I was just using the bathroom, and when I went to get up I felt a very sharp pain on the lower, left hand-side of my back (in level with my hips). I moved and then the right side (where I was injured last time) starting hurting too. I just took 1000mg of Acetaminophen, so that should hopefully keep it at bay. Does anyone know of any specific exercises that I could do to try and help reduce the pain by strengthening the muscle/s that I pulled (my physical therapist would have me clench my knee toward my chest, as well as hold myself up while lying down on my back with my elbows)?
I have back problems. too. I take three motrin when it acts up and that seems to work better than Tylenol.
I never had any scans or studies of any kind done. I went to health services at my university, and they sent me into the university's physical therapy services for an "emergency" appointment. The physical therapist said that something was pressing down on the sciatic nerve. Over time it got better. For the pain, I have tried Acetaminophen and Sodium Naproxen. Sodium Naproxen works the best, but I don't have any right now. I'll have to pick up some Ibuprofen at the store to see if it helps (buying plain Ibuprofen is cheaper than picking up something like Motrin).
The original trigger that you described is what people often describe- they'll be doing something like bending down or going from seated to standing, they'll feel "a pop" and then they'll have pain and spasm for a couple of days afterward. There's two approaches that you need to take- short term and long term. For the short term, bed rest for a couple days and avoid sitting. Take an NSAID (like naproxen or ibuprofen) will help. Ice your back for 24-48 hours when you can. Sleeping with an analgesic rub like IcyHot will also help provide some relief. When the irritation is better, a trip to a physical therapist, osteopath or chiropractor will often help. For the long term, give some thought to getting into physical therapy or yoga. Sometimes these back reinjuries are the result of imbalance of muscle strength. As you get older, the muscles in the pelvis and abdomen can weaken if they are not exercised on a regular basis. The back muscles attempt to pick up the slack and you become more prone to injury. The solution is to strengthen the abdominals and the muscles of the pelvis and quadriceps so that the work is done by these stronger muscles. If this continues to happen, you do need to see a doctor and have an MRI or CT. Underlying disk problems can be the underlying cause of sciatica.
