lower back pain

[sandrauk]

hi I'm Sandra new to the site ive been off work now for 5 wks with severe lower back and hip pain I'm on pain patches ibuprofen and paracetamol I'm doing a little gentle exercise . my mum has osteoarthritis and I'm frightened I may have it ,ive ben for mri awaiting results , don't know what to do

[grace111]

hi sandra. all you can really do is wait for the results of your mri scan. i know its hard not to worry. Its good that your doing some gentle exercise. Are those patches helping you? I hope that your getting some relief. Its good that your being gentle with your exercise as painkillers can often allow us to do to much by masking the pain. I think that your doing all that you can under the circumstances. Be good to yourself, make some nice meals and have nice baths as im sure that will help pain to. Also try and drink plenty water, especially after doing exercise. I hope that you get your results soon and that its good news. all my love. Grace xoxo

[sandrauk in reply to grace111]

Thankyou so much

[deejames]

Sorry to hear that Sandra. Do make sure you keep moving and stretch as much as you can.

Did the pain come on suddenly ?

As Grace says once you k kw the results of the MRI then you and your GP etc can plan the next steps. Fingers crossed it's an injury that will heal with time. If it is osteoarthritis then there are things you can do to build up muscle to support the spine and also look at posture and the way you move and hold your body.

What ' pain patches' have you been prescribed by the way ?

Dee

[sandrauk in reply to deejames]

First I ead given butrans but reacted to them now im on matrfin being increased to 50mcg new patch every three days

[furgus]

Have you seen a physio? I had severe back pain come on suddenly many years ago which at the time I was told was due to a muscle spasm. I've had pain ever since although not as severe and it's spread to my hips and down my legs. I've just started seeing a physio and during the assessment she identified various muscles that were very tight and the stretches she advised me to do have reduced the pain after just two weeks. One injury or painful area can affect the way you move and over time other areas can become painful because they aren't moving in the way they should. Whether you have osteoarthritis or whether this is due to another problem a physio might be able to help identify tight muscles or joints and recommend exercises to stretch or strengthen your muscles. As deejames said building up muscles around the spine to support it can help it even if the pain is due to osteoarthritis. This is important to try to prevent further deterioration as well as reduce the current pain.

I hope you get your results soon and something can be done to improve things quickly. I regret not going back to my GP sooner. She told me there was very little that she could do to help with back pain like mine. When I mentioned it again a few years later she said she had meant in the initial acute stage and she would have referred me for phsyio much earlier if she had realised I was still in pain after a few weeks. It might be worth speaking to your GP about a referral to a physio as they're likely to be able to help in some way whatever the results of your MRI are.

[sandrauk in reply to furgus]

Thankyou for your help

[Coastwalker]

My lower back and hip pain was down to a vitamin D deficiency sandrauk.

[sandrauk in reply to Coastwalker]

Thankyou for your help

[Coastwalker]

You are most welcome

[Heltadelta]

Hi Sandra.

You can find all the info you need about benefits online. There is a help line which I have been told is very useful.

Heltadelta.