I’m hoping someone can help me with my lower back pain. I had a total knee replacement, my second one, at the beginning of May and about 5 days afterwards I developed excruciating pain in my lower back. After my first one five months ago I also had back pain but that was focused on my coccyx bone and cleared up within a week after I took over the counter ibuprofen.
This time, my pain is slightly higher up, it starts in the middle of my back and radiates out to the sides, it’s a sharp stabbing pain which then becomes more of a throbbing pain. Nothing I’ve been prescribed is reducing the pain although the tramadol I take for knee pain does relieve the pain a little for an hour or so. I also take Naproxen and Gabapentin for the pain, it’s been a tough journey with this second TKR but but that is mainly from the back pain which affects my ability to weight bear and do the necessary physio.
I’ve been given some exercises to improve my core strength, done sitting down on a wobble cushion, which I do most of the day! I also had a hydrotherapy session on Friday which was great as the water supported me and the physio could work on the exercises to get my knee bending and straightening again but did nothing to help my back.
Can anyone suggest what I should do? Any specific exercises to alleviate back pain? Any effective pain relief? So far I’ve tried exercises, hot and cold packs and the meds I described above.
I’ve got my 6 week check with my consultant on Tuesday so I’m hoping he might know what I can do and afterwards I’ll try to get an appointment with my GP as I am ready to reduce the pain meds now that my knee is doing so well. I’m thinking of starting by tapering off the gaberpentin as I don’t think my back ache is nerve pain but that has to be done gradually with a GPs supervision.
I had a spinal injection with sedation for the surgery, not a general anaesthetic and some back pain is common afterwards but it’s usually swelling and inflammation which the naproxen should have helped with.
I really need to get some help with the pain, it’s really affecting me, I live alone and feel very lonely as I’m struggling to walk and get out to see people. I ended up crying last night, both with the pain and loneliness, and had to give myself a stern talking to!