Local spine pain, possibly disc, doesn't fit any description I can find

Hi, I'm 25, Male, no history of back pain.

Recently I've had a sore spot on my spine, in height with the lungs. It came gradually, not as a result of an injury or any event that I can recall. When I sit or lie down normally I don't feel anything, but when I bend forwards I feel the pain. I can't say the pain is particularly bad or debilitating, but it worries me nonetheless. Another strange thing is that the point where it hurts (if I press it, it hurts in the same way) occurs between two "bones", and that space is larger than elsewhere. Basically, if I go down my spine and count the bones I can feel, then it's almost like a bone is missing right where it hurts. I guess this would be compatible with some kind of swelling of the disc? But I can't find any disc problems with my symptoms as they seem to cause shooting pains in the back and thighs.

So far it's not getting worse, so I'm a bit reluctant paying thousands of dollars going the doctor and doing an x-ray...

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

Well, without a detailed clinical evaluation it would be difficult to determine the cause of your symptoms. Possibilities that may need to be considered include postural issues, joint inflammation/ degeneration, neuro-muscular causes such as muscle sprain, nerve impingement, injuries to muscles/ ligaments, inflammations, spinal causes such as degeneration, micronutrient deficiencies, referred pain from other regions etc. I would suggest getting this evaluated by a primary care physician initially and depending on the cause diagnosed/ suspected, it can be managed accordingly or specialist care may be sought. Meanwhile you could take some tylenol/ OTC NSAIDS and see of these seem to help.
Hope this is helpful.

Take care!

[marpett]

I've consulted with a doctor. Had an x-ray and it turns out my spine is twisted around its own axis by 22 degrees at the top and bottom. This is causing the pain to appear in the middle of the spine. One of my legs is also considerably shorter than the other. The only thing to do seems to be to strengthen the muscles around the area to better support it.