I have had this pain for over 10 years - I found some solutions that I thought I would share.
There is a chiropractor in Fremantle, Western Australia that does spinal readjustment using a tennis

Rotator cuff tendinitis
Tennis elbow

ball. This worked for me, until I did something stressful to my back like falling or lifting something too heavy, or sitting at my PC with poor posture too long. I would visit them again - rest for a week and I would be fixed.
I am now blessed to have a 7 month old daughter that I pick up and carry repetitively through the day - now the therapy only works for a night or two and I am sore again.
Things that each still help me a little:
- using two tennis

Rotator cuff tendinitis
Tennis elbow

balls wrapped together and rolling them up and down my spine while leaning on a wall
- trying to sleep not curled up
- better posture through the day
- heat

Babies and heat rashes
Heat emergencies
Infant heat rash
Heat rash
Tenosynovitis

packs
- not lifting anything heavy or twisted
- walking regularly

Please keep posting your solutions, even if they help a little, they help a lot.

Hi everyone,

I'm a 27-year-old female

Condoms
Female condoms
Female sexual dysfunction

in good physical shape. About 2 months ago I started waking up with severe mid-back stiffness that prevented me from finding a comfortable position...and then when I tried to move - ouch! Sharp stabbing pains.

I have tried:
Changing my mattress (no difference except I'm now poorer)
Getting an x-ray (they found a bit of degeneration

Macular degeneration

but they couldn't tell me if it was causing the pain or if it was just a normal part of aging

Abdominal mri
Aging and exercise
Aging changes in body shape
Aging changes in skin
Chest mri
Heart mri
Liver spots
Lumbosacral spine mri
Mri
Mri of the head
Nuclear ventriculography

)
Going to physio (no difference, but I'm still faithfully doing the stretches every day)
Sleeping on my back (with pillows under my knees)/side(with a pillow between my knees) rather than my stomach (it actually hurts worse!)

Now I'm currently going to massage therapy, which seems to help. My massage therapist says that my ribcage is twisted/uneven. She is able to correct this through massage (I have knots upon knots upon knots). So this is hopeful but it's not fixed yet.

I'm also trying out yoga and magnesium supplements - just started, so still skeptical.

The only thing that REALLY REALLY helps is sleeping with a Thermacare heat patch all night. I know there's all these scary warnings on the box telling you not to sleep with them because you could burn yourself etc. but I guarantee you won't (unless you have incredibly sensitive skin). They last 8 hours and they haven't eliminated all of the stiffness,but I can sleep through the night and no longer get the shooting pains that jar me awake.

Good luck everyone...and p.s. don't you hate it when people post, "You should go see your doctor"? Yeah I know!!! Been there done that...the doctors are baffled so I'm resorting to the internet...

My doctor is a gentleman who is well-known and well liked but I made the mistake of bringing up trigger point therapy.

In response he asked me to come into his office where he called me "holistic" and gave me a lecture. He said that when I experienced pain in my back and indigestion that the only things that could be responsible for that are the stomach, heart, lungs, and gallbladder. He drew a rough diagram of these organs and said that there is a lot we don't know but there is an answer, we just don't know the answer and there is only one person who knows the answer and he pointed up towards heaven and said, God.

Sleeping with a pillow just between your knees is going to exacerbate your problem. The pillow must be long enough to also support your foot. Sleeping with a pillow under your knees shortens your hamstring muscles.

If she is not already, ask your massage therapist to work on your paraspinal muscles while you are lying on your side half way between prone and side-lying. Bring our knee towards your chest. This is the most effective posture to palpate the erector spinae muscles as this puts them in a slight stretch position. Lying face down (prone) places the muscles in a too slack position to be treated effectively.

If your problem is due to paraspinal trigger points the yoga class should be focused on stretching the back muscles and strengthening the abdominals. If your problem is the abdominal muscles the reverse is true.

You can tell whether the muscles in the front (abdominals) or the back (paraspinal) are responsible for your pain by the direction of the pain. If you feel pain across your midback the abdominals are responsible and if the pain runs up and down the paraspinal muscles are responsible.

In the meantime watch your posture ie., how you get up out of a chair, and don't stay in any one position for too long.

A ribcage that "is twisted/uneven" may be a sign of scoliosis.

Thanks for the advice, PPNH. Looks like we may have had similar frustrating experiences with doctors!

The pain doesn't run up and down so much (although I can tell those muscles are super-tight). It mainly stays in a central location in my mid-back.

I'll try getting a massage while lying on my side like you suggested.

I should clarify that my massage therapist has been able to correct the unevenness in my back. I think rather than having scoliosis I've just injured myself somehow and overstrained (I was in the middle of a fairly aggressive exercise program when I started waking up in pain). Unfortunately it's been going on for a while and seems to be baffling everybody :(

hi everyone, I AM PAIN FREE
i have a good news for you, i think i found what is the problem, i think it is just because of the stress, maybe you ask how related!? well as for me i never had this kind of pain until two month ago, since two months ago i started to go to TAB clubs and i started to play Pokies machins, by passing time after nearly two weeks i started to have kind of funny feeling in my middle of back nearly behinde my heart, but i didnt take it serious because i didnt realize the cause of it, but anytime i didnt go to TAB and no play i used to get better, after one month i started to have middle back pain and waking up with pain from bed in morning everyday(exactly as you explained it here), suddenly last week i thought that maybe i better stop going to TAB and see what would happens, and it worked! i am pain free now after one week and now back to normal life, thats why i am sure the stress is the reason for this pain and it is not muscular problem or bed problem, when i go play i get to much stress and that makes this problem step by step. try to find what makes you stress more... good luck

I'm glad you figured out WHAT NOT TO DO. Although, I suspect your problem was muscular and due to the posture you were in when you played your game. My guess is that you were in there for hours and in the same position. The stress  simply aggravated your symptoms - it always does.

Yes, doctors can be frustrating but they are able to rule out any obvious diseases or disorders.

It's not uncommon for people to hurt themselves when they exercise.  

If your pain has been going on for awhile it's because you are doing something to aggravate your condition and/or you have an aggravated trigger point that needs to be treated.

There are two types of scoliosis - structural and functional. A lot of people have functional scoliosis when they experience unilateral tightness in their muscles as the spine is pulled over to the side. This is a temporary condition. Structural scoliosis means you were born with a curvature in your spine. One way to test is to have someone observe your back when you are sitting and bending forwards. If your spine is straight your scoliosis is functional but if your spine is bent it's structural.

Yes, I think you'll find getting massaged while lying semi prone  with your knee up towards your chest an effective way to have your tight back muscles massaged. Plus, it's the position in which one palpates for an active trigger point.  

Good luck!

hi
my dad is having pain in his back. He says it's in the upper right but near the center (near the spine). It gets worse when he moves. Even a little bit of movement is making him yell. Please, I need help. Any suggestions will be welcomed. Thanks.

well, to be sure about my guess last night i backed to the Pokies and i played again and this time i didnt sit and i just played nearly one hour in standing position, but very interesting, my funny feeling backed nearly after 10 minutes and this morning i woke up with pain again, so it should not be muscular, and it must be related to stress, i think stress makes one part of the body to inflimate but i am not sure which part(maybe heart) and as we sleep our body push it too and increases the problem, thats why we have more pain after sleeping, if the problem is muscular then the pain should be there all the time and should not go away after waking up!

Think erector spinae muscles and anti-gravity.

If you are stooped forward - when you are standing or sitting - you are overloading these muscles.

The reason you don't have the problem when you wake-up is because these muscles are completely relaxed when you stand up.

You also use these muscles when you cough and when you're straining to have a bowel movement. So, if these actions hurt there is a good chance that you have an active trigger point in the erector spinae muscles.

Pain may also extend from the mid-back to the shoulder and around to your chest.

When you take your father to the doctor for an evaluation make sure you have a list as the doctor is going to make an assessment. The first question she/he may ask your father is if he did anything to cause the pain such as overload his back muscles or if he was lifting something when his back was bent and twisted sideways.

In the meantime have your father lay on a damp face cloth and a moist heating pad to help relax the muscle spasms. Make him as comfortable as possible. When he starts to feel a little better have him lay on tennis balls or have someone give his back a massage when he's lying semi-prone (not face down and not on his side - somewhere in between).

I have had several abdominal surgeries, and a heart surgery. I had cancer twice, and then a heart attack. But i know i  was born with a spine disease. Scoleosis. My spine is crooked. But i havent had any pain until the last couple of months. I had an injury a couple of years ago moving my sofa bed, and of course not lifting correctly, hurt my back really badly. It swelled up pretty bad. I went to the doctor bc i could bend forward, but coming back up or bending back was impossible. I have 4 kids, and could not pick the babies up. I have severe migraines that prevent me from planning any exercise regimines. But i walk 3 miles when i can. which is about 3 times a week. Anyways, i was answering your question about the abdominal surgery. I have had several to get the cancer out.

Dear All:
Do you feel this pain after carrying a heavy load or hard exercise?
Do you feel this pain after resting for long time in bed and having no activities?
If Yes; There are 2 options:
1) Your case is not critical and you should only strength your back and stomach muscle
2)If you have this pain for a long time, you should go to meet an Orthopedist and ask for MRI; It shows many things. Some time you have pain in lower back but feel it on your stomach because the nerve strings are connected from bock to many parts of body. So be serious in this matter.
Also be informed that on common problem especially in young age is prolapse disc or herniated disc that usually happens on T4 T5 and T6. It happens because of carrying heavy load or exercise but may be you don't feel it in this time, sometimes once your muscle weaken it shows it self. One of the effects of prolapse disc is cramping muscles.
Dear friends it is all the story that unfortunately happened to me, So go to specialist as soon as possible and ask for MRI or relevant tests. if you go very fast you may heal it by exercise and medication otherwise you should go for operation. I wish the health for all of you, Don't worry but do it now!

You make a good point. Medhelp has a forum devoted to people with herniated discs in the thoracic area.

Someone else wrote that pleurisy may be the problem. In my studies of myofascial pain & dysfunction they mention that possibility.

And then there are gallbladder problems to consider.

I've been waking up with muscular pain in my mid back for a very long time now.  In fact, it wakes me up.  Usually between 4-5AM.  It's worse on my right side, and it hurts so badly that it even hurts to breathe!  It feels like a sore muscle all day long now.

But recently, I've been having pain in my neck bones, and it goes to my mid back bones as the day progresses.  It feels like a hurting stiff neck all day, everyday.  I have tried different sleeping postures, but nothing has worked.  I do stretching to try to relieve it, and have used a massage machine to reduce the pain, but no relief yet.  I'm thinking of getting a professional massage and an MRI because I can't hardly stand it anymore and I'm beyond exhausted with getting 3-4 hours of sleep a night.

Any advice would be appreciated.  Thanks.

I've found massage therapy to be quite helpful.

Also, I recently started seeing a chiropractor with experience in Active Release Therapy, and I am happy to report that I finally have a diagnosis! (All my family doctor did was throw more and more painkillers at me.)

Google "psoas" aka your hip flexor muscle. If you spend a large part of every day sitting down, this muscle can get quite tight. It attaches to the part of your spine where the thoracic and lumbar spine meet (mid-back, exactly where my pain is!!!!). That psoas tightness makes all the other muscles in my back (mainly on my right side) go haywire to compensate.

Go to a chiropractor and/or massage therapist if you can, and google "psoas stretches." It's still an uphill battle for me, but I've definitely seen an improvement.

Also: sleep with a heating patch or heating pad. Trust me, you won't catch on fire/burn, and you'll find yourself miraculously sleeping for 8 hours.

I'm glad you're improving. Now it's only a matter of time.

There is a sure-fire way to tell if your psoas muscles are spasming - you can't stand up straight - and you have hyperlordosis.

The psoas muscle attaches to all your lumbar vertebrae and the lesser trochanter. When this muscle contracts it pulls you forward (flexes your torso) and it flexes your hip at the thigh.

When pain is extreme people crawl to get around because you don't use this muscle when you're on your hands and knees.

Sitting with your knees higher than your hips shortens the psoas muscles.

I told my doctor that when I went to Bodies: The Exhibition I was surprised when I saw how large the psoas muscle was. He agreed but in hindsight of course it must be large as it must lift up your leg when your knee is bent.

Everybody should own a moist heating pad and feel free to take it to bed with them, but not if you're on drugs or alcohol.  Try to find one that turns off automatically after awhile - not all of them do.

A word of caution. I once woke-up in the middle of the night because I smelled something burning. My husband and I tore around while getting dressed as I was going to call the fire department if we couldn't find the source. It took me awhile to find the heating pad which was smoldering between pillows in another room. I had given a friend a massage that afternoon and had forgotten to turn it off. It took about 12 hours to catch fire. You can bet I never made that mistake again.

Hi,
I have suffered with morning back pain and other related ailments for many years.  I finally know what it is and I think that "Ankyllosing spondylitis" may affect many of you.  It is not terrible, but you do need to know if you have it, so that you can prevent further problems.  Please go to this free website to read more www.
******.org  I've pasted a small excerpt from their website below:

AS Patient Guidebook

What causes ankylosing spondylitis?

The cause of ankylosing spondylitis is not known, but there have been some important developments in our understanding of this condition over the last few years. What is known is that it is about three hundred times more common in people who inherit a certain white cell blood group numbered HLA B27 than in those who do not inherit this group. This white cell group is not related to the red cell blood groups, which are important in blood transfusions.

Who gets ankylosing spondylitis?

For a long time we have known that this back complaint "runs in families." The link with the white cell blood groups confirms this and will be discussed later in this booklet. Typically, the disease affects young men. However, we know that the illness occurs in women as well. Many people go through their lives with back complaints that are never really diagnosed as ankylosing spondylitis. We know now how important it is to recognize the condition early, because treatment is usually very helpful and the patient benefits from early diagnosis and, therefore, early treatment.

What is the difference between ankylosing spondylitis and other back ailments ?

Back troubles are some of the most common complaints seen in a doctor's office. In each year, 2% of a general practitioner's patients consult him with backache. Although most patients with back pain do not have ankylosing spondylitis, the doctor must recognize the different nature of the back problem in each patient. The most common back ailment is "back strain," which may occur at any age. A "slipped disk" is another example. In older patients degenerative, or wear-and-tear, problems commonly affect the back.

When a patient goes to the doctor with backache, the doctor must decide whether the problem is an inflammatory arthritis, that is, ankylosing spondylitis, or one of the common mechanical back problems. The treatment is different. The diagnosis is made by listening to the symptoms and examining the patient. The doctor may perform certain blood tests and examine X-ray films of the back. We will discuss these points separately.

What are the symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis?

Symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis that help distinguish it from mechanical causes of back pain are:

- slow (insidious) onset over weeks rather than hours
- age of onset around 20 or 25 years, rather than any age
- early morning stiffness and pain
- persistence for more than 3 months (rather than coming on in attacks)
- improvement with exercise, worse with rest (the opposite is true with mechanical problems)

Although we have been talking about a disease of the spine, pain is not always confined to the back. Some patients have chest pain which is worse on deep breathing, and felt around the ribs. This chest pain does not come from the heart but from the joints between the ribs and the backbone. Many patients complain of a shut-in feeling in the chest because it is difficult to move the ribs fully with deep breathing. However, the lungs can continue to work because the diaphragm is not affected.

When ankylosing spondylitis begins, it usually causes an ache felt in the buttocks and, possibly, down the backs of the thighs and in the lower part of the back. One side is commonly more painful than the other. This pain arises from the sacroiliac joints. The morning stiffness which is so characteristic of the condition wears off during the day. Many patients find that pain wakes them in the early morning, and if they get up and walk around, the discomfort settles. Patients may also experience the pain and stiffness after a prolonged period of sitting, as, for example, in a cinema or on a long car ride.

ankylosing spondylitis in its early stages may cause considerable pain, but effective treatment is available to relieve this, even though the discomfort is not always eliminated. Later the disease becomes much less active, or even totally inactive. The stiffness is rarely a handicap, provided that the spine is in a good position. Most patients with ankylosing spondylitis are able to carry on with their work and lead a normal life.

A few patients in the early stages of ankylosing spondylitis feel generally ill. In other words, they feel tired and miserable and may lose weight. It is not uncommon for them to be treated for depression. Some people may never have anything more than a series of mild aches and pains coming on and lasting for several months, never troubling them greatly. This seems to be more common in women with the disease. At this stage the disease can either clear up or it may go on to cause stiffening higher up the back, or in the neck.

Limb joints

Sometimes, either at the start or later, ankylosing spondylitis may affect joints other than in the spine. The shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles are the most commonly affected. The effect on these joints is similar to the effect on the spine,- there may well be a period of aching in the joint, perhaps with some swelling, but treatment relieves these symptoms and they settle down. Ultimately, there may be some restriction in the movement of the affected joints, but with proper treatment and active exercises from the start, the disability is slight. In particular, the hip joint must not be allowed to stiffen in a bent position.

Other trouble spots

Tender places may sometimes develop in bones that are not part of the spine. One of these is the heel bone, making it uncomfortable to stand on a hard floor, and another is the bone of the "seat" (ischium), making hard chairs unpleasant.

Does ankylosing spondylitis only affect the joints of the back and limbs ?

No. Other parts of the body may be affected. For example, attacks of inflammation of the eye occur in about 1 patient out of 7 sometime during their lives. These attacks are due to iritis, or inflammation in the colored part of the eye (the iris). A painful red eye should be reported to the doctor without delay, or permanent damage might occur. If the doctor is not available, then the patient should go directly to a hospital emergency room or ophthalmology department.

Other rare complications, happening in less than 1 patient in 100, may occur. These include problems in the heart, lungs, and central nervous system. Treatment is available for all of them. Patients with ankylosing spondylitis are not any more at risk of getting heart attacks, strokes, or cancer than the general population. Colitis, or inflammation of the bowel, is associated with ankylosing spondylitis in some patients, as is a skin condition called psoriasis.

Apologies...I'm going to plug heating pads again, since I simply can't stress enough that they are essential (if your pain is muscle-related). I found that using them for a couple hours didn't really help...so then one day I bit the bullet and kept the thing on all night.

And WOW! I woke up many glorious hours later, feeling 27 again and not 92. If you're uncomfortable having an electric heating pad in your bed, spend the 10 bucks and buy a package of stick-on disposable ones. It's no cure but it beats being miserable :)

If you harbor active trigger points in your iliopsoas muscles the moist heating pad must be placed on your abdomen - the full length of your abdomen - from the top of your rib cage down to the lesser trochanter.

I had the exact same symptoms as many on here.  Severe mid back pain (EVERY night) routinely at 7 hours of sleep and perfectly fine rest of day.  I changed my mattress b/c it was 10 yrs old anyways and that did not resolve the problem.

Thankfully as I researched frantically I stumbled upon this amazing forum.  I was ready to read all the books that were suggested centered around posture, trigger point release etc. etc but like a couple of other people on here I didn't have to take that step.

After reading all 400 posts I documented them and organized them in a matrix and I realized that the doctor, chiro etc. route did almost nothing.  I became a firm believer that the first area to attack/address is the posture, particularly at the work place.  I started sitting with the correct form, back & head straight etc. and also focused on the (some call it upper-cross) exercises & stretches...basically stretching tight pectoral muscles and tightening/strengthening back muscles.  the door stretch and similar stretches that open up the chest and bring the shoulder blades back together seemed to help.

HOWEVER, like a couple of other people on here, the major breakthrough came when doing the "lumbar extensions" which are basically pushups with only your upper-half (waist and legs remain on floor).  I achieved IMMEDIATE results.  I started doing 4-5 sets of 10 reps daily for 3-4 days and then 2 sets or so thereafter daily and from the first day was sleeping through the night pain free....forced myself to sleep 10-11 hours and NO pain.  Have had pain free nights ever since while simply doing the stretches opening the chest and pushing shoulder blades together and the lumbar extension.  

I thank everyone for contributing to this community and know what many of you are going through and my best wishes to those that have suffered for decades +.  I would strongly urge anyone still looking for solutions to consult your doctor or a good physical therapist to put together a posture strengthening program that works for you.  

I did also go to a PT after the fact to make sure the exercises & stretches I was doing were "safe" and to also see if there were other routines I could incorporate...which the PT did advise on & help.

I'm a believer on this one that surgeries, pain killers, chiro adjustments etc. etc. will not do much good, at least in many cases for those that spend a lot of time with poor posture either sitting or standing.

Good luck finding your solution...hope this helps someone like it helped me!

would like to add for those that are interested I'm a male, mid 30s, not overweight, non-smoker, very active and in shape.  

And my thoughts on the arthritis related posts....in my potential solutions list it was dead last as the blood test doesn't mean you have arthritis it means its a possibility as everyone with that type of arthritis has that reading in their blood but NOT everyone with that reading in their blood have arthritis.  Since there is no cure or fix for the arthritis, only pain management, i viewed that as the absolute last thing to look into.  Ignorance is bliss in this case in my view.  Heck, I could have tested positive in the blood and still found a solution, sounds like others have given up hope that had the positive blood test, which is a shame unless they have exhausted everything else that has worked for others on here.

just my 2 cents...

It is such a comfort knowing I'm not going mad as I dont  think anyone believes me when I try to describe the pain. I have no problem getting to sleep but once I waken, should it be 2 hours later or 6 hours, I am unable to get back to sleep due to the excruciating pain in my mid back. The pain makes it impossible to get comfortable in any position & the spasms are uncontrollable. if anyone can offer any advice or diagnosis it would be greatly appreciated!

Problem sounds the same and I to have tried a variety of treatments over the past 7 years.    Sleep on the couch, so I can sleep upright.   Not a great solution, but seems to help.    

Starting to look into the connection between cholesterol medicine and back pain.   any chance you are on cholesterol medicine too?

Hi everyone,

If you are suffering like everyone else is with the mid back pain after sleeping 5~ hours or so, then I encourage you to do as I did, and read the ENTIRE thread. It will take a few hours, but it is worth it.

I want to tell everyone that I suffered before (read my previous posts) and I currently feel 90% better. I did what "jobhk" recommended in his post on Feb 09, 2011. Basically, do lumbar extensions all day everyday. Google search for "lumbar extension" and look at the first pic that comes up. That is the exercise I did. I followed his advice and did it almost every hour for 6 reps each time for about 6 seconds.

After a few weeks my pain dropped considerably when I did this in combination with sleeping on two pillows. I don't want to sleep very upright, so instead sleeping slightly elevated seems like the right balance when used in conjunction with these stretches.

Btw, I tried almost everything else on this forum and nothing else worked except for the lumbar extensions. It's not 100% for me, but I bet it's because of my office job that is interfering with the last 10% of pain. I'm still working on it, but now I am able to sleep 7-8 hours with little pain. Sometimes I can hit 9-10 hours, but I will wake up pretty stiff still.

Good luck to everyone!

You're right on.

Bad posture contributes to most of our problems. Stretching the muscles in front of the body (pectorals & abdominals) and strengthening the muscles in the back (rhomboids, trapezius & erector spinae) counter the effects of gravity which pulls us forwards.

I too have had excellent & immediate results with the "lumber extensions" stretch with my clients. In yoga it is called the cobra. This position stretches the abdominal muscle.

Good posture not only looks good but you feel better, breathe easier and it decreases your chances of developing arthritis.

I'm disheartened to read that so few people have been helped by physical therapists.

Get yourself to your doctor immediately. I had a new client who was suicidal because her muscle pain was so severe she couldn't handle it any more. Luckily I knew to ask her about if she was taking a cholesterol lowering medication. She later told me she was at lunch with her girlfriend and when she told her how helpful I had been the girlfriend said that she wished she had told her because she had the same problem.

"Lipitor is a member of a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins. The statins include lovastatin (brand name: Mevacor), simvastatin (Zocor), pravastatin (Pravachol), fluvastatin (Lescol), atorvastatin (Lipitor), and cerivastatin (Baycol) (Baycol was withdrawn from the market in August 2001).

Statin drugs are known to cause muscle pains and inflammation around the muscle cells (myositis). It should also be noted that the risk of muscle injury is greater when a statin is combined with other drugs that also cause muscle damage by themselves. For example, when lovastatin (Mevacor) is used alone to lower cholesterol, muscle damage occurs on the average in one person out of about every 500.

However, if lovastatin (Mevacor) is used in combination with other drugs such as niacin, gemfibrozil (Lopid), or fenofibrate (Tricor) to further reduce cholesterol levels, the risk of muscle injury skyrockets to one person out of every 20 to 100 who receive the combination. The risk of muscle damage is thus multiplied five- to 25-fold by using a combination of a statin and another cholesterol-lowering drug rather than by just using statin alone.

In fact, the manufacturers of statins recommend that any patient taking a statin "should be advised to report promptly any unexplained muscle pain, tenderness or weakness...When a muscle disease is suggested, the doctor stops the statin drug."

You see, statin drugs cause three types of muscle conditions. First, they can cause muscle aching. This condition generally reverses itself within weeks of discontinuing the drugs. Second, they can cause muscle pains and mild muscle inflammation that may also be accompanied by minor weakness. Blood testing for the muscle enzyme, CPK, is mildly elevated. This condition also generally reverses, but it may take several months to resolve. Third, statins can cause severe muscle inflammation and damage so that not only are the muscles painful all over the body, they also become severely weakened. Heart muscle can even (rarely) become affected. Blood testing for the muscle enzyme, CPK, is markedly elevated. When the muscles are severely damaged, the muscle cells release proteins into the blood that collect in and can damage the kidneys. This can lead to kidney failure and require dialysis."

Medical Author: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

There is more.

"In each of the above three forms of muscle conditions that result from statin drugs, the outcome is always much better when the condition is detected early.

My patient is expected to do well. I have discontinued his Lipitor and his muscle pain and stiffness will resolve in the upcoming weeks. He will follow-up with me in a month for a progress report.

There are many other medications (aside from statins) and diseases that can cause muscle aching. Of all causes, however, statin drugs are what I see as the most common culprits. If you or someone you know has muscle pains, check the medications being taken first!

Finally, please understand that the statin drugs have been shown to be the most effective (and widely prescribed) medications to optimally lower cholesterol and prevent heart attacks and stroke. This perspective article is intended to highlight the fact that even the best drugs require monitoring and can have side effects."

Medical Author: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

"I am a rheumatologist—an internal medicine specialist who is trained to evaluate, diagnose, and treat diseases that involve the muscles and joints. Because rheumatologists have a keen interest in undiagnosed conditions, I see a number of patients every week who are seeking a first diagnosis."

I am a 48 year old female, I am not overweight, I have been having these same symptoms.  At first I thought it was my stomach hurting through to my back, now the back pain is so severe in the mornings until I begin to move around.  My pain is mid back, radiates around both sides of my ribcage on either side of my spine and into my
sternum and upper stomach.  Have had tests on stomach, MRI on stomach etc. all showed nothing.  This past week the pain has worsened and am going back to dr to try for an answer.  

I had similar problem. No matter what doctor did pain would not go.
I changed bed , problems gone overnight. I got really scared from the forums , people mentioning back problems not being cured.

Try changing bed guys. I recomend softer bed but firm support.

This happened to me today too.

The solution is simple:

Drink a bottle of vodka and you can sleep better tonight.

True Story.

Funny! I'm sure if I ever drank a bottle of vodka it would kill me.

I am going to look up the lumbar extensions, and hopefully they will help.
I have experienced a little relief by sleeping in a more upright position; I bought a puffier and firmer pillow and one of those chair shaped pillows.
This reduces the pain a little.  I will still wake up with it, but can usually go back to sleep if I shift positions, especially if I get myself even more upright.
Sometimes, during the day I will experience some stiffness right in the specific area the pain seems to come from, making me think I have a pinched nerve.  I have also wondered about having larger breasts,  I am a D cup and while that isn't so very large, I think it is for my frame. although I don't know why it would suddenly, in my 42nd year of life, start bothering me.

I haven't figured out the cause of it myself. Some days are better/worse than others. One thing that is consistent is that if I drop down and do the lumbar extensions every 1-2hours, for 6-10 reps holding it for 6 seconds, then I can usually sleep 7 hours comfortably, with only the last two hours slightly uncomfortable.

This is compared to before when I could only sleep 4-5 hours followed by 1-2 hours of horrible painful "sleep"

I moved out of my parents about 2 months ago to my first place in the city. I brought my bed I have had for 3 years.  The first night sleeping at my new place I woke up at 3:45am and had a terrible pain inbetween my shoulder blades in my spine.  It almost felt like it needed to be popped. I see a chiropractor every 3-4 weeks and he said it's just my body's way of telling me I need an adjustment (sorry, but it has to be something more severe if it's waking me up at night even after adjustments).  I've now been woken up every night since then around the same time (3am-5am) and have the worst luck with falling back asleep because of the pain.  The only times I haven't experienced it is after drinking alcohol.

I've been reading everyone's posts and am wondering if there could be a relation to stress? Whatever the cause, if anyone has had any luck with finding a solution PLEASE SHARE! I'm becoming desperate - so tired and sore.

Hey,
I had/have the same pain. For 6 years now, I wake up at around 2-3am with lower back, than go to recliner for about an hour and than back to bed get few more hours of sleep. Didn't have a single night without doing so. If I travel I have to take pain killers, that's the only way I can menage. Are you still pain free. Sorry to bother, it's just great to hear what works for other people.
Martin   : mart_mi***@****

Greetings,

I used to search forums like these for answers, too.  I had terrible pain for years, mostly only after sleeping, and I saw lots of specialists and tried lots of therapies and treatments to no avail.

I finally have the answer:  Ankylosing Spondylitis.  There is a previous commenter who mentions this possibility.  You can get tested for the HLA-B27 gene, which is implicated in 95% percent of cases.  I suspect that at least some of you have AS and don't know it.

Now, the good news:  AS is typically treated with all kinds of scary meds, BUT contrary to medical opinion, a No Starch Diet works for many of us.  It sounds harsh, but trust me, when you start to have miraculous pain relief from it, you'll continue on.  There is lots of support for this diet at kickas.org and there is a book called The IBS Low Starch Diet by Carol Sinclair which is super helpful.  I've been on the diet for 8 weeks and have watched my pain decrease to about 5% of its former, miserable self.

Good Luck,
Steven

I read this site 2 weeks ago when I woke up in agony in my mid back after about 4 hours sleep. Same as lots of other posts - have been fine during the day but when I lie down I wake up in excruciating pain every night. I went to an ostiopath first who couldn't explain what it was and made it worse. Then was recommended a physio who sorted it immediately.  Turned out to be something to do with the joints between my rib cage and spine - caused by overstretching, and resulting in the muscle going into spasm when lying down. I am now on the mend and so relieved. It's scary reading these sites sometimes so promised myself I would only post if I got fixed. My advice is stick to a recommended physio and do the exercises they give you.
Good luck everyone.

glad to hear you are doing better. what is the "mend"?

Found this site two weeks ago after my back pain during sleep got so bad I was getting only 4 to 5 hours of sleep.  I had burning pain between my shoulder blades, and a severe tightness in my mid back.  After reading through most of the posts here, I decided to try the following:

1 - correct posture while sitting.  I work at a computer 8 hours a day, and realized I was slouching at work, then slouching at home on the couch.  I believe this was the cause of the burning between the shoulder blades.  I was pulling muscles/tendons in a way they shouldn't be pulled.  I adjusted my chair at work, and began thinking about sitting up straight all the time.  I also began doing an exercise to specifically strengthen the muscles I need to sit up straight.  I do this by pushing my elbows back while keeping my shoulders down, as if I am trying to hold an orange on my back between my shoulder blades, and holding for several seconds.  I repeat 10-20 times a day.  For the first few days, my upper back was a little sore from sitting correctly and this exercise, using muscles I hadn't used in a long time.  But, after two weeks it is much easier.

2 - Psoas stretch - This is what I call the "hip flexor" stretch.  Google it and you will find youtube videos showing how to stretch these muscles by lying on a table.  I believe the tightness in these muscles was causing the mid back pain.  Almost immediately after I started this stretch, that pain began to improve.  When this group of muscles is tight, it causes your pelvis to tilt forward, giving you a more arched lower back.  I had actually noticed a few weeks before while looking in a mirror that my pelvis was very tilted. This pain is now about 80% improved, more of a slight discomfort now after 5 to 6 hours of sleep instead of a real pain.

3 - I have recently added two new stretches.  First, what I believe is called the cobra stretch in yoga.  Lying face down on floor, leaving pelvis on floor, and lifting upper body up on elbows for a few seconds, then lowering and repeating about 10 times.  Second, from that face down position, moving back to hands and knees, then sitting back on heels, leaving arms straight out in front on floor and lowering head and neck, stretching upper back, holding for about a minute.  

My pain is much improved now, more of a discomfort than a pain, and I'm hoping it will continue to improve by continuing the above.  I recommend everyone try these types of exercises/stretches first to see if they help, before moving to more expensive/time consuming options, such as doctor/chiropractor/physical therapist visits.  Especially if you haven't had any recent trauma (ie car wreck) to indicate a medical problem.  It could just be posture/tight,underused muscles.  Best of luck to all!    

Bravo! You wrote an excellent Post. I hope people take heed.

to be honest, the reason you get back and stomach the the reason you have pain in morning is because you might eat late or drink less water. Try this eat about 6 and after that make sure you do not eat also fizzy drink or any thing with caffine in , even fruit due to citrus , i have had this problem for a long time, talking about 5yrs so this is the best advise iv been given by the top specialist, try it and i hope it works for you and make sure you try keep stress free good luck.

iv been to the top specialist, iv got same probs, wot to do is keep track of your food make sure you dont eat afta 6 also not to much citrus,try to eat small portion of food through the day and completly stop fizzy drinks or caffine. Drink Plenty of water during the day and try stay stress free. If you do that for a week you will see a difference hopfuly. Good luck

iv been to the top specialist, iv got same probs, wot to do is keep track of your food make sure you dont eat afta 6 also not to much citrus,try to eat small portion of food through the day and completly stop fizzy drinks or caffine. Drink Plenty of water during the day and try stay stress free. If you do that for a week you will see a difference hopfuly. Good luck

I stumbled upon this site and was amazed to see people talking about the same kind of pain I have. Mine is about 3/4 down my back around the middle but a little to the right. After 3-4 hours of sleep I wake up with the excruciating pain and can only creep to the recliner. After a while in the recliner it goes away and I can return to bed. I have had this pain for 10 years and the doctor says it's nothing.

For me an airbed was a godsend. I put the air mattress on top of my regular mattress and can sleep trough the night with no pain at all. This was an instant fix! Well it's not fixed :(. If I am without an airbed the pain is there. I'm not sure how good this is for the long run, but it works miracles at least for me. For me the airbed has to be on top of another bed, or it could be a double airbed. Also not completely inflated. It must have some give. When I stay in a hotel a pack an air mattress or my vacation would be ruined.

This probably won't work for all kinds of pain described in these posts, but for the kind I described it's worth a try.

I forgot to say by airbed I mean the kind you take camping not the sleepnumber types. My airbed cost about $20.

damaged back last week....doctor said it was a muscle spasm but feels more like disc in lower spine has gone.
tried solphodol,ibrufen,diazipam and heat relief none are working..any other ideas..feel depressed as not a lot i can do

thanks

A happy update for you - I have no more morning back pain! Here’s what I did:
Find a Chiropractor who specializes in Active Release Technique (ART). Mine is great! I saw several doctors, sports medicine specialists, and physiotherapists, and she was the first health professional to understand what I was talking about when I said, “My back only hurts when I sleep!”
I also find massage therapy to be helpful. You can look up how to do self massages with tennis balls, but I suck at this and therefore find it hit-or-miss.
Also, I started doing beginner’s yoga twice a week and started stretching for 45 minutes to an hour every day. Yes, EVERY DAY...it’s annoying but my muscles need it after years of office work and 6 months of daily pain!
Here’s what I do:
1. Cat/cow stretch, child’s pose, child’s pose with arms stretched out to the left, child’s pose with arms stretched out to the right (about 30 seconds each, 5 repetitions of this sequence)
2. From hands and knees (tabletop position), sweep one arm up to the ceiling and look up at the arm. (Repeat 5-6 times for each side)
3. Lying-down glute stretch – “thread the needle”
4. Lying-down psoas stretch (grab one knee, bring it in to your chest)
5. Lying down twist - drop both knees to one side, look in the opposite direction
6. Seated – butterfly stretch
7. Seated – hamstring stretch, one leg at a time (once you get to the point where you can reach/grab your feet, this becomes an awesome back stretch)
8. This stretch, for the muscles in between your shoulder blades: http://www.drbackman.com/rhomboid-muscle-stretch.htm
9. Pigeon pose
10. Warrior 1 and 2
11. Kneeling psoas stretch (http://www.floota.com/PsoasStretch2.html) with one modification. My Chiro told me not to do the hard lunge...so I keep everything at 90 degrees, tilt my pelvis forward, raise one arm (the arm opposite the kneeling leg) and then lean over the side of my kneeling leg.
12. Calf stretch – up against the wall or on the steps
13. Chest stretch against the wall: http://www.fitsugar.com/Wall-Pec-Stretch-Explained-1806590
14. Neck rolls – chin to chest, right ear to right shoulder, head tilted back, left ear to left shoulder
Of course I’m not a doctor, don’t push yourselves to the point where a stretch is painful etc. etc. I just had to develop this routine on my own because doctors were so clueless about this problem and ended up scaring me more than they helped me!
And stick with it! The Chiro/ART combined with daily stretching has taken about 3.5 months, with gradual improvement and a couple setbacks. But I feel like a new woman!
Also...use heating pads! I slept with mine on all night, which most people are scared to do, but it reduced my agony to manageable levels and let me sleep through the night. If you don’t want to use it while sleeping, use it before you stretch to warm up your muscles.
Good luck!

Im 18, a female dont have a job yet an usually stay at home. I started sleeping on my moms mattress and i woke up 1:00am to find my back in pain. It aches from my right side to the middle of my back and a little to the left. Basically my whole back is in pain. It also radiates to the front right of my torso around te ribs. I didnt do any rigorous activity like lifting heavy things. THIS JUST HAPPENED A FEW HOURS AGO. Its 1:48am and i still cant sleep! What do i do!!!!