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When is back pain an major issue?

Hello,  I began having lower back pain about two months ago.  It is similar to siatica, but located in the center of my back.  Without moving, the pain (with intense childbirth contractions being a 10), are around 7.  Moving the wrong way, escalates the pain to a 10 very quickly.  Now, what concerns me is that, since my back started to hurt, I've lost some control of my bladder, and I am no longer able to, for lack of a better description, void during a bowel movement without using my fingers to push (sounds gross, I know).  I also caught a nasty cold a couple of weeks ago, which has left me with a terrible cough.  Each time I cough, or sneeze, it feels like my lower spine is being crushed in a vice.  My right foot is always tingling, now.  A newly developed symptom is dizziness.  When I stand up, I feel like a wave is knocking me over.

My husband calls me very stubborn and thinks that I need to go and get this checked out, while I'm just waiting for it to pass.  So, my question to you is, when does back pain become and issue that requires some medical attention?
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144586 tn?1284666164
Your problem requires immediate medical attention, and an MRI (preferably a 3T) of the lumbar vertebrae. There are many reasons for a pinched nerve, ranging from simple misalignment to spinal stenosis to a growth. An MRI will determine whether manipulation and exercises will help. If nerve compression goes on too long you can cause muscle wasting and nerve atrophy. Seeing a physician should be a high priority.
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16089509 tn?1445223975
I suffer from lower back pain as well but yours sounds far worse. When I have been seen for my back pain the doctor was very concerned about whether or not I had lost bowel control as well as leg pain. They cautioned that if those systems ever manifested that I should seek medical treatment right away as it could pose a serious health risk.
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