Okay, I guess that’s a dumb question: my back hurts because I’m out of shape, when I was in better shape I only ran and never did much strength work, because I have a toddler who is rapidly getting heavier, because our Tempurpedic mattress is aging and I think not as supportive as it used to be. And I’ve always had horrible posture. Probably mostly the toddler though, he weighs maybe 32 pounds these days.
But it’s kind of weird, because it hurts mostly on one side? My right, low in my back. I wake up early in the morning in pain, but I am a determined sleeper so I can usually get back to some fitful sleep before I have to get up and then I’m really stiff until maybe an hour into the day. Other than that I’m usually fine unless I have to do a lot of carrying the kid, or oh god when I had to wear him on my front instead of my back at a baseball game, that was Not Good. But mostly it bothers me in the wee hours of the morning.
So what should I do about it?! It’s awful, and we can’t afford a new mattress or anything (I did notice that when I spent last weekend at a hotel it was better, but not all the way better). Do… yoga?
Stretches, core exercises, yoga, tai chi. Something as apparently stupid as grabbing an elbow with the other hand and streeeetching, then changing hands and streeeeeeetching, done sometimes standing up and sometimes sitting down, can make a lot of difference (do it with your arms vertical and with your arms horizontal, they’re different exercises; also, do it slowly both on the stretch and the recovery). Ask your doctor for some “can do at home” exercises, get one of those 7minute apps. I think that for many of us the ability to do some small stuff when we do notice we’re stiff is a lot more helpful than a big exercise program, and from things you’ve said previously I think you’re one of those.
I’m wondering if maybe it’s on one side and not the other because I pick Farticus up on the other side? (As in, I carry him with my left arm.) Alternately, I carry a heavy purse on the side that hurts.
Roll up a towel with string to make a bolster, sleep with it between your knees. I do this when my back is bothering me and it really helps. And so simple!
I was having the exact same symptoms earlier this year. I had been spending a lot of time sleeping because I got 2 colds right in a row, and not exercising because I was sick. Every morning I woke up in somewhat excruciating pain and then sort of stretched out for a bit and slept a while longer, then got up and went about my day nearly pain free except for when I sat in my chair too long.
Then I did get back to exercising and it took a lot longer than usual to get my back feeling better. Or it would feel better for a day and I would miss a workout session and it would feel bad again.
I decided that my mattress was 12 years old and time to get rid of it. I also decided that my dogs were sleeping too close to me and pressing on my hip and causing pain. So I got a new mattress, and I also bought a big long bolster pillow for the dogs to sleep on, on the other side of the bed.
Funny thing is I distinctly remember my back feeling better the day before I bought the mattress. I also fixed the dog problem before I got the mattress. So I have no idea if my problem was solved by exercise, moving the dogs, or the new mattress.
I say start with exercise, though. And if you’re sitting in a desk chair for any length of time, consider getting up and moving more. The thing that helped me most to temporarily relieve the pain was lying on my back on the floor and doing leg lifts. Long term, I was swimming (hey! You used to swim, IIRC! Do that! :))
I’ve got a little knee pillow from when I was pregnant, it helps a little but not much (and I can’t really sleep with it, I just use it when I’m doing that “it’s 3 AM and I can’t get BACK to sleep” thing.
ZipperJJ, I used to take swimming lessons in a vague panic. I need to take Farticus for swimming lessons, come to think of it. But I don’t actually have anywhere to swim right now. Mom’s Old Folks Home has a pool but because I live in town I can’t use it, which is… a weird rule.
I had back pain starting last October. I was exercising regularly back then, and never stopped. I do a good amount of stretching most days. At first it was across the lower back, and a couple of weeks later is was mostly the left lower back. It finally went away about the beginning of March. I have no idea what caused it, but it’s been fine for the past six weeks now.
Seems like in that case it wouldn’t only be in the early morning hours, better on a hotel mattress, and get better after I’ve been at work for half an hour, though, would it?
Kidney reflux, for me, is an AM thing. I only hold my pee while sleeping (the rest of the time if I even think I have The Urge, I head to the restroom). For kidney stones it again affected me more in the morning because of urinary pressure trying to push a watermelon through a straw. And, also, we had to give up a California King waterbed because it was too soft for me and aggravated my kidney. Too hard of a mattress also had me waking up in pain. A firm bed with a nice mattress pad works for about 6 hours and then I must get up and whizz or … reflux.
I am guessing you don’t have constant UTIs (or you would have mentioned it) so probably not any of the 3.
I used to have recurrent backaches that turned out to be gallstones. Some areas of the body don’t have direct lines to the brain and you get referred pain. Apparently I’m wired to feel most referred pain in my back, so back pain could be anything. I got back labor, too.
Early morning doesn’t sound like gallstones. Was the hotel mattress firmer? Plywood between the mattress and box springs would firm things up a bit.
A lot of conditions are mysteriously worse at certain times of the day. For example, pain on the inner side of the knee that becomes much worse at night is characteristic of medial bursitis. Why it hurts worse at night, no one seems to know.
Apparently a ruptured disc often causes more back pain in the morning than at any other time of day for unknown reasons.
The unilateral aspect of the pain suggests sacroiliac joint pain, but I’ve never heard of it being worse at a particular time of day.
Are you still nursing? as long as you still are, you have a hormone in your system that keeps your ligaments and tendons loose for childbirth. One you stop nursing a lot of the pain should go away. If not, a PT might be in order. I had to try three before I found the right one, but she was a miracle worker.
There’s also a feedback loop: less pain --> more exercise --> better shape --> less pain --> more exercise, and it works the other way too.
Yoga or Pilates (the latter was specifically designed to address the muscles of the core and lower back) are recommended to address problems with stability that can cause back trouble, as well as making sure to follow good practice in lifting and carrying the loads. (The “lift with your knees” is often impractical, but as much as you can you should carry a load in line with your center rather than off to one side.) There is also the issue that hormones could be playing with your pain tolerance (I’ve never heard of hormones released due to breastfeeding that “keep ligaments and tendons loose for childbirth” but I’m willing to be persuaded by evidence) and if you aren’t sleeping well fatigue can exacerbate both apparent pain and degraded proprioception.
In terms of addressing back pain, while people like soft, marshmallowy mattresses for comfort, the hardest mattress you can stand is actually the best. The human body is evolved to sleep on hard ground and will adjust; excessive compliance in a mattress just results in the spine being distressed, especially if you are naturally a side sleeper because the hips will sink into the mattress and put the spin into a side loaded position.
I am no longer breastfeeding (one day ask me about exclusive pumping when you’re ready). The thing about the mattress is. When the Tempurpedic was new it was amazing. Now it feels like going to the beach and somebody has already hollowed out a place for you to lie in.
However we tried flipping it 180 and it did not help. My husband’s body groove is no better.
Let me know when you’ve had someone you care about complain of back or stomach pain, go to the doctor, and come back with a prognosis of weeks to live because they’re in Stage 4. Not even dead baby joke funny.
I need to take Farticus for swimming lessons, come to think of it. But I don’t actually have anywhere to swim right now. Mom’s Old Folks Home has a pool but because I live in town I can’t use it, which is… a weird rule.