I'm new to this discussion forum. I'm a 39 year old male who has been suffering lower back pain for probably a year. I'm fairly certain it is not muscular related because it never goes away and seems to eminate from my spine. It ranges in severity from moderate to severe and is always present. Something as simple as bending over to touch my feet, sitting up from a prone position, or even sneezing, can cause intesne pain. I visited my family doctor and was told I need to start exercising (especially some stretches for the back), lose a few pounds (I'm 5'6" and 160lb.....certainly not obese), start eating breakfast, and he gave me a prescrip for Ibu and a muscle relaxant. I'm sure this is all good advice but I left his office feeling this wasn't the answer. I feel fairly certain it is related to my spine somehow.....not sure if it's bad discs, pinched nerves, or whatever. I am thinking about seeing a specialist because I don't really want to wait the 6 weeks to return to the family doctor only to have the same symptoms. Any thoughts on who I should be seeing? An orthopedic surgeon? Nuerologist? Any advice would be appreciated.

Brett

Brett you are probably having a problem with the ligaments in your pelvis. Had you been doing any heavy lifting shortly before your problems began? Do you have weak abs? As this is the biggest reason for SIJD, Sacroiliac Joint Dysfuntion. Do a search on my name TERRA157, and you can see my posts from this last couple of weeks. , it will explain a lot of SIJD, give you a few exercises to do, and you can see if they help.

Many things can cause low back pain, so you have to start ruling things out... THe first thing that I would suggest is to see a spine specialist, and get an MRI, which will determine if you have a herniated disc, bulging disc, or degenerative disc disease, or arthritis of the facet joints, which all can cause pain... It could be muscular as well.. Either way, excercise is always good BUT you should do the right excercices.. Usually, a spine specialist (neurologist or neurosurgeon that has completed his fellowship) will recommend 6 weeks of physical therapy, which worked for me.. Then, this is something that you will do every day for the rest of your life... Just like brushing your teeth.. You will do 15-30 minutes every day or so to strengthen your core muscles... Keeping weight off is a good idea as well..

Last but not least... Hydrate youself by drinking plenty of water (at lease 64 oz a day) and take Glucosamine with Condroitin for your joints..

God bless,

Maurizio