Relentless low back pain

[blueberrymojito]

I am going to make a GP appointment to discuss this but I’m wondering if anyone has found a source of relief for low back pain? I’ve been suffering since approx April time on and off and it’s really getting me down. Sitting down (mostly desk based on work) seems to really aggravate it, and then triggers days of agony. I’m in tears today. The pain seems to radiate to the front of my hip bones too, sometimes both sides, sometimes just the right. I’ve not had any sciatica. Walking is not uncomfortable and seems to really help.

It does feel muscular as I feel like I’ve got many “knots” and tender areas across the whole of my lower back area. If I lie on the floor and bring my knees to my chest, my lower back feels very tender sore and lumpy.

Do people find yoga or Pilates helpful? How about an osteopath? I really want to avoid medications and am keen to try whatever I can.

Massage (not spa proper massage) ypga or pilates, getting up and moving aboit regularly throughout the day walking, all of these will help.

For my knee pain. Co-codomal ( within limits) Voltarol. Baths, cold swimming, yogs, heated blanket. Did physio but didnt keep it up. Its relentless.

GP is most likely to offer pain relief.

Can you self refer to physio?

Movement is the medicine, but most back pain is about management rather than total relief.

Can you get a standing desk - that can help or sit on a swiss ball rather than a chair?

I had my physio on the nhs.

Maybe see an osteopath. It could be that your upper spine is locked solid and making your lower back bend twice as far to compensate. All the muscles can go into spasm to help support it.

That's my issue anyway, so could be the same for you. My osteopath said it was decades of sitting at a desk all day working on a computer that caused it.

Yoga helped me, but it was not a quick fix.

short term warmth is good, rub or hot water bottle. And painkillers to get you through the acute phase.

for it to go away permanently, it takes yoga Not every day but at least every few days.

Hope you find what you need.

see if you can self refer to a physio.
or pay private for a session.

I've not had exactly that but I regularly get lower back pain so painful I can't stand, lie, walk or sit without being in so much pain and every movement hurts.

Ice it then warm it and repeat as many times as possible in a day. I have a specific back ice pack and a hot water bottle I rotate between and I don't normally move unless I've iced If first - but anything cold will do. If you feel able, gentle stretches but only if it doesn't hurt. Suggest Googling some recommended ones from trusted places like NHS or charity websites. Cat cow yoga pose may help for example or an adapted version of you dare not go onto the floor. It can take a while to get beatable and then once bearable try and do gentle exercises recommended for lower backs specifically regularly to avoid it happening again.
Try not to overdo it or get too down about it all, it will pass.
Good luck

Finding a set of stretches/exercises that I now do every single day has really helped me.
I do about 20 minutes of stretching based on some exercises I was given by a physio and some I found myself by reading various books.

If I do the exercises/stretches I don't have back pain. If I miss them even for a day I get back pain.

I would go straight to a physio and not bother with the GP; they will probably refer you to a physio anyway.

I have some degenerative damage in my lower back so I am always going to be prone to back pain but staying mobile and doing stretches keeps it under control. It is easy to become more and more immobile and take painkillers as a solution but with mobility you have to use it or lose it.

How old are you, OP? If you're over 50, it's possible that you could have a compression fracture in your lumbar spine or a crack in your sacrum.

Try using heat. It can be very soothing. At home, use a hot water bottle or an electric heat pad. At work, try something like Deep Heat adhesive heat pads. Try not to sit in one position for too long.

You could also try using a chair cushion with a cutout section, to ease the pressure when seated.

An x-ray will reveal whether you have fractured or not. You might want to arrange to pay for one privately if your GP won't refer you.

Are you sure it’s muscular and not bones?

I'd be booking an osteopath if it were me suffering like this. Your GP isn't going to do anything for it, other than possibly booking you with the physiotherapist (which will in all likelihood take months and then probably just give you a set of exercises to do).

Pilates really helped me. After months of pain it cleared up after just a couple of sessions.

I'd see a GP to rule out non-muscular issues, such as kidney problems. Then try and see a good physio and consider finding a pilates class led by a physio.

I think the OP needs to see her GP to find out why she has a sore back.

Just something to add regarding sitting at a desk… among the endless boring but necessary H&S video courses we have to do at work, the one I always pay attention to is the one with the posture advice. Following the first time I watched it, I got myself a laptop riser so that the top of the screen is level with my eyes - game changer! My backache has definitely reduced.

And just to add, you have my sympathies ☹️ Two pregnancies on my short frame completely fecked my back.

Walking is the best thing you can do. I'd go to gp and ask for a referral. Is it coccyx pain? Could also be a prolapsed disc. I would stay clear of osteos, chiros, Pilates etc until you've had a scan. In my experience they are very keen to give lots of off the shelf back pain advice and that can make things a lot lot worse.

Physio, Pilates, and yoga, you will need to stretch every day once you know what to do. Been there and done that!

Contact gp surgery, they will probably send you straight to physio and go from there. The exercises work but you have to stick at it. It also sounds like you might need an ergonomic chair or standing desk

I’ve had lower back problems for 20 years. I tried everything and nothing worked. I had a private MRI scan (managed to get this on health insurance) to find out what the issue was (three herniated discs in my lower back). You need to identify the problem and then work out what works for you. For me, osteopaths are great. Physios are rubbish.

I then got a personal trainer and built up my core and back muscles, doing weight training. Started really conservatively and slowly built it up. I do stretches every night (I notice it if I don’t). I also don’t do any heavy lifting from the floor or below the waist, as this hurts my back. Waist height and up only.

For temporary relief, I would see an osteopath, use heat patches and gentle stretching. Keep getting up and walking around when you’re working. Once it’s feeling better, start building your core muscles (whether that’s Pilates or strength training). It will get better, but it will take time.

Thank you for all the helpful replies! For reference, I’m 37, but have actually always been prone to low back pain, although not for years. In fact as teenager I remember having some physio when I was about 17 and they said the cause was a weak core. Im fairly active (apart from 3x days a week when in work) healthy weight etc. I can get referred to physio though work but its usually virtual which i’m not a fan of. In terms of seeing the GP, I was wondering at what point I would need to request an MRI scan to rule out any other causes/disk related issues? Definitely going to look into seeing an osteopath, but I suppose in the absence of any scans no one really knows for sure the cause.

When I saw my GP, they were happy to refer me for a MRI but obviously private was quicker. I managed to get the scan privately, but then went back to the GP and they referred me to the hospital. As we’d identified the cause, I could skip the useless physio assessment and went straight to a consultant. I then had cortisol injections into my spine but they didn’t work. The only thing that’s worked for me is building my core and back muscles and stretching.
Worth going to see your GP to ask for a scan