severe back pain
the last 3 days there have bee points where for 2-4 hours, my back specifically between my shoulder blades in the middle, hurts so incredibily bad. it's happening right now, has been for over 2 hours and my BF Dean was rubbing it earlier and it helped a little but as soon as he stopped it hurt even worse
i havent pulled any muscles in it. the only thing i can think is stress but i dont know why that would be, because the only thing i really truly stress about is my weight and i found out this morning that since monday i have lost 3 pounds so i'm not stressed about that.
it just feel slike the muscles right there are twisted and burning, sometimes the pain goes down my spine and/or up to my shoulders but doesnt stay there long. and thre are times like now where it hurts so bad that i feel like i'm gonna be sick
does ANYONE know anything about back pain and their sources?? it would be so much appreciated
A friend of mine just went to a chiropractor for his back pain and the doc said it is from his intestines! Some problem with the valve between the small and large intestines. He is receiveing accupuncture for it and has to cut out all chocolate, caffeine, and carbonated beverages along with a few other things as well for at least a month.
I don't put all my stock in chiropractors, but other than this, I know nothing.
Good luck, perhaps see your doc?
go to a doctor.
i've emailed my doctor but i cant go see him, its the weekend now :( hopeflly he will email me back vry soon
i was thinking maybe intestinal issues because i once ate too much fiber on a particularly hot day and didn't drink much of anything and the next day my back was in so much pain i was hardly able to move, but it just seems so weird because its so high up in my back
I've had over ten years of back pain. I've had some luck with Chiropractors, but just like doctors, not all are equal.
Also, like someone else mentioned it might not be specifically a back problem but coming form somewhere else. I could have sworn on nanother thread you mentioned you had an eating disorder? It could be complications coming from that.
You did also s ay you lost another 3 pounds so I would recommend both a chiropractor and a general practitioner ASAP. Any problems through your back can lead to or be the result of nerve damage. Both malnutrition and a physical injury can cause nerve damage.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ferret Research: http://ferretknots.blogspot.com/
Ferret Resources: http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It isn't better to feel joy than to feel grief. It is certainly more fun to feel joy--but it isn't better. If something good is happening, it is appropriate to be joyful. If you have experienced loss, it is equally appropriate to be sad."
-LIFE AFTER LOSS, Bob Deits
I have really truly awful backpain. Usually its lower in my back. Back pain IS actually a symptom of eating disorders. I've actually heard people use the term "bulimics back" but that again is usually low back pain caused by the stress put on it from purging while;e bent...er, don't mean to get so specific or gross or anything...But even aside from the purging, mal nutrition can play a huge role in back pain.
I was shocked when my back felt so great during my recovery...The other day I was thinking "dang it, why does my back hurt soooo bad?" Then I remembered- it does when I'm relapsing! :( Its been especially hurting today. But I just looked at it in the mirror and saw a big old bruise. Its right where your hipbones bow at in your lower back...I have NO recollection of hitting it on anything...maybe it was from my jeans?
The best things I have found to help ease the pain of back pain in the moment are laying on my back with my feet elevated(like on the back of the couch) Also gentle stretching...I bend at the waste and let gravity pull my head and neck downwards. Heat is very bad for swollen muscles, but I used heat packs..and those stick-on ones you can get from the drugstore. They worked like a charm- but check with your doc first. Also warm baths. Ibuprofen is great for back pain- dunno on the vegan-ness of it...I hope you are feeling better, hun.
Perhaps poor back support in your chair?
But I concur, go to the doctor. Serious pain is a sign you need to seek a professional evaluation, and none of us are qualified to provide medical advice. (Or not many of us, and you can't tell them from the rest of us hoi polloi.)
Whenever my back is bothering me I use a heating pad. Sometimes I'll take Advil with it but usually the heating pad is enough.
i first want to say thank you for all the suggestions on how to help the pain
but i do wanna say, yeah i have an eating disorder, but i'm not malnutritioned. i have been "in recovery" for over a year and when i weighed myself yesterday was 111 pounds which is fine for 5'3". im not vomit-bulimic so it wouldnt be from bending over (i am exercise bulimic but it doesnt usually hurt while i'm exercising)
i should have probably mentioned the last few days i was living alone because i needed time away due to stress, starting monday night. i felt sick all 4 days i was "on vacation" but only 2 of those days did i have the back pain. i was shocked to find out i had lost 3 pounds when half of those days i had binged and hardly exercised because even at home when i eat very little and exercise like crazy i can't lose weight but...
i don't want to sound mean or rude, i really don't, i just have to say it has always been a hot button issue with me that people assume it's becase of my eating disorder--just because they know i have one, its the first thing they jump to. i will never be ashamed of having the disease because it's not my fault that i have it, so i will always tell people about it to make them more aware--the only downside is that they tend to start believing every problem i have is because of it and every thought i have is wrong because of it
i'm not saying it might not be because of my eating disorder. i just dont think its likely, since i never had back pain while i was in the thick of it at 88 pounds or along the way...
now im gonna go get my heating pad and see if that helps (i hope i hope)
Hey sariea, whoa, I'm sorry- I didn't mean to make you feel that way. Believe me- I do know that EVERYONE will tell you that EVERYTHING that is wrong with you is form your ED. I was hesitant to commnet because I didn't want to do that to you. The reason I did comment though- was because for me, in my particular circumstance, I did notice a connection to my eating disorder. Before I went into recovery (and indeed, not until I relapsed and went into recovery again) people would say the whole thing about it being from the ED and it pissed me off because it seemed highly unlikely to me that my ED could have anything to do with it. I'm glad that you are able to say your not ashamed of a disease. For me, I feel more like the ED is my fault- so when people say that I feel sick/ am confused/ have back pain/ etc because of the ED its like they are saying that its my fault that I I feel sick/ am confused/ have back pain/ etc. (as an aside I should say that i dont think EDs are ever anyones fault...i just feel guilty all teh time) Not to mention....that going back to the ol "must be from the ED" is kinda dangerous because there really could be other things going on. then the ed just turns into a rabbit trail. Again, I'm sorry to have been one of those people...I was merely trying to relay my experience with back pain (which happens to involve my ED) and not to chase a rabbit trail. :(
If you are living alone, you may have been moving stuff, boxes, suitcases, whatever and strained it. Or are you on a different mattress than you are used to? Different mattresses often give me high back pain- (or if I stay in bed too long it will happen too. ;)) Hopefully the heating pad will help you. I cant say enough good things about those stick on ones...I was a real skeptic- I thought they would be cold in like an hour. But they actually stay warm for like 8 hours as the package says. They re nice cause they still let you move around and do all the stuff you gotta do. But I feel obligated to say that you really shouldn't use heat without talking to your doctor because heat is so bad for swelling. ::) But I, being the rebellious little snot that I am...never really follow doctors orders. ;) I hope you are feeling better soon! heres a get-well kiss! :-*
I hope your doctor gets back to you soon, Sariea.
You are right of course about not everything being your eating disorder. Doctors get sucked into seeing just one thing about a patient and they don't look outside of the box of diagnoses. I have been told for years I have depression, then bipolar II because I am allergic to SSRIs (and a couple of other classes of drugs too). When I had a small bout of minor cancer, I didn't get treated for 9 months because I was told my physical complaints were related to depression. I used homeopathy to successfully treat my cancer problem because at that point, I didn't trust anyone else to look at it. After that treatment, I think they thought I was a hypochondriac because I seemed to have so many physical aches and pains, namely join swelling and pain. It took that doctor 2 years to stop and examine my very swollen joints and tenderness! Turns out, it is SLE, the more severe form of lupus, which is also responsible for the depression and what have been termed "somatic complaints" which is saying it is all in my imagination.
Just because you have an eating disorder doesn't mean you can't pull a muscle in your back. It doesn't mean you can't have a problem with the bones and joints in your back. In your upper back, I think lungs or hiatal hernia or even heart, if it is not strictly your spine. I want your doctor to really really LISTEN to you and see if he/she can help with the pain. Spinal problems are not always preceeded by an injury or strain. I can't tell you how many pain consults I have transcribed for people who have had no back problems at all, but they reach down to pick up a pen off the floor and they are in severe pain for a very long time. It is also possible (I have had this) where the spine simply rotates out of alignment in a given place and the pain is just awful. I had an osteopath put my lower back, back into alignment in about 5 minutes and fixed the pain. I was doing a lot of swimming at the time and didn't have enough abdominal muscle strength to keep my lower back in place properly. You say you are exercising a lot? Perhaps you have just rotated your thoracic spine out of alignment.
Only advice I can offer is, see the GP first and make sure it isn't soft tissue. If the GP can only hand you muscle relaxants and/or pain pills, see a chiropractor.
VegHeadZealia, i'm sorry i didn't mean to come off as really really angry, it has always been a pet peeve of mine that people think all my problems come from the ED. granted, most of them do, but when it comes to points where i'm having severe pain and all they see is the ED, it gets so frustrating. So i'm sorry if i came off as yelling at you or something, it really wasn't my intention at all
I was laying on the heating pad (well kinda sitting up reclining) and it did not help at all. it hurts a little less now but i think thats because i got up and had to go feed my aunt's cats and go to the grocery store.
i'm back home now but was living at my aunt's for 4 days while she was on vacation, so it could be from lifting bags but i remember having slight pains in my chest/back/stomach monday morning before i moved to my aunts house. the only other thing i could think of is that it's because i crack my back so much. i do so much lifting at work and then bending over tables (i work in a bakery) that i sometimes get.. it almost feels like bubbles of air in my spine that feel better after i lean back and crack it. but i do it every day, a few times a day, and i'm getting scared that it's whats causing the pain--when all i was ever trying to do was relieve pain caused by my job! kinda like when u crack your knuckles all the time and then wonder why you get arthritis or something, i don't know
its just weird that it's not a constant pain (well it has been since last night anyway), that it just shows up out of nowhere during the day. usually when it happens i'm just sitting watching tv, not even doing anything.
I heard that cracking joints in and of itself cannot cause arthritis....twisting them when you pop them can...and you are right about the air bubbles- that actually is what they are kinda, from my understanding and they are released. I started getting horrible neck pain after my sister and I were goofing off one day and now I crack my neck all the time...probally makes it worse. :( but not all the time...just often enough to keep me hooked... ;) I guess the key is- if you must pop and crack- your supposed to go int e direction of the joint. For example, when I have to crack my knuckles...my chiropractor said to pull the fingers rather than interlock them and bend down...
Dunno...this guy wasn't a regular chiropractor though...He would use pressure points to make your body align itself. You feel like @#$% the next day, but it supposedly better in the long run. Well, I used to have to see him like 3 times a week cause I had this thing called pectus excavatum...google pictures.. and we were trying to avoid surgery. This method actually brought my sternum out by a quarter inch which my DR said was impossible. Turns out it was a good thing it did because in the time I was waiting for my surgery- my heart was being pinch and the doctors didn't know how much stress my heart was under. The 1/4 inch was enough to save my life...but I still had to have surgery and be in bed for month...
hhaha you can tell I don't talk to people in real life because of how crazy- off topic my comments get and all the stupid stories I tell..... ::) Whatev...
I'm glad your not mad at me :)
shessh...all that and I forgot to say what I was gonna say...So, to pop your back without twisting. put two chairs at your sides with their backs nearest you and lift yourself up with your arms. Your muscles in your back will be working hard so they will be flexed. take a breath in- and then relax your muscles as you exhale. Gravity will do the rest...again- totally not a medical professional here...just a professional patient.... ;) use discression.
i don't want to jump on you either for your eating disorder, but just the number on the scale doesnt tell the whole story. though you may now be at a higher weight, doesnt mean the composition of the weight is necessarily good ...the fluctuations of weight can be a result of loss of muscle,not fat, and this can def affect your back. ive gone, and am still, going thru it.
i find the best help asap is constant stretching, and simple "stability" exercises. it has also helped me in recovering, making me more aware of how my body simply functions
i also go to a chiro...and i agree w/ the others about each chiro is different. mine does this really unique technique, which only a few other docs in the country do. it involves a MAJOR stretch w/ the side, back of neck. its amazing.
and your prob can be resulting from a prob elsewhere, internally (kidneys, blood sugar), or structurally... one leg shorter than the other? i kno w im bad, when im "lopsided" :)... i cant sleep comfortably on both sides...ill wake in pain. then i know its time for a tune up.
but i would recommend a chiro or pt, they could at least tell you if its structure.
you can roll around on two tennis balls in a sock too. it esp can get into those nooks between your shoulder blades.
take care, sariea
hey hun, just wondering if you are feeling any better now?
it comes and goes. it's more the stress migraines that i get every day that are bothering me now. they start in my sinuses and go to my ears and through my jaw and neck and then makes me feel sick to my stomach, and everyone goes "oh, well thats a stress headache!" and i feel like going "no sh** wanna give me some kind of ANYTHING to help get rid of them?"
but thats just me at 4:30am. i'm a grump right now.
One other thing to consider is that pain between the shoulder blades is a classic sign of (referred) pain from gall bladder dysfunction. Whatever is causing it, it's obviously making you miserable - hope you get some treatment that works soon. Best wishes
I'm a medical/clinical massage therapist. I would recommend ice over heat. 20 minutes at a time. Massage therapy and yoga. Yoga will help w/ posture which is a classic problem w/ the area of pain you are describing. It can also be a huge help w/ stress relief. I would also recommend a chiropractor over a western doctor. They rarely do anything for backpain except prescribe medicine. I've actually had a patient come to me after a week of back pain and seeing her regular doctor and I had to send her to my doc because it was obvious to me that she had a kidney infection. :o There is also a product called biofreeze that is a good temporary fix. Hope you find relief!
I'm a medical/clinical massage therapist. I would recommend ice over heat. 20 minutes at a time. Massage therapy and yoga. Yoga will help w/ posture which is a classic problem w/ the area of pain you are describing. It can also be a huge help w/ stress relief. I would also recommend a chiropractor over a western doctor. They rarely do anything for backpain except prescribe medicine. I've actually had a patient come to me after a week of back pain and seeing her regular doctor and I had to send her to my doc because it was obvious to me that she had a kidney infection. :o There is also a product called biofreeze that is a good temporary fix. Hope you find relief!
sounds about right....*nodding head*