Strange throbbing/twitching in mid/lower back

[tuggle35]

I am a 21 year old female with generally good health. Three days ago, I began getting these twitches and tremors in my mid/lower back on my left side. They aren't really painful, just more of an annoyance and discomforting. It feels as if an organ or a deep muscle is twitching pretty violently and irregularly, and in the same spot - the number and frequency vary with the position in which I am sitting and laying down. It has been nearly constant for the last three days after suddenly appearing. They are rare when I am up and moving.

I'm concerned it might be something serious, maybe something is wrong with my circulation - a blod clot possibly, as I am on birth control pills anf I know this is a possible side effect, or maybe it is an organ, perhaps a kidney, that is pulsating. I feel okay overall despite this, except for a little nausea caused by the twitchng being sort of close to my digestive system and a little very slight back pain. I haven't recently strained it (I don't do a whole lot of physical activity) and I have never had this happen before. The only thing that could be a cause is that I drank the night before about four drinks, which I do about once a week at the very most. I understand it might be some type of nerve problem and I don't know how relevant this is, but my father has MS.

Please let me know if I need to go see a physician or if it something that will most likely pass.

[Freelancer0721]

Is your twitching more of a spasm or just twitching? I'm 22 and have had lower back spasms for a little over 3 years now. I was pretty active and in good health and I've been to a Chiropracter, Physical Therapist, Neurologist, and Orthopaedic but all to no avail.

I have been told that spasms and twitching in the back are more likely to occur due to a muscle problem (possibly bad posture) or to a disc being out of place. I'd recommend going to see a physical therapist first if the problem doesn't resolve itself in the next few days. They will typically look for symptoms of bad posture and for discs out of place, etc as well as teach you some stretching exercises to help correct bad posture and muscle strain.

If you have any luck finding what's causing your twitching please let me know. Good luck!

[vodanh82]

I just ran into this post and interestingly enought, this is the closest description i've found to my problem as well. I am a 24 y old male. I used to have general lower back pains in highschool from bad posture and sitting long periods of time but i've not had any since. I recently started a new job after about a year of sitting at home with no pain. The job prior included a fair amount of standing throughout the day when I started working that previous job my feet hurt but I eventually got used to it and the pain went away. Now after 3 weeks of starting this new job, which does not include heavy lifting at all I now have a twitching, sharp pain in my lower left side of my back. It feels like a muscle pulling or spasmn. I've never felt this type of pain before. It is fairly random, and I usually can't find or force it, it just randomly happens. Sometimes when im at a certain angle and its happening in a tandemn to a breath or a laugh, i try to continue the breath/laugh pattern and sustain/repeat the pain for a bit longer to try and isolate it and the cause, and usually get a few extra spasms but then it goes away.  I went to a chiro on the 4th week and he shocked it for a while on a massage chair and it seemed to get a bit better. now, on the 5-6th week, its still there, i've had it for almost a month now, the pain isn't as bad but it still happens. I have no idea what is causing it, or if it will eventually go away, or become chronic.  the above poster says shes been treating it for 3 years ? That sounds like either treatment isn't affective or the cause has not been found or the condition diagnosed properly? I sure hope this random pain doesn't last that long, or get any worse. If you still post please give an update on the situation. Again it is a random sharp throbbing pain on the lower left of my back.

[kittyluv1]

The persistent symptoms should be evaluated further.  It is best to find any underlying cause before the situation progresses to a chronic condition.
While the chiropractic treatment may have provided temporary relief, your symptoms could be related to a deep muscle strain/sprain initiated by the increase of activity associated with your new job.  
Even though you are not doing any heavy lifting, sprain/strain injuries can easily occur when the muscles are utilized after a period of inactivity.  
Make an appt with your primary care physician (if possible) for an examination and appropriate diagnostic tests.  These could include x-rays to determine if there is any abnormality of the lumbar spine,  Chiro treatment can be effective and worthwhile, but when no resolution is achieved after several visits, it is time for further evaluation.
Post with an update and keep us informed of your progress.

[Midshadow]

I have the same thing, the lower left part of my back twitches or perhaps spasms is a better word in my case. Its rather uncomfortable, and comes and goes seemly at random. When I do active things like play football I tend to get a lower back pain / soreness that I can't seem to remember getting before these started. Um, I don't really have anything to add to help ;S just thought it was odd you described what I'm experiencing precisely, I'm a 20 male so I guess its not gender specific, hopefully someone finds a reason. I'm fairly healthy otherwise, with good blood pressure and a low pulse. Anyway, my unhelpful 2¢. =)