Back Pain: Causes? Treatments?

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For the past month, I've had back pain in one spot. It's on the right side about halfway down so it's definitely above my kidneys. It goes away when I press on that general area of muscles so I'm pretty sure it's a muscle or tendon or ligament. It started right after I did a lot of heavy lifting so I guess it's safe to assume it's an injury?

The problem is that it's not getting any better and I can't afford to go to a doctor. So, first, what different things could it be? Can muscle injuries really take a month to heal? Is there anything I can do for free or for very little money to make it get better?

It sounds like you have pulled a muscle. Go see a Pharmacist at a chemist and they will be able to recommend something for it. They will probaably suggest an anti-inflammitory pain relief (like Voltaren or Nurofen) or a anti inflam cream or gel. Stay active but take it easy. If it gets worse or you have any other symptoms then go to you doctor.
Hope you feel better soon.

There's a very good possibility that it's a spinal injury, perhaps a herniated disc. Having just had a couple of those taken care of, I'm sad to say that if that's the case it's going to take an MRI to spot it, and possibly surgery to correct it. Since the spine is your body's connection to your brain, if you've got something ruptured and pushing on the nerves the pain can show up just about anywhere.

Now for the good news: If it is a slipped disc, the surgery they use for it is about as safe as back surgery can get, is fairly quick to recover from, and is usually comparatively inexpensive (not to say that surgery is ever actually cheap.) Also, sometimes the pain goes away after a few weeks even if you leave it untreated. Your best bet to fix the problem is probably to stay active, but in a low-impact way. Walking is always a good way to get the blood flowing, and it works pretty much all of the muscles in your back, but swimming is probably the single best exercise you can do.

Please keep in mind that I am NOT a doctor, and you should not treat me as one. This is the information I got when I slipped two discs last fall.

Watch your posture and keep hydrated. A lot of aspies have a tendency to slump, which can lead to a lot of back injuries from weakening the discs.

First thing you need to do is remember that doctors aren't specifically trained in structural problems. Drugs don't treat physical muscle problems very well at all. So leave a doctor till last.

My best advice, as someone who has had neck and back problems all my life, is find a good osteopath and see what they can do for you. Ask around and get a recommendation, and then go and see them. They're trained for years in treating muscular and bone-related problems, and are absolute miracle workers. If it wasn't for my osteopath I wouldn't be able to move my neck, sit down, or do much at all!!

I've been to doctors, they usually just either say "Take some anti-inflammatories" (which don't do much usually as the inflammation is there to help the injury, and won't make it go away) or try and go down the route of invasive surgery which is often unnecessary. So I wouldn't advise that unless as a last resort.

Osteopaths will look at how you stand, sit, move ("Stand straight, look ahead, now bend your right knee slowly... ok, now your left knee... and right... and left... Ok, now sit down here and look left, look right, head down this way, and this way, turn this way, and this way..." etc). Then they'll maybe put their hands on your hips or shoulders or back or neck while you do it, and then they gently manipulate the muscles and bones back to where they should be. It's sort of like a gentle massage, and is non-invasive and not painful. The key is that all the muscles and tendons and ligaments and bones are inter-connected, which a lot of doctors don't really grasp. You can press a part of you neck and get twinges in your wrists, thigh, back, and foot. Osteopaths are trained in these connections and work with them, from the neck and back usually, to re-allign things and get it all working together properly again.

They're also great at treating sinus problems, colds, flu, vocal problems, etc too!!

So yeah, definitely sounds like you've got something they could sort out easily and painlessly. If you leave it it'll just stay the same or get worse. It doesn't sound like anything that would require surgery or medication, put it that way!! If you went to a doctor and they said surgery I would be out that door and getting a second opinion in an instant - most things definitely don't need it, unless it's a very drastic case.

Try an osteo - ask around and find a good one, there'll be one somewhere nearby.

Thanks for all the good suggestions! Fortunately, I am doing low-impact exercise - walking several miles every day. Maybe that is keeping it from getting worse.

I'll try improving my posture and taking iboprofen (anti-inflammatory) to see if that helps. I really hope it's not a slipped disc!

Seeing an osteopath sounds like a good idea. I bet there are some good ones in the area. I just have to get a job first . . . and it might be a job that requires more lifting of heavy objects.

A slipped disc is a lot less serious than it sounds. A lot of people walk around with one for years without ever even knowing it, it's only when the bulge from the disc pushes up against the nerves that you ever have any problems. Also, I think I failed to get the point across that surgery is only needed for it in bad cases, which yours, if it's even a slipped disc, doesn't sound like.

If taking ibuprofen clears it up instantly, it's definitely a case of something swelling and squishing the nerves, which is likely to resolve itself as long as you take care of the underlying cause. If it was actually an acute injury from lifting, and pain is the only problem you're having, you'll probably be fine. The problem with the particular aspie brand of poor posture is that we frequently don't know we have bad posture, and have to keep specifically paying attention to it in order to fix it. Also, the position you sleep in can have a huge effect on spinal alignment.

Slipped discs are incredibly painful, from the sounds of it I'd say it's pretty unlikely to be anything more than a muscle or two that are 'out' around your ribs, causing the referred pain in the back (that tends to be the usual story for that kind of pain in that part of the back).

Epsom salt baths are helpful too - not too hot though - for muscular problems, and epsom salts are super-cheap (just get big sacks of them at chemists or possibly sports shops). Walking can be helpful, just watch your posture when you do it! And if you have a hot water bottle or wheat bag, try that.

Those are interesting ideas! And cost-effective too! Ibuprofen does seem to help. I haven't tried the Epsom salts yet, but I'm familiar with them.

I think that most importantly, I need to learn how to lift heavy things safely. Apparently, there is a method for safe lifting. I have heard about it, read about it, and tried to put it into practice - thus far unsuccessfully.

I'm pretty useless at it myself. I find the best way is to make it look like you can't do it and wait for someone else to offer their assistance. I think us girls have it easy in that respect - batting your eyelashes can get you a long way in this world sometimes.

I've had back problems in the past, and know a number of people, both male and female, that have had them also (though not injury-related). This seems to work:

-regular swimming (just normal crawl swimming - all exercise is helpful, but swimming facing the water seems to be by far the best)
-better body posture

These are often enough to entirely solve the problem on their own, and can do no harm. For short-term relief, a long bath in the hottest water you can stand is really good for muscle pain, rub some alcohol afterwards (good for the circulation - just get someone to vigorously rub your back with alcohol). Another thing that's good for back pain is to sleep on your back on a relatively hard surface (on a rug or on the carpet work very well - but not directly on wood or something harder, as that might make it worse). Obviously painkillers are a good idea - I'm guessing aspirin would be particularly good as it makes your blood less viscous, which is good for the circulation, which in turn is good for muscle pain.

I am a physiotherapist.

Research shows that most low back pain is not serious and will resolve itself without any treatment in approximately 6 weeks. (This is what physiotherapists, chiropractors, massage therapists etc DON"T want you to know).

A few years ago in Australia, a bunch of physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors etc got together to come up with some clinical guidelines based on the current literature.

They found that the best treatment for back pain is ....... reassurance and advice to continue with normal activity. This news was not greeted joyfully by many physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths.

There is no such thing as a 'slipped disc'. Discs don't slip around. However the middle of the disc can herniate.

You can massage the muscles in your back by lying on a golf ball or a tennis ball and gently rolling the tight back muscles over it.

Posture! Posture! Posture! Posture! Across all disciplines that deal with back pain - they will preach good posture.

Yoga is an excellent way of learning good posture - The Mountain Pose is how you should stand.

Learning to activate your deep stomach muscles (transverse abdominus) also has lots of good research to show it alleviates back pain. Gently draw in your tummy below your belly-button. Hold for 10 seconds while continuing to breathe normally. Do often.

Draw in your deep tummy muscles whenver you have to lift.

I highly recommend yoga. Can you get out a yoga DVD from your local library?

Many of the 'physiotherapy' exercises have been borrowed from yoga.

Helen

Semantics. A herniated disc is commonly referred to as a 'slipped disc' and the latter phrase is much easier for me to pronounce. Yes, technically the disc doesn't slip around, but the softer material inside the disc can slip out of a rupture in the disc. The phrase remains valid.

That minor point aside, I agree wholeheartedly with your advice, yoga works wonders, plus it feels really good during the activity.

I also have severe back problems, at my L5, its called spondylitis, I have tried getting physiotherapy but it never seemed to help, and I was very skeptical about chiropractic therapy since it contributed to my aunts stroke, but I gave it a try and I started to notice a huge difference, since before having the therapy, I could barely walk without shooting pain going down my left leg, I had spent up 2 months on my back because it hurt so much, I am posting a youtube video on one therapy treatment that sort of shows what I have.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEUPFNBXTNE[/youtube]
reason for back pains

This is why I don't hold Chiropracty in high regard.

Sciatica perhaps?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sciatica

i also have several herniated discs there very painful thats for sure..