When Going From A Seated To Upright Position Lower Back Pain

Posted on Fri, 19 Jan 2024

Question: I am a 47 year old female I began with a tight lower back area about three days ago. As of today pain on the right lower back side right above the buttocks has worsened. Especially when going from a seated to upright position. Advil and warm compresses seem to help a bit. The area feels very tight and immensely achy. What can cause such a pain which feels more pronounced when bending? What can I do to relieve the pain or keep it from getting worse?

Answered by Dr. Aashish Raghu (14 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Answer

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thanks for the query

Do you have any pain radiating from the buttock to the leg or foot?

Any pins and needles over the leg or foot?

It appears that you may have possible muscle spasm in the lower back muscles. This can result from irritation of the muscle fur to underlying disc prolapse, nerve irritation or slippage of vertebral bones.

Avoid bending forwards or lifting anything heavy. Apply warm wet compress on the painful region over the back. Keep pillow under the knees whilst sitting or in bed. Take pain killers and muscle relaxants.

If the pain does not resolve in a few days, it would be best to get standing X-rays of the lumbar spine +/- MRI lumbar spine as well.

I hope I have answered your query. I will be available to answer your follow up queries.

Thanking you.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Kampana

Follow up: Dr. Aashish Raghu (5 hours later)

Thank you for response. No shooting pain just tightness and ache worse when bending. I have Dr appointment in 2 weeks. Would it be ok to wait until then? There has been slight improvement from yesterday to today? Also what can be done for disc prolapse. I do not have health insurance and MRI can be very costly. It is possible to heal without testing?

Answered by Dr. Aashish Raghu (17 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Answer

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for letting me know. Commonly, acute disc bulge or prolapse has a 90% chance of resolution with conservative methods of treatment like weight loss, avoid lifting heavy objects, physiotherapy and injections for radiating pain to the legs. Some disc prolapses can persist and can require surgical removal.

It would fine to wait as long as you don’t have any new changes in your bowel or bladder habits like incontinence or retention.

Since you don’t have radiating pain to the legs, it may be early disc bulge or bony problem like slippage of the vertebra. X-rays can help to diagnose the latter.

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