Waking up with horrific backache the last week or so

hollydolly said:
sounds like muscle spasms, I have them often because I have herniated discs in my lumbar region.. .. my discs became herniated ultimately due to a lot of heavy lifting some years ago.. so I would imagine your lower back muscles are protesting now because of the whole load of lifting over the last few weeks..

You need to be very careful...because your back may go into a serious spasm meaning you''ll be unable to walk due to the pain, until the back muscles relax which is extremely painful and can sometimes take days.

If you;re finding it worse in the mornings as you get out of bed, try the Alexander technique before you get out of bed.. it really does help...It was recommended to me by my physiotherapist years ago...

Before sitting up out of bed in the morning, lie flat on your back head resting on the pillow... legs straight and flat on the bed , arms flat by your sides ( you can do this on the sofa during the day if you feel the need ) ..gently draw your knees up together, feet flat on the bed, and sway your knees gently to the left as far as you can..hold for the count of 5.. and back up together to the middle again feet still flat on the bed.

Then with both knees together swing your legs gently to the right, count to 5 and back to the middle.
Do this 5 times each side , before laying on your side, and swinging your legs gently out of your bed slowly before the rest of your body follows.. always take your time getting out of bed when you have back pain...
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Good advice! A couple of other things. Of course talk to your doctor first, but consider taking one or two Ibuprofen with milk or food just before going to bed. If you are a side sleeper Amazon sells a variety of leg pillows -- the idea being to avoid leg positions that can twist your lower spine while sleeping.
 

It was really bad thsi morning. I attribute it to going grocery shopping yesterday and carrying things around. Soda is surprisingly heavy when I have 3 or 4 two-liter bottles and 6 to 8 liter bottles in one box. Like I say it's worse first thing in the morning and gradually eases up so at least I can get some things done. Now I've tried Tylenol and Ibuprofen - no effect. One pillow, two pillows under head - no difference. Laying on the couch - lumpy but not as bad as the bed. Pillow between legs ends up on the floor by morning.
 
I have had back issues for over 20 years. Been to endless doctors. Learned a lot. Had too.

There are two basic types of back pain. There is muscular pain. There are various therapies and things we can do for those.

But the more serious back pains are related to the disks. The pain may seem like muscular pain, but it is not.


Because that is the case, it is really wise, at some point, to have a medical professional check you out and see which type of issue you are having.


If you have back pain, I strongly recommend you ask your medical professional to give you advice about what mattress is best for you. Sleeping on a bad mattress with back problems is a horrible idea. Your mattress will make your back worse, 8 hours a night, every single night. It can easily undo whatever therapy you are doing to help your back.

Also, ask your medical professional if there are specific stretching exercises you can do daily to help yourself. Ask specifically if the "90-90" positioning work is good for you. Many people find great relief for lower back problems with this simple positioning work.

Asking about sleeping positions can also be important. Many of us with back problems, have to sleep with a pillow between our legs. That straightens out the spine. That positioning work has helped me enormously.

While some people do not like natural therapies, I have had some success by using chiropractic and acupuncture.

sorry about the problems. best of luck.
 

@debodun I'm very sorry for your back pain. You have recently moved a lot of things. Also please stop carrying so many heavy things at once. Take things in the house in lighter loads. I pack my stuff lightly. I've had the baggers at Trader Joe's stuff things in less bags than I bring and I divide it out in the car to the extra bags. Have you tried the OTC Voltaren Jell?
 
debodun said:
It was really bad thsi morning. I attribute it to going grocery shopping yesterday and carrying things around. Soda is surprisingly heavy when I have 3 or 4 two-liter bottles and 6 to 8 liter bottles in one box. Like I say it's worse first thing in the morning and gradually eases up so at least I can get some things done. Now I've tried Tylenol and Ibuprofen - no effect. One pillow, two pillows under head - no difference. Laying on the couch - lumpy but not as bad as the bed. Pillow between legs ends up on the floor by morning.
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I tried one 200mg Ibuprofen -- no effect. Two (total of 400mg) were quite helpful. The pillow between the legs seems to help some. Amazon has a variety of semi-pillow devices designed specifically for this purpose. You might find one of those more helpful than a conventional pillow.
 
Remy said:
I'm very sorry for your back pain. You have recently moved a lot of things. Also please stop carrying so many heavy things at once.
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When I got home. I unloaded the boxes a few items at a time carrying from car to kitchen. More, but lighter trips, but the damage probably had already been done.

I'd go to a doctor, but I've pretty much lost confidence in them. I've gone to a nearby Emergent Care facility on occasions. They do a perfunctory exam, then tell me to follow up with my PCP. My PCP is a hand-patter. Will say things like, "You're getting older. You have to expect things like this." Never really does anything. I also went to an Orthopedis practice about 10 miles away when I was having hip problems. They were going to do a steroid injection and started to prep the wrong hip until I pointed the error out.
 
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debodun said:
My PCP is a hand-patter. Will say things like, "You're getting older. You have to expect things like this." Never really does anything. I also went to an Orthopedis practice about 10 miles away when I was having hip problems.
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You might check back with the Orthopedic specialist, and ask about a Cortisone injection.
 
It wasn't bad on Sunday, but today it seemed like it took longer than usual for the spasms to subside. Maybe because after I did my morning chores. I laid back down to read a little. Definitely worsened by bedrest, Seems kind of conter-intuitive to have laying down make it worse, but getting up and moving around eases it. Even when I don't have the sharp spasms - it still feels like there's pressure there. It's just above where it says LUMBAR on the diagram.

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Ongoing pain would have me going to my doctor & expecting him to order a CT scan with & without contrast. Reason = I'd want to rule out disc collapse. Finding out what it isn't & discovering what the underlying condition is & how to treat it makes sense to me.
 
debodun said:
How can I tell what kind to get?
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Is there a department store or mattress store near you, where you could test the mattress by lying down on it?

As others have suggested, it may be a good idea to get to a doctor. You could have injured your back over the past months, preparing for your move.
 
I was thinking of a doctor visit before I go off the deep end mattress shopping. However, which doctor to choose (rhetorical)? Seems lately none of them want to help anyone. COVID issues? Remember a few months ago I stabbed my hand on a rusty flagpole? Went to 4 doctors (emergency room, PCP, and 2 ortho medics) only to be told to "Wait and see what happens."
 
I would experiment with sleeping on the floor for a few nights.

If your back improves you could add a partial sheet of plywood or an actual mattress board under the mattress to help firm it up.

Good luck!
 
The medical equipment for diagnosing the cause is there for a reason. Like Deb I put up with pain using over the counter pain relievers. That was until the pain increased. Thanks to a CT scan & same day MRI the cause was the discs in my cervical spine had collapsed. Thanks fusing & pinning to separate the discs the pain went away. The time I wasted trying to treat the condition with over the counter meds the two most important nerves controlling muscle in my left arm & hand were crushed beyond ability to regenerate.

From that point on treating a severe pain with over the counter meds & waiting, hoping a pain will go away just isn't something I'm willing to do & won't offer advice for someone else to do.
 
I finally had it with these back spasms and went to an emergent care. Of course x-rays were taken. After 90 minute wait, the PA said there was nothing he could see that would cause my distress! He did give me two prescriptions, though. A steriod and a muscle relaxant.
 
you need to lay on ice...sounds like a bulging disc...your whole spine is adjusting to new mattress...vertebrae move..disc slips a little...pinches...swells
Ice ice ice ...it'll go back in
 
@debodun
exactly which 2 meds were you prescribed if you don't mind me asking. I have serious back issues but although I am a candidate for this type of surgery I won't have it. Too much of my time is spent on "health" issues. I'd rather take drugs thank you.
 
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