please help me if you can?

Question

since christmas i have been having back problems. about every other week i have been going to the chiropractror. for the last month my back pain has become more serious. i get in so much pain that i dont want to move or wake up in the mornings or anything. and it makes me cry sometimes. two weeks ago (or three... i cant remember exactly) it got so bad that i couldnt walk. so my mom took me to an emergency clinic (Solantic) and they told me that i was having bad back spasms. (what causes them any way? and what are they exactly?) anyway. they put me on muscle relaxers for a week (3 a day for 10 days... but i didnt take 3 a day b/c they make me tired and i didnt want to fall asleep at school) and my back got better when i took them so when they were done i was fine for a few days but now the pain is back and i dont know what to do. i put heat and ice on it. i try to rest it a lot and take advil. and we own a massager so we use that on my back too. but it doesnt really help. what to do pls

i am a cheerleader and i tumble(gymnastics) -possible cause

Answer 1

Muscles can spasm due to overuse, over fatigue or injury. The spasms are uncontrolled contractions which in turn pull on adjoining muscles. It can set off a cascade effect, with muscles alternatively contracting and or being pulled by other muscles. The result is very sore, very painful movement. You may have originally strained your back somehow, and have not allowed the muscles enough time to heal themselves. First I would recommend limiting your physical activity and not doing any kind of sports or such. Take nice hot soaks in a tub and take your medication. The muscle relaxants do tend to make you sleepy, so maybe you should speak with a doctor about adjusting the dosage or even type. The medication will cause the muscles all to relax, which is why it makes you sleepy. The 10 day time frame was just to allow enough time for the muscles to be kept from spasms and let them heal. The more you move around and stress them, the less they heal and the longer it takes. Once they have a chance to do some healing, you can work on building them up and figure out what you may have done to injure yourself to begin with. Floating in a pool of water can also help take the stress off, but otherwise- heat, moist heat if you can, and rest, along with the medications would be your best bet.

Answer 2

First of all I want to tell you how sorry I am that you are having back pain that is this bad. I've experienced the same thing and I wouldn't wish it on my worse enemy.

Muscle spasms are when the muscles contract very strongly and don't relax. They can be caused by a pinched nerve; or a strain or tear of the muscle, tendon, or ligament. Because you say that the pains started around Christmas I suspect that you did something or someone did something to you about that time that may have caused this. It may have been something that seemed inconsequential at the time.

For sure this has been going on too long. For most common reasons that cause this you should be much better by this time. I believe that you need to see a medical doctor that will see you on a continuing basis and do what ever tests are necessary to find out exactly what is causing this.

I used to work as a RN in hospitals and have been treated for low back pain for many years. Some people believe that chiropracters can do anything and everything. Some people believe they can do nothing. My personal experience is that neither is true. To be more blunt, If your chiropracter hasn't helped a lot by now, I don't think that he/she will.

I think that the fact that the muscle relaxants helped a lot is a big clue on what is the most effective treatment for your back. A doctor can prescribe them for you. There are several effective muscle relaxants and not all of them will make you tired. Advil is both a pain reliever and reduces inflamation (swelling) but works best if taken on a regular basis. A doctor can prescribe or advise you on something that may be more helpful for you.

Also, you have to keep track of what movements help your back and what makes it worse. This is because a possible reason that your back has not gotten better (healed) is that you are reinjuring it.

I apologize for the length of my answer but I believe that you need and want more than a simple answer. I strongly encourage you to see a medical doctor who can give you ongoing care fot this until you no longer have the problem.

Answer 3

Many problems can cause back pain - scoliosis, arthritis, disc problems. If you're an atheletic girl, pehaps you pulled a muscle. Spasms can be very painful and usually happen when a muscle gets knotted or twisted underneath another one.

I would suggest seeing your doctor to at least get a spinal x-ray to rule out any disc problems, scoliosis, pinched nerves, etc. If that doesn't help, perhaps you're doc can get you out of school (depending on your age) for a week of just bedrest so your muscles/back can calm down.

Moist heat with a heating pad is also very good. Also, if you can have your mom perhaps massage the area that hurts, that will help loosen up the muscle and get the blood back flowing into the area that's tight (which causes the spasms).

Good luck!

Answer 4

I had the same thing happen to me when I was 14. Now that I am 41 and I am on muscle relaxers every day for the rest of my life along with a ton of pain meds all because doctors could not find out what was wrong with me. They kept dismissing me because of my age. Go to a pain specialist. They can do and MRI to see if there is anything going on. It is not to say that they will actually find out anything. They still don't know what causes my pain after all these years. However they do keep telling me that it would not be like this if it were not for my weight. Which I did not have when I was 14 so I think they are full of it.. however, I do know that being out of shape can contribute to it. make sure you exercises regularly and keep your stomach muscles strong because that supports your back. I would go to special classes on pain management while you are still young. They will give you the correct stretches/exercises to do. Just keep them up. If you don't and let yourself get out of shape then you will end up like me. Taking meds all the time and not being able to live life to its fullest.

Answer 5

over the weekend chill, dont get up and walk a lot. Take long warm baths.