Ok, here's the scoop. I've hurt my back twice in the last three weeks.

First it was in my upper back, right below my shoulder blade. Basicly, as I understood it, it was inflamed. Had spasms. Off work two weeks.


After being back to work for a week, hurt my lower back. I was twisting with a 100 pound piece of sheetrock, and felt a pain. Didn't feel too bad to quit (kind of used to pain, and kind of a workaholich). Worked the next day. Hurt worse (though while wearing tool belt, it seemed to hurt less).

By the next morning, it hurt so bad I couldn't work. Basicly, it didn't hurt all the time. But if I moved wrong it was a severe pointed stabbing pain that would shock me pretty bad out of that position.

Pain was in extreme lower back, past my hips. Almost at the base.

Took that day off.

Today? Doctor looked at X-Rays, and all looks fine. No lumbar crushed or anything.

Also, this morning I felt almost no pain.

Only problem?

Starting to hurt again. But not the stabbing pain. But slight jolts and an ache. And the jolts are slightly lower than the exact place. Not all the way down my leg, but does go lower. And only on the left side.

My worry?

A pinched nerve.

Didn't help that I talked to somebody today who had a slip and fall, and a pinched nerve, who was able to work for a few days afterwards, but basicly had a pinched nerve that got rubbed raw.

Had to have back surgery.

That's the last thing I want, but also want to get back to work.

Advice? Am I being paranoid?

back problems are nothing to fool around with, you need to go to see a doc.

You need to see an orthopedist, and now.  If yu have workers comp, there may be a limitation on how long you wait before you see the doc.  You should have an MRI before you do serious damage to your spinal nerves.  Voice of experience..  Ops

I would say with the pain going down the leg, it's a ruptured disc. In 1995 I had two of them and the dipshit Rad-Tech said there was nothing wrong. Went to the hopital later when I couldn't tale any more pain. Had to have surgery. Look for a thread about new artificial disc.

I got smushed in between the forks of a forklift and a machine. I was lucky I didn't get cut in half. I had it all done, x-rays, physical therapy, MRI, CAT scan, chiropractor, steroids etc and they can't find anything wrong to the point that they can do surgery. I do have sponditheosis (sp) on one side, but they don't think it should be causing me as much pain as I am having.
After 4 years of just strengthening my back and lifting properly, not over exerting myself etc it feels a lot better.

I would suggest some ice, ibuprofin and try not to use those muscles as much till you feel better. And when you do just be more causous the way you do things.

There's a good chance that you may have strained a muscle that is now knotted and exerting pressure on your sciatic nerve, thus causing the nerve to become inflamed and causing the electric pain down the back of your leg. The fact that the pain does not go all the way to your heal is encouraging as it may not necessarily be severe disc damage.

X-rays won't tell you much about a back injury but it is where the doctor will start. An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Image) would show if there was any soft tissue damage. This usually is a painless few moments in an MRI tube or "donut" but some require that contrasting fluid be injected into the spine. Then there is also a mylogram but I've never had one of those.

I am NOT A DOCTOR, nor am I even medically qualified to apply a band-aidem but I've had back problems most of my adult life.

Ask your doctor about vioxx or mobic.  The best there is.  The HK of pain killers.  

I would see either someone specializing in PM&R (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) as a first choice, second choice a neurosurgeon, third choice a spinal orthopedist.  See the PM&R guy first because he is NOT a surgeon and should exhaust all other forms of treatment before you even begin to consider surgery.  About 90% of all back problems can be dealt with non-surgically.  If you see a surgeon first, he will of course tell you that you need an operation because that's what he does.  Again, that is a last resort after exhausting all other forms of treatment.  If you need a surgeon in the end go the neurosurgeon rather than the ortho route.  I think they are better trained dealing with that type of problem; a personal bias.

Only do chiropractic under the guidance of any of the above.  As an adjunct to prescribed physical therapy, it can be useful.  

You need a least a tomogram (multi angle xray) then next step CAT or MRI. A falt picture could miss anything.
Dont fool with your back.
Laminectomy decrompression L4,L5 here.

SUE EM TO HELL AND BACK FOR ALL THEY HAVE!!

j/k!

Go have a sawbones, or better yet a neurosurgeon. Don;t know about Mo WC laws, but in Kal you have 12 months to file a claim. You have to see thier Dr. for the first 30 days after claim, after that you can use/pick your own.

Make sure you cover yourself good cause some companies get real nasty when it coems to WC claims due to many being screwed by malingerers.

Thanks for the input guys, sincerely appreciated.

It is a work comp injury, so I will have to follow the recommendations of the doctor and see where it leads.

While anxious to get back to work in a serious way, I think I will just lay low on this and take care of myself.


Aimless, I know what you mean about your friend. And that's what I'm afraid of doing to myself. I often ignore pains. And maybe to a fault.


Like I said, the pain isn't terrible now (Though was yesterday), but am afraid of hurting myself again. And worse.

As far as the shooting pains, they are actually just shooting slightly down farther (only into my ass area now, no jokes please ), not down to my ankles. So ya, hopefully it is just a temporary thing.


I think I'll play it safe though. Thanks again guys.

L4 L5 S1 for me. Surgeon wanted to operate, I said no. Chiropractor about killed me trying to adjust spine while it was inflamed. Finally found a osteopath(DO) who agreed that the herniated disks would heal.  Drugs for the pain and inflammation ,ajustments done by him, and I could move. I had literally crawled into his backdoor on my hands and knees more than once because of the pain of standing and walk out 30 minutes later.

I spent 7 weeks in bed in traction, weight bags, only getting out to go to bathroom and doctor. That was in 1981 and in 1987 I opened my business doing service on semi and offroad equipment tires. For almost 15 years I handled tires weighting 100 to 1000 lbs and never had a problem with the back.

Never rush to the knife. It leaves perment results.

Keep excellent records,reciepts,paperwork, etc. They will try to break it off in you. I learned the hard way. I had the first one done at 20 and every 4-5 years since then it seems like. I'm only 36 now and it took awhile to learn to keep good records.

i hurt my back a couple of weeks ago. I was going to a chiro almost every other day after my shift.  After the massage and the electricity . I felt good. I was told to heat my back for 20 minutes, stretch for 20 minutes then ice down for 20 minutes  every two hours. I feel a lot better now . still stiff in the morning and towards the night but, that's b/c your muscle cool down. Good luck


J

If you hate to get started on the drugs, the epidurals never helped but trigger point injection and botox helps alot.