Sudden Severe Back Pain

This is EXACTLY what happened to my husband, word for word, last month. It was a slipped disk. With a chiropractor visit every day, muscle relaxers and pain meds,he was able to at least move around better in about 4 days, but he was off work (he's a paramedic so lots of lifting) for almost a month. Get to a chiro and a Doctor (for Rx) ASAP, and I hope you feel better soon!!

I had the same experience with back pain. Luckily we had a hot tub and that was the quickest way. I had a friend come pick up my son for a week while I had pain pills. The doctor said it was from picking up my son and placing him in the carseat.. we only had a 2 door truck so I was twisting constantly. Also carrying the car seat with my child in it. Good luck and hopefully you can get a friend to help you. It takes about 2 weeks. I've had 2 episodes in 20 years so you might not experience this again. Yes it was worse than childbirth... I cried in the car all the way to the ER.

Aqua~Fit is a warm 88 degree salt water indoor pool that would be great for you to get in and do some water walking, stretching and range of motion movement.
Do you know how you hurt your back? Try to think of all the possibilities. I hurt my back from lifting my youngest of three big babies too much.
Call M. at Aqua~Fit ###-###-#### or visit their website at aquafitplano.com

DC, I have been there! I even told my husband I would rather have a baby than experience that pain! Get ice on there as much as you can for the first 24 hours. Then you can switch to heat. Keep your back as straight as possible. When in bed lie on your back flat with your knees raised. Just put a couple of pillows under your knees. Some people are more comfortable on their stomach. When you get up, don't sit up in bed. Roll to your side and lift yourself with your hands by pushing on the bed, while swinging your legs over the bed to the floor. Don't bend and don't pick up anything on the floor. When going to the bathroom don't lean forward while sitting on the toilet. Sit straight facing the tank so that you have the tank for support.

Call a doctor and get some muscle relaxants, and take advil. Do ALL this and don't panic. This too shall pass...........but in the meantime you will need help with the baby.

DC,

I recommend a chiropractor. I good one should be able to get you feeling better in just 2 or 3 visits.

M.

If it has persisted off and on, you may have kidney stones. I would definitely go see my doctor for a proper diagnosis asap. I know it is rough when we are mother's and want to be in control of our lives and take care of your precious son. I am not sure if a lot can be done about those if that is it, they have to run their course which is a few days. Definitely go to the doctor if the pain continues to persist like this because you will want antibiotics to prevent any possible infection. God Bless and take care of yourself

DC, I have had severe lower back pain myself for more than 30 yrs. Off and On. Stress or emotional problems can trigger very real pain, BUT so can physical medical problems.
Please , instead of asking for help on here, go to a DR. or ER, and find out for sure.
I usually go online to "Web MD" as they have symptom checker, and also medicine checkers. Try this link:

http://www.webmd.com/back-pain/guide/causes-of-back-pain

Mayo Clinic is online also and has symptom checker.

Just copy and paste this to your browser, and don't panic as you read all the things this could be a sign of.

It also could be you pulled a muscle, strained your back, or any number of things. I hope you're better today. Try a heat pad / cold pac alternately .
Good luck ,
B.

use Ice pack on lower back every hour 20 mins each time.
If you don't have ice pack, buy some frozen peas from kroger.
Take motrin or any anti inflammatory available in your house.
Go to Walgreen and get some salonpas pain relieve patch. Put it on your pain area. Lay down on your back and rest, put a pillow under your knees to relieve pressure off your back. If pain does not relieve for longer than 3-4 days, make an appointment with a pain management doctor for possible epidural steriod injection.
Never, never go to the ER or urgent care for back pain like that, the ER will let you wait forever because you are not an urgent case. All they will do is to charge you a lot of money and give you pain medication (narcotics). Urgent care will usually mis-diagnose your problem. The best thing to do is to see a neuro doctor to get a MRI done to see what the problem is and he or she will refer you to other treatment such as chiropractor, physical therapy or pain management, you will also get pain meds from him too. If your pain is intolerable, see a pain management dr. One shot of steriod injection will help right away.

The doctor can give you pain meds and muscle relaxers. You have to relax the muscles for them to get well. Its going to take time, and you will need help for a while. As you heal, some suggestions that worked for me: When it was really bad, I kept my tot in a stroller going from room to room (pre-crawling) and did everything from a sitting position. It took 9 months to get well completely. Something called an Infantino Hip Carrier was my saving grace. Good luck finding one. It looks like a back brace that you strap on your waist, and it has a hard pouch ( like a shelf) on the side that your child rides on when you have to carry him. Another thing that helped when I was better able, was to begin sit ups. Apparently, when we are pregnant, the stomach muscles get flabby, and the back has to overwork to compensate. Or something like that. Good luck. God bless.

It could possibly be a kidney infection or kidney stone. If it was in the middle of your back, it could be a gall stone. Better get to a doctor to have it checked.

Find a good chiropractor and head there ASAP! I hope your back feels better soon.

M.
International Home Based Champion Recruiter

I have heard something similar. It may not be the same thing with you or anywhere close but this is more for information sake. My old colleague was complaining that her mother had severe back pain all of a sudden while doing some housework.She couldn't move either. The doc(ortho) diagonised her with slipped disc and she had to undergo surgery for that. I am not trying to scare you but severe back pain is something that might not go away on it's owm. You can try pain killers for immediate releif but it;s better to consult a doctor asap in case your pain has still not reduced. My mom was a chronic back pain sufferer until she underwent surgery too , everytime her pain went worse she was always advised REST. You need to rest your back for few days and also get it checked since you have a small baby to take care.

I had something very similar happen to me, and its actually happened several times now...but each time I put ice on it. I know that heat sounds good, and some people have told you to put heat on it, but my chiro said to not put heat on it b/c it needs ice to help with the swelling. You need to rest, rest, rest...for at least 2-3 days moving as little as possible and put ice on it for 15-20 minutes every hour that you're awake. It will get better....but it just takes time. If you have a good chiropractor in your area, I would go see them. It can't hurt to let them examine you.
Good luck!

Hello DC,

I hope you're feeling better and that when you're feeling better you take extra care not to relapse. Also, have you thought about going to the chiropractor? I hope it's just a pulled muscle and not a pinched nerve. Good luck and take it easy. do you have someone that can help you with the baby? ~C.~

You didn't mention where the pain was- was it in your spine or to the side, in the muscle. I'd agree with everyone that you probably slipped a disc, if the pain is in your spine. If it's in the muscle, it's probably a pulled muscle. I've pulled a muscle (same one a couple times I think it weakens that muscle forever, unfortunately) and been completely stuck and couldn't move. My husband had to practically pick me up and put me on the couch. I then took either muscle relaxants or vicodin or the like. That's all that worked for it, because the pain was so bad. I've never slipped a disc. Maybe you can't figure out where the pain is, exactly because it's in a large section. I would definitely see a chiropractor or doc. In the mean time, find some good meds. If you don't want to do (or can't find) Vicodin or other narcotic, then I'd say go for 800 mgs of Ibuprofen- won't make you sleepy like narcotics mights.

Sounds like a disc. I had one bulging and one herniated in my lower back, and felt the same thing. See your doctor ASAP. Muscle relaxers break the spasm that's causing half your pain. In the mean time, alternate ice and heat, take some form of ibuprofen (advil or other), soak in the tub with baking soda and epsom salts if you can get in there. Someone else has to take care of the baby. Ice is a mechanical anti-inflamatory. Advil is a chemical anti-inflamatory. Your doctor will probably order an MRI and pysical therapy to start with. A chiropractor can help once the herniation is clearly identified. Manipulating the spine when they don't know exactly where the disc is herniated can make it worse. A good chiropractor would tell you that and be extremely wary of adjusting you right now. Long term, a chiropractor is a fantastic thing, as is pilates. Strengthening your core is essential to protecting your back. My physical therapist told me not to bend over...ever again! Not practical, but good to try. Go down on one knee with a straight back if you have to get to the floor, unload the dishes, reach in the dryer, etc. I moved the changing table for my 3rd child onto a coffee table so I could change diapers while on my knees with a straight back. I had that baby after my disc was herniated.

Sorry you're suffering. It's awful.
S.
SAHM of 3

Sounds like your sacroiliac joint is out of place. You will feel pain until you get it put back in place. This is done best by a chiropractor, but doctors can do it as well. Do not let it linger this way until tomorrow. It will get more and more difficult to stop the pain.

I did this to myself at work one day, picking up a piece of paper off the floor. It has nothing to do with the weight of the object, simply the manner in which you bent over. Hurry to a chiro or walk-in clinic! It is an emergency!

I use the ThermaCare heat pads that last for 8 hours. It doesn't take away all the pain, but it at least makes it bearable so you can possibly move around.

Am so sorry to hear you have that pain, especially with a baby. I have it, many times. I have a bad disc in my back. I recommend that you get to your doctor as quickly as possible, because proper treatment can help it go away much quicker. If at all possible, take some Aleve, for some reason it works great for muscle pain. Do a heating pad and then an ice pack in the area of pain until you get to the doctor. There are some back exercises that you can find online for lower back pain, but do with great caution until you get checked out. I hope the pain subsides quickly for you, because it is horrible.

I am so sorry. I know that pain very well. I have thrown out my back tons a times and usually happens when I least expect it. Ice is the best thing you can do. You can get some Aleve to help with the pain. Just take it as easy as you can. I know thats hard with a little one around. I had my girls help me with things like picking things up and then we relaxed and watched movies. My best friend is a pilates instructor and one of the best things I have done is to do things to strengthen my back muscles so that it doesn't happen anymore. I haven't had the problem except maybe once in the last year opposed to 3 or 4 times a year.

I will keep you in my prayers.