back pain

[Norfolkgirl1170]

hi

I have suffered lower back pain on and off for many years usually because of bending / lifting wrong that causes it. However this time I’ve had lower back pain for around 4 weeks that seems to come on whilst sitting. I’m absolutely fine after being in bed all night and when walking it’s just when I’ve been sitting. The pain is in my lower back and radiates to the buttocks. I’ve been using rub in gels but doesn’t seem to do a great deal. Anyone else have this issue?

[cyberbarn]

There are many different things that can cause backspin, so I am not suggesting that my situation is like yours, but like you I had had low back pain on and off for many years, but then it ramped up and was different.

However, especially when female, the GPs dismissed it and it took a lot of pressure for them to refer me. When I finally had an x-ray (ordered by a rheumatologist) it turned out I had spondylolisthesis which is where one bone in the spine slips forward over the next bone.

This finally explained why the physio exercises they kept giving me made things worse!

But Hickam's Dictum says patients can have as many diseases as they damn well please, I also have something called psoriatic arthritis. So sometimes I have more pain when sitting than standing or walking, and at other times it is pain when walking but not sitting!

I think the important thing is that when what is normal for you changes, it is time to get the professionals to have a look. There is a big emphasis 'don't worry, it will get better' which can hide when things progress into something that can become a lot worse without treatment. By treatment I mainly mean proper physiotherapy. I don't understand why physios are left to work blind to even examining the patient, just handing out standard exercises! That is what made my condition worse, because they had made the assumption that it was just low back pain and that it would pass.

i hope that makes sense?

[Asti-Spumanti]

Hi Norfolk girl,Cyberbarn is absolutely right! I started with lower back pain in 2010 and it took ages before I got a referral for an MRI scan which showed that it was more than just mechanical back pain! Back then you did not have to go down the route of physiotherapy first! (I was a medical secretary in a gp surgery so I have noticed how things have changed regarding referrals, it is now a case of boxes to be ticked before you can get a referral for an MRI scan) I was diagnosed with lumber and cervical stenosis and I required surgery to lumbar spine to free up space for the nerves. Cyberbarn commented how physiotherapy made things worse, it was the same for me. I have had a few surgeries for my problem, my consultant informed me that I was one of the unlucky ones who were born with a narrow spinal canal. Recently things have worsened and this time I had to go down the route of physiotherapy, it was him that referred me for an MRI scan which showed that I have now got cervical myelopathy and need an urgent spinal review.

My advice would be to keep on at your gp regarding the pain and the need for investigation. The thing is the waiting list for investigations were long when I was working, my referral got me an appointment a year after diagnosis and that was an urgent referral! The first step is,unfortunately, physiotherapy who will do an assessment and if needed refer for MRI scan. GPs very rarely do those now.

You need to get into the system ASAP as things re: the NHS waiting times are only going to get longer.

Good luck to you and 🤞 that you can get a diagnosis and, if needed, treatment.

[Kemptville]

Hi Norfolk girl

I would keep on at your GP till you get an MRI scan as this will show what is going on. I have had back problems for many years and the last time it caused a problem I was sent for an MRI scan. This showed a spinal stenosis in the lumbar area. I was operated on and a hemilaminectomy was carried out. Straight after surgery the pain around my right hip went. My wife was a physiotherapist and she often found that GP's did not understand what they could do for patients. They can only do a good job when they know exactly what they are treating, hence the need for an MRI asap.

Hope this helps. Good luck