bad back pain!

[kaylasmum]

Since Saturday my back has been really sore. It started after i stood up from a sitting position and i felt a twinge. I've been taking ibuprofen which did'nt really make any difference at all. I thought yesterday that it was getting better as i was'nt getting nearly so much pain but this morning it was just as bad aa before. I work as a checkout operator and was working last night so not sure if that had anything to do with it. Anyway i went to my gp and he examined me, had me bend forwards and backwards and told me that my back seemed quite stiff. I was concerned that it was sciatica but he said it was'nt as iwas able to bend forwards. I have pain around my hips and a dull ache at the front of my thighs also, he did'nt remark on that but nodded when i told him.

I suffer from health anxiety though i have been improving a lot lately with the help of CBT and while i'm tryin to stay rational about it i'm still having these little niggling thoughts creeping in.

Just wondering if anyone can relate to this.

anyone?

still in awful pain, any advice?

Hi kaylasmum

Hows the back pain? I know from personal experience that back pain is a nightmare.

Your pain "may" be due to your positioning at work, try and be aware of your posture. I assume you may do twisting and lift weighted loads (even small ones), which if in the incorrect postural position can cause muscle strains.

Sciatica is the radiation of pain either in the buttocks, thigh, hip, calf and can even shoot to the heel. It can occur suddenly through injuries to your spine such as bad posture, over bending/stretching etc. The majority of sciatica patients manage their condition with medications through the GP.

I would recommend taking Paracetamol 1g four times a day & Ibuprofen 400mg three times a day. Give that a go, and try to keep mobilising. If after a few weeks, you feel no better, go back to your Gp, who may prescribe you a stronger NSAID such as diclofenac/naproxen. See how that goes, if its muscular it should settle over a few weeks.

I have sciatica/disc prolapse and can bend forward, but it does hurt if i go too far forward. I have had physio, still on medications. Tried the caudal epidural injection and now I am waiting surgery.I am also a nurse which is where my advice on the medications comes from.

all the best

Ohh I feel your pain literally! My GP diagnosed me with Sciatica a few weeks ago, last week I was better, this week I am struggling again!

Juggling is right though if it persists please see you GP who can refer you to physio

In the meantime buy a TENS machine.

I see a chiropractic doctor for back pain and he is a genius. GP's sometimes don't have that much knowledge of back pain and taking pain killers although necessary in the short term is something chiro's frown on in the long term. See if you can get to one. Pricey, but so worth it in the end.

Totally agree with the Gp knowledge on back pain EdieMcredie, they are too easy to be writing prescriptions before you have even finished talking!lol!

I visited a chiropractor twice weekly in 2007 for my pain at a cost of £25 a session. I gained relief for 1 hour after but the pain then returned in avengence. Its good to hear that you find relief with chiro.

Its definately worth trying all methods to combat back pain.

I use a TENS machine kreecherlivesupstairs, they are very beneficial to me and cheap to buy.

One piece of advice I would give is, if you feel your back pain is unresolving and this begins to affect you physically/emotionally/psychologically/socially and economically (losing money due to being off work sick)over a substancial period of time, push your doctor to refer you to low back pain clinic. Here you will get specialist advice/treatment/scans from orthopeadic consultants. I struggled for 5 years to get my Gp to take me seriously and stop sending me for wasted xrays of the back which do not show the discs and tissues.

Good luck with all on your back pain problems.

take care

Hi there, thanks for your replies! I was beginning to think i was the only one with back pain. My back is a good bit better, in as much as i can move around quite well without too much discomfort. But i am getting the odd twinge still and sometimes an ache around my hips, usually if i bend over it starts to feel better. I still have a pain going into my left buttock just below where i'm feeling the twinges. Turning over in bed is pretty painful and i feel quite stiff first thing in the morning which eases off the more i move.

About 20 years i hurt my back and the doctor suspected a slipped disc, i had an x-ray which showed up a bony abnormality et the base of my spine. My gp said it could have happened while i was in the womb and would'nt necessarily be causing me bother now. I'm still not convinced that its not sciatica though. How long do your bouts of sciatica last normally? this has been almost 2 weeks now and although its improving i really wish it would clear up altogether.

Sciatica is just another name for prolapsed or slipped discs. Sciatic refers to the huge nerve that is affected.

I went back to my GP today because I am still in pain and the bottom of my back is swollen. He has referred me for Physio, I am on an urgent list for that and being referred for an MRI scan also.

He signed me off for a week. But I can't afford it so close to the dreaded C word

I did ring in sick today and will rest between now and Monday and see how I feel though.