I have had lower back pain for 9 months now.... It starts in the low back, comes around to my stomach, Also I have this shooting pain that goes right up my spine to my neck.. It feels like someone is shocking me, when this happens I have to scream & hold my back, because it hurts so much.Usually
I want to throw up with the pain... The back pain sometimes goes to
my right leg stops right before my knee... All this happens, when Im driving, just walking, doing house work,,etc... It happens more when I bend over to pick something up from the floor.. Just wondering if someone might be
able to help me... Just worried about whats going on with me..

Thanks in advance
Carissa

Let me be the first to say get check out by a dr. Don't stay in pain. I have lower back pain and went to a physical therapist and was given a number of stomach exercises to strengthen my stomach to suport my lower back. I went 3 times a week for 3 weeks and can already tell a difference. I was told to continue the exercises at home basically for a lifestyle change and in about a month try Pilates for Dummies to help continue to streagthen my core. Yes, I still hurt by the end of the day but it is more of an ache than hurt. Look at the sciatica post and do a search on the web for exercises. I started with simple things as a pelvic tilt. The pt asked if my children were c sections because of how weak my stomach was. Unfortunetly they were not just that week. There is a wealth of information on this forum spend sometime reading. Good luck and I hope you are pain free soon. Do go see a dr though.

Do not 'pass go,' do not 'take a card', 'do not play games', go directly to a spine specialist, either an orthopaedic spine MD, or a neurosurgeon spine specialist! You will have to have an MRI to determine a diagnosis.

Hello Carissa-
I'm going to be the next in line to tell you to see a doc ASAP. You need 2 things, 1) an xray, and 2) an MRI. Don't let anyone put you off with PT, ice and heat, bed rest, and so on. Severe back pain that persists for more than 8 weeks needs to be investigated - you're way past 8 weeks. I had many symptoms for almost a year and I also had a severe, shocking pain that happened as I bent over or, especially, as I straightened up after being bent over for any length of time. In my case the underlying problem (spodylolithesis) was apparent on xray but the MRI was needed to determine many other important factors (a severe stenosis and disk issues and so on). I should have gotten that xray months before I did. And I would have if only I had requested it. For many months my GP suggested more PT and I said OK, suggested NSAIDS and I said OK. We had NO idea what the problem was until we got the images.
Best of luck to you- Suzy-Q