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Does A Lumbar Puncture Causes Severe Lower Backaches?
I am a 40 year old woman and when I was 8 months old I was given a spinal tap. I have suffered from back pains most of my life. Several years ago my brother was an EMT and studied and aided in lumbar punctures. One time a few years back I was laying across my mother s bed because of the pain in my lower back and my brother happened to walk in and ask what was wrong. When my brother showed my mom where my spinal tap would have been given all those years ago he pressed on the location and I almost came off of the bed in pain. I am overweight and would be considered obese, my family doctor seems to just pass it off as sciatica; which I do have issues with. Is it possible that the spinal tap I was given as an infant could be causing these lower back pains? I have times where it hurts so bad I can barely stand at the sink to brush my teeth or wash my hands.
Mon, 19 Nov 2018
Hi,
A lumbar puncture can follow a headache and backache. However, this is extremely unlikely to be so long standing. It may cause mild to moderate pain which occurs few days, the most for few weeks but very unlikely to be this long as yours.
Your dr may be right, sciatica is the most common cause of a long-standing backache. howe'ver it should not be dismissed without an MRI if the pain is so severe and so long standing. I would strongly suggest getting an MRI of the spine so that everything is clear. Once the diagnosis is made by an MRI of the back, treatment may be better directed towards the cause.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Mahboob Ur Rahman,
General & Family Physician
A lumbar puncture can follow a headache and backache. However, this is extremely unlikely to be so long standing. It may cause mild to moderate pain which occurs few days, the most for few weeks but very unlikely to be this long as yours.
Your dr may be right, sciatica is the most common cause of a long-standing backache. howe'ver it should not be dismissed without an MRI if the pain is so severe and so long standing. I would strongly suggest getting an MRI of the spine so that everything is clear. Once the diagnosis is made by an MRI of the back, treatment may be better directed towards the cause.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Mahboob Ur Rahman,
General & Family Physician
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