I’m having some severe back issues, and have had for the last 3 days (starting Tuesday).
I cleaned the whole place on Tuesday, including scrubbing floors and bathtubs on my hands and knees.
Now my low back is killing me. It’s not relieved at all by OTC robaxacet (the back pain stuff). It’s very bad when I’m standing and sitting, and better if I lay flat on my back, or on my side with my knees pulled up.
I’m 30, slim and quite active. I do have scoliosis which could certainly put undo strain on the spine.
I’m planning on seeing my Dr. on Monday if the pain is still there, and I appreciate the fact that noone can diagnose me on a message board.
However - that being said - does this DOUND like a slipped disc, or more like a low back strain?
IANAD, nor do I have any major back issues, but from what I’ve been told by people who have had slipped discs is – it’s basically like a heart attack in your spine. You would not be feeling just minor discomfort and pain. You would not be able to move AT ALL without massive, paralyzing pain.
IANAD either and I believe (no personal experience) that a fully slipped disc is as described above. It is possible that you have pulled a muscle somewhere, it is also possible that a disc has come slightly out of place which would not be as bad as a fully slipped disc with regard to preventing any movement but would damage some nerves and cause you a degree of pain. I think that the only way to confirm this would be a MRI scan, your doctor’s initial reaction is likely to be to give you some painkillers and advise rest to see if that cures the problem.
…i recently(september’02) had major back problems…actually up higher in my neck…i had a severely herniated disc(C5/C6)…i also had smaller herniations in C7/C8,and T1…when i injured myself on the job(what can BROWN do for you?)…i immediatly felt a “shock” in my left shoulder and arm,all the way down my fingers…the disc was creating such a mess on the nerves that my arm was almost “dead”…i went through all the crap,XRAY,MRI,MILOGRAM,STEROID TREATRMENTS…nothing worked(well oxycontin worked fine)…i finally had surgery the first week of January…they took a slice of my hip bone and inserted that between the bad disc(C5/C6)…they held it in place with a metal plate and 4 screws…the hip part actually hurt more then my neck after surgery(and they went in through my throat,moved my voicebox around and attacked the disc from inside)…after a long time off doing nothing,i hit the PT in MAY…after 2 months of that,it was back to work a few weeks ago…i still have "numbness and pins and needles "in my arm and hand from the other bad discs but not any pain(although my Lawyers docter told me i am still in pain )…i would see a Dr. for sure if i were you…back pain isnt stuff to let linger…good luck
alice, that sounds more along the lines of what I live with. IANAD, but I wanted to share that at least from my experiences, there are other possible causes of that kind of pain.
More or less, it sounds like you have strained your back. When my back goes “out,” the pain is so excruciating that all I can do is lie down with bent knees. There is honestly no position that is pain-free; sitting is the worst, but standing is bad, too. (I end up walking around bent over like Quasimodo.)
The only thing that works for me is muscle relaxants, handfulls of antiinflammatories, and rest. The doc will likely prescribe the same to you. FWIW, such painful spasms do seem to correct within a few days. But be careful–a once-strained back can go “out” again soon afterwards if you aren’t mindful of it.
IANAD, but I am someone whose had considerable back problems. I’m not sure but I think the term “slipped disc” is misleading. I don’t believe a disc ever actually slips out of place, but rather it becomes herniated (inflammed and bulging). I had a herniated disc about 6 years ago that required surgury and man, let me tell you, back surgury sucks. Not the operation itself so much as the recovery, which never seems to reach completion.
I think the only way to know for sure is with an MRI, and I would suggest getting one. (Well, I’d suggest going to an orthopedist and see if he/she suggests an MRI. They are expensive). But if it is a herniated disc, and it still isn’t herniated too badly, there are many measures you can take now to avoid it ever getting to the point of surgury (e.g. exercises (sp?), steroid injection).