Hi! I recently went to the doctor for right knee pain and lower back pain. The lower back pain is only on the left side and is most painful when I am rising up from a sitting position. The dr basically said "I don't know!" He did recommend PT for my knee and then said to tell them about my back and maybe they could do something. I've been taking naproxen and it seems to help but I don't really see it as the solution to the problem. I don't feel right going to a PT without knowing what is wrong first. He had an xray on my knee that showed nothing. I can live with the knee pain but the lower back pain is killing me! I would love to hear any thoughts on what I should do now. The dr told me to strengthen my core but the exercises he gave me to do, I can't complete without severe pain. Should I work through the pain or is that doing more damage?
Lower back pain
- Thread starter mawagner
- Start date
tralaiven
Cathlete
This is interesting because I have been having lower back pain on my left side too....but for me, I think it is because I have started doing Horizontal Conditioning and it is just my muscles being sore from all that work...If I wait about three days it goes away and then I do another HC workout and there it is again!
ReneePruitt
Cathlete
Wow, did he do MRI? I tell ya some doctors anymore scare me!!!! I'd try to do lots of easy stretching laying down to ease tension . I'd also ask for MRI hopefully ur disks and vertebrae is not out of alignment or herniated. I do yoga for the back u can find some full workouts on YouTube. I'd try that in the mean time and maybe for cardio just walk til you find out what's wrong
Candiceena
Cathlete
Have you changed anything about your workouts lately? Like increasing the difficulty or level at all?
Also, how is your diet? Not as in good or bad, but what do you eat?
What kind of workouts did he recommend you do?
Do you wear high heels a lot? Stand or sit at work? How frequently do you move throughout your day?
Also, how is your diet? Not as in good or bad, but what do you eat?
What kind of workouts did he recommend you do?
Do you wear high heels a lot? Stand or sit at work? How frequently do you move throughout your day?
The dr told me to stretch my back by getting on all fours and arching my back. The causes a great deal of pain and absolutely no relief! I'm not sure how far I should push it with stretches.
I haven't worked out in a while so I know it's not from a change in that but maybe the lack of working out. It started very suddenly a few weeks ago. I was on the floor playing with my son (I'm a stay at home mom). When I went to get up it felt like a ripping pain on the lower left side of my back. Once I get to a standing position everything is good, there's no pain but getting there can be excruciating.
The was no MRI and no mention of anything, just do this stretch. He said the naproxen would help ease the pain and I could mention my bak at PT but otherwise he didnt know what was wrong. :-(. I just don't know how PT will help if they don't know what is wrong in the first place. Shouldn't that be a requirement? Couldn't they do more damage if they don't know the cause of he injury?
I haven't worked out in a while so I know it's not from a change in that but maybe the lack of working out. It started very suddenly a few weeks ago. I was on the floor playing with my son (I'm a stay at home mom). When I went to get up it felt like a ripping pain on the lower left side of my back. Once I get to a standing position everything is good, there's no pain but getting there can be excruciating.
The was no MRI and no mention of anything, just do this stretch. He said the naproxen would help ease the pain and I could mention my bak at PT but otherwise he didnt know what was wrong. :-(. I just don't know how PT will help if they don't know what is wrong in the first place. Shouldn't that be a requirement? Couldn't they do more damage if they don't know the cause of he injury?
mini-natty
Cathlete
I'm sorry to hear about your lower back discomfort. I know how awful it can be because I have been suffering from it for a good 14yrs now 
. However, since I have been doing the following things below, my lower back feels SO much better! It's as if the pain has been reduced drastically.
-stretching/yoga a few times/week. You can do as little as 20min and feel the benefits.
-my message therapist told me my LB discomfort was actually a sign of weak glute muscles. Since strengthening my glute muscles in addition to my core and hamstrings, I DO notice the difference.
-I used to avoid deadlifts like the plague. I started adding them into my routine with very light weights. Now I can go pretty heavy w/proper form. It strengthens and stretches the low back, butt, hamstrings. Even if you can do this exercise with no weight, it is very beneficial.
-Keep on moving! Walk as much as possible, every day. Your first instinct would be to rest, sit, or lie down, but this actually back fires. Staying in motion is the best thing for the low back IMO.
I've been doing the above for approx 1yr now with much success. I'm actually pretty happy because I thought I was doomed to live in pain forever.
Good luck and take care
Natasha
. However, since I have been doing the following things below, my lower back feels SO much better! It's as if the pain has been reduced drastically. -stretching/yoga a few times/week. You can do as little as 20min and feel the benefits.
-my message therapist told me my LB discomfort was actually a sign of weak glute muscles. Since strengthening my glute muscles in addition to my core and hamstrings, I DO notice the difference.
-I used to avoid deadlifts like the plague. I started adding them into my routine with very light weights. Now I can go pretty heavy w/proper form. It strengthens and stretches the low back, butt, hamstrings. Even if you can do this exercise with no weight, it is very beneficial.
-Keep on moving! Walk as much as possible, every day. Your first instinct would be to rest, sit, or lie down, but this actually back fires. Staying in motion is the best thing for the low back IMO.
I've been doing the above for approx 1yr now with much success. I'm actually pretty happy because I thought I was doomed to live in pain forever.
Good luck and take care
Natasha
ReneePruitt
Cathlete
I agree with this, it sounds like the doc I used to have! It seems they prescribe pills for every symptom but won't find out the source if the problem. And I want to know why I have the pain then second I want to find what I can do naturally first then if I get no relief after a while then and only then will I take pills to cover the pain. U think its a shame how the doctors have ended up diagnosing patients. I don't know if its simply they think what they say will fall on deaf ears or what. I am a med assistant as well as dental and most patients if you explain a natural route and explain how and what's going on, take the time to make sure they understand they usually do try to change.
Anyway I too had back problems and my sis to she was over weight and never exercised, but she couldn't because her back had her in bed a lot she was 50 when she had enough she got up and walked some everyday then watched her food intake, she still hurt but it was less often once shoe lost 10 pounds she started walk jogging, then she lost 30 then she joined marathons she is now pain free in her back she is 56 now and she is 60 pounds lighter and does half marathons! I still have back problems but it is less often. I jog I do Cathe and I do yoga some, I can tell u haven't been doing that often enough. But I was told I have arthritis and degenerative disk. I listen to my body I do not take mess for it yet. I find the more active I am the better it feels, but if I sit for a while and stand it will kill me at times, but since I jog and keep moving my back is not as bad ONLY after days of inactivity will it hurt like I'm talking about. I sure hope you get relief and find a different doctor!!!
Also what I eat makes a difference in my headaches and how I feel in general.
psusoccer17
Cathlete
I just had this conversation with Mariposa in the ask cathe forum. Her Dr. wanted her to do PT for back and sciatica pain not knowing what was causing the pain. My suggestion to her was to get a second opinion, she requested an MRI and was told she has spinal stenosis.
Have they done xrays on your back?
Did you see a family dr. or a specialist?
If you have not seen an orthopedist that would be my first recommendation. Hopefully they will order an xray on your back. If nothing shows ask for an MRI. Severe pain is a sign that something is wrong. You could have a herniated disc, spinal stenosis etc.. It is possible that you could have tight hamstrings, weak core muscles etc.. but don't you want to know for sure?
I would not recommend working out if you are having pain!! I was having a little discomfort in my right knee, I modified my w/o and if it hurt I stopped. A few weeks of this and my knee started to swell, then the pain increased. I went immediately to an orthopedist who did xrays, it revealed localized, minimal osteoarthritis. He did a physical exam on both knees and said let's get an MRI to see why your knee is swollen. It turned out I have severe osteoarthritis in my knee which he couldn't see on xray. Had he not done the MRI i probably would have continued to w/o and slightly modify the w/o. Knowing I can do further damage I am extremely cautious, I never do step, high impact, don't do squats, lunges etc.. It is killing me to give up my favorite cardio w/o's but I don't want to end up having a knee replacement.
Good luck, hopefully nothing serious is wrong but find out so you can put your mind at ease.
jcm
Cathlete
Well, my reply might get long!! I'll just tell you my story - so far ...
During training for my second half marathon last year my low back pain was getting significantly worse. I have scoliosis, so back pain is not entirely new but it was getting ridiculous. A very tight feeling across my lower back that I would try to stretch out by doing forward bends. Then my left hip started hurting - more stretching - then my left glute started hurting. Then I developed this terribly sore area on the left of my lower lumbar. I was seeing my chiropractor constantly. I had started HC assuming that strengthening my core was the obvious solution. Then I started seeing a massage therapist who did deep tissue massage to find relief. She really wanted me to start yoga. Started adding Yoga Relax 2 - 3 times/week. Between the yoga, HC, massage I was finally getting some relief. Then in the fall it just got bad again. So I stopped running. Didn't help. Finally broke down and saw a sport ortho. doc in December. Xrays showed nothing, but he referred me for PT. I went to my the PT I've seen on and off for years for other issues - he's excellent. During my first eval - which took a full hour, lots of measurements and questions - he fully believed I had a torn disc in my back. Basically with the tear the jelly-like fluid in the middle was "leaking" out of the tear and affecting all of the surrounding tissue and nerves. And because of of the location of the tear all of that forward bending I was doing in yoga to try to stretch it out was actually aggravating the tear and forcing more fluid out. Which explains why, after a while, I would finish the yoga and feel like I had to do it again because my back felt so tight. Soooo....
.... I was instructed to discontinue yoga for now, absolutely no bending (which makes unloading the dishwashed and dealing with the dryer interesting), no impact and specific exercises to strengthen areas where they found weakness. Oh, and do back bends, or "cobra" as it's called in yoga ten times every 2 hours. Which of course felt like the opposite of what I should be doing. Oh, and visits to the PT 2x/week for massage, adjustments, e-stim on my tissue, then eventually exercises in the gym.
The first visit to the PT was in January. Finally in mid-April I was almost pain free except for what apparently was scar tissue in my back from the damage - which my massage therapist is now trying to break up. So, I stopped going to PT for the last three weeks, continued the exercises at home, then got a little cocky and started adding some running intervals in with my walking. And some HiiT. Then I spend the day gardening this week. Then the pain came back in my hip, back and glute so ended up back on Friday. They believe I opened up the tear again. Apparently it takes about a year (!!!!) for things to heal.
Basically I trust my PT more than the doctor. He's more thorough in his exam and more holistic in his approach to fixing the problem. I never had an MRI but the reading I did on his diagnosis matched my symptoms perfectly, and all of the stuff I've done to get better had (slowly) worked. Sorry this answer was so long, but I figured I had something to offer through experience. Good luck!
Jen
During training for my second half marathon last year my low back pain was getting significantly worse. I have scoliosis, so back pain is not entirely new but it was getting ridiculous. A very tight feeling across my lower back that I would try to stretch out by doing forward bends. Then my left hip started hurting - more stretching - then my left glute started hurting. Then I developed this terribly sore area on the left of my lower lumbar. I was seeing my chiropractor constantly. I had started HC assuming that strengthening my core was the obvious solution. Then I started seeing a massage therapist who did deep tissue massage to find relief. She really wanted me to start yoga. Started adding Yoga Relax 2 - 3 times/week. Between the yoga, HC, massage I was finally getting some relief. Then in the fall it just got bad again. So I stopped running. Didn't help. Finally broke down and saw a sport ortho. doc in December. Xrays showed nothing, but he referred me for PT. I went to my the PT I've seen on and off for years for other issues - he's excellent. During my first eval - which took a full hour, lots of measurements and questions - he fully believed I had a torn disc in my back. Basically with the tear the jelly-like fluid in the middle was "leaking" out of the tear and affecting all of the surrounding tissue and nerves. And because of of the location of the tear all of that forward bending I was doing in yoga to try to stretch it out was actually aggravating the tear and forcing more fluid out. Which explains why, after a while, I would finish the yoga and feel like I had to do it again because my back felt so tight. Soooo....
.... I was instructed to discontinue yoga for now, absolutely no bending (which makes unloading the dishwashed and dealing with the dryer interesting), no impact and specific exercises to strengthen areas where they found weakness. Oh, and do back bends, or "cobra" as it's called in yoga ten times every 2 hours. Which of course felt like the opposite of what I should be doing. Oh, and visits to the PT 2x/week for massage, adjustments, e-stim on my tissue, then eventually exercises in the gym.
The first visit to the PT was in January. Finally in mid-April I was almost pain free except for what apparently was scar tissue in my back from the damage - which my massage therapist is now trying to break up. So, I stopped going to PT for the last three weeks, continued the exercises at home, then got a little cocky and started adding some running intervals in with my walking. And some HiiT. Then I spend the day gardening this week. Then the pain came back in my hip, back and glute so ended up back on Friday. They believe I opened up the tear again. Apparently it takes about a year (!!!!) for things to heal.
Basically I trust my PT more than the doctor. He's more thorough in his exam and more holistic in his approach to fixing the problem. I never had an MRI but the reading I did on his diagnosis matched my symptoms perfectly, and all of the stuff I've done to get better had (slowly) worked. Sorry this answer was so long, but I figured I had something to offer through experience. Good luck!
Jen
Mariposa1973
Cathlete
Hi I do have spinal stenosis and I find out until I pay cash my MRI because the doctor said go home and start to swim is the best exercises you can do for pain so I change a doctor and now I have to go with neurosurgeon and our friend is right do a MRI. Good luck. My sintoms is similar yours.