Sudden agonizing, crippling, lower back pain. What to do?

[James]

So I go to put on my boot liner this afternoon. Sit down, leg outstretched, foot goes in and I push the leg and pull the sides. Boom! The whole lower back shooting pain with heat. Maybe an 8-9/10, who knows, but unignorable. I think I saw stars. Then could barely move with sudden waves of pain. Like breathing could set it off. Eventually managed to get in car and drive home 10 minutes. Had to pull over once for pain spasm.

I took 800mg Ibuprofen. Spent two hours on the floor. I had maybe an hour relatively ok. Then they came back. Pain that you can't breathe, can't move, but have to move a little. Torture. When they calmed down took me like 20 minutes to get up. I'm walking with ski poles.

Seems to have calmed down for now. I walked a little. Any experiences coping with this type of spasm?

 

[Steve]

You should go to the ER James. With pain that severe it could be something that needs immediate attention.
I've had hip pain like that but not an 8 or 9/10 maybe a 7/8 which seems like a big difference to me. It was gone the next day.
But seeing stars, etc. No.

Hopefully you have good insurance and a nearby medical facility.

Good luck!

 

[slowrider]

Sounds like a pinched nerve . Any loss of feeling or tingling in your foot? Better get that looked at soon. Good luck.

 

[neonorchid]

^ +1 on seeing a doctor. I hope it's something that just a little time and PT will fix for you.

 

[scott43]

I picked up the litter box one day. I had to sleep on my stomach with my arms crumpled up underneath my chest going numb from lack of blood for the next three days. Couldn't play hockey for six weeks. My sympathy man. Only happened once but that was enough. Back pain is terrible. Fix it properly don't let it get chronic.. Cold not heat.

 

[François Pugh]

Perhaps you injured yourself the day before, and your body re-positioned itself before the adrenaline wore off, but pulling on the boot triggered moved it back to pain position.

I did that a few decades ago, knocked myself out in a high speed crash, regained consciousness while still airborne and skied the rest of the day a little woozy, but with no pain. Put on my sock the next day and had a sudden back ache that lasted for a month or two.

 

[Andy Mink]

Kidney stones?

 

[Coach13]

Backs are super sensitive and can be a mystery. My son went thru agonizing pain on and off for a few years before it just got to the constant 10+ crippling pain. He had surgery 2 weeks before Christmas and has just completed PT with things getting back to pre-pain days. It could be a lot of different things. Get it checked out and rest it until you figure it out. Don’t think it can’t get worse because it can. Good luck buddy.

 

[Steve]

@James well now you've been made to worry about months of pain, surgery, etc. This could pass in 2 weeks too. My hip flare-ups were debilitating, I'd go to the kitchen and have to lie on the floor for a few minutes. Writing a work email one paragraph at a time with 10 minutes of lying down in between each one. The pain was gone the next day in both cases. Ya never know.

I'm not a Doctor (although I do play one on TV) but the Kidney Stones comment is the kind of thing that I meant about going to the ER. Something weird like that.

 

[Fuller]

Kidney stones?

I've had a kidney stone, he wouldn't be on his computer right now he'd be down at the ER with a dilaudid IV drip. Anyways it's a very different kind of pain and not brought on by physical movement. Good luck James!

 

[François Pugh]

You may find this chart useful in solving your dilemma on what to do about the pain.

 

[Andy Mink]

I've had a kidney stone, he wouldn't be on his computer right now he'd be down at the ER with a dilaudid IV drip. Anyways it's a very different kind of pain and not brought on by physical movement. Good luck James!

I've never had them but know people who have. Very painful, just not exactly sure where.

 

[RuleMiHa]

That sounds like what I felt like when I herniated a disc. I was installing a router underneath my desk and felt like I broke my pelvis. I did have limping and leg weakness that didn't improve over time. As long as you have no loss of bowel or bladder function you can wait and see.

 

[Coach13]

That sounds like what I felt like when I herniated a disc. I was installing a router underneath my desk and felt like I broke my pelvis. I did have limping and leg weakness that didn't improve over time. As long as you have no loss of bowel or bladder function you can wait and see.

That’s what my son had, 2 herniated discs. He had a 2 level micro discectomy, L4-5 on the left, L5 s1 on the right. What was interesting is we learned that most active adults have some level of disc herniation but many never progress to the treatment level.

 

[Steve]

I had a herniated disc and it resorbed - meaning the stuff that was leaking out went back in and it got better on it's own.

I had a top Back Dr. tell me that he could take 100 asymptomatic people, give them MRI's and 10% would be flagged by radiologists as having disc problems.

 

[Steve]

Well after the first 3 replies James went offline, hopefully to the Doctor.

 

[James]

No, I'm back. Typing on the floir on a phone. It's somewhat better. I used some cold pack. Time for advil. I think my ibuprofen is 10 yrs old. Damn... that made me laugh and it hurt again. Pretty sure it's not kidney stones.
Heat or cold works?

Well now getting up is difficult.

 

[Steve]

Cold to reduce inflammation, heat to soothe. You can alternate. Glad it's somewhat better.

Usually they say cold at first though. I'd probably avoid heat for now.

20 minutes on and off.

 

[scott43]

Perhaps you injured yourself the day before, and your body re-positioned itself before the adrenaline wore off, but pulling on the boot triggered moved it back to pain position.
.

This was me..played in a hockey tourney the day before..3 games in a day..last one at 10pm..next day, long drive in the car..get out, pick up maybe 10lbs...boom. Obviously the back was weak already and the strain after driving blew it up. Valuable lesson learned..

 

[James]

So it got better?
Monday I hit some hidden ice mogul. Hurt then. But got better till today.
I once worked with someone who's back seized up combing his hair.