I hurt my back - nerve or muscle? - MORE problems :(

[angie]

I was taking one of my daughter's friends home this past Sunday morning. I was getting something (my younger daughter's coat) out of the backseat and was tossing it to the side in the garage. Mid toss, something happened to my back and wham..I was stuck in mid toss (not bent over, but kind of leaning forward) position. I about DIED. A pain shot down my right leg and the pain in my lower back was...OOOOOMMMMGGGG!!! I was not lifting or pulling anything heavy. Her jacket is less than a pound. My daughter had to help me in the car and out when we got home. It was pathetic.

So, I've been living on the heating pad and taking advil ever since. I can not figure out if it is a muscle or a nerve. I'm thinking nerve, since pain goes down my right leg something when I walk. Has this ever happened to anyone and how long do you think I'm going to be in this pain? Its not as bad as it was Sunday, but I'm super uncomfortable when I'm up and about. I went grocery shopping today and I really thought "oh my goodness...what if the pain comes back and I fall and ball up on the floor..what are these people going to think" LOL (well, its not funny, but I was going through what could happen). I bought some epson salt....thinking I could soak in it. Will it actually help? It is driving me bonkers because I feel so unproductive having to lay around on a heating pad all day. Is there any way I can speed up this healing process?

[Abbie]

You may have herniated a disc. It sounds a lot like how mine felt and I injured mine doing a similar motion.

[angie]

Originally Posted by Abbie

You may have herniated a disc. It sounds a lot like how mine felt and I injured mine doing a similar motion.

What did you do to help/heal? Did you go to a chiro?

[PattyS]

ICE would be better than heat. Or alternate. Heat will feel better for a short time,
but then it produces swelling, which causes more pain. I've had back (muscle) issues
for much of my adult life. It comes and goes. It takes a while to heal and can be
very painful. A pinched nerve or a pulled muscle can hurt a TON. You should get
it looked at. In the meantime, use ice or alternate between heat and ice.
My hubs just hurt his back 2 wks ago and our doc gave him muscle relaxants in
a patch that sticks to his back. They were pricey, but they worked very well.
Back injuries take a while to heal, so have patience. Walking a little also helps me,
as when I sit for a while, it gets stiff and hurts when I first get up and start walking.
But it loosens up and feels better after walking and stretching a little.

[angie]

Thanks Patty. I didn't even think of using ICE (the thought of making myself colder...yikes! lol). I'm going to look up some stretches too.

[tendaironi]

It sounds like sciatica and it can be caused by a herniated disc or a muscle spasm. I've had a long and unhealthy relationship with sciatica and I would love to break up with it!

You could alternate ice and heat and that would help, but I highly recommend a chiropractor. Second options would be to head to the doctor to be referred to physical therapy. Third option, deep muscle massage. All three is even better. I wouldn't do any stretching on my own until I really knew what it was.

[angie]

Now I'm waking up with my knee BURNING. It hurts so bad, I wake from a dead sleep screaming and can not move it for at least 1-2 mins (all the while it is burning!). What is odd is that it is the opposite knee (leg) that the pain shot down when I hurt my back last Sunday. I feel like I'm 80 years old. Not to long ago, I was going to the gym 5+ days a week and doing Yoga several times a week. Now, I'm crumbling a part.

[zhonn]

Those symptoms are really serious!

You need to find out what exactly is going on. See your regular doctor and have them treat or refer you. Mine just gave me muscle relaxers for a neck thing I had going on, and it did the trick.

If you do ice, you should only do 15 minutes at time. You can use those soft gel packs (expensive but comfy) or just use a bag of peas (cheap).

Let it warm up completely before you ice again.

[Mommy0317]

I hurt my back 2x this summer. Finally went to the doctor and got an MRI. I have a herniated disc with nerve root involvement which causes pain that shoots down into my knees. I did 2 rounds of steriods which really helped for a couple of months. I'm sched for my 2nd set of steriod injections in my back next week. The steriods help calm the nerves - I think that's why they help.

Sounds to me like you really need to get an anti-inflammatory and not use heat. I know it feels good, but in the long run it may be making things worse. Try ice packs on your back instead.

[RenCareBear]

You need to see a doctor to see if you need an MRI. Seriously!! You could be doing more damage to yourself by not knowing what you hurt. In the mean time ice and anti-inflammatories (if you can take them).

[angie]

Thanks ladies. I currently don't have medical insurance, so I'm not sure what to do about seeing someone

[RenCareBear]

Do you have a primary doctor you have seen in the past? If so I would call them and ask how much a cash visit would be. Doctor do cash payments for visits and they are usually cheaper than what they would charge insurance since less paperwork is involved. Also a doctor you are already established with would be cheaper then one you are not. HTH.

ETA: You call also call a CareNow or someplace like that and ask them what the basic cash price would be for a visit. It would be different for what they tell you no matter where you do though if they need to do something else for you.

[tendaironi]

Try a chiropractor first since you don't have insurance right now. They are qualified at dealing with herniated and slipped discs. Hopefully you can find relief from conservative treatment first and won't need anything beyond several adjustments. Plus it isn't as expensive as seeing a doctor and the subsequent tests following. Since you have been so active and this is the first time your back has hurt like this I wouldn't assume at first you have hurt yourself badly from the toss/lean you did that cannot be resolved conservatively. I have dealt with my sciatica from conservative methods like chiropractic adjustments, massage, pt to more medically involved methods like steroid injections, discectomy and finally having my back fused with rods this past May.

The most immediate thing you can do is to use ice packs on your lower back even though it is your knee that is hurting. You can apply heat to your knee to help the pain and that will not make things worse because the source of your pain is coming from your back. Also a person can take up to 1000 mgs of Ibuprofen and it works pretty great. Upward dog or the cobra position and a few sun salutations used to work for me very well.

If you notice your foot starting to point down or turn in or if you cannot control your bladder or bowel, then it is really serious and you should go to the ER. Or if the pain is the worst pain you've ever had and cannot function.