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Fell And Hit Back, X-ray Reports Normal. Taking Pain Killers, Pain Not Subsided. Is X-ray The Right Diagnosing?
I am a 44 year old female with osteopenia but no other medical conditions. 2 days ago, I fell backward off a chair onto another chair with the brunt of the force hitting on the upper part of my right buttocks but also smacking my right mid back and head on the way down. I did not lose consciousness but got a weird burning pain down the inside of my forearms (that were not injured) that lasted about 4-5 hours. At the er, they took 3 x rays of my lower back and sent me home with pain medicine. I m still in a lot of pain, but my question is whether x rays are sufficient for diagnosing a back injury and how long I should wait before following up with my doctor?
Fri, 4 Jan 2013
Hello and welcome
Good to listen that your X-rays are normal. It seems to have soft tissue injury that takes few days for healing. Follow some precautions:
1. Take complete bed rest.
2. Do hot and cold fermentation at the back.
3. Apply local anti-inflammatory get gently at the paining site.
4. Take analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce pain.
5. Restrict the movements of your back and avoid all jerky movements of the spine.
If your pain reduce in 2-3 days than continue the precautions but if your pain increases and become worsen than consult your doctor and you may need MRI scan to rule out any ligament or nerve injury.
Best Wishes
Good to listen that your X-rays are normal. It seems to have soft tissue injury that takes few days for healing. Follow some precautions:
1. Take complete bed rest.
2. Do hot and cold fermentation at the back.
3. Apply local anti-inflammatory get gently at the paining site.
4. Take analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce pain.
5. Restrict the movements of your back and avoid all jerky movements of the spine.
If your pain reduce in 2-3 days than continue the precautions but if your pain increases and become worsen than consult your doctor and you may need MRI scan to rule out any ligament or nerve injury.
Best Wishes
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