Really Bad Lower Back Pain - #2
Yikes!! I'm a long-time runner and triathlete - 56yo female - and have NEVER had lower back pain til this year. First time was about 4 months ago as I was building for IM Coz and did a few long rides on my road bike, after having ridden my tri bike exclusively for almost a year. I had originally been training for IM MD, which got canceled / re-scheduled, so I switched to IM Coz and just wanted a change so hopped on the road bike for a couple weeks. I'm thinking that may have caused the first episode, as I didn't gently transition, but immediately jumped on road bike and rode probably 4 hours x a couple rides. This first low back pain episode, though painful and scary as I hadn't ever experienced this before, was NOTHING like what I'm going through right now. I had to move very gingerly for a few days and was mostly horizontal first day, but it was gone in 3 days.
This time... was just getting dressed yesterday morning and felt the lower back (same place) start to tighten. Not too worried, so kept going about my day, again very gingerly. It worsened very quickly and at morning eye doc appointment, got to the point where I coudn't walk (any compression of back was pretty much excruciating 
). Hubby had to come get me, and it took us ~20 minutes to get me in car. Decided to go home, get me horizontal (when all pain was relieved), ibuprofen-load, and wait it out a day or two. Last evening, when hubby helped me to potty, however, I passed out, woke up in a chair in living room, and wondered how the hell I got from potty to that chair! At that time, we called ER. Several hours, clean basic tests, valium, and dilaudid later, I was able to walk slowly on my own out. They found no red flags (numb, tingly appendages, abdominal pain) of serious issues to be too concerned. Figured fainting was due to pain, so no real concerns there. Sent me home with valium and hydrocodone prescription, which I'm taking today, and said "go see your primary doc tomorrow". Have a 3:30 appt today, so will hopefully learn more what the heck is going on and what caused it. fyi, I've had no unusual aches/pains in the prior 3 weeks post-IM Coz. I did go for my first run Sunday - a very easy 6 miler - and felt absolutely fine afterwards.
Today, I'm mostly horizontal, with a couple practice walks to potty. It's certainly better than yesterday; last potty trip was unassisted and only took me about 10 minutes travel time 
. Still very tender, and certain movements take my breath away.
Anyone have experience with this kind of thing? Would appreciate any words of wisdom & shared experiences.
Thank you!!
Comments
Good healing vibes to you!
Hi Robert and others, thanks for your replies! I've now been to the primary doc and have more pain-killers, which I'm trying to minimize but still need to get around (I'm really not a wuss!!) She said it was key to do 3 x 800mg ibu daily to get the inflammation down, but man... I'm really bummed at how painful this still is. I'm a little more mobile every day, as in can walk on my own, but very carefully, because any weird small motion can produce a take your breath away sharp localized pain. "Localized" is good from what I hear; it's only in that very central low back area with no shooting pain down extremities.
My biggest concern is figuring out what the heck caused this and how to prevent it from recurring. I'm also very worried that IM training and many years of run pounding is the root of this... please NOOOO.... It's so weird as I've really had no back issues until this year, and I've been running a very long time - over 40 years!
I don't feel like I got great next steps guidance from my primary doc, eg. don't feel like I really even have a diagnosis yet and no diagnostic tests. Per your advice, sounds like I should find a good PT and/or chiro. Why one or the other? I do have a hypothesis that this may be as simple as I need to do way more core work to support this level of training, and it just caught up to me. Hopefully, that's all it is... but geez... what a painful lesson!!!
I am not a Doctor, Chiro , or PT... But what I do have is 20+ years of ON/OFF back issues... When you describe your pain as excruciating , can't walk , pass out from pain (I passed out twice with my last broken clavicle and that was a shattered bone kinda pain not just a muscle) , and need to go horizontal for any type of relief , that sounds more like nerves, disc's, spinal than muscle... Treating what you do have with Chiro or PT without really having a diagnosis is crazy IMO.... There is no downside to getting the MRI needed to complete your diagnosis before treating it.... I gotta believe that the Doc's , Chiro's, and PT's would agree... That way you know.
20+ years ago I was taking a break in a recliner at work , that morning I had competed in a rock climbing competition, I felt perfectly fine until I tried to get out of the recliner. Somehow I was able to get up , hobbled to my supervisor , went home sick, could barely get out of the car when I got home , laid flat on the floor... I would describe my pain as excruciating... When Heather came home I had her take me to the ER , getting out of the car at the hospital it was cold and raining, I was shivering and I collapsed holding onto her while crying in the parking lot... Pain was off the chart I could not take it... They ended up giving me some kind of shot like Morphine or a derivative and then went home to spend the entire week on the floor... Doctors visits started with xray's and questions about sciatica , trouble urinating, ED, none of which I had... They kept saying well if you dont have any of those symptoms you don't need a MRI... Chiro , PT , more doctors visits followed... The pain subsided to the point I could go back to work after a week but it was not getting better... Finally the MRI was done and I had 2 herniated disc's... One was minor and one was major... More PT , chiro , stretching, yoga , talk about core strength (remember I was a rock climber and there was absolutely no weakness in my core).... I found all of that to just make matters worse... What worked best for me was doing nothing but walking and let it heal up.... Since then I have had numerous episodes of which none of them were that extreme (think only 1-2 days on the floor instead of 5)... To this day I am constantly aware of my back I get up out of chairs slowly , pick up things carefully, avoid twisting motions, and hinging at the waist , and still tweak in now and then...
A PT can diagnose, treat, and educate you on lifetime maintenance stuff Tim mentioned. If you don't respond to PT at all, then yes, image away, but right now, I vote no on MRI.
Carrie