I am a 33 year old male in otherwise excellent health. I am a IT
professional and so I have to sit at a desk in front of a computer for
extended hours.
Since the last one year I have been experiencing back pain. I never
had it before my entire life. I don't know how it started because I
did not have a sports or other back related injury. I haven't lifted
any heavy weight either. It started rather suddenly. It started with
pain in the lower back and also in the middle torso (back region and
only one sided radiating to the right side - around the rib cage). The
pain was highest when I woke up in the morning and would slowly recede
after about two or three hours and pretty much disappear later in the
day. I have always liked to sleep on hard surfaces and avoided
mattresses and beds. I have been sleeping like this since the last 10
plus years. With some trial and error, I figured that if I placed a
rolled up towel underneath my back (upper and mid torso region) when I
sleep, the pain was slightly less in the morning.
This continued for several months and the pain receded and almost
disappeared even when I got up in the morning. Feeling confident, I
wanted to retire the towel, and about three weeks ago, I stopped using
it. The first week was ok. But after that, my pain has returned and
this time it is much more. It is as if my back "stiffens up"
overnight. It pains a lot in the lower back when I try to stand up
getting out of bed in the morning. It is a "shock" like pain in the
lower back (in 3 or 4 pulses). Same thing happens when I sit for a
while and try to get up. Again, like before, the pain is highest in
the morning and lessens as the day passes. There are no other symptoms
- no tingling feeling in the legs, no loss of sensation anywhere else.
The pain in the mid torso (thoracic) back side (radiating to the
right) is almost gone. Only the lower back (lumbar) pain has gotten
worse. Running/jogging is paining the lower back. Also, walking,
climbing up/down stairs and bending forward, getting in/out of the
car, standing up (after sitting a while) are all causing severe pain
in the back. I started using the towel again but this time with
limited relief.
If I walk for 15+ minutes, the pain reduces substantially. I used to
perform very light strength training with dumbbells but stopped since
the last month due to my back pain. For the last year or so I had a
bad sitting posture at work without any back support. I have changed
this since the last couple of weeks. I also started getting up once
every 30 min or so and also stretching myself throughout the day.
I have the habit of sleeping on my back (since my teens) and my
friends suggested I change my sleeping position to sideways. I did
this a week ago. The first couple of days, the pain almost disappeared
(specially when I got up from bed in the mornings) but has slowly made
a comeback. Would consulting a chiropractor or a pediatrician help? I
have been scared by people saying that chiropractors can be "hard" on
the spine with their techniques and pediatricians suggest surgery at
the drop of a hat.
Sorry for the long post. Please advise what I can do to solve my back
pain. Thank you for your time.