SEVERE lower back pain

Mike Jamison

Hi all,

I'm a 5'10", 160 lb., 40 year old male. A month ago I must have slept wrong and woke up with pain on the right side of my lower back. The pain comes and goes but gets much worse when I'm bending forward at the waist and at the end of the day it's almost impossible to pick something up off the ground without severe pain. It isn't radiating to my leg, it's just concentrated on my lower back, but although it comes and goes in severity it doesn't seem to be getting any better. When I go for walks up the street there is pain on the right side at the beginning (as I bring my right leg forward) but that pain starts to improve the longer I walk. I've been hesitant to see my doc because I thought it would heal on its own after awhile so I wanted to see what you all think it could be before I make an appointment. Is it a slipped/herniated disc that just isn't healing? Something else? Any advice or ideas would be much appreciated! Thanks so much!