|
QUESTION:
Since the last one year I have been experiencing back pain. I never
had it before my entire life. I don't know how it started because I
did not have a sports or other back related injury. I haven't lifted
any heavy weight either. It started rather suddenly. It started with
pain in the lower back and also in the middle torso (back region and
only one sided radiating to the right side - around the rib cage). The
pain was highest when I woke up in the morning and would slowly recede
after about two or three hours and pretty much disappear later in the
day. I have always liked to sleep on hard surfaces and avoided
mattresses and beds. I have been sleeping like this since the last 10
plus years. With some trial and error, I figured that if I placed a
rolled up towel underneath my back (upper and mid torso region) when I
sleep, the pain was slightly less in the morning.
Please advise what I can do to solve my back pain?
ANSWER:
I'd try the doctor first, then the chiropractor. It sounds to me like
something a chiropractor and a little physical therapy can relieve, but
I'd want a doctor to look at it first.
Everything you have said sounds very familiar - I have the stiffness
in the morning and the sharp stabbing pains when I move quickly or
stand up after sitting for a while. I would definitely suggest seeing
a doctor first, and stating all of this to him/her.
By the way, I am 31 and also work in IT. I've been in pain for several
years now and am contemplating surgery (I recently had a discogram,
suggesting that I'm a candidate for surgery). I'm glad to hear you've
stopped the weight training, but can I make a couple more "lifestyle"
suggestions that might help you?
You've already mentioned that sitting is something that seems to
worsen the symptoms, and walking helps ... and this is very common for
lower back pain sufferers. Sitting is clearly to be avoided whenever
possible! I don't know what your work setup is like, but would it be
possible to stand or even lie down for some of the day? If you have
access to a laptop and a high enough surface (such as a windowledge or
filing cabinet) you might be able to work like that, or lying down
propped up against a beanbag. Can you find the time for a couple of 15
minute walks during the day - perhaps instead of a full lunch break?
Is it possible to work from home occasionally? (I do all of these, and
find especially that a midweek break from having to get to/from the
office really helps me).
I know this probably won't cure the pain completely, but I've (slowly,
very slowly!) realised that if you want to avoid surgery then you have
to do everything you can to keep your pain levels as low as possible
throughout the day.
But really -- you've got a real problem, right? So wouldn't make sense to
go to a professional and get it looked at? In fact, wouldn't it make sense
(at least at first) to not worry about whether your insurance covers it and
just do it? If it was your car, you'd just have the mechanic look at it.
If someone had an IT problem, you'd expect them to bring it to an IT
professional, no? Why not take your back problem to a back professional?
With that in mind, don't ever have surgery (other than emergency surgery)
without a second opinion. And serious thought about exactly what they're
doing and what you're hoping to accomplish and what the theoretical basis of
the hoped-for improvement is. Because there's a lot of damage a surgeon can
do as well as help.
I used to sleep on my back to, with a pillow under my knees. Now I pretty
much have to sleep on my side using a pillow between my legs, and I use
another pillow to sort of hug that serves to keep my position balanced
during the night.
I would first start with my PMC. An orthorpedic surgeon once told me that
neruo's are trained to cut & if they can't do that they don't want to see
you. The moral being see a neuro has your last resort.
I told myself I could take the pain and kept on pushing until I could no
longer walk. I was booted up to a neuro who said the MRI showed chunks of
spinal coord (L4/L5) falling down the spinal cord and that they had to be
immediately removed before causing further permanent damage. As things stand
now I can walk, on a good day, distances of up to a mile, but running, and
even lifting my 2YO grandson to my lap are now out of the question. So find
out now what's going on, I pushed it for about 20 years and wish I had gone
in sooner. Boy did I give myself a lot of seemingly good reasons for why I
should tak the pain. Your body is trying to tell you something, find out now
what it is.
|