Today was the second time this year I’d thrown out my back. The back muscle spasms are so bad it puts me in entirely different state of mind. It’s due to the amount of brain piercing bursts of pains I experience. Transferring from the floor to the couch almost had me black out. It only takes the slightest move to trigger the spasmed muscle(s). It’s like playing a game of Russian roulette but it’s your body movements. Cool huh?
Do y’all get this too? Why is it so fucking god awful painful? How do you handle your episodes?
Never had that or met anybody who has. You should go to a doctor bro
You uh… you might wanna see a doctor about that.
If you’re having severe back pain (or any unusual or severe symptom) you’re better off going to a doctor as soon as possible. First, severe pain is never something that you should just live with, and it may be able to be treated. Second, it’s possible that whatever is causing your severe pain could lead to worse problems or be a symptom of something serious. (I don’t mean to scare you, but it’s important to rule things like that out sooner rather than later.)
This is not normal, you need to talk to a medical professional mate.
You should treatyoself by getting that diagnosed.
Everyone else is saying go see a doctor. I’m going to assume you already are seeing a doctor, because if you’re in that kind of pain most people would see a doctor. I’m going to ask what sort of treatment is the doctor suggested?
You are absolutely correct. I’ve seen a doctor and even have gone to PT for this. I completed 6 weeks of PT back in May and was feeling fantastic. (As an aside, I do weigh training for my normal everyday exercise routine under the supervision of a trainer.)
When it’s happening you think, “holy shit this pain is excruciating! Something has to be very wrong!”
Well, let me tell you a fun story… from all the doctors and therapists I’ve discussed this with. This is normal for things like pinched nerves, sciatica, herniated/bulging discs or just simply your weak ass muscles like to seize up and say fuck you.
They won’t give you proper painkillers, only muscle relaxers that don’t do anything but make you feel sleepy and loopy. You just have you wait it out until you can move around enough. And that’s when you can actually make it to a doctor. For me these last 2 attacks left me truly incapacitated (unable to walk, get up from a laying or sitting position) for at least 2 days.
Doctors don’t take this type of pain seriously and I don’t know why. They won’t prescribe opioids, probably for various obvious reasons. But for this scenario, it should be one of the few exceptions.
Another fun story, this happened to me for the first time about 7 or 8 years ago. I called my doctor crying. They said go to the ER. This was probably the biggest mistake of my life. I have never been treated with such disrespect and disregard for what I was going through. I was treated as a pain pill seeking junkie. I waited in the ER for 5 hours until I finally stood up went to the front desk and mid sentence of me asking how much longer, I blacked out from the pain and collapsed on the floor.
I was just hoping I’d find others who have gone through this. Hoping to feel like I’m not crazy for wanting more from my medical system than “this is just how these things happen. You’re fine. Now here do these exercises and you’ll feel so much better”.
Anyway, sorry for the rant, but thank you for listening.
At the risk of giving unsolicited advice, which I apologize I’m about to do, have you tried the mayo clinic in Rochester Minnesota? They take almost everybody’s insurance, they’re not as expensive as most people would think, and they give some really fantastic service.
The mayo clinic in Rochester Minnesota is where some of the incredibly wealthy people from the Middle East fly to when they need medical care. That should give you an idea of just how good they are.
Just some food for thought for you. Hopefully you can figure out a way to get this solved permanently.
No apologies necessary. I appreciate the advice. Thank you. 💜
I’ve been telling my mom to go to the Mayo Clinic for her chronic cough for years. I’ll check it out.
No most people dont experience this you must have some serious medical condition. Consider becoming a pot ingester to help manage the pain
Way ahead of you brother 🦚🖖
It’s reasons like this post I make homemade gummies. It helps immensely.
No I do not.
I’ve had back spasms for decades. I’ve gotten them pretty much under control, though it’s still present every day. Doctors can give you muscle relaxers but they don’t work for me. Physical therapy might help but it’s sort of geared towards old people so I don’t like it myself. But do use it to learn what not to do.
To imagine what it’s like if you don’t have muscle spams, make a fist and flex the muscles in your arm over and over until it’s tiring. Now imagine you can’t stop for 24 hours until you are on the floor in pain and then you still can’t stop.
First, use a TENS unit. They are cheap. This is the main way to signal to the muscles to stop. Otherwise, the muscle will go forever. So TENS resets that. Sort of the way a defibrillator might be used to reset a heart back into a proper rhythm.
Next, exercise and build up back muscles. I exercise a lot. I like to find something that is fun and exciting so I continue past tiredness, not something that I’ll get bored with. The best was probably boxing because it involves a lot of twisting at your core, but most anything will do. Bikram yoga was the only thing that made it worse because the forward stretching was causing nerve compression. For me, building up back muscles allowed me to hold a better posture and that helps too.
I also use foam roller. That works sometimes before it gets bad. A soft bed and a soft couch seem to make it worse, but the opposite won’t make it go away. I try not to sit still too long. Lastly, shoveling show is the worst thing. If you have to do it, do it in teaspoons at a time. In general, don’t be macho about carrying things. Carrying one bag of groceries at a time is good for you anyway.
Hopefully some of that is relevant to you or someone else.
FYI: this is not the best place to look for medical advice. See rule 3 for more information (:
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My husband had the worst sciatica, and this book helped him so much
Thank you!!! Just ordered it :)
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I did… Until I found a good neurosurgeon and had a L5-S1 360° fusion.
Prior to that I had back episodes regularly, some so painful I would completely pass out. The last straw for me was when I was coming down the stairs in my house, took a step down and woke up at the bottom of the stairs. I’m extremely lucky I didn’t break my neck. Some orthopedic surgeons are good but a good neuro is a life saver.
Holy shit, the term, the straw that broke the camel’s back is too real in your situation. I’m glad the neurosurgeon and surgery worked out for you! What was your actual diagnosis if you don’t mind me asking?
Yeah, it started with a herniated disk at l5-s1 with central canal stenosis. That was a discectomy and laminectomy about 15 years ago. The disk continued to deteriorate and eventually collapsed to where the vertebrae were almost touching. The lack of stability resulted in severe spinal cord impingement.
All good now, other than I’m old and a bit too fat lol
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Will he? Mine didn’t prescribe anything and sent me to a physiotherapist.
Oh my dear, I wish Cyclobenzaprine or any muscles relaxers worked for these episodes. They don’t. They are definitely helpful after the initial episode.
I suppose I felt compelled to make this post because I was feeling (and still am) completely dejected. I put so much work into my previous recovery and continued prevention. When it all comes crashing back down on you, its hard to know how to feel about it.
Yes, this isn’t an unusual type of pain with someone with a back or spine injury. Like others said, see a doctor asap as they may be able to help. You might need physical therapy along with medication, and it’s better to start sooner rather than later when it could be less treatable.
My own back spasms were similar; but I’ve had them enough times that I’ve learned ways to manage the pain enough to finish a thought other than “ouch”
I’ve been able to reduce the frequency of occurrence by experimenting w my sleeping and exercise habits and learned that pregnancy pillows are worth their weight in gold for me; maybe they’ll help you?
