Back Pain in the Morning

[SkyerNite]

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?

:)