Back problems?!?

Question

My boyfriend has recntly been suffering with back pains which are quite severe. We do'nt know how they started, but have gradually been getting worse. The pain is in his lower back, slightly to the right of the centre of his back. He occasionally gets pins and needles in his left leg, and it hurts more when he bends foward. It became severely painful one day at work after he bent down to pick something up, when he felt his back click. He has been to the G.P, but they have only given him painkillers, which don't work. Can anyone help with what they think it could be? He isn't one to complain, and it takes a lot for him to have time off work, but he's had a few days off with it!

Answer 1

have him go to a chiropractor

Answer 2

Could be Sciatica with the pain down the back leg. Have a look on the internet and see if 'Sciatica' fits his sypmtoms.

Also remind him that 80% of all people suffer from back problems at some point in there life so not to worry about it too much, it is probably not permanent.

If it doesn't go away in about 6 weeks you should start worrying and seek professional help i.e a chiropractor.

Answer 3

hi there,
from the symptoms you have described it would seem possible that your boyfriend either has the beginnings of arthritis in his back or the onset of sciatica.
i have suffered with arthritis in exactly the same position as your boyfriends pain for several years, and i am only 31 years old! you dont have to be old to get arthritis unfortunately.
at first, my doctor thought it was just sciatica because of the location of the pain and because of my age, but after an x-ray they discovered that it was the arthritis ridden bone pressing against the sciatic nerve, and this is why the pain was so similar to that of sciatica.

my back crunches and clicks sometimes, which is a symptom of arthritis.

of course, your boyfriend might just have slipped a disc or pulled a muscle or something else entirely, it is hard to diagnose back pain without more in depth examinations, so i would certainly suggest that he visits the doctor again if the pain doesnt go away or get at least slightly better in a few days.
sometimes you have to push doctors into sending you for an x-ray, so dont let him be fobbed off again!

i hope this helps
xxxxx

Answer 4

In my experience, General Practitioners are useless when it comes to bad backs - and so are doctors at hospitals.

I would personally recommend that he get an appointment to see an Osteopath - if your local NHS Trust does not provide this treatment, he will have to pay - probably around £30-£40 per visit. I have been to the Osteopath before, bent double and barely able to walk - but have managed to walk out and almost upright - it may take a few sessions to solve the problem but it is well worth it.

Osteopaths have a far better understanding of how to diagnose and deal with back problems.

Wish him luck and tell him it WILL be worth it in my experience.

Answer 5

He has obviously damaged one of his nerve endings.This can take several months to heal and the pain is indeed severe.I would suggest if he can go and have the hot stones treatment it works wonders so I have been told by a couple of my friends who have suffered with back pain.
Good luck I hope he sorts something out soon,there's nothing worse than being in pain all the time.

Answer 6

Yes, Chiropractors are actually his 'safest' bet at this point, he may not even need x-rays done if you take him to a reputable Chiropractor, I know, my husband went to our town's chiropractor and if they're very good with their 'techiques' of adjusting the spine, they can feel what is out of place and what isn't. They can offer relief in just a few minutes and can most generally over just a few weeks time can get his back, back on the road to recovery. Make him an appt today.

Answer 7

Sounds like sciatica - his sciatic nerve is irritated, pinched, pressed, whatever. Not really anything you can do about it, but a chiropractor is probably your best bet. (I fully support the work of chiropractors for certain issues like this.)

And if he aggravates it at work, make sure he files a report of injury, in case work is causing it or making it worse. Then he may be completely covered for it for life (workman's comp).

Also, you may need a new bed and or a good pillow. It can work wonders.

Answer 8

sounds like a trapped nerve to me, or possibly a compressed disc. has he tried the anti inflammatory - 'Diclofenac?' - we use it alot at work for people who have sciatica and, although i couldn't diagnose from what you have said, this dosn't seem like that, however, it is useful for nerve pain and inflammation aswell. taken as per prescription along with a painkilling drug such as 'paracetamol ', often used in conjunction with codeine he should feel the benefit. If it continues i would suggest to the gp the possibilty of a trapped nerve as there are also other specific nerve dehancing drugs that he might benefit from while he is suffering, the stronger of them being the likes of 'Amytriptalin' and 'carbamazapine' (these are worst case scenario medications but they do work. He needs to revisit his Gp and explain the extent of the pain - he shouldn't need to suffer as there is a wide variety of treatments and his Gp needs to be more inquisitive and sympathetic

Answer 9

I've had the exact same problem for years, but sometimes i will loose the use in my legs for a while, or my toes will be numb, it varies, expecialy if you agitate your back..there is surgery and spinal shots, and chiropractors, all of which would be able to help him out..i personaly haven't done any of these, the pain comes and goes, you get use to it after a while.

Answer 10

Hi girlfriend.............i would get my bf to a spine surgeon right away........i have severe scoliosis and i hurt exactly where you say he's hurting.........but i had a 46 degree curve...i could not even stand straight..........so after 2 major back surgeries, the last one they finally fused my lumber but it STILL hurts.........anyway, i KNOW the pain...but he really needs to get to a specialist who knows what he's doing....a GP would not know!!!!!!!!! Those pins and needles are nerve damage!!!! Trust me! I've been through the wringer..............now i have to have a total hip replacement but i also have degenerative bone disease but hopefully your bf doesn't have all these problems but the back is NOTHING it play around with!!!!!!!!!! And the longer you wait the worse it gets!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOOD LUCK

Answer 11

Give a hot pack every night. Get him a firm mattress. Throw out the bed, use the floor. Try less strenuous KS techniques.