Lower Back Pain - Houston,TX

Sounds like it might be sciatica.....here are some home remedies/lifestyle reco's from The Mayo Clinic:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sciatica/DS00516/DSECTIO...

Yoga has really helped my lower back pain, you can start with DVDs that are specifically for people with back pain.

Oh yea!!! Sounds famaliar....the scatic nerve travels thru your buttcheek. My guess is that it is pinched.

Stress can cause low back pain. Try learning some relaxation skills. Weak back muscles also cause low back pain. Perhaps ask for some physical therapy to learn how to strengthen those muscles.

When you say you have pain where your kidneys are you could have irritable bowel syndrome. It's a condition in which your intestines become inflamed. They aren't sure of the cause but one theory is that it's related to stress, physical and emotional tension.

The urinalysis to rule out a bladder infection would also rule out a kidney infection. Those organs are connected with tubes.

After reading your other post, "how to tough," I suggest that your low back pain is very much related to stress. Find ways to relax those back muscles. Heat nearly always helps me. Exercises to strengthen those muscles will also help you learn ways to relax them.

Sounds like sciatica for the lower back pain.
Since it flairs up with constipation, avoid getting constipated - keep up your fiber and fluids.
As for kidney pain (that is higher up - about where your ribs start on your back) maybe kidney stones.

Learn how to move. How to get out of a chair. How to sit up in bed. How to get out of bed. How to bend, etc... Find a good physical therapist to teach you these things.

You may also want to find a warm water pool to do water walking.

Deal with the constipation. Get yourself on a good fiber and exercise program. Do you take supplementation? It's surprising what nutrition can do for you.

Hello,

I am so sorry to hear about you being so uncomfortable for that long! It must have been so frustrating!

I am going to college (almost done) to become a Massage Therapist that specializes in treatment work and I feel that the problem might have more to do with muscles and (like you said) nerves. I know people do not take Massage Therapy very seriously (because most only think about the Swedish massage part and not the treatment part) but Chiropractors, Orthopedic Doctors, MRI's, and Physical therapists focus more on bones and such than muscles(which is the Massage Therapist side of the medical field). It sounds like your Psoas muscle is extremely tight which would cause the problems you mentioned. BUT BE WARNED! Make sure you go to a Massage Therapist that has a lot of experience in treatment work (especially with the Psoas) because it is deep in your abdomen (but you often feel the pain in your back). I hope you feel better soon : )

umm sounds like it could be sciatica? has anyone ever mentioned this? it can be a sharp or dull throbbing pain that runs from glutes down into your feet... additionally, if you look at images online, you will see that it's a BIG nerve that is surrounded by muscles.. so if for example, you sit for a long time can cause you pain or even exercise can bring on a bout of Sciatica.. also, the nerve can become so inflamed that yes, it can cause you to become constipated...If it's not Sciatica, You say you have had blood work done, did they also take a urine sample? maybe they need to see IF you have kidney sand....or even stones... those can hurt VERY much and the pain doesn't necessarily remain just in the kidneys, I do believe you can have what is called referred pain... pain in an area that is a result of a problem in an altogether different part of the body.. makes sense really, since it's all attached... one way or another..

I would check out kidney stone symptoms and Sciatica.... there is much info on the net. I have had both and yes, they can hurt like crazy.. for the kidney sand, I drank lots of water to flush it out... as for the Sciatica, stretching helps but I ended up taking a muscle relaxant and that was what did the trick.. .

best of luck to you

Does your job require you to lift heavy objects or do the same thing over and over that pulls at your hips? Maybe that's part of it.

Ibruprophen is good for inflammation. Make sure you eat before taking it. I would find a different chiropractor and ask for help with sciatica, and if that doesn't help, find someone who is good at acupuncture.

I'm sorry that insurance doesn't cover acupuncture.

Make sure you are eating prunes and getting a lot of fiber to help with the constipation.

Dawn

Depending on how the pain acts could be a kidney stone

First, what activity do you do thru the day? Do you sit alot?
Second, what physical excercise do you do on any regular basis?
Third, what foods do you eat? Highly processed foods? Fast Foods?
To find out why you have the pain you need to answer these questions.
then you need to correct the situation. Taking medicine is not the
answer. This can actually compound the problems. You have gone
to 3 types of DR's and they all say they can not find the problem.
After you look at your answers to the questions I asked I think you will
find you need to move your body more. Since there is nothing on a MRI
and the chiropactor and orthopedic visits have not solved the problem
that tells me that you need to move your body and create a better a better cirulation of blood and energy. Your comment about constipation also identifys the same problem.
Try yoga, the light stretching moves your blood and energy.
I know of great successes with Body N Brain yoga or Dahn yoga,
you can look them up on the internet. These people have one on one
counseling to help you find the problems. So you can focus on your
particular issues. Highly recommend this.

While you symptoms are indicative of sciatica I would recommend an acupuncturist who knows Chinese Herbs. To me it seems as if you have weak kidney/bladder meridians.
If they get too weak diabetes can insert itself. Yes diabetes is set off by weakened kidneys which eventually fail. So get yourself to a well recommended Chinese acupuncturist. There must be one in Houston.

Here's an idea I haven't seen yet. Google "Robyn McKenzie method" and browse. A close friend and I both had serious lower back issues due to the muscle issues mentioned below; our cases were similar, but I was injured while working with a young and inexperience fitness trainer. Neither of us wanted to have surgery and became introduced to the McKenzie method and began treatment at a spa. There's also a book available on Amazon, 7 Steps to a Pain Free Life, and this should give you a good introduction. You can see if your library has the book, too.

While I was doing the McKenzie method stretches, I also took semi-private Pilates lessons with a really talented instructor and saw an acupuncturist who used electrical impulse to relax the area. To this day I remain pain free...and my friend, who could hardly get out of bed in the morning, is taking boot camp classes at her health club.

I know you are NOT having fun with your pain; I hope this provides an idea for some relief for you.

I have many adhesions in my abdomen as a result of a burst appendix when I was 12. Constipation, diarrhea, or excess gas all cause me pain that is projected into my lower back. It is so severe that I had surgery to try to separate the adhesions in my early 30's, but as the surgeon warned at the time, most of them have probably re-attached. You don't have to have appendicitis or surgery to get adhesions, and I've heard people with diverticulitis or other organ problems having similar pain.

I've had to learn relaxation exercises, work hard to keep my bowel function as "gentle" as possible, and occasionally take pain killers to deal with this for decades. I've also recently been diagnosed with an rheumatic illness, inflammation-related, that could be part of the problem, and could have been in the mix for many years now. A short course of cortisone therapy brought me incredible relief, but because I'm diabetic, my blood sugar numbers went crazy and I had to quit after a few days.

Chronic pain is not fun, but it can be doable with appropriate medical and social support and a good attitude. But I hope you find a solution that brings you real relief.

Do you exercise? Exercise is important to keep your back strong and prevent things like sciatica.

Do stretches and relaxation to help the muscles in your back heal. They need you to just be easy on them and they will support the nerve that is in issue.