Hypersensitive back - Muscle contract on touch - Painful!

[MommaPoosh]

If you guys can help me figure out what's wrong with me, I will be forever grateful. I've Googled my problem for years and the closest I can come up with is, possibly "static mechanical allodynia"?? And no, I've never been to the doctor over it. So, here goes.

I have an extremely sensitive back. I've not been abused or had any trauma done to my back, or anything like that. However I do have sciatic pain and "self diagnosed" interstitial cystitis (chronic pain of the bladder for seemingly no reason -- some people consider it a type of fibromyalgia) . Years ago this started out as my back just being slightly sensitive. Let's call it, ticklish. Where I wasn't fond of my back being touched but it was no big deal. Fast forward to now, if anyone touches my back it makes my muscles in that spot contract uncontrollably and is painful. But not a normal kind of pain. Think ticklish, but beyond laughable. So ticklish that I don't even know if ticklish is the right word to use anymore. Just a JOLT of nerves all at once, all isolated. It almost brings me to tears in that instant. I can handle flat palm "even" touches if I know it's coming and the pressure is at a "normal" level very evenly distributed. But any pokes, or pressure, and it causes me to yell out. I've been told maybe it's all "mental" because if people are behind me and I'm thinking about it, I'll sort of twitch and look back and try my best to make sure I don't get bumped into. However, there have been countless times where people will forget and come up behind me just to pat me on the back and it causes the same reaction. I can't have back massages.

I recently had a child, and when I was getting the epidural (had to be done 3 times to take) I couldn't stop twitching and moving. It was a horrific experience. I screamed out the entire time. And had a nurse standing by me going "Ohh, it doesn't hurt!" and I simply didn't have the words to explain to her. "No, it doesn't HURT.. But I can't help that I have a severe involuntary reaction when someone touches me. That my muscles contract. That a feel like my nerve endings are on the surface of my skin and it takes all my will power to not jump 10 feet in the opposite direction when being touched on my back." So, she just got to sit there and judge me with her eyes the whole time which made me feel awful.

Having a child now, I know they're going to be jumping on my back and running into me when they're older. I also want a child in the future but knowing I have to go through the epidural again brings me to tears I'm so afraid of it (and I'm not afraid of needles at all!)

Can anyone help me figure out what's wrong? Then maybe I can get on the path to some relief. Or at least have a better understanding of what's happening to me.

[Tuckamore]

Hello and Welcome. I am glad that you found us and took the time to share your concerns. We get it!

First, congratulations on becoming a mother. You're life will be forever changed.

Before I respond to your questions I can't help but say tha I find it extremely interesting that you have done all this self DX (diagnosis). Why have you never consulted a good medical provider? Oh I know too well that a good provider can be very difficult to find - but if I had one best suggestion for you - it's to find a good provider. I'm older than you and have been through the gambit of medical professionals. I've found that a D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathy) often understands the mechanics of our body's function and structure better than most. The best medical provider I ever had was a female D.O. After years of being told there was nothing wrong with me - she found the reasons for my pain and provided me with test proven, undisputed  diagnoses. I encourage you to find yourself a good medical provider too. It will change the course of your life - and medical care.

I'm not certain what you mean when you ask if anyone can help you figure out what's happening to you. Given the information you've provided I think your self DX may be correct. However they may not be either.

Okay - now for your questions. It's possible that you have static mechanical allodynia. For our readers Allodynia simply means, Pain that occurs from a stimulus that ordinarily does not provoke pain. Only it's not simple - it's painful. When one has this condition the nerves often can't determine pain from pleasure - as you said you can't tolerate a massage.  Why this occurs is not always clear. If you do have this condition there are medications - sometimes even treatments that can make your life easier to manage. Non-opiate drugs like Lyrica (and others) have had some success in treating Allodynia. Please look into these possibilities.

Your self DX, Interstitial Cystitis (IC) should also be evaluated by a medical provider. I know that's probably not what you want to hear - but it's time my dear to get to the bottom of your painful issues. IC can be a debilitating disease condition - especially if not treated. It most likely will not improve on it's own. The good news is there are treatments and options to help this condition. Learning if there is a cause is a key in going forward. As you know sometimes they simply can't find a reason for IC - in some instances they do find one. In any instance it can be treated. You deserve that! Why suffer my friend in pain?

It's time to have your painful conditions evaluated.  There are no great home remedies for undiagnosed conditions. A self DX is not a good starting point. You're a mom now and you'll require all the energy and strength you can muster to be a good one - which I'm sure you are.

I'm guessing this is not what you were looking for when you came here. I truly apologize for that. I would be doing you a disfavor if I didn't encourage you to seek a true DX. You may be right - but get a medical provider to agree with your DX.

Obviously living healthy, eating right, getting plenty of exercise and so forth can be helpful in any situation. Knowing exactly what medical issues you face can help you pinpoint which strategies will be most effective for you.

I truly hope something I have offered has been of help. I'll look forward to further comments and questions from you. I wish you the very best. Hope to hear from you soon.

Take Care,
~Tuck