Back Pain in the Morning

I'm a 26 yr old Male, who currently suffers from back pains in the mornings. Other than the back pains, I would say that I am a healthy and fit person.

The pain only occurs in the mornings. As soon as I get up and start moving around, and stretching out the back, the pain starts to dissappear, with only a slight tingle left during the day, but not really noticeable.

I've tried so many things:
- Celebrex (this helped to relieve the pain, however as soon as I stopped using it, the pain instantly came back. I don't want to be taking drugs for the rest of my life).

- Chiro, this seemed to only provide temp. relief also, but the pain is still there.

- Osteopath, same as Chiro, however has helped my correct my posture.

- I've tried accupuncture, and again this hasn't helped.

- Fearing the worst, I went to the doctors and told them about the pain, and he ordered an xray for my back and this came back fine.

- I've changed my mattress twice now to one that is designed to support the back.

- I've paid attention to my pillow, and have changed that too, to one that provides greater support (latex - dunlopillow)

- I try to exercise regularly, and pay particular attention to stretching out the back.

I believe that the pain must be associated with the way that I sleep. However how does one control how they sleep when they are unconcious. I sleep on my back and sides (when I'm aware). When on my side I bend my knees slightly.

I've had this pain for about 1 year now, and I'm getting very concerned. Any suggestions?

(***@****)

[sdent]

I am 22 and having a similar issue as well.  I am in excellent health, yet I have back pain in the morning.  I have been through 2 sessions of Pysical Therapy and have had x-rays and an MRI taken as well.  The PT doesn't help and the tests show normal results.  Yet, when I wake up I can't even move.  If I try to roll on my side there is too much pain.  I can't move my legs much without severe pain.  And walking...yeah right.  It is typically in my left buttocks area, but I can sense that it goes into my lower back and sometime upper thigh area.  It seems to get better as I walk for the next 30 min. or so.  
I don't stress my back and I have tried many things even changing our mattress.  But it seems that sleeping must be related to the pain getting worse.  Pinched nerve?  Back muscles?  I don't know.  But it is very aggrivating to wake up to this every morning lately.   The pain is so bad I yelp eveytime I try to move.  If anyone has any tips please fill me in.
(***@****)

[MikeDK]

I am thirty years old and very active. I have moutain biked for years and have never had back problems until this year. It started with pain across my lower chest area which I thought was from a past broken rib incident. I now wake up almost daily, aspecially when more active, with pain in my mid to lower back. I still feel the lower chest pain as well. I have had an x-ray, bought a new bed, changed my stretching routine and gotten nowhere. The pain is deep and runs vertically along the muscles up my spine and is ocasionally acompanied by jolts of pain in the same area. These jolts some times radiate to my affected chest area as well. I know the problem is all from one source but seem to get no sound advice from the medical world. This problem has gone on for nearly a year now and came on originally for now apparent reason. I am starting physio soon in hopes that will help, but I am skeptical as the pain is not at all present once I have been up and active through out the day.

I wish I could be the guy to actually offer some insight into this problem that a few of us seem to be experiencing, but...

If anyone can shed some light on this issue, we'd all appreciate it.

[GH1971]

I am a 34 yr old woman who is also in good health and I have the exact same issue.  I work out 3-4 times per week and do pilates twice a week.  When I get up in the morning I am almost afraid to move because the pain is so intense, but within 2 hours it has faded to tolerable and within another 2 hours pretty much gone.  I have tried memory foam pillows, new mattress, shoes, I stopped running and changed to another form of cardio, but nothing helps.  Please let me know if you receive any information regarding relief.  I will skip the chiro and x-rays.  It has been brought to my attention that it may be a kidney or bladder problem, but that wouldn't explain why the pain subsides by the afternoon.  I'm miserable!!

[Tdjenks]

Hello. My name is Terry. I'm a 35 year old male. I have been having the same problems with my back for the last year and a half and has gotten much worse over time.
My back hurts extremly bad when I awake in the morning, normaly with only 4-5 hours of sleep. After about a few hours i'm usually feeling good again with just a slight pain maybe. I have worked out for the last 5 years straight averaging 3-4 times a week. In my routine, I have worked out to bulk up, and to tone during this time. I would run also in my workouts. To my knowledge I don't believe I have ever hurt myself during my workouts nor hurt at all during them. I have had many visits to have my back adjusted, but no changes there. I have even changed my matress a few times as well. All top quality matresses, but no matter how hard or soft my bed may be, the pain is always returning in the morning. If I take motrin it's temporary relief but I don't want to be on that to long either.
Let me tell you a few things also that may help us all figure this thing out. I like to ride quads, and use to jump alot. I love soda, in fact drink soda around the clock for many years now. I would only drink water during my workouts, but morning to night soda. I also goto the bathroom alot duirng the night due to heavy soda drinking before bed. I wanted to mention what could be all of our problem possibly. You don't have to drink alot of soda to have this problem, but any carbonation will do. I'm beginning to believe that its the carbonation thats causing this problem only in the morning.  Let me explain. In the past  sometimes when I lay down to sleep, I would get carbonation in my chest right away, and had to burp alot and get it out so I could lay down in peace to sleep.  This wouldn't happen all the time, but I notice when I was laying back slightly while drinking the soda, it would pretty much like clock work. If I stand up duirng this pain, I wouldn't feel it anymore, only laying down. That pain would be in the chest area, and would hurt it just like the current back pain.
I believe the carbonation has built up somehow, or is getting easier access to areas in my back or even muscles to cause discomfort over time. The explantion of it going away makes sense when you get up and move around during the day. Now I have quit working out completely for now, and i'm going to drnk only water around the clock to see if this actually helps or not. I don't hurt when I use the bathroom, and always go when I feel the need too. Maybe we can piece this together. Please in past responses, tell what your eating habits and drinking habits are. I have over the years have eaten much fast food, but still look in good shape. 5'9 1/2  183 pounds.
I understand the worse thing we can put in our bodies is carbonation. I will update in 2 weeks if anything changes. Sometime around Oct 9th 2005.

[Tdjenks]

1 day update.
Last night I slept 7 hours and didn't have the same pain as I have had for a while.  So the carbonation may be at least my problem. I drank alot of water sunday and slept much better then usual.  I will continue this patern and will notify any other changes. This could possibly be all our problems. And it doesn't have to be soda or alot, just one of any bevage with carbonation.
I'm not sure if I mentioned, but on Saturday when I started thinking about the possiblity of carbonation being my problem at least, I started burping alot that morning and started to feel instant relief in my back. I know it sounds weird, since we all know the chest feeling, but in the back?  Anyhow. I will update more.
Terry

[Loukout]

As I read everyone's post I finally feel that there are people out there that understand me.  It's been about 10 years that I have had this problem and no one can help me.  I have been to Chiro's for over 7 years, pain killers, MRI's, you name it.  I even went as far as getting a really expensive mattress.  I thought I had it under controll but it has come back stronger than ever.  I know how I aggrivated it but I don't know how to stop it.  It's the worst in the morning.

As for the carbination thing...  After reading it all I could think about is how bad my back gets after a night of drinking beer.  Could there be a similarity??  Now, I don't drink that many soft drinks but I am going to watch your post Teri.  I did I have one today so we shall see.  I also took two tylenols to see if that would help.  Believe it or not, I never had done that.  Let me know if anyone receives any results... ***@****

Wayne

[wallofchaos]

Does anyone believe that this pain may be comming from say Kidneys?
Depeneding on what you drink the night before.
I seem to think this has something to do with it.

but yet at the same time dont.

Why would the SPINE hurt and not just the lower area of the back?

So anyway im a 32 y.o. male and this has been going on for years.

yes MRI's and Physical therapy ect ect ect. beds, yoga. name it ive done it.

It is something I deal with and have to accept. I dont want to but who has a choice in the matter?

It would be nice to have a site where REAL doctors could answer questions to people in need of just a tad of advice.

By the way. Ice pack for 10 to 15 minutes seems to help.
In my situation anyway.

The pain usually subsides within a few hours.

Thanks for reading.
Comments to ***@****

Sincerely
Dean

[nicholi]

I'm 28 years old and I have been having strictly morning back pain. I wake up from this and have not had good sleep in like a year. I wake up in pain and cannot move from my back to my side with out extreme pain. It doesn't go away until I get in the shower and get dressed and even then slight pain. Hard surfaces seem to be better to sleep on like the floor. Any advice please, thank you.

                                                                                nick

[haley750]

I'm sorry to hear about eveybody's back pain.  Trust me, I know what you are going thru.  I had back surgery a year ago, so I have allot of experience in this area. When you are lying on your back, put a pillow under neath your knees, this will tilt your pelvis slightly, enough to take some pressure of of your back.  Also, when you lay on your side, put a pillow in between your knees, this will help as well.  I have invested in a $2000 bed just so I can have the proper support.  Not saying that you need to spend that much money, thats not the only reason why i bought the bed, but find a bed that is mostly firm but still comfortable.  I would also recommend doing allot of stretches in the morning. A good one is laying on back and bring both knees to chest and holding for about 5 seconds.  Do 10 reps.  If 2 knees to chest is difficult, try bringing one knee to chest. Also, some ice pads might help take the inflammation down if there is any.   I hope some of the things I have said, help.  Good luck!

[SoreBackToo]

Try Multivitamins.

I have had the exact same sore back symptoms in the mornings on & off for the last 10 years.

The pain goes away when I take Pluravit multivitamins (for women) every day. I have to take the multivitamins for a while before they work - about 2 months.
Unfortunately, the Pluravit brand has disappeared from the grocery store shelves where I live, so I am trialling other brands. Cenovis does *not* work. I am now trying Blackmores.

[backpainwater]

I just wrote a long post and then the site lost it (!), so I won't repeat everything here. Basically, I have all of the above and have tried all of the above and what helps is as follows. First, I sleep on my stomach. I never used to, but now it helps. Second, I stay hydrated. If I start to feel the pain and then drink 12 to 24 ounces of water or tea or soda, the pain disappears in about twenty to thirty minutes. Of course, carbonation, caffiene, and alcohol make you pee more, so they may not work as well as water, since they may even dydrate you but after several years of drinking 24 ounces of liquid once in the morning, once at lunch and once in the afternoon, I can't stand water! At any rate, stay hydrated. The doctors thought that maybe I had a urinary tract infection, since the liquids helped, but no tests found anything. Third, I changed my exericse routine. If you do the exact same thing, you may be aggravating your spine or back muscles. For instance, if you run on surface with a slight tilt, you can get repetitive stress injury.

[jessebear75]

I am 31 and have had 3 years of moderate/severe back pain starting ~6 hours after falling asleep each night.  By the time I get out of the shower in the morning it is gone, but I haven't gotten a good night's rest in a long time.  I stretch, take vitamins, eat healthy, exercise regularly, etc.  None of this seems to change the pain.

Although this may not be any consolation to anyone, I am a doctor myself (a pediatrician, not an orthopedist) and can find no definitive cause for the pain.  Obviously, I've gotten desperate enough to search the infallible internet for solutions.  

I do have a few theories.

First, sleep on your back.  If you don’t do this naturally, train yourself.  It keeps your neck straighter.

Second, improve your mattress.  The trouble is not that the mattress is too soft or hard or not supportive enough or not expensive enough.  These are simply marketing concepts.  The problem is that the mattress doesn’t lay your spine out correctly.  I will be the first to admit that I have no idea what "correctly" actually means, but I can tell you that incorrectly is the hammock feeling I get from my current mattress.

I will note that people have body types that vary greatly.  Anyone who is in good physical condition (as many in this post seem to be) will have hips that are narrower than shoulders but with a similar cross-sectional density.  (Yes, I am a nerd.)  This leads to hips that ride lower than feet and shoulders on almost any bed.  Hence, we require a bed that keeps our hips up.  Note that I don’t suggest simply finding a firmer mattress.  Sleeping on a concrete floor will be uncomfortable no matter how appropriate your spinal orientation is.  No, what you need is a mattress that is soft to light touch, but provides greater resistance to heavier loads.  For you engineers out there, imagine the suspension of a BMW (smooth & firm) as opposed to a Cadillac (soft & softer.)  

I bought a new bed a few months ago that is supposed to be *the* bed for back support.  I won’t mention the brand name, but it rhymes with semper-meadic.  My wife loves it, and I hate it.  I guess this entire post is just my way of talking myself into relegating $2000 worth of space foam to the guest bedroom and buying another mattress.

[Still unexplained]

[Still unexplained]

Ive had some of the same symptoms some of you are talking about.  For the last year Ive been waking (after 5-6 hours of sleep) with a dull yet painful flank pain on the lower right side.  powerful enough to wake me.  The pain was lessened if I avoided sleeping on my right side for some reason.  Seemed to be no correlation to food, activity, bed, medication.  Xrays on back, ultrasound on kidneys and cat scan ll came back negative.

5 days ago, my doctor started me on a test run of Flomax.  Mind you, I have no urinary symptoms whatsoever.  Not particularly frequent, no pain in that area, no burning....pretty much normal.  Prostate seems normal (I'm a male in my mid 40s).  Anyhow, the Doc said it was a longshot but maybe it is prostate related.

So for 5 days now I've woken with absolutely no flank pain whatsoever.  Ive never had more than 1 or maybe 2 days without the pain waking me til now and even on those days, I'd still have some pain.  But now nothing.

So, now I will have to make an appointment with the Dr to see what the next step is and find out why relaxing the prostate muscles eliminated the pain.  I'll keep you all informed, but just wanted to pass this along to those of you who have not looked at the prostate as a possible cause of their morning flank pain because of none of those "other" symptoms.

[tugar1288]

Try fish oil, 1000 mg two or three times a day.  This helped me and several of my friends.  One friend went to the doc about his arthritis and doc told him to take fish oil.  To his amazement it helped a lot.  It won't hurt to try it since nothing else has worked.

Good Luck

[jetmakerbrit]

I have been suffering lower back pain every morning for the last two years. As with many of the above descriptions, the pain eases off and my back loosens up after moving about for a while. Today, one of my coworkers happened to ask me a question about back pain that sent me to Google and I stumbled upon the following page...
http://www.arthritis.ca/types%20of%20arthritis/as/default.asp?s=1
Until now I had never heard of 'Ankylosing Spondylitis' (yes I know this is a strange sounding name) or AS as it seems to be known. The description of the symptoms sounds exactly like those I have been suffering though. I intend to visit a doctor this week to see if his professional diagnoses matches my haphazard amateur research.
It sounds as though it is difficult to diagnose AS in it's early stages since the spine structure hasn't changed enough to tell with X-ray though.

[Tailwindscps]

I just recently started this morning pain thing.  I am a 30 yr. old female in good health.  I don't drink any carbonated drinks or caffine, so I dare say it is not that for me.  However, I am not fond of water and don't drink as much as I should. My posture is terrible.  I have only once awaken from the pain, and it goes away as soon as I bounce down the stairs.  It doesn't make sense, but my spine is happier compacted than stretched after a night's rest.  I will explore avenues of liquid intake, but I am glad to not get medical test and change matresses until I explore other avenues.  I haven't seen too many post about chiropractors.  Everyone I know loves going to the chiropractor, but I have been afraid to try it.  Any comments?

[rexdog]

I am almost 69 years old & recently wake up with lower back pain.  I read all of your suggestions & will try drinking more water...I'm hoping it will  help.  Thank you for your excellent suggestions & for sharing your experiences.

[rexdog]

My back pain didn't start until I got older (69).  Does aging has anything to do with back pain only in the morning?

[navisam114]

I have back pain (mid back) which increases when I strectch both of my hands forward/ I have a neck pain when i tilt my head backward and also knee pain while walking. Also I have ankle pain and sometimes hip pain and elbow pain. there is also pain in the back of the head and fingers pain. Doctors ruled out RA and my doctor always tells me rest and it will be fine. I am 36 and cant do any major activity.  Any advice what it could be??

[Jcoplan]

I am also 30 years old and this suddenly appeared about 3 months ago. All of your symptoms match mine exactly. I have no idea what caused it.

[MF567]

My symptoms are very similar and started 8 days ago.  I am a 40 year old male in good condition and weight (I run 5K's, have been lifting weights for 20 years, playing sports...) who just started working out again after taking a few months off for our new baby.  Knowing that I am no longer 25, I wanted to take it "slow" and get things stretched out before hitting things hard again - I chose to start out with a specific back exercise called the "plank " http://exercise.about.com/od/abs/ss/abexercises_10.htm).

So for what it is worth, I can trace my pain not to a mattress, not to my kidney function or other reasons - but specifically to doing 4 days of plank exercises with other basic exercises.  I stopped the morning after noticing the pain but have still had it for the last 4 days, getting worse it seems each day - to the point that it takes all my effort to roll out of bed in the morning.

If there are any clinical folks that could diagnose something from the specific muscle group that is focused on in this exercise, it would be helpful.

[penzerer]

I have had the same back problems on and off for several months.  I'm 30, male, good general health, not smoking nor drinking, healthy diet.  But the lower back pain has been vexing me for quite a while.

I initially blamed my bed.  But sleeping on the floor didn't help at all.  I also exercise and stretch my back regularly.  But that didn't help, either.

Recently I figured it out: As long as I drink before bed a full glass of liquid, water, orange juice, milk, whatever, I will be fine.  I believe the back pain is related to prostate conditions.  Guys, try drinking water and see if that helps.

[sherrieo]

Well I am 31 years old, mother of three rambuncious boys...here i am at 7 am up when everyone is still sleeping but i woke an d my back is killin me allon the right side..been going on for months..after a while it fades to nothing but everymorning i wake up and here it is:)  I have also seeked medical trreatment..nothing, changed beds pillows etc..nothing.  My husband is sweet and tries massages but no nothing..but I havenoticed something the last few times I hadn't eaten anything after 6 and taken flax seed oil pills and basically got rid of all gas..no carbonated stuff and it worked..unfortunately i went to a dessert night party last night, drank beverages, had chili at 9 pm, and ate lots of esserts..and here i am this morning..talking to you..go figure:)

So anyone else with any ideas?

[sherrieo]

Hi..wow...I just used the washroom and my back is almost better...I really do believe trapped gas is the reason for this..so say after 6 no food, try flax seed oil pill before bed,  and drink plenty of water..might jsut work..my back pain is subsiding...lets see if this works:0

[sherrieo]

Hi..wow...I just used the washroom and my back is almost better...I really do believe trapped gas is the reason for this..so say after 6 no food, try flax seed oil pill before bed,  and drink plenty of water..might jsut work..my back pain is subsiding...lets see if this works:0

[sherrieo]

Hi..wow...I just used the washroom and my back is almost better...I really do believe trapped gas is the reason for this..so say after 6 no food, try flax seed oil pill before bed,  and drink plenty of water..might jsut work..my back pain is subsiding...lets see if this works:0

[sportmen]

I am so sorry for you,because you are so young.
you 'd best go to doctor
or see some example on the internet,for example:
company-catalog.info/Keywords/health

[Nashman]

The answer to most of these problems is a muscle called the Piriformis muscle. I had the same morning pain for 2 years and went to a chiropractor and had massage therapy. 1 video changed it all for me on youtube. Type stretching to relieve sciatica on youtube and click the first video. Do the stretch the gentleman says, and you will be find in a week or two. Hard to believe a simple stretch cured 2 years worth of pain.

Cheers, and good luck.

[tonyco]

I am 26 years old, well over six foot and 230 lbs. I've been healthy and active all  my life but now when I wake up (usually after not enough sleep) I have severe back pain. The strange thing is my back only hurts if I bend backwards not forward. I thought I could be pinching something but bending backwards and enduring excruciating pain seems to be the only thing that makes my pain go away and when it goes away it stays away - until the next morning.
I think I will try all of the suggestions posted. Then if something works narrow it down to one or two solutions.

[JainMD]

Hi,
I think it is the position you sleep might be the cause of problem. There would be compressive pathology causing nerve compression and hence pain in morning.
Pain, tingling and numbness are signs of neuropathy.
Neuropathy could be due to compression pathology.
You can try different position while sleeping.
You can consult an orthopaedician for further evaluation.
Keep me informed if you have any queries.
Bye.

[Pum]

My husband has had this exact problem for years. He has solved the problem by changing the setting on his car seat to give more lumbar support.

Can't hurt to try this if your pain ties in with driving.

[Mr_Dobbs]

I too suffer from this awfull situation.  I went to a naturopath doctor and now I take Fish Oil, flax seed oil, Probiotics and a joint-relief pilled called Inflamo from Organix.  Problem 99% solved.  It's amazing how quickly you forget the pain.  I believe it is AS (see above) - thanks to this forum I'm fixed.

Mr. D from Muskoka.

[skyy210]

I am a 31-year-old female and have been having mid-back pain in the mornings when I wake up.  After an hour or two, it's fine.  This has been going on for a couple of weeks.  Toward the beginning, sometimes the pain woke me up in the middle of the night, but now I usually get a full night's sleep (8 hours or so) and just wake up in discomfort.  I used to have lower back pain when I was younger, which I associated with straining it lifting heavy objects.  Lower back pain I wouldn't be worried about because was used to it (haven't had it lately, though), but mid-back pain seems odd to me!

I've tried different mattresses but only for 3-4 nights at a time.  Can you notice a difference in that short a time?  I have been trying to sleep only on my back, and with a pillow that is not too fat, so my neck is straight.  If I take ibuprofen right after I wake up, the pain goes away, but like others I don't want to be taking drugs every day so I only do that when the pain is particularly bad.  Usually it's mild and goes away on its own.  I'm also intrigued by the mentions of avoiding carbonation and drinking more water... I may try that.  As it is now, I usually have 1-2 diet sodas a day.  I don't work out much, and thought maybe that was the reason, but reading this I see that might not help.  I know, I should start working out anyway.  =)

[DBG14]

Does anyone have lower back pain in the morning with pain also going from your left buttock to your knee.

I do and think this could be a serious problem.


DBG

[marissposa]

I think mid back pain often results from poor posture.  Do you usually sit or stand with your shoulders slumped forward?  Start working on your alignment.  Picture yourself growing taller, your head is a balloon and your spine is a string hanging straight and loose below it, feel your shoulder blades rolling  back and down and let them rest there like a heavy jacket on a hanger.  It will be exhausting to maintain this at first, but eventually it will become second nature.  Good posture is especially important if you have a desk job.  Rounding your shoulders forward and hunching towards a computer are mid-back killers.    
Two simple exercises that can help support mid-back posture:
1-  Weave  your fingers together in front of your sternum and (without actually releasing your grasp)  try to separate your fingers.  Hold for 15-20 seconds, Release and repeat several times.  You should feel this between your shoulder blades.
2-  Press your palms together in the "prayer" position in front of your sternum.  Push together and hold for 15-20 seconds.  Release and repeat several times.  You should feel this in your chest and shoulders.
These exercises are easily done several times a day, whenever sitting in traffic at a stoplight, or at your desk at work.
Water and exercise are also good ideas and will help with more than just your back pain  :)

[marissposa]

Does the pain run down the outside of your thigh to the knee?  It could be that a muscle spasm in your lower back, is pulling on your glutes, which are in turn pulling on the iliotibial band that runs the length of the thigh from the hip to the knee.

[Suri123]

Hi DBG14, how are you doing? Can you say when back pain started and when it started to radiate from your left buttock to your knee? Do you remember of any injury to back recently? What factors relieves pain and what aggravates it? Try to sleep on hard surface and apply heat with gentle massage after applying local pain get/spray. Avoid lifting weight, taking stairs any sporting activity till you feel better. You might be having probably left sided sciatica. It is better to consult a orthopedic surgeon to get evaluated and undergo necessary investigation. Take care and keep updating.  

[skyy210]

Thanks for the tips!  I do sit at a computer often, but am more usually leaning back in a reclined position.  Since my back started hurting I did try to sit upright more frequently.  

As it turned out... this time the pain went away after five nights on a firmer mattress.  I don't know whether that was what helped it, or if it was just coincidence and it would have gone away on its own.  That was the second round, though... hopefully it won't come back a third time!  =(

[marissposa]

GLad to hear it =)

[Katt319]

Look into Ankylosing Spondylitis- a progressive disease that affects the spine and sacroiliac joints. there are prescription medications that can help to control the pain, along with proper posture, frequent body position changes while passively sitting and moderate exercise.

[WIJOPA]

I'm 54 years old and in good health. I use to wake up with horrible lower back pain. It was so bad I couldn't even bend over to put my clothes on over for at least 5 minutes. Here's what worked for me. I got an adjustable bed, and raise both ends of the mattress to about a 20 degree angle. I then sleep on my left side in a fetal position with a pillow between my legs, my entire body on the raised upper part of the mattress. Keeping the lower part also raised prevents me from slipping down during the night. I now wake up with very little pain in my back.

[MetalJer]

37 y/o male.  Same issues.  It started about 3 months ago and currently I am in physical therapy.  My lower 4 verts had very little movement (10%) and now, after 4 weeks of pt I have about 60% but the same pain is still there, and maybe a little worse.  I have ordered a Sleep Number bed.  I will get it in 2 weeks when we move.  I will keep you posted.  Thanks for all the great ideas and thoughts!    

[falkin3]

Hope I can help here.  But I have experienced many similar pains to the rest of you that started occurring about 4 months ago.  My pain was horrific in the mornings, but would subside with moving around and a hot shower and then return with rage the next morning.  I am now completely pain free.  I sleep in the position I like and don't worry about pain in the morning.  

  The pain was in the upper middle part of my back in the 7th vertebrae of my left side.  I saw a spinal specialist who said said my spine looked good and reccomended new sleeping positions and a sleep number bed.  But without the desire to invest in all these things without knowing what was wrong, I got a second opinion from a well known sports medicine practitioner in my community.  He instantly suspected what it was and he was right.  

The cause of the pain was an inflammation of the join connecting my rib to my spine.  He suspects I tweaked it playing tennis or fly fishing or just a rough night of sleep.  As soon as he made his suspected diagnosis, we took new X-rays, and low and behold, you could make it out.  He thought it could be arthritis, but then told me that it wasn't based on the fact that only one joint was problematic.  I'll get to why I mentioned this in a second.  

I was then scheduled to see a PT specialist who has experience with these kind of problems.  I went to see him 2x per week.  PT consisted of absolutely no excercise.  But I wish it did.  The PT guy told me that my rib was slightly out of alignment with the joint.  When joints are irritated at rest, they become inflamed.

What he did hurt like an SOB.  He massaged the joint and the rib with the thumb of death.  But the results were instant as the pain just continued to decline in the mornings.  In three weeks, I was sleeping through the night.

If it were to be arthritis, then the next step would have been injections of steroids to relieve the inflammation.  

I can't say that this will work for all of you, but I can tell you that many of you have described the exact same symptoms.  Unable to sleep through the night.....Difficulty getting out of bed.....no comfortable sleeping position.....instant releif from heat treatments.  If you experience the same thing and the pain is coming from the middle to upper part of your back then do the following.

-See a sports medicine Doctor.  They know soft tissue like no one else and have most likely seen this injury.

-Do not see a chiropractor unless you are referred by your Doctor.  They have a tendancy to snap and go and can do more damage.

-Ask your Doctor to look for inflammation at the rib to spine joint.  

-See your Doctor as early as possible without trying to ease the pain.  This will help him/her identify the pain area.  I went early in the morning bent over like they wheeled me out of the nursing home and I'm 33 years old.  It's worth the sacrifice to help them do their jobs.

-Have him/her tape a piece cut of piece of paper clip next to the pain area so it shows up on the X-Ray.  The inflammation is hard to see without a guide.

-If they can't find the inflammation (and it's hard to see) request a bone scan.

-exercise for this type of injury will hinder instead of heal.  If your Doctor has not seen this type of injury, ask him if he can find a colleague that has.  The wrong type of PT could make it worse.  

I hope this helps some of you.  Good luck.    

[MetalJer]

Well, my PT made it a little worse.  It involved a ton of stretching, all done by the PT laying on top of me and twisting me around.  Sure, I was loose afterwards, but the next morning was excruciating and I had to do 15 minutes of stretching on my own just to be able to walk.  And after I lifted weights with it, OMG!   So, I now have a sleep number bed which has helped about 50%.  Don't get me wrong - 50% is fantastic, but I know that it is temporary as I am only treating the symptom and not the problem.  Next step?  Back to my family practitioner.  Falkin3: I will mention what you had, but mine is in the lower 4 verts.  Anyway, I will report back soon.

I should also note that it is impossible for me to do conventional sit ups.  Not that my stomach isn't strong enough, it just feels like my back is going to dislocate at the 4th vert from my pelvis when I get about half way up.

One more thing.  I noticed that there are no longer posts from all the people that had this strange pain.  Are they all...dead?   What if we all have Terminal Back Pain Disease?  I am kidding.  Kind of.  Where are all of you?   I hope I don''t have TBPD.      

[B_ri]

i have been dealing with back pain on and off for 15 years. i had bi level disectomy performed feb. this year due to ruptured discs at l4-l5, l5-s1. months after surgery my pain got worse but in a different way, mainly in the mornings.after countless neuro visits with no answer i  tried a new dr. he told me i has spinal arthritis of the facet joints and named my symptoms to a tee. i,ve been on meds and went through 1 nerve block with a great result, but the pain came back.2nd block didn't help.he now recommends a lumbar rhizotomy, which is basically deadening the nerve. i know it sounds like a lot but at last i found a dr. that believes my pain and is trying to do something about it! hope this helps.


brian

[lkm571]

I have the same symptoms all of you describe, now for about 2 years.  I run regularly, have tried stretching, yoga, massage, PT, rest, chiropractors, everything.  I also sleep on a TP bed.  This might sound crazy, but I'm wondering if the onset of the pain for any of you corresponded with an emotional trauma in your life.  This is true in my case, and after trying everything I'm wondering if this is an avenue that I could explore to resolve the back pain.  Any thoughts?

[Ughbackpain]

I am 36 years old.  I am male.  For most of my adult life I have been in good shape, maybe as much as 20lbs over my ideal weight at times but usually fit.

About six months ago, I started having a hot sensation in my lower back and a combination of both pain and a weakness feeling in my lower back.  This would happen in the early AM hours, eventually it gets intense enough that I can no longer sleep.  

Usually I wake up, dismayed usually. Try to stretch a little possibly, use the toilet, usually at least urinate and then try to go back to bed.

Unfortunately, the pain lingers for me about 30 to 45 minutes and it is usually impossible to go back to sleep due to the discomfort.

I have had some mornings I wake up, and I am like a giddy little kid, because for some reason, some days there will be very little or no pain.  Other days, the contrary.

I stopped eating after 6:00 PM and usually in bed before 11:00.  This has not made a huge impact for me yet, but overall, I do need to drop around 50lbs.  So not eating late is in my new gameplan.   In addition, for the past three years or so, I have been an avid beer drinker.  Usually daily, anywhere from 3 to 6 beers, and as much as 9 to 12 on occasion.

I did join a gym, but have not been completely perfect about attendence.  Usually due to not feeling well.

I am trying to get to the bottom of it.  Not much luck yet.  Right now I am still just stuck with theories and ideas, and no real winner for overcoming the pain.

I did have luck working out primarily doing core exercises and the eliptical at the gym.  And on those days I made it a point to drink 8 large glasses of water.  Which felt like I was waterlogging myself, but I found that I often would not have back pain the next morning, but would have to urinate like a race horse.  Sort of an inconvenient trade off.  

Anyway, I am going to watch this list, let me know if you find any remedy.

I have thought everything from spine issues, to oversized bladder, to kidney problems, to liver problems, to just pure "have no idea!".

Best of Luck,

Ughbackpain in NY

[deepdiver]

buy the sleep number bed!!! it's GREAT have you a copy of some back exercises?

[tnrs81c]

I had same problem, every morning my LOWER back would get worse and worse - no need to recount the same symptoms, you all know.  

One morning it was so terrible I could not even get out of bed.  So, then pains started shooting down my left leg.  It was completely bizarre.  These horrible pains would be in my foot, my calf, then my right hip.  They would move.  It got really really bad for about 2 weeks.  I was literally crawling around the house wincing in pain.  

My foot was numb feeling, and sometimes it felt like it was on fire.  Now, stay with me, because this was all nerve related, I found out.

I was baffled.

Finally a (third) doctor told me it was Sciatica and I went to Physical Therapy.  It all made sense. The PT lady told me what was happening.  She said it was all in the nerves and the irritation.  She said your nerves are like a network of wires running from your fingers, neck, down to your toes.  During the night, because of your positiong, fluid buildup, and irritation occurs at the midpoint of this network.  If you have Sciatica, the nerve damage shoots down your leg.

The PT was awesome.  She gave me excercises to do, like laying on your back and lifting your legs to your chest.  Your basically lubricating the your nerve network.   I also had, what I thought, was extreme tightness in my left leg.  This she said, was not the muscle, but it was the nerve tighness.  And she stretched me.  

Unfortunately, this never goes away entirely.  I did get better and I can now even run.  But, recently I started getting pains in my mid-back every morning.  I wake up a 5am.  I think it's related to the sciatica.

My foot is still partially numb, but I don't worry about it.  I still have to stretch my left leg every day, so tight...nerves.

The PT told me that being overweight/out of shape is part of the problem.  I am.  She said the muscles in the stomach and core area aren't strong and can't support the back as much.  Plus the extra weight causes problems.

I suggest, swimming/water aerobics.  You don't have take a class, just get in the water and stretch, and do a few laps.  

Lose weight.  

Try different things - firmer matteress, drink less, stretch more.  I saw a post about fish oil.  I am going to try that.

[Dr Vinod]

Swimming is a good exercise. Also you can do lot of cardio specifically which do not hurt your back. Walking for long distances is a good idea.
Your Physician is absolutely right and you should lose weight.
Go to a professional dietician and get a diet chart with 500 cals less than required for your age and height and also do whatever exercise you are comfortable in and you will lose weight.
Once you lose weight your back problem will slowly disappear and please also wear comfortable clothing.
Take care!

[longsleeper]

I can relate to literally every comment posted here. I wake every morning with extremely bad lower back pain that extends up around my rib cage. After some stretching and a hot shower, the pain disappears. -But there is something different about my situation from other comments here: I take heavy doses of tranquilizers and antidepressants every evening, and I usually sleep 10 hours a night. A sleeping partner has told me that I sleep like a dead man: flat on my back, with my arms crossed over my chest. I don't think I change positions or move ALL NIGHT because of the sedative effects of my medicine -I think this is the cause of the pain. In all other regards, I am active and pain free during the day, well rested and alert also. Does anyone have a similar story?

[Dr Vinod]

Hi,
We do not know the reasons why you are taking so many sedatives. If you can avoid them it is good for your long term health.
Choose ergonomically suitable bed and mattress while sleeping this will help.
Take care!

[Haze1987]

Hi, Im 22 and about 4 months ago I had tendonitis in my shoulders and arms, i was also waking up with back pains in the morning that would ease within half and hour of waking up, my tendonitis has been treated but the lower back pain that you have all described has stayed with me and seems to be getting worse! I was worried that it seems many people have been suffering here for years without any answers and i was wondering whether anybody thinks that the back pain might be linked to the tendonitis i had? could i have done some permanent damage by not resting enough when i had tendonitis? I cant afford a good matress so for now im going to try cod liver oil and multivitamin and maybe some anti inflammetries?

:)

[scottyj575]

Lower back pain in the morning usually indicates bulging or herniated discs in your back. While sleeping fluid builds up in your disks causing them to enlarge and if one or more is bulging it will get pinched by your vertebra. When you get up in the morning the fluid drains and the disks go back to there normal size and the pain is reduced. GO GET AN MRI AND A GOOD DR.!

[SummerBreeze092]

I've had the exact lower back pain symptoms as most of you have described to the point that I can’t roll over in the AM without throwing my arm over, grabbing the sheets and pulling me to my side.  

A few weeks ago the pain changed and didn’t subside as described and stayed with me all day long.  I tried a Chiro – gave me some immediate relief but the pain came back in the AM, Heat – gave me some relief but again came back.  

A friend recommended I take 2 Naproxin, 2X a day and sleep in my recliner for two weeks.  IT WORKS!!!  I’m on day 13 in the recliner and taking the Naproxin and haven’t had any of the back pain!!! (just a little stiffness).  I know I have to get back to my bed (and my boyfriend would like that too) so I’ll post again after I’m back in the big girl bed and let you all know how it’s going.

[Dr Vinod]

Hello!

Good to know that your pain is decreasing.

Also consider good ergonomics and proper lifestyle practices and limit the use of medications and pain killers for long term. Wear proper footwear and avoid high heels. Sleep on a proper mattress and also use proper ergonomic friendly chairs.

If the pain returns always get your self diagnosed by an orthopedician and get an MRI done of your lower spine and hip area.

Take care!

[Morenoyoayala]

I Also have the same similar problem paon andall

[Morenoyoayala]

I also need sone advice abs how to really get sone help and you know something I'm getting tired of getting up in the morning with a pain low pain really hurts no matter what I do take pills for the pain called excedrin the pill has two different kind of color on both sides this is the only pill that helps me realese the aotumstic pain
thanks any ohter advice will be nice
Eduardo

[Jules1421]

I read through the first several postings and smiled!  I am a 42 year old female in good health, regularly exercise and had a sore back in the morning on and off for years.  I too tried everything from new mattresses to yoga.  I FINALLY KNOW WHAT CAUSED IT - GLUTEN!  While a glass of soda at night may not help, your problem is most likely an intolerance to gluten which causes a varying degree of air/gas in your entire abdominal cavity which makes you feel like you slept the evening on a cold cement block.  When you get up in the morning and start moving around the gas redistributes and usually causes much less pain.  It has nothing to do with poor ‘ergonomics’ or anything else generally back related, since the pain is only in the morning.  Eating gluten free is quite a commitment, but has health benefits that far exceed getting rid of your morning back pain.  For more information go to the Celiac Website.  In your 20's and 30's you may be in early stages of gluten intolerance and not yet diagnosed with Celiac disease.  A beer is most definitely related to gluten intolerance.  Following a gluten free diet has changed my life and…NO MORE BACK PAIN.

[smbgti]

hi all,
im a 39 year old male, i exercise regularly, go to the gym etc. when i was 28 i suffered a Lumbosacral disc herniation. ever since that time i have had problems with my back which have always got better with rest after 2 months or so.
in jan of this year i suffered a rotator cuff tendon injury weight training. this got better with time also and now has completely heals.(this may have no relevance) shortly after i started to suffer mild lower back pain which progressed in severity. at worst, the pain was intense and unbearable .the pain moved around my lower back ending up as sciatica in my right leg.the pain is at its worst in the mornings when it wakes me up after about 6 hours and continues with less severity though out the day. i get pain down my right leg into my foot,  and in my hip. some times my right leg goes numb. i cannot do any activities other than slow walking as the pain is just to much.i get sporadic nervous pain shooting into my hip which makes my yelp like a big girl(no offence girls) my left foot is numb and has been so for 2 months with no change. i have been to the doctors and physiotherapy but no improvement. i am now going to push for a scan. i have tried to rest up with no activity much at all but this didnt work. i drink 1 large strong cup of coffee a day and some water, no alcohol. im considering giving it up in a vain attempt to rehydrate. any ideas that may help? im desperate!!!

will continue to post

[timbok23]

Hi

I am a 33 year male, slim and reasonably fit. I started running last year and suspect I did my back in during one run. I tried to 'wiggle' my back while running strangely enough on one occasion just to try it out, a stupid mistake as I woke up for months afterwards around 5am with lower back pain! It disappears after 20 minutes once out of bed though

Anyway fed up with it I read up on the forums, and what worked for me was doing 10 minutes exercise and stretching around 10pm before bed targeting the back legs and chest. The pain started to improve I think after the first evenings exercises, the next week or two the pain was on and off not necessarily after doing exercises, but 3 or 4 weeks now I am not waking up in pain which is a relief!

Hope this helps someone

Tim

[slivered]

Hi SkyerNite,

                
                  I'm 25 and I've had similar problems for the past few years.  I actually slipped a disc in my lower back about 5 years ago which I'm sure is part of the reason that I still have pain in the mornings.  I find that I can usually "walk it off" and that it is the worst if I've slept in.  Do you find that yours is worse when you sleep in?  Near as I can figure for myself, the pain seems to relate to being in one position sleeping for many long hours (at least that's what I take away from the fact that it is worst when I've slept for longer).  I've tried memory foam too and I find that is worse than a harder surface.  I think this is because it maintains you in one supported position all night.  When I slipped my disc they taught me some inner abdominal exercises (transverse abdominals).  If I'm consistent with those it seems to help the back pain (they said that these INNER abdominals support the spine so even if you have strong outer abdominals it is not the same thing).  The other thing I might recommend is orthotics.  I recently got orthotics for a foot problem and it seems to be surprisingly helpful for the back pain too.


Best of luck!

                --Miriam

[Aliyev]

FOUND THE SOLUTION

-About me (if you dont want to read, skip to solution below)

Im 28 years old, Male, very active and fit (Gym 6 days a week, volleyball leagues, basketball + other stuff).  The past 5 month i have been getting about 4 hours of sleep and am awoken by sharp back pain, making it impossible to go back to sleep. when i wake up i can barely move,  no matter what position i try they all hurt, its hard to breathe and it feels like a vertebrae is out of place pinching a nerve,  after i get up take a shower, walk around,  30 min to 1 hour later its as if though my back is 100% and all the symptoms are gone

- Solution
For me, it was a stomach problem.  I dont know how to explain it, but i read some stuff on this forum that gas or carbonation can build up during sleep and push on a nerve and this is apparently exactly what was happening to me.  Here is what i did, the problem took 5 days to totally disappear and i have been sleeping an awesome 8 hours a night with out waking up

1) clean up your diet,  Eat food that is easy to digest, nothing super greasy or tough for the stomach. DRINK LOTS OF WATER.  Dont eat too much in one sitting, eat multple times a day, little to moderate amount of food at a time.

2) Dont eat close to bed time. I made it so that my last bit of food was at the latest 3 hours before bed time

3) Already mentioned but Drink lots of water, this is very important

4) Give your self an Enema for the first 3 days (once a day for 3 days) Dont use the solution it comes with,  pour it out,  boil tap water (let it cool) and mix with a LITTLE BIT of lemon juice, hold inside for at least 3 minutes.    

Some of you may not want to do this step (4), which is fine, the problem is most of us have been abusing our stomach for a very long time eating junk food and processed foods that stick and harden to the walls of the intestines and slowly poison us,  If you want fast results like mine (5 days) dont skip this part)  

after your stomach is back to 100% functional,  you can slowly add some of your not so healthy foods back into your diet (just dont over do it)

END

Stuff that helps:

1) strengthen your back muscles,   so that they better support your spine.

2) strengthen your abdominal muscles. (Having stronger abs can reduce the amount of work your back muscles have to do by up to 30%

3)  Do lots of stretches,  when your muscles tense up and knot up, they pull and push on the muscles around them, putting pressure on the spinal cord and sometimes irritating the nerves in between the vertebrae

4)  Heat helps promote blood flow to the muscles and has a healing soothing effect.  Hot baths, hot showers and the sauna  help relax the muscles and take a portion of the pain away, (this is a big aid, dont overlook this)  (The only time you do NOT want to apply heat is if something is swollen, in which case it can make it worse by pumping more blood to the swollen area)

5) Back massage.  One of the most effective ways to get rid of the tension in your back muscles.  Make sure to find a therapist with lots of experience capable of doing deep tissue work.  Your not looking for something relaxing, your looking for something therapeutic.  When you call to schedule your appointment, ask how long your therapist has been doing massages,  try to find some one with at least 4 years of experience, plenty of strength and capable of using their forearms, elbows as well as hands.


Hope this helped,  I wish every one an injury free life that is exciting, challenging and rewarding.

Peace
"Em"

[Ivytanlh]

Hi Em,

I have similar situation except that I don't exercise regularly and I am trying very hard to do so now.

Firstly, may I know which country are you from? I am from Singapore.

Enema - Where can I buy it? Is it in powder form?

Regards,
Ivy Tan

[jhobos]

this is crazy but im just 19 yrs old and im suffering with the same problem as you guys... i had an motorcycle accident 2 yrs ago... the bike fell on my back...it wast that painful but through the years it hurts sometimes...usually in morning or at night before i sleep... sometimes when its very cold i can feel something weird and all of a sudden it hurts... never seen a doctor since i have the accident but our family friend who suffered the same thing just told me that i can only take pain relievers...

the pain always starts in my lumbar area...

thanks of the answers :D

[keasha_x]

im going to be honest and only read the first few of these as im at work and shouldnt really be on here but am really concerned.. i'm a 16 year old girl and have been having these same symptoms for the past year and a half at least now.. to start off with i thought it was the pressure of my urine on my bladder where my body automatically dont let myself wee throughout the night and when i wake up i always go a wee and i feel a slight relief yet the pain is stil there for a small part of the morning. ive only become a little more worried of the situation as it has been hurting more recently and my aunt told me i should go to the doctors as it could be a kidney problem.. i've booked appointments at my doctors and there is always something coming up at my end or theirs meaning i cant make it.. i will try to get there when possible but most people that have posted on here are 20+ should i be extra worried as im still quite young? its starting to scare me a little now..
keasha, xx

[TWLOHA]

Hi. I'm a 17 year old girl. My back has hurt since 4th grade. I've tried doctors, chiropractors, physical therapy, new mattress ect ect, My entire back throbs with pain at night. I lie in bed and feel my back pulse and twitch and spasm. It's always worse at night and almost unbearable in the morning. it seems the longer I try to sleep, the more excruciating the pain becomes. however, my pain doesn't go away throughout the day. I am Always feeling the pain. It's just incredibly worse in the mornings.  I'm physically fit, I don't drink much pop, my back doesn't seem to respond much to ice or heat. My back pain gets worse during my periods/before it too. It hurts if I stand too long, it hurts if I sit in one position too long and it pulses when I lye down. I have tried a TENS unit and instead of blocking the pain signals it caused my back to visible clench and spasm. my little sister sometimes gives me massages and she can give nice ones or the kind where she diggs into your back and it hurts like hell trying to get "knots" out. the massages sometimes provide short relief but the instant she stops the pain comes back full force. also I have had many tests done and x-rays and MRI's. My blood work is fine, nothing wrong there cept a lil low on Iron but the doc said that was nothing. He also said there were no signs of inflammation. I was tested for AS and I did not have it. x-rays showed that I had a herniated disc (already knew that) and maybe a few bone spurs but a very straight spine. these do not explain why my entire back hurts the way it does. I want the pain to go away. I don't understand why it's there and all the doctors have done is said "I hope you're smart because you'll never be able to do physical labor." I REFUSE to give up sports and physical labor, I've tried taking a break from those things to see if it helped. it didn't. I will try some of the suggestions I've seen here but I have little hope any more.
however I do have some questions..
1) would the build up of gas theory show up on any of the tests I mentioned before?
2) I have noticed that my curves on either side of my body are different..... one side is a deeper more acute curve. the other is more shallow. why is that? could that be related to my back in anyway?
3) I had an incident when I was in 4th grade where I fell off a 15 ft slide and landed flat on my back. I walked to my teacher, couldn't breath, collapsed, blacked out, and was rushed to the hospital. I was fine and had no problems. drs assumed that caused my herniated disc. but again it doesn't explain the back pain I suffer. but could this kind of a fall have caused some other issue that drs didn't catch that could be affecting my back?
4). would the kidney theory show on the tests I mentioned above?
5) I have also had many head injuries from lacrosse, other sports and a bike accident that I never got checked out because I knew there'd be nothing the drs. could do. could those be affecting my back?
6)I also have breathing difficulty during excersize which drs said COULD be sports induced asthma. an inhaler does partially help but I personally think my back is somehow causing the breathing difficulty. could there be any connection?
7)I often crack my back, is that bad for my back? i do it because I often feel like my back becomes stiff with little movement or staying in one position too long.
8) sometimes I have bad chest pains or pressure... sometimes my heart skips a beat or beats a little irregularly for a short time. like usually during periods of rest either directly after excersize or at night. is this in any way related to the back pain?
9) would anyone recommend homeotherapy? I've been to a homeopathic doctor and he's the only dr. I've ever appreciated because I left 100% satisfied and 100% better. however I'm hesitant with this chronic back pain because I'm tired of wasting my parents money on these stupid drs and tests. I can't deal with this pain much longer or I'll go crazy or one day I'll just not be able to stand up. but I do want to burden my parents with expensive drs and treatments that don't seem to work.

If anyone could answer these questions or give me a little insight into my particular situation I'd be eternally grateful. and to all who read all these.... thank you. just to know that someone else has some idea of what it feels like, who knows a little of what I'm going through...to know that someone cares and listened.... it means a ton. so thank you.

[paininbackhurts]

I have had morning back pain too. Get your parasite test from your doctor. I then took parasite kill and I was fine. I got that trick from Dr. Oz. his wife wrote a book and it happened to her too. She had her pain start at 3 in the morning each day.  Good luck

[norling]

hi i am 27 yrs aged also suffering with the same difficulty as u guys. whenever i worke up in morning my back pain but when i get up and go for walk it relief me and my pain had gone out until i sleep. it just started in few weeks. never seen a doctor but our family friend who suffered the same thing just told me that i can only take pain relievers... which i don't want to take.

if anyone  have cure for this problem plas write to me at my e-mail ***@**** be very gratefully....

[gymdandee]

Two products I recommend Nubax Trio if you google it check the ( Nubax Trio Back Pain Review ) I bought this and it's great I have two herniated disc and stenosis I also bought the Sleep number bed and sleep through the night!
Good Luck

[backissues]

About 12 months ago back I started having lower right side back pain upon waking. It takes quite sometime to move and flex to a level where I can dress myself. I have a set of stretching exercises I go through to get mobile each day. Sometimes the pain is so bad that I take a single paracetamol tablet which surprisingly can help reduce the pain to nothing for a couple of days. Occasionally I will have a day when I wake up with no pain at all without doing anytghing. I have had back issues for a long time but this is very different to the other back pains I have had. I don't sit much because if I do the next day the pain is too great.

Loosing weight has not helped at all. I saw a podiatrist who fitted me with custom made orthotics and this has I believe made matters worse for my back pain (it has helped my feet though).

I will try fish and flax oil next. Swimming does help as does walking each day but I am still at a loss to what is causing the actual pain and problem.  
I have had enough of the Doctors who suggest deep tissue massage - how much massage will fix the problem?

[babishead]

While many seem to complain about the pain, not many are explaining the exact description of the pain. The more detailed your descriptions are the more accurate the diagnosis is.

People please explain in elaborate words the type and kind of pain you experience. Is it constant pain like a headache or is it like a toothache....or is it spasmoidal or tingling sharp pain.

In my case I get the spasm like pain around the last 5 vertebrate of my spine and does not spread elsewhere which i would presume helps me detect that it is not related to nerve pinching since that would transfer the pain to other areas like the hip , buttocks, legs etc. I suspect my pain to be muscular cramps ( but quite sharp and painful ones) which occurs when I try to move from my sleeping position on my bed when i yelp aloud and return back to the previous position where the pain is lesser or is reduced. Again when I try to move on the other side it spasms again. These all feel like cramps to me pertaining to a certain rigidity of the cartilagenous muscles that surround the lower spine. This resembles very much like cramps where you would just freeze and yelp and wait till the area is a lot more relaxed. I have noticed that I constantly try to wringe/clench my butt/move hands/legs/lift neck and head etc around in the bed to find a position where the pain is the lowest and then take a deep breath when i find one such position. I remain like this for about 5-10 minutes and try again and gradually inch myself out of the bed

Does anyone else feel this type of pain too??

[natt2262]

I'm only 15 and this has been going on for a year or two. The worst pain i get is to breath when I wake up and it's a huge inconveniance. I also have a lot of unjustified joint problemsso I don't know what is related and what isn't. I don't want to see a Dr. about it because it's expencive and it's not looking like it's helping anyone else. Any suggestions?

[juanita399]

back pain in the morning or when i get up to bathroom during the night.
so intense i can scream. i am going to try fish oil/flaxseed oil.  also i have an appointment with my dr. i feel for all of you that have these symtoms (symptoms).

[juanita399]

pain starts when i have been in bed a while at night. when i get up to bathroom pain is intense to lower back and hips, radiates down left leg,also numbness and tingling. can hardly move in the morning. after i am up and moving in the morning an hour or so pain is gone, also i take 2 advils that work wonders,until i  have to go to bed again.

[Lolorock]

I'm a 30 year old female and have had very similar symptoms to everyone above.  I blame it on going through two pregnancies and carrying a 3 and 1 year old around all the time.  Also, I'm very tall (6'1") and have poor posture in general.  
I'm currently seeing a chiropractor and a very good massage therapist, but after 2 appointments each I'm just feeling extremely sore after and it's not helping the sleep at night yet.  I'll keep trying for 3-4 weeks before I reevaluate though.  
So far I think the carbonation elimination, flax/fish oil suggestions and possible gluten issues might be worth considering.
Isn't back pain unbelievable?  Especially when it reduces your sleep.... I've experienced 2 births with no pain relief, multiple tooth pain issues, etc. but to wake up EVERY morning with pain gets to you over time mentally and physically.  
I wish you all the best and thanks for the suggestions!

[hurtbear]

Hi All I am new to this horrible morning lower back/pelvic pain.  I recently got over a kidney infection and am in the process of passing a small stone which i believe i have already passed. I am now dealing with a morning pain that is similar to the kidney pain i experienced but not exact and only in the morning where the kidney pain was all day.  It is so bad i must take a vicodin and ibuprofen 800 in the A.M. to function at all.  Note the pain is DEBILITATING & EXCRUCIATING to answer the previous question of how does it feel, but more specifically a constant sharp pain in the lower back, hips and pelvic area.  I dont know how long it last because in the last week I have not been able to function without the pain killers.  I did some research and found that the Here is an excerpt from eHow Health:  

Important Warnings about Ciprofloxacin: Ciprofloxacin carries a special warning about the possibility of developing tendinitis or experiencing a tendon rupture while taking this medication, Medline Plus warns. People over the age of 60 are more susceptible to this. Children under 18 can develop problems with bones, joints or the tissues surrounding joints. Joint and tendon problems usually occur in the shoulder, hands and back of the ankle, but they can occur elsewhere. Although tendinitis or joint pain could involve the back, back pain, especially if accompanied by a fever, may indicate a different problem. Both types of back pain should be reported to your doctor immediately.

This antibiotic is prescibed to cure not just UTI's and Kidney infections but many other conditions such as venerial diseases.  Please respond if you have taken this drug, we may be onto something.  I will try all suggestions to help with my pain.  Is there any legal minds out there who can answer this question "If a drug company warns of a condition you may develop from taking their drug are they free of liability?" and "Does the word develop without the word temporarily indicate an indefinite condition?"

[Hoplite]

Im 42 and have had this problem for about 7 years. It has got noticably worse as time has passed, but some mornings are worse than others. I simply can't spend anymore than 9 hours in bed- if I do the pain and stiffness is terrible. I have done nothing as far as follow up with a doctor in response to this problem. It hurts to change possition or get up in the morning, but I push through it because it improves very rapidly with walking around and voiding my bladder. I am currently quite sedentary, but the pain was no different when I was training for a 1/2 marathon. I believe after reading this old thread that lactic acid and indeed carbonic acid may be large contributors to pain in the flanks in the morning. Drinking a couple large glasses of water 2 hours prior to bed and stealing clear of carbonated drinks after supper may help significantly. As a registered nurse I have seen, on countless ,  how similar factors affect people differently. This may not help everyone- or certainly cure anyone, but avoiding narcotics or prolonged NSAID use and managing symptoms is the goal here. I hurt this morning and realized I had a large mug of diet coke before bed- the stiffness and discomfort started after about 5 hours- noted that when I got up to go to the bathroom. The lactic acid- a biproduct of muscle use, and carbonic acid- a component of carbonated beverages are processed by the kidneys. Perhaps too much of these chemicals- sitting in the kidneys are causing the pain. Cleansing the works with water may help decrease the overnight acid bath that the kidneys are exposed to. I am often surprised at how simple solutions have extraordinary results and how what we consume determines how we feel.

[Hoplite]

After reading the entire thread from 05 to now it is clear that there are many different issues being talked about. If your pain is in the lower back/ flanks, non radiating and quickly resolved by movement then it may be more diet and activity related. As discussed before- gas may build up causing discomfort, corbinated beverages/ muscle use and training lead to increased lactic acid build up (as does sleep apnea!), previous injuries- especially when you are still growing- possibly involving bone growth plates can lead to ongoing and chronic problems later in life. Radiating pains into the legs or upper back suggest possible pinched nerves like in siatica. Perhaps those seeking help from buddies need to actually see a doctor. My pain has been on going for years, but I only started looking it up on the Internet because it is such a short term issue for me. I can't sleep in- so I don't, it hurts till I get up- so I get up. I have sleep apnea so I use a CPAP machine (if you snore- look into it!), for proper diagnosis you do need to be as specific as possible relating area, type and intensity of pain (the number scale is often used 1-10- 1 being you stubbed your toe and 10 you got hit by a truck [or the worst pain you have ever felt]. Talking to your doctor is necessary- certainly if nerves are suspected or relation to previous injuries and or a history of arthritis- a doctor is someone with experience treating people with a host of issues possibly very similar to your individual complaint. They can also refer you to other resources should the simple lifestyle changes noted in this discussion be inadequate. If you change doctors you don't have to start from scratch describing your problem and all the things you have tried to relieve the problem. He or she may ask you to give them a description of the problem, but that is to ensure they have a proper grasp of the specifics- things not always obvious from brief notes. Start simple, keep moving, keep looking and trying new things and never give up.

[drnurse]

Hi. Sorry to hear about everyone's back issues. I am a nurse and have back pain myself, probably just wear and tear but also due to herniated discs and muscle spasm so I know where you are coming from. Have also witnessed patients with severe back pain.
Whilst you may have spinal issues your back pain may also be due to Neuropathic pain caused by a variety of issues, one being related to medications or alcohol use. Dehydration could also be a cause.
So I would suggest trying to eliminate certain things from your diet, such as alcohol initially and see if there is an immediate improvement. You could also increase water intake during the day and perhaps try a supplement. Magnesium deficiency can also be a related issue, so magnesium supplement may be beneficial for a period of time. Fish oil tablets may also help...if it doesn't help our back, at least it might help our brain! ;-))
Failing that, RESTING (ie NO physical exercise for a period of time could be beneficial) along with heat packs and medication prescribed to you. Then introduce stretching exercises which will help reduce muscle spasm too, perhaps glucosamine also. Failing that an Xray or MRI, then as needed, physio or physical therapy, posture correction, meds or surgery. Go easy on the anti inflammatories if possible. Other meds can be prescribed for pain in addition or instead... panadol osteo, codeine based meds or low dose narcotics can help severe pain for short periods.but can be addictive and have side effects. I am sure you all know this already but hope to help a little. Stay positive
All the best, hope things improve

[Joshy12321]

I'm 14 it all started 6-12 months ago I woke up 3-5 hours after falling asleep  with a pain In the upper-centre of my back. I kind of ignored it but it is getting to the stage where it hurts so much, just wish it would go away.

[JaCoope]

I am 29 female who has suffered with morning back pain for 7 years. I can't remember really when it started (not from any particular incident). My sister suffers from it as well and is 10yrs older than me. I've always been healthy and active. I eat a completely organic diet, no alcohol and no cane sugar. I drink 2-3 litres of water a day. I've seen Chiro, osteo for years they only give temp relief, I take heaps of vitamins a day, tried accupunture with no effect. Have massages- nice, but no effect the next day. Only thing that worked for a while was no carbohydrates or sugar of any kind. It was hard to maintain but try paleo diet but don't eat fruit. See if it helps, I might try that again, hard to stick to bc I love to cook.

[Tredsaw12]

I have a solution for those of you people having a problem with back/kidney pain in the  morning that goes away quickly after getting up and urinating. Most likely the problem is kidney/urine reflux, where the urine backs up in the kidneys at night, this can be caused by debris or tiny stones caused by too much calcium in the urine which is usually caused by caffeine. Caffeine is extremely acidic and because the body MUST keep a somewhat neutral PH it has to excrete calcium  for this task. That's why caffeine also causes osteoporosis.

check out this great article -
http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/communications/familymedicine/2011/3427.htm).  

I used to drink tea daily and I had this problem for about 2 years and then I went on vacation with my wife  and didn't drink any tea and noticed I woke up with no pain. I was pleasantly intrigued. I thought maybe it  was the lack of stress because I was on vacation or it could be the mattress. So, when I got home and the  pain came back I stopped drinking tea and the pain went away.

I started drinking coffee a few months later, (just one cup a day), and at first I was fine, but slowly the  morning pain returned. The pain seemed to be more centralized directly between my kidneys instead on each  side like before but it was definitely the same kind of pain that resides quickly after getting out of bed  and urinating. I stopped drinking anything with caffeine and I am happy to say, I have absolutely no pain  at all.

Funny thing is if I drink alcohol the night before, I usually don't have the pain in the morning. I assume  it's because you **** out all your water before you go to bed and then you become somewhat dehydrated so  you produce less urine.

"Coffee is an irritant to the urinary tract and bladder. It is also a diuretic that  aggravates conditions associated with frequent urination. Eliminating coffee and caffeine often relieves  symptoms associated with frequent urination due to enlarged prostate glands."

Great article - http://drkaslow.com/html/coffee-caffeine.html

[Denimgirl]

Hi Everyone,

I too am suffering terribly from these morning lower back pains. Some mornings it's so bad that I'm practically paralysed from the waist down and it hurts to just wriggle my toes. It can take me up to 15 mins of prodding and massaging before I can get out of bed. Once I'm up and about the pain subsides after about 30 mins to an hour. Then it's like it never happened.

Here are some things that I have noticed:
- the better I sleep the worse the pain is.
- the pain doesn't kick in until at least 4-5 hours after I've gone to bed.
  (i could wake up 2 or 3 times before that and my back is fine)
- if I eat anything during the 3 hours before I go to bed the morning pain is excrutiating.
- Magnesium doesn't help.
- Stretching before bed doesn't help.
- Cutting out coffee didn't help (but I still drink tea)

I know as we get older our bones get porous and I do think, as stated in an earlier comment, that the lubrication around the joints drain away and pool up, then as we move around our muscles kind of "squeeze" the lubricant back out, making the pain go away.  Having said this, are we all suffering from osteoporosis???  Anyway, I might try a few of these suggestions from this website http://www.simple-remedies.com/home-remedies/osteoporosis-treatment.html

[pocketdragon771]

hello just reading your comment , i also have the same problem , it has been 6 months now and i wake up every morning in  the most horrid pain, i have to get up straight away and rub my lower back then stand up, it takes a few hours for it to go , but during the day i have swinges of pain but not much, but i know every morning will be the same... i have had a ultra sound all clear, blood tests for infections all clear, just waitng for my xray results now.... but i am very surprised how many peopel suffer from this, in a way i am glad i am not alone, i hope you find a solution soon x

[Denimgirl]

Just an update...haven't found a solution yet but yoga helps a lot. Also, not eating or drinking at least 3 hours before going to bed makes a huge difference to me....go figure.

[pete358812]

Hi I have also been suffering with the same issue.  Even if I am really tired I have to get up as the pain is so intense, but as soon as I get up the pain subsides.

I went to my doctor and they thought it was my mattress, I have slept in hotels and friends and I get the same problem.

I recently had a detox and cut out all caffeine, alcohol and other bad sugars.

My bad pain has stopped completely.  I have introduced all the items and I have found out that my problem is caffeine.  I have totally stopped drinking coffee except for very rare occasions and my back pain has totally stopped.

Hope this helps