had a stash of hard sweets. When I needed to do a move I knew was going to hurt, like moving up out of bed, I would have one of those and really concentrate on the flavour, texture, that sensory input. That would distract me from the pain. Not completely but it would take the edge off.

Hi @resistingreality I think I probably have a herniated disc too. Your story all sounds very familiar..

Unfortunately my doctor won’t refer me for any diagnostic tests at this early stage. I’m basically pissing in the wind trying to guess using the internet!

Its a bit of a relief to hear you say Rest. Gp just kept emphasising “Stay Mobile” and I’ve been feeling like I shouldn’t lie down

@ByTheSea that must have been such a shock. Very frustrating to have suffered for two months before getting a diagnosis.
How are you doing now?

Rest is probably best at the start. I spent last week in bed with just trips to the loo and the occasional short walk. And it did improve.

Is it today your tens machine arrives. Hopefully you’ll find that makes a difference.

Hi @110APiccadilly You’re right. I noticed when I had a bath that the skin ion my lower back is very red and sore. I think I’ve burnt it on hot water bottles or on my ice pack (if that’s possible?)

Thanks for your tips- this is stuff I would never think of 🙂

Yes TENS machine is Out for Delivery!
Its like Christmas here, waiting for my new toy 🤣.

@SmileyClare

Apologies - I've only had time to read pages 1 and 8.
I had lower back pain starting in 2020. I'd just had a hip replacement and thought it was residual pain from that.
But it persisted, and when I spoke to my GP, she said the x-ray which showed I needed a hip replacement had also revealed spondylosis, (nobody had told me).
It just got worse and worse, and the pain had started to affect the whole of my lower torso, and had travelled dowm my legs to the point where they would sometimes give way.
In spring 2022, when I was being seen in hospital for an assessment for a different issue, I mentione how bad these symptoms were, and an MRI scan was arranged.
Turns out I have spondylolisthesis, which can cause paralysis if not treated. I'm due to have an injection soon, or. if that doesn't work, surgery.
Obviously I have no idea what your symptoms could be due to, but if I was in your position I think I would be pressing for some sort of x-ray or scan.

I'm still in pain, from falling over 3 weeks ago. I chased my nhs ultrasound appointment yesterday, 8 weeks she said, finally got one for 3 weeks time. I'm doing hot baths, hot water bottles, gel, osteopath. I'm fed up.

@LindyLou2020 what an awful time you’ve had. It’s shocking that your spondylitis wasn’t addressed when your gp first detected it 😮

Its very difficult to push for scans or further tests via my doctor. Although I’ve only had this a week now 😳 nothing like your years of pain. That sounds so frightening.

A private MRI is not something I could justify money wise right now.
I wondered about setting up a payment plan in instalments for private treatment but everything I’ve looked at requires payment upfront.

Lets hope your injection works as planned and you get some relief. You’ve really been through it

It really sucks doesn’t it? Feel like bawling about it to be honest! It’s so frustrating.

You’re not alone, from a fellow person in the Fog of Pain xx

I'm in shock started my exercises this morning. My right leg is so weak, no wonder it was buckling under me. Out of curiosity did the exercises in reverse my left leg breezed through them 🙈

Sounds like you’re heading in the right direction @justasking111
Keep up the good work 👍

Got my new TENS machine, let’s go! No stopping me now 😂 ..well I can walk around with it on a bit easier... having flashbacks of being in labour.

Just celebrating any small wins now in this whole shit experience.

It's the small wins isn't it. Overdid the exercise perhaps was in so much pain this afternoon took two ibuprofen lay flat and fell asleep. Still feeling rough BUT I'm walking upright. I'll take that for now

Glad you’re seeing some progress (albeit painful) @justasking111 I like your determination.
Finding this really tough. Nothing seems to be helping tonight it just fucking hurts.