Question: Hi, I'm 43 and don't take any medications. I'm 5'2", 125 lbs. I have two concerns I thought were unrelated but may not be. Either way I want to get ideas on each. First, I'm a longtime runner. About six weeks ago while running I began having moderate to intense pain near both sides of my spine throughout most of the length of my back, but especially the lower half. It doesn't feel like a pulled muscle. It hurts more the faster I run. This has continued almost every run since and I feel this pain in no other situation.

The other concern is testicular pain. I had a testicular torsion operation in the early 1980s. The last few years I've noticed similar pain for a minute here and there but never long enough for me to be concerned. It seems to have increased in frequency to as much as a few times a week. Still brief but intense twinges. So tonight, I felt both that pain and the back pain together while running for the first time. I don't know what to make of either. One background issue is I've had some sleep deprivation issues recently due to work and it led to (I think it's the cause) some heart palpitations and tightness in my chest a month ago (i.e. the running pain started earlier than the heart issue, though my sleep problems have been on and off for longer). I've been doing better with sleep and my heart has felt fine except for a bit of the palpitations occasionally and much milder when I start skimping on sleep, but I wonder if sleep could be involved in either issue? Thanks.