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How Is Parasthesia Treated ?
Question: Lower back painFor the past couple of weeks I have been having extreme off and on pain in my lower back. It hurts when I stand, sit correctly, lay down, etc. There has been no escaping the pain. Stretching feels great at first, but shortly after it causes more pain. I lift heavy boxes at times at work, but never frequently. I think I first noticed the pain after falling asleep akward on a couch. Aspirin has not helped at all. I know in due time the pain will eventually diminish because this has happened twice before, but never this long (3 weeks). Can you sum up what this could be, so I can seek the right treatment. Thanks!
Hi,
Thanks for the query.
The pain is suggestive of a spinal nerve irritation and/or pressure over spinal cord, most likely due to slipping of disc from its normal position. The reason for slip disc could be the abnormal posture you
had while sleeping that you already mentioned.
What ever the reason, it is recommended that we establish a diagnosis. Since I can not examine you, I request you to acknowledge with answers to following questions.
1. Your Age, height, weight currently
2. Does the pain radiate to legs?
3. Besides lifting heavy boxes at work, do you lift weights at gym/home?
4. What type of mattress do you use for while sleeping(coir-foam/cotton/hard coir)
5. Do you have pain elsewhere like in joints or neck?
As you correctly said, this is a self limiting condition and pain will disappear in some days on its own. But we would like it to subside completely and not return.
The measures which will ensure proper recovery are-
1. Take adequate rest in a day (min 8 hrs sleep)
2. Avoid forward bending and lifting weights for few weeks.
3. Aspirin is not the drug of choice in this circumstance, so discontinue that with immediate effect. With your physicians prescription take a non steroidal anti inflammatory-muscle relaxant combination, local ointment for a week.
4. Begin physiotherapy in form of lumbar traction and short wave diathermy for a week.
5. Learn back strengthening exercises from your physiotherapist and do those exercises daily after the pain has completely gone.
This condition needs to be evaluated by an Xray primarily, and an MRI eventually for early diagnosis of disc lesion. If you have got any investigations done please send me the soft copy to my attention at YYYY@YYYY
Hope that this information helps and hope that you will get better soon.
Best Regards,
Thanks for the query.
The pain is suggestive of a spinal nerve irritation and/or pressure over spinal cord, most likely due to slipping of disc from its normal position. The reason for slip disc could be the abnormal posture you
had while sleeping that you already mentioned.
What ever the reason, it is recommended that we establish a diagnosis. Since I can not examine you, I request you to acknowledge with answers to following questions.
1. Your Age, height, weight currently
2. Does the pain radiate to legs?
3. Besides lifting heavy boxes at work, do you lift weights at gym/home?
4. What type of mattress do you use for while sleeping(coir-foam/cotton/hard coir)
5. Do you have pain elsewhere like in joints or neck?
As you correctly said, this is a self limiting condition and pain will disappear in some days on its own. But we would like it to subside completely and not return.
The measures which will ensure proper recovery are-
1. Take adequate rest in a day (min 8 hrs sleep)
2. Avoid forward bending and lifting weights for few weeks.
3. Aspirin is not the drug of choice in this circumstance, so discontinue that with immediate effect. With your physicians prescription take a non steroidal anti inflammatory-muscle relaxant combination, local ointment for a week.
4. Begin physiotherapy in form of lumbar traction and short wave diathermy for a week.
5. Learn back strengthening exercises from your physiotherapist and do those exercises daily after the pain has completely gone.
This condition needs to be evaluated by an Xray primarily, and an MRI eventually for early diagnosis of disc lesion. If you have got any investigations done please send me the soft copy to my attention at YYYY@YYYY
Hope that this information helps and hope that you will get better soon.
Best Regards,
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
I'm 31, 5'9", 185. At times I can feel a bit of a tingle in my ham strings and waist...if I attempt to bend my back. I have been sleeping on a couch for the past 3 months, due to my current living arrangements. No weights at home either. No pain else where. I've been told to take Aleve. 800MG...still don't help. I will seek medical attention as of Sept. 1, when my insurance coverage kicks in. Thanks for your thorough answer.
Hello once again,
I thank you for your prompt reply to my questions and your kind words.
Looks like it is a disc pathology after all. The symptoms from the description provided by you suggest some early changes of spondylosis. The tingling sensation in the back of thigh is called Parasthesia, which again tells us that one of the nerve root is compressed in your lumbar area, possibly your Sciatic nerve. Avoid forward bending and lifting heavy objects completely for a few weeks to prevent any further damage.
I hope you consult your orthopaedician for thorough clinical check-up soon and follow the instructions that I've previously mentioned with his approval and supervision. I shall once again outline the points you need to discuss with your doctor.
1. Sleeping posture and avoidance of forward bending,
2. Discontinuing Aspirin and Aleve and starting an anti inflammatory with muscle relaxant combination plus a nerve tonic like pregabalin.
3. Role of physiotherapy namely lumbar traction and local ultrasonics at this stage, and back strengthening exercises after pain subsides completely.
Finally it will require atleast an Xray to screen the back and MRI to confirm the pathology.
Do get back to us for any other query you feel that needs to be answered, I'm available for follow up.
Hope you get well soon. Good luck.
I thank you for your prompt reply to my questions and your kind words.
Looks like it is a disc pathology after all. The symptoms from the description provided by you suggest some early changes of spondylosis. The tingling sensation in the back of thigh is called Parasthesia, which again tells us that one of the nerve root is compressed in your lumbar area, possibly your Sciatic nerve. Avoid forward bending and lifting heavy objects completely for a few weeks to prevent any further damage.
I hope you consult your orthopaedician for thorough clinical check-up soon and follow the instructions that I've previously mentioned with his approval and supervision. I shall once again outline the points you need to discuss with your doctor.
1. Sleeping posture and avoidance of forward bending,
2. Discontinuing Aspirin and Aleve and starting an anti inflammatory with muscle relaxant combination plus a nerve tonic like pregabalin.
3. Role of physiotherapy namely lumbar traction and local ultrasonics at this stage, and back strengthening exercises after pain subsides completely.
Finally it will require atleast an Xray to screen the back and MRI to confirm the pathology.
Do get back to us for any other query you feel that needs to be answered, I'm available for follow up.
Hope you get well soon. Good luck.
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Answered by
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