Have been suffering from severe Back Pain from 4wks. Am unable to sit/stand for more than 30mins.?

Question

Am currently in a lot of pain in the back. The pain extends to the whole back and also there is a lot of tightness. I'm unable to sit/stand or more than 20-30mins. It is becoming extremely difficult to handle daily chores and attend to office work which involves a lot of time in front of the laptop. It is a combination of stabbing/throbbing back pain. The back pain has been interfering with my sleep as well making me feel drowsy and tired the next morning as i'm unable to get proper sleep even for 4-5hrs. I have tried all possible remedies, but to no avail. My haemoglobin level is 11 & BP reads 110/60 or 100/55. I am an Indian woman and also teach. Since teaching involves considerable standing &/or sitting, I am in a lot of pain after every class. I would be grateful if you could give me some suggestions. I also suffer from frequent bouts of headaches and extreme dizziness. The back pain increases when I try bending forward or backward. I also find it extremely painful to sit in one place and correct assignments or do household chores like cooking/cleaning, etc.

Answer 1

Your Bp is fine, or even a little low (no reason for concern) & hg is w/i normal ranges. I would have liked to know your age range, however if your a teacher lets use a mean average for age of 42, Moreover I assume your a person from India and not an American Indian correct? Lets assume YES .... It sounds like, if you have remained injury free (have to assume true since you made no mention of an accident or severe trauma), you may have received some type of of insult to spine, perhaps a prolapsed or "bulging" disc. This can happen from a severe trauma or from a fall, all the way down to picking up a bag of groceries!! I would of coarse, be remiss if I did not recommend a you an orthopedic specialist ASAP, moreover it sounds by your description, a lower back concern most likely in the mid - lower lumbar (L-3-4-5), This would explain the pain on long sitting/standing, and the tightness in the back area and also the stabbing pain however it is rare that a lower back disc problem would cause the headache issue. This is a difficult diagnosis w/o physical exam. My best advise is see your family doc first then get a referral from him/her and go that direction. Make sure you disclose ALL your concerns at the first consult, this will help them determine the most appropriate treatment plan for you without having you see 100 doc's ... hope this helps, it is somewhat unusual to have a question asked and a patient (you) have a record of their hemo level have you had a CBC or Kem-7 test for blood borne abnormalities? If so, bring those records in with you to the first appointment Good Luck, also a few Ibroprofins 2-3 X/day would not hurt!!! regards Dr. John

Answer 2

Mona,

I feel for you since I've had back pain like you describe since I was young. My first episode began with a stabbing pain that took my breath away. Prolonged sitting or standing made it worse. I discovered chiropractic care when I was 30 and have been a lot better since then. In fact I went on and studied to get my doctor of chiropractic degree and have helped many people over the years.

Being a teacher it would be good for you to understand a little about the bio mechanics of the spine and how that impacts your entire nervous system and health. The pain you're experiencing is likely from pinched or irritated nerves that are structurally compromised and are acting as a sort of 'fire alarm' to alert you to that fact. It's also possible that the frequent bouts with headaches/dizziness were the early warning sign indicating spinal stress as well. Your story and list of symptoms are commonly heard in a chiropractors office.

Get a check up with a good chiropractor. Ask family, friends or colleagues who has helped them for a referral.

You can check my blog for more information on this type of back pain and get a Free Back Pain Tips Report. You will even find some stretches that might help before or in addition to any professional help you receive. I wish you well! Dr Tim

Answer 3

Sure sounds like a migraine to me. I get them a lot and all I can do is lie in bed in a dark room and not have any noise around me. Luckily I have been diagnoised and take pills, so they go away after a nap. I don't know why your doctors aren't seeing this. I would go to a good neurologist, one who is affiliated with a good hospital and see what he has to say. If you have an attack before you can get an appointment try having some ice coffee, with milk and sugar, and drink it pretty quickly. The first medicine that I was ever given was something called caffergot, it is no longer used, but it was basically about 100% caffine, so caffine is a cure for migraines. I was told by a woman who works for the top Israeli drug company that this would help me if I was out of pills, and it has when I've really needed something. For some reason the ice seems to send the caffine right up to my brain and I can literally feel a pop and my headache is gone.

Answer 4

It sounds like you should go and see your doctor so they can examine you and advise on a course of action, this could include referral to someone like a chiropractor. In the meantime, try using an ice pack on the painful area and stay gently mobile. Avoid aggravating the problem as much as possible, so some of the house chores may need to go on hold for now. If you are sitting at a desk, take a regular break and change position. This advice sheet from the British Chiropractic Association may help: http://bit.ly/cYANPV