help! my back went pffft yesterday morning!?

Question

no need to see a doctor...its only tight muscles...what can i use other than heating pad (tried dont work) or narcotics for the pain (cant afford to be loopy)...its got me to the point that i can hardly stand up straight much less walk!..the kind of pain thats sharp, siezes you up and takes your breath away...ow! ow! ow!..anyone have home remedy that i can use to loosen muscles? they feel like rocks! thanks

oh and i forgot to tell you where!...its extreme lower back on either side of center...kinda like on back of hips

Answer 1

Since you've narrowed the problem to tight muscles I'd start there. Hypertonic muscles are the cause of most pain, low back or otherwise.

Seek out a qualified Neuromuscular Therapist or similarly trained deep muscle massage therapist. A good therapist will work wonders toward getting your muscles released and realigning you. They should also be able to teach you simple home stretches or movement therapy to do to keep this kind of thing from happening again.

As far as the Spondylolisthesis and "pinched" nerve theory: possible, but not likely. Pinched nerves and any of the four "sponylo's" are not that common. In my experience, severe or even borderline disabling back pain is most often caused by overly tight muscles. Your back didn't just go "pffff"; that was the scene of the accident, not the cause. I can guarantee you were building up to that incident for a long time. At that moment you finally exceeded your body's ability to deal with the tension in the muscles. A vertebrae, anchored by tight spinal stabilizing muscles, may have moved just enough out of position that your nervous system sensed danger and sent the muscles into protective spasm. Relieve the spasm and you relieve the pain and immobility.

If heat didn't work try ice. Cold will work its way into the deeper muscles much more effectively than heat and cause spontaneous release of the spasm. Make a slush bag: Chop up several handfuls of ice in a blender until it becomes slushy. Pour the slush into a large ziplock bag, add a little water. You can apply this directly to the skin on the affected area. 15 minutes on, 15 min. off. Repeat as often as necessary.

The pain pattern you are describing indicates the problem could possibly be the psoas major muscle, which attaches to the T12-L4 vertebrae and articular discs, or the muscles in your low back, primarily the quadratus lumborum, which attaches to the L1-L4 vertebrae. When the psoas spasms it prevents a person from standing straight. A NMT can determine that for you.

FYI- Buffered aspirin does not release tight muscles or fix a pinched nerve. Aspirin is a palliative, not a cure. Additionally, muscles cannot "pinch" nerves. Muscles can entrap a nerve and squeeze it or compress it against an osseous structure (bones), but that's all.

Answer 2

Same thing happened to me at age 29 and I didn't work for 8 years. You should see a doctor.
With me it was a pre-existing condition called spondilolisthesis, or a condition of the spine wherein the "dog-ears" of my vertebrae were too small and a separation occurred.
It required surgery, a spinal fusion where they took 100 bone chips from an interior ledge of my pelvis and packed them between the vertebrae in the small of my back.
An X-ray and "conservative therapy" may be what they recommend initially, to see how things go.
Beyond that, I can't say.
But in any event, buffered aspirin will help stop a viscious cycle of pinched nerves & spasming muscles (which in turn pinch nerves... get it?)
Good luck. Lie on your side in a sort of fetal position, not on your back, and stay out of chairs. Don't sit and lean on your elbows, it'll make it worse. Try not to sit at all, or if you do, sit on the edge of the chair, more or less, and kind of tuck one leg under the chair, to keep your spine as straight as possible. Avoid riding or driving in a car. Car seats are the worst.
I could go on, but then I'd be getting into what's called "body mechanics" ---which you might want to look-up.
Again, buffered aspirin... and again, good luck.

And get a second opinion...

Answer 3

My husband has had this problems for years. We'd go to the doc. and all they would do is give muscle relaxers and pain pills. Few months later all over again. We'll this past month he totally collapsed with his back, same thing again. All the doc recommended was time of work to lay on back, relax, and apply heat. So, he took the time off work did this and it healed as time went by, which is exactly what the doc told him. He said it would heal itself if you rest and let it. And his pain and things where exactly in the same place u have said and described just as u have. So Good Luck

Answer 4

Try a chiropractor. I've had back problems for many years and when it REALLY acts up, that's where I go. It usually only takes one or two treatments. Although the chiropractor may encourage you to do more...usually it's not necessary.

If you can find someone who can recommend their chiropractor, that's the best way to choose one...by word of mouth. Otherwise, scope out the office location and clientele going in and out. That will tell you alot about whether he/she is any good.