Hi Everyone,

I have had left frontal / level 8 side pain for from January 2005 through about july (I felt I re-injured in April). AT its peak I could not sleep well, and had major pain when I rolled over / moved. Most all doctors said it was a pulled oblique, and since they could not find a hernia, negative CT scan and ultra sound, they told me to go to the gym and live life. I had the strength to pass their resistance tests, but I would be sore the next day for a month.

I rested from April through June (no doctorstesting my muscle strength), and the side /front pain started to resolve, although it really hurt to sit in a chair, but was more controllable when I laid down.

I went to a PT and he said he could not feel scar tissue in front but that I had a stiff joint in my back around the start of the 11th rib. He started the typical mid section Ab.exercises - planks, back lifts, etc. He thought I had pulled Quadratus lumborum, but his leg lift exercises hurt me , He said the leg lifts should not hurt the QL muscles, so he told me to get a mri of the spine, I was improving with 3 weeks of PT - the side pain was resolved and I only had back pain at this point. Then I had a "blow out while doing planks, and my front side lower oblique (love handle area) started to really hurt again (which either ever shaddowed the back pain or elimineted it. It seems if my front hurts the back does not, and if the front is resolved the back hurts, sometimes they both hurt.

The Thoratic MRI is fine, but the lumbar MRI says there is "mild left paracentral herniationat L1-L2 causing flattening of the thecal sac with no evidence of foraminal encroachment or nerve root impingement. No spinal canal stenosis." Also, L5 S1 3MM disk bulge w/ possible posterior annular fissure.

I am seeing a phsyia. (muscle ) Dr. and he says the findings at L1 L2 should feel like a grain of sand. He has ordered an epidural for the L1-L2 area and I am to have it this week. Upon my request I will also have an MRI of the Abs. The problem is it does not feel like a grain of sand, it feels like I cannot sit in a chair for 5 minutes without the back pain starting and more than 2-3 hours of sitting and standing breaks needs ice / laying down (I required laying down after 10 minutes 3 months ago so it seems to be better). Currently I cannot walk more than ½ mile without getting front side pain and pain around the end of my 11th and 12th Ribs.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated concerning my pain, or what to expect from the epidural…. Would this MRI finding cause this type of pain? As of now the pain is a 1or less on monday up to a 4 or 6 on Friday.

laying down helps as well as streching my psoas muscle a little, over -streching causes a lot of pain..

Thanks !!