I woke up Saturday morning with a vague soreness in my lower back, on the right side just above the hip, about halfway between my spine and side. It gets worse through the morning, though at first I think it’s just a sore muscle from some overexercising or something. But it is kind of hard to localize–the pain is a very clear sensation but I can’t seem to be able to touch anyplace that makes me feel like that’s where it is. This is unlike when I get a sore muscle and rubbing the muscle accentuates the soreness.
It hurts pretty dramatically when I lean forward or bend over.
The pain persists through Tuesday. It does not respond to massage or heat. Suppose I even take a muscle relaxer from when I was treated for muscle spasms, but it doesn’t help the pain, just makes me sleepy. The pain starts to feel slightly better Wednesday, but this is pretty slow improvement.
The last time I felt pain without being able to tell where it was was when I had shingles. It felt like there was pain on the surface of my skin but when I touched it, it didn’t feel like I was touching it where it hurt. Same thing here but deeper. That makes me think it’s some nerve thing, since I know that herpes zoster goes dormant in the nerve ganglions and nerve stuff might be resopnsible for some of the pain in shingles.
So I’m thinking maybe it’s a pinched nerve, but I would think the pain in that case would be in the middle of the back, not off to one side. Internet material on the subject is too voluminous to decipher.
I called my doctor’s office but they can’t get me in for several days. I’m not requesting treatment, just curious about what it might be.
There could be many reasons, I suppose, but…you could be describing a kidney problem. I’m no doctor, so only use this as a thought. Please see if a General Practitioner can see you. If symptmes get worse (fever, more pain, trouble urinating, and/or blood in urine, etc.) go to the ER.
I’m hoping for the best - that you find it is really nothing at all in the end…
First off, I feel for your pain. I’ve been through a back surgery twice and I’m in my early 30’s. It’s hard to diagnose someone over a message board, so I can only offer a suggestion on what I perceive from your post.
Any leg or skin numbness?
Is your employment physical or stationary sitting/ standing?undefined
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So I’m thinking maybe it’s a pinched nerve, but I would think the pain in that case would be in the middle of the back, not off to one side.
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Sciatica is a common condition. A pinched nerve does not necesarily feel where it is pinched. It can be pinched in the spine and you feel the pain in your buttocks or leg.
Just to bring you up to date, my internist has been out of the office so I tried to make an appointment with one of two orthopedists specializing in back pain but they’re booked through April so tomorrow I’m seeing one of their nurse practitioners. The pain is getting no better but seems to be more focused and more towards the middle of my back.
With a herniated disc which pinches a nerve, or even a bulging disc which pinches a nerve (called “sciatica” because the pain travels along the sciatic nerve that goes into the legs), you’d feel the pain at the location of the degenerated disc, but also along the dermatome of the nerve: in other words, that area of the leg which the nerve enervates. If your pain is just in the back, the nerve is not affected, and if the pain is not in the back, but along the side, as you said, it probably has nothing to do with the spine.
Long-time kidney stone sufferer here. I am not a doctor, so this is not medical advice. You could be describing the passing of a small stone as it moves through the ureter to the bladder. It may also simply be a kidney or urinary tract infection. Either may be accompanied with painful urination; the infection might be accompanied by fever. Kidney-related pain isn’t very susceptible to muscle relaxants and is a pretty constant ache between the spine and the side (the doctors call this “flank pain”). Sometimes it’s hard to tell between kidney pain and lower back pain.
They should be able to you out, even though small stones don’t always show up conclusively on an X-ray.
Just to let you know, the nurse, after review of my symptoms and putting me through some motions, though never actually touching me, determined that the problem is a muscle problem. She said that a spinal problem would generally includes symptoms such as radiating pain or numbness down the leg. She prescribed a muscle relaxer and told me to take a double does of Ibuprofen for a while. Not 100% better yet but improving so it doesn’t impede normal daily activities.