Back Muscle ache

[Fash]

Been having muscle aches in my back for 4 month now. They are there everyday. The pain is either on the left side or on the right side but its tends to be on the left side more often. the pain spreads from the neck down to the shoulder, hip area, and buttocks. I cannot sit in a position that eases the pain. The pain also make my arm and leg very uncomfortable (as if they weren't mine). I also get headaches and pain behind the eye on the same side.

The pain got me very depressed and anxious which caused other problems such as twitches and an upset stomach. I've done many tests( MRI of brain, spine, neck and blood tests) so far and all came back fine.

Since all the test show that am a healthy human being, doctors concluded that the pain is psychosomatic. I just cannot believe that. I have everything nice going on for me at home, work, college, and relationships. AM a 24 years old guy who like to enjoy life to the fullest but can't do so anymore because of the pain.

Please note that the pain is dull and bearable, but it gets on my nerves and i just couldn't live with it anymore.

I have tried the following medications with no success so far:
- Advil, panadol, tilenol  (no help with the pain)
- xanax  for anxiety, (but it didn't relieve the pain)
- Muscle relaxants ( Norgesic, Norflex, Legaflex) , no help
- Cymbalta (SSRI) for depression and pain. My spirit is up and no longer depressed anymore but the pain is still there.

I doubt its fibromyalgia because i don't have joint paint, fatigue, or tender points and the pain is not in all four quadrants of my body at the same time.

any kind of feedback would be amazing!

[mike1105]

it sounds like a front to back muscle imbalance-- you get this from hunched posture-- rounded shoulders, closed in chest etc. rounded posture causes weakened/loosee back muscles and tight neck muscles. Also tight hip flexors which ase a forward tilt to the pelvis.I've been thru this-- it is horrible... lemmmeee guess-- you spend alot of time on the computer??? are you overweight?? do you stretch?? do you exercise your back??? is your posture good?? let me know i may be able to help. i am pain free now.

[mike1105]

PS-- dont believe the psychosomatic bullsh*t.. Pain is pain.

[MKappelmann]

I've noticed your posts recently & have read the books you recommended. About how long until you were pain free?

[ssjdecube]

I agree with Mike that it could be postrural. It sounds like you could have what is called upper cross syndrome. Its very common in todays world, and you basically need to strengthen your back muscles and stop working out your pecs if you do. You could get a posture strap for about $20 to help train your body to hold in the right position as well. Also do whats called the Bruggar excersie where you put your shoulders back then down and your chin straight back. Should feel it between youe scaps.

Dull ache usually indicates muscle, so try some stretching as well. I would guess that if you work on stretching, posture, and strengthening your back for a few days you will notice a difference. Also, check out www.chirofacts.info as they have a place where you can search symptoms and treatments

[mike1105]

[mike1105]

once i figured out what was wrong, i struggled my way thru diffeent techniques of strengthening/stretching until I found what works best for me--which is ( I still do the routines daily to stay out of pain) a combination of trigger point release (clair davies book), postural exercises (D'Arezzo's book) and for general postural knowledge and an understanding of the body a book by Jolie Bookspan called "How to get rid of back pain without drugs or surgery"--- also her website and some email correspondence with her personally for which I am eternally grateful. I would say it took a solid 6 months of unrewarded effort before I started to feel better. But knowing what I know now, I probably could have felt better in a month or two. It took about 6-8 months for me to be pain free, but mind you the pain creeps back if i dont maintain good posture and stretch appropriately during the day--especailly my chest--and manually sork the tight muscles in my neck. I have felt pretty good now ( i would definitely classify it as "pain free")  for about a year, after beng in terrible daily pain for 2 1/2 years. I had upper crossed syndrome to a "t"

[mike1105]

PS-- the "trick" is consistency
1. you must do the exercises/stretches and trigger  point release often. Muscles have great memory (they like to spring back to where they were) and are very stubborn. Like I've been saying. My routine was 3 times per day, 45 minutes per session, and whenever I found a doorway or a wall I would stretch my pecs and open up my chest. Also during the day I would work on pinching my shoulder blades together and down, and tuck my chin inwards. I'd try to keep my head back and walk around like that all day long. now, it is natural-- my ears are over my shoulders, not in fron of them (side view)

2. Posture is an all the time thing, not a sometimes thing. Get yourself into the right p[osture, and stay like that forever. It will feel very odd and abnormal for the first few days or weeks, but soon it will feel normal. it makes no sense to stretch, exercise, and get your head and shoulders un-rounded during a self-therapy session, and then go hunch over a computer or slouch in front of the television. Make the change to good posture only once. then stay like that--this is what Jole Bookspan told me to do and she saved me.

hope this helps

[MKappelmann]

Can you give me an example of the stretches/exercises? I have mid/low back pain.

[mike1105]

you should get a book by D'arrezzo-- it is a little red book on posture.....tons of great stretches and exercsies in there. the routine should be done daily at first, and then work your way up to 2-3 times daily if possible.
also visit a sight by Jolie Bookspan--- her site was an incerdible help to me.

I dont want to give you specific exercises becasue you need a qualified Physical Therapist to examine your posture and determine which muscles need to be strengthened and which need  to be stretched. FOR ME, what worked the best was laying on a softball on the tight muscles in my lower back (minimum 3-5 minutes on each spot), and then bending 90 degrees onto a table with my butt sticking out, stretching the QUADRATUS MUSCLES IN MY LOWER BACK. I still do this every day.

But you probably also have tight hip flexors and there are stretches and exercises for that too. Again, i would highly recommend a PT with knowledge of Lower Crossed Syndrome, which is fancy terminology for a forwardly tilted pelvis and tight quadratus muscles and hip flexors, among other things. you get  thiss mainly from sitting to much and not standing up straight,,,, and a weak core.

[mike1105]

you should get a book by D'arrezzo-- it is a little red book on posture.....tons of great stretches and exercsies in there. the routine should be done daily at first, and then work your way up to 2-3 times daily if possible.
also visit a sight by Jolie Bookspan--- her site was an incerdible help to me.

I dont want to give you specific exercises becasue you need a qualified Physical Therapist to examine your posture and determine which muscles need to be strengthened and which need  to be stretched. FOR ME, what worked the best was laying on a softball on the tight muscles in my lower back (minimum 3-5 minutes on each spot), and then bending 90 degrees onto a table with my butt sticking out, stretching the QUADRATUS MUSCLES IN MY LOWER BACK. I still do this every day.

But you probably also have tight hip flexors and there are stretches and exercises for that too. Again, i would highly recommend a PT with knowledge of Lower Crossed Syndrome, which is fancy terminology for a forwardly tilted pelvis and tight quadratus muscles and hip flexors, among other things. you get  thiss mainly from sitting to much and not standing up straight,,,, and a weak core.

[mike1105]

i re-read your original post. YOu probably have both upper and Lower Crossed Syndrome-- but dont fre-- you'll fix them at the same time.

[MKappelmann]

tried to Google book by D'arrezzo. Can't find anything??

[mike1105]

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0972907904/alexandertechniqA

copy and paste. his name is Paul D'Arezzo