Hi all, after five years of tests 4 mri, lp etc I was diagnosed about 8 weeks ago with MS, I have an app to see the MS specialist to discuss drugs and plan of action, I’m dealing ok with it but really surprised at how little ( none ) support has been offered by the system after being told, anyway that’s a side point to the post.
last 18 months on and off I’ve had really bad back pain, usually lasting 3-4 days but literally stops me in my tracks from doing anything, I can barely sit, dress etc.
anybody else have back pain as Ms and what form it takes ? Or am I simply suffering back problems that has nothing to do with Ms at all ?
I get severe lower back pain. Not constant but it too stops me in my tracks. In me it may be down to the weight gain I’ve experienced in the past couple of years (3 stone!) due to medications’ side effects.
I get lower back pain and my ms nurse said it’s due to short circuit fatigue. The muscles in my back seem to be very weak so I’m hoping that when I start on the exercise refereral scheme, next week, it will help. Ask your GP to refer you to physiotherapy, they can be very helpful.
Hi Paul. My name is Zoe and I am 29. I had been suffering with chronic back pain for months on end on and off. I had MRI scans and it turns out that it’s MS. My doctor told me it’s related but she didn’t explain how it’s related to it. I tend to get my back pain in the mornings or even during the night. I have to have help to get out of bed and so painful to move, it also gives me spasms in my back. I find going for a nice steady walk really helps me a lot and the pain eventually goes away. My next step is a MRI on my brain then a visit to the neurologist but I know nothing else. No info, no medication. I guess they want to wait for my results on my brain first. Anyway, I don’t think I have been much help but I hope I have help a little.
Yes, i have had and still got a stinging sensation with numbness on the lower back, near spine (right hand side only), but mine goes through to the front also, and under ribs.horrible.
It’s bloody awful! Random too. I treat mine with pain killers about 6 a day is enough to remain alert and not feel wasted. I also do stretching etc which is horrid at the time but releases the tension/pain and feels better after. The best thing for me is the steam room at the local hotel/gym. Followed by ice on my shoulders, then back in the steam room. I feel wonderful for a short while after this then it creeps back again.
I often have lovely days with small things happening, flowers blooming, birds in the back garden etc. then for no reason at all I wake up with the pain in the middle of the night. My routine is to stand up slowly, swear as much as I can with my favourite words, get tea, get a hot water bottle, painkillers then just read. Sometimes it goes off or the painkillers put me to sleep, sometimes it doesn’t and I am then awake all day more or less till I go to bed. Can be a long day if the pain starts but I don’t work anymore so I just view it as part of the course for that day and probably don’t get dressed. If the pain is ok the next day then I get up early and bog off somewhere useful rather than lying around like a sloth.
I have found this year that sometimes to prevent the random pain being so bad, if I sit watching the tele in the evenings with a neck support, back belt (I use a weight lifting belt as it is cheaper), legs up (as ordered by my GP), this helps my spine and doesn’t stress it out too much. I can tell you, it isn’t very romantic looking, especially in the winter when I sit on the sofa with an added scarf and a leg brace. I look like something from Inspector Gadget.
Last year I found a really good lady who did massage but she massaged by back whilst I sat slumped over a chair as it was difficult for me to lie down. She was brill but has now left.
I have a combination of arthritis, nerve pain (from spinal lesion) and muscle pain. I take Amitriptyline for the nerve pain (was originally given it for muscle tightness but found that the pain in my back had gone), I’ve managed to come off of CodyDydramol and use tens machine instead.
I had a course of Alexander Technique and found this beneficial, mainly because we often have muscle weakness in our backs and the poor posture can cause pain.
It’s difficult to say what kind of back pain you have but it does sound like the stress of living with ms is related to your pain. If it is nerve pain you are suffering then there are drugs that can help, although acupuncture, massage, reflexology and mindfulness are good alternatives. I have found that panicking makes extreme pain worse, when I have an attack of nerve pain I try to stay as calm as possible, (if possible lie in a comfortable position) and wait for the pain to die off.
Good luck; I’m sure you will find something to relieve this pain.
hi all im 29 a mother 2 boys and step mum to 4 and 1 on the way i was diagnosed with ms in january and am yet to see any specialists after mri scans ect !!! im wondering what people’s thoughts are on how to help with chronic pain nexk spone back im.not.coping the paon can get unbearable
I’ve had considerable back pain on and off for 30 years, sometimes leaving me house bound for months, but it has always been put down to me being overweight, I think if you’re even very slightly overweight it may be seen as the cause. If you’re not the over weight the medicos might try to blame something/anything other than your MS.
Back pain can be horrifically debilitating for anyone and the pills don’t always help, you might like to look into a TENS machine, there are multitudes of designs and strengths and mine (now more than 20 years old and only semi functional) looks like an old fashioned Walkman, though half the size.
but it must be said not all our health issues are caused by MS, and sometimes back pain is just that, caused by a long day of activity, or sleeping funny or anything else that causes back strain.
If if sleep on my left, my back kills, if my mattress is too hard, my back kills, if I Hoover the carpet, my back sometimes kills, if I stand up to long, my back kills. Almost anything can set it off. So you’re definitely not alone.
Try to assess if anything particular sets it off, adapt this wherever possible to avoid the consequences, and good luck finding a remedy that helps you individually.
Hi my name is Kate I woke up in the early morning with excruciating back it felt as if a football was kicked right between shoulder and my pain follows down my spine. Every time I move it hurts like hell. I have PPMS any suggestion for pain relief?
Hi, wondered if anyone can help me with this. Ive had low back pain for as long as i can remember, just got on with it, usually a bad bout of cold will floor me if it hits my back. A couple year ago i started with severe night time back pain, the type that feels like someone was snapping my spine in half. 6 weeks ago at work my back seized up, i felt like i was being crushed around my ribcage, the pain was off the scale. I ended in casualty where i lost feeling temporary below waist. Since then im off work trying to keep pain under control with gabapentin n amitryptiline. Im weak still, had another episode of loosing feeling below waist temporary. I have sciatica, shooting pains from hips down, a strange stinging sensation all over, also i get spasms on a night, from hips down, last night i had 3 spasms from shoulders down. Spinal MRI shows bulgin discs, degenerative disc disease and other stuff but nothing to cause loss of feeling, stinging etc. GP has now referred me to nuerologist and ordered a brain MRI, am scared this could be MS, i also do get brief shooting pain in right eye, for a while now but as it passes as soon as it comes i was never worried about that.
im.not.coping the paon can get unbearable