Yes, I did read the article. I know what a GP is and also assumed they would refer me if they thought it would be helpful. I've seen 4 different GP's in 2 different states about it and not a single one has suggested seeing an orthopedic surgeon. Maybe because of my age. They all tell me to lose weight and exercise and go to physical therapy and see if that helps. To be fair I haven't really tried any of those things with any consistency so I don't know if it would stop the problem like they suspect.

I will consider seeing a specialist. I don't want anyone touching my back right now but I can call tomorrow and see what wait times are like.

I have some lumbar area issues and I have been satisfied with services from a back-specializing physiatrist. A physiatrist is an MD with a specialty that is also called Physical Medicine and Rehabiliation. They don't do surgery. They're often in practice with orthopedists specializing in backs because each has different approaches that are complimentary.

For me, the solution has been regular exercises for the core (abdomen) and strict attention to posture. I try to avoid bending over at the waist, instead I dip down using my knees and kneel if necessary. I roll out of bed on my side, I sit down and stand up carefully. With care and careful posture, it's years between back flareups. I can't remember the last time.

I'm never more comfortable than when upright on a straight backed hard chair. We have couches with high (not low) seat levels because they're easier to get out of. Low chairs and couches are uncomfortable for me. Our couches and chairs have firm cushions.

I detest recliners - most are too soft and not upright enough. I find having my legs at other than a 90 degree knee bend is uncomfortable too.

We've been shopping for furniture for a second home and we decided to order more of the brand and model we already have at our main home because most of what we've found in stores has been very uncomfortable.

PS - stay away from chiropractors, they're quacks.

My doctor told me that recliners are the worst possible chair for your lower back because your spine is in a slumped position. He told me to sit on a straight backed chair. I know this opinion is un-popular and I hesitated to say it. If I do sit on our reclining sofa, I put a little rectangular pillow in the small of my back to change the angle. During a flare-up, I am most comfortable in my desk chair.

For me, the solution has been regular exercises for the core (abdomen) and strict attention to posture. I try to avoid bending over at the waist, instead I dip down using my knees and kneel if necessary. I roll out of bed on my side, I sit down and stand up carefully. With care and careful posture, it's years between back flareups. I can't remember the last time.

This, a thousand times this. I began having trouble with my back in my early 30s (from pregnancy and lousy posture) and I'm now 61. It's been years since I've had a flareup, and I attribute that to exercise and, most of all, to changing my posture and how I move. I now sleep on my side with a pillow between my knees. I try never to bend at the waist, but only at the knees. I sit upright in chairs, not slouched. The change has been remarkable, and I highly recommend Elmer's suggestion of a physiatrist who can start you on the right path.

Chi, I just went to Woman's World's website for a writing-related matter, and the first thing I saw was this:

https://www.womansworld.com/posts/best-lift-recliners-for-elderly-162681

I know you're not elderly (not even close!), but still . . .

Gaz, I tried the one with the power lumbar and hated it!

The Golden chairs come in 2 different sizes.

I think it's very important that you sit in them for a while when trying to decide what to buy. We went to the store a few times and just sat in the various chairs. These do have a very firm supportive core.

The problem with recliners is that the motion of the chair back going down causes the very movement people with lumbar problems must avoid. On airplanes, even long transoceanic flights, I never recline the seatback. Same reason.

Like bookwoman, I also sleep on my side with a pillow between my knees.

Raven, actually Golden chairs, depending on the model come in as many as 6 sizes.

When I tried the lumbar support chair in the store I was told that "the chair had just come in and with a few days use that support will 'relax' and be very comfortable". NOT!

The Golden chairs come in several sizes. My mother is under 5' and we went to the medical supply store to try out the different chairs. (After checking other lift chairs out at furniture stores, those are junk. Go for the medical supply stores.) We got her the "Junior Petite". When she wasn't using it for a while, I offered to lend it to my friend who was having rotator cuff surgery. She is also petite but taller than Mom, and the chair was a bit too small for her. So you definitely want to get the chair that fits, especially at that price.

for the back, when my husband hurt his and couldn't move for a few days, he went to a chiropractor and it was great. He could move after the first visit, walk with less assistance after the second visit, and walk and get out of bed on his own within the week. I was skeptical at first, but it turned out to be the right choice for him. Now he does the exercises prescribed when it starts to bother him, and is more careful shoveling snow! The chiropractor was definitely less expensive than surgery.

But, there are times surgery is warranted. You need actual, informed, medical advice.

I attribute my good spinal and lumbar health to good posture, firm seating, supportive mattress and pillow, along with proper footwear (yes it matters). People who live in flip flops will eventually suffer poor back health, along with painful hips, knees, etc.

Back health posture.

Interesting, I live in flip flops, though they are the supportive, expensive ones, not the cheap flat ones.

I thought I was on the mend but it's so much worse today. I started calling some orthopedic surgeons but the waits are weeks long and the flare up will be long gone by then. It's hard to describe and demonstrate debilitating pain when it's not flaring up.

I moved from the couch to my computer chair with more support and that was so painful. My muscles don't want to sit like this but I know it's better for the long term.

So sorry. Try 10-15 minutes of very cold ice (so cold you can't stand it at first) every hour.

My oral surgeon prescribed alternating advil and tylenol, for acute pain following an extraction. Check with a doctor first before doing this. His instruction for me was to do each on a 4 hour cycle but staggered so that noon is advil, 2 pm tylenol, 4 pm advil, 6 pm tylenol, etc for a couple of days. I tolerate both fine and the double dosage was very effective and avoided using stronger meds.

Thanks. Ice is the one thing I haven't tried so I will give that a shot. I've been using Advil but I have a variety of stronger pain meds from past kidney stones and a tooth abscess, but I don't like taking them if I don't need to. The urgent care doctor I went to last time this happened told me to do 800 mg of advil but I'm nervous about that too so I've been sticking to 400 mg.

I'm trying to get into a nearby center with orthopedic surgeons and physiatrists so maybe I can get a more definitive diagnosis.

And keep wearing those flip flops.

Gee . . . that didn't sound helpful, Michael.

I tried to be helpful in my previous post.

People who live in flip flops will eventually suffer poor back health, along with painful hips, knees, etc.

Interesting, I live in flip flops, though they are the supportive, expensive ones, not the cheap flat ones.

Chi, I would urge you to see a physiatrist or pain management specialist in lieu of an orthopedic surgeon as that's the first line of defense. If necessary, they would be able to refer you to one.

As others have stated, back pain can be due to weak core muscles and there are specific exercises to strengthen them. However, PT is not done in a vacuum, it must be coordinated with your doctor and therapist based on your diagnosis.

Hope you are able to get to the root of your issues soon.

Even if you are not in a flareup if the doctor should be able to at least give you some suggestions about things that might help. They should have had patients who had similar pain.

Elmer did give a good suggestion about the alternating OTC pain pills. As described my the doctor at the time each one effects the body slightly differently. Be cautious and select the lowest possible dosage of each one of them. My doctor included aspirin in the mix. Also pay attention to the length of time stated on the container. Some are listed as take every 4,6, 8, 12 hours. I would not suggest overlapping those times.

"I tried to be helpful in my previous post."

And I said it was interesting because I wear flip flops all the time. I didn't say I plan to continue to wear them all the time, as I didn't consider the link before but it couldn't hurt to swap to something more supportive.

I have an appointment on Friday with a physiatrist. There are some orthopedic surgeons in the same group so I should be well covered. I'm a little bummed I have to wait so long but maybe i'll see my GP today and see if she can help me in the meantime.

There's a Good Feet store in Rockford. It may be worth a visit. No obligations.

I know many people don't link foot problems to back aches, but it's a common cause of hip, knee and back pain.

Best wishes for a solution.

Chi said

No MRI's or ultrasound. I've been to several doctors and they all tell me to lose weight and exercise more to fix it. Their exams and my symptoms indicate a muscle issue rather than nerve. It used to happen every few years but now it's every few months and I have aches every day when I wake up. Mattress is very high quality so it shouldn't be that.

~~~~~~~~~~

Chi -- I haven't done research on Osteopaths in the US or Canada but they go beyond chiropractors in that the expertise is skeletal/muscle both. Years ago I had a jammed up shoulder and upper back caused by stress and a one month stint caring for a very heavy relative. I couldn't get relief. ONE visit to an osteopath in Switzerland where I was visiting, completely healed me. He worked on me for an hour and at the end he said I might need one more treatment. I didn't.

I hope you finally find out what the problem is and get some relief. I live in Orlando and since it is a city, a large orthopedic practice with several locations has one walk in clinic open daily plus evenings and I believe on weekends for people with more urgent issues where waiting for an appt would be problematic. No extra charge for the walk in. Do a google search for orthopedic walk in clinic and maybe you will get lucky. My orthopedists are the Drs for the Orlando Magic so I figure they may be the best in town. I'm glad you are going further to figure this out. The walk in has a X-ray machine, you most likely need a MRI which will see the muscle, tendons, etc. I had to do physical therapy once for a knee issue and it completely fixed the problem. They used a huge ice pack blanket and a TENS machine at the end. I once had knee surgery too-different issue (same day surgery). DR said don't worry-its nothing-don't wait. He was right, I was back to normal in 2 days. Eventually a water aerobic class (if you were interested) would be easier on your back I would think. hmmmm I wear flip flops a lot. They have arch support and I have walked as much as 12 miles in a day at Disney with zero pain, however I've had shin pain when wearing sneakers on occasions like that. Maybe I should try another shoe.

Thanks everyone. I went to my GP today and made quite the spectacle of myself! It was so painful to walk in and she said I would need to take a seat and then come back for my co-pay and I looked at how far away the waiting room was and just started sobbing. They looked alarmed and got me back right away. Really embarrassing but oh well. Constant pain really gets to you after 3 days of no relief and I was very emotional.

I have a new prescription so maybe this will help. I was apparently taking a baby dose of my previous ones which is probably why it wasn't helping. I feel nice and loopy right now and while the pain is still there, I care less. :) Thank God they had the medicine there. I happily paid $15 to avoid dragging myself through CVS.

Appointment scheduled for Friday morning with pain and rehabilitation doctor.

Hang in there, Chi! After a car accident as a teen, I had terrible shoulder and neck pain a couple of days every month for years. Caused major headaches to the point of getting sick to my stomach. The x ray of the neck only showed problems with the head leaning back. Two vertebrae were rubbing together and pinching stuff. They tried everything from PT to Botox. Weirdly, I was pain free during my first pregnancy. It never came back as severe after. Pain free during the second one. It’s surprising I just have two kids. It hasn’t been too bad since then though and my youngest is 22. Just my heating pad around the shoulders at night watching tv and some Arnica cream. Doctors were puzzled, but the Estrogen was kind of low in between, so maybe the hormones did have something to do with it.

Chi -- I feel for you. Something is going on in the knee area. And I know that feeling of "I just can't go another step." And nothing as painful as your problem. Let's hope that in a little while this will be a memory.

When my mom died we took her lifrchair. It was not a real good one. Not comfortable to sit in. We had it in our bedroom and when my husband was having problems we moved it into the living room. It had stopped a couple times and he worked on it and got it going again.. our daughter was here one Saturday and we went into town to a nice store that sales them. They had a bunch of them from small to large. We sat in all of them. We went home and told him we had bought him a new chair. Being married to him for 50 plus years I can tell when he agrees. Our daughter and I went right back and ordered one. They delivered it on Monday morning. One feature this chair has is a battery backup. It has made a big difference for him. It is a Golden brand and cost almost $1000.00. For some reason the government pays the sales tax and we were grateful to get it. I asked around to friends to find someone that would like the old one. A guy that took it was thrilled to get it..

" I haven't done research on Osteopaths in the US...."

I can help. The US has a two tier medical education system. The top tier is conventional/standard medical schools, also called allopathic schools. They're very hard to get into, and even though the admission system is somewhat self-selecting (prospective students know the level of GPA and entrance exam scores that are needed and those with sub-standard scores tend to not apply) still more than half the applicants are denied admission.

The second tier is osteopathic schools. Osteopathy started as an approach "discovered" by a 19th century quack. The ongoing clashes between conventional medicine and osteopaths was resolved several decades ago with the compromise offered by the US medical establishment. Not in these exact words, but " You (Osteopathic schools) cover the same curriculum we do, we won't continue to fight your existence. But you can't grant MD degrees, you have to stick with DO (doctor of osteopathy).

It's much easier to get into a DO school than an allopathic school. Student test scores and achievements are lower and most applicants are failed applicants to MD schools. They do teach so-called Osteopathic manipulation techniques but few graduates use in in practice. Yes, they want to be physicians.

DO school graduates mostly DON'T do the better MD residencies for training.

Few (maybe no) DO schools would meet accreditation requirements of MD schools. For two big reasons and others - MD schools are required to operate hospitals for training purposes (DO schools aren't and don''t) and MD schools are required to have robust research departments (again, DO schools aren't and don't).

There are parts of the US where DOs are accepted in practice as close to similar to MDs. Many of these are Midwestern states. There are parts where they're not, these tend to be the coasts and more urban areas.

You want to see a good physician? See an MD, they're more accomplished and better trained.

Well, I took my muscle relaxers and some Advil and took a nap. Unfortunately I couldn't get out of bed. My husband had to help me and the pain was unreal.

It felt like knives were stabbing my spine no matter whether I was standing or sitting and that's not normal. Normally during these flare ups it only hurts to move, not when I'm sitting or standing.

I'm currently in the ER. I am not sure what they can do for me but maybe I can get some relief. I can't lay down again until this improves, that's for sure. I'm going to look into renting a lift chair tomorrow so I can sleep in that till my back calms down. It's not ideal but I know I'm doing damage the way I have to get out of bed.

((((((Chi))))) I hope they give you relief now and find answers and solutions quickly. So sorry that you are in such excruciating pain.

So sorry for what you are going thru. Hope you feel better soon, Chi.

I'm feeling a bit better. Maybe the muscle relaxers kicked in finally but the pain is tolerable. They gave me a nice shot of something to help and added a heavier duty pain reliever. The Dr was so nice and compassionate as he's had the same issue.

So glad you found a good doctor! Hope you can get some rest now that the pain is managed somewhat. It's even more important to get a good sleep when you're not well.

Tonight I am either staying up or dozing upright as I just can't get out of bed. Tomorrow morning I'm going to call around and see if I can get a chair rental so I can sleep in that for a few nights. It will be a good way to try it without spending thousands too.

When I was recovering from major abdominal surgery, I purchased a Catnapper chair for under a 1000. It has dual motors so just the feet or the back can raise or lower. It jad a higher weight rating too.

Just be certain to sit in any chair before you rent or buy. The seat width and length vary greatly. Also, make certain you can reach the controls easily in any position.

I slept in mine for 2 months because I could not get out of bed due to major abdominal surgery and a bum (and painful) leg.

I'm so sorry you're going through this, Chi! Sounds awful. Sometimes these things are inexplicably temporary, and I hope this one is.

Elmer, thanks for the research into Osteopaths. i believe the qualifications are different in Canada and even more so in Switzerland. My only experience with it was in Switzerland, simply because I was visiting family there and up to that time had only tried massage therapy. I'd hate to think I had to go back to Switzerland for treatment if I ever had that problem again!

I don't have a lift chair, but do have one that is electric and raises my feet and leans back with the controls. BUT, one day power went out and DH had to save me.

Just yesterday a friend who has been looking at a new chair told me they now have them with battery packs, for just that emergency! Might want to look into that too.

Chi, thinking of you and hoping you are feeling better.

Thank you. My back still hurts but it's definitely better than Monday. I've been on a strict regimen of muscle relaxers, Advil and Vicodin. I'm a little worried because I am really swelling up in my feet and legs. I read that can happen with a lot of Advil (I am taking 600 mg every 6 hours) so I lowered the dose today. Has anyone ever experienced this?

I rented a recliner that was delivered yesterday so I've been sitting and sleeping in it. I walk around every few hours.

The recliner isn't helping at all with the swelling which makes me think it's the medicines.

It would depend on how the recliner reclines. Is it flat or are your feet and lower legs lower than your knees. If it is the second it is probably the recliner that is causing the problem. The one I had pressed into the area right below the knee and caused fluid to pool in my legs. If you are still up try elevating your entire legs above your body until you can put a call into your doctor tomorrow.

So glad you are better than you were. I hope the chair lets you sleep or at least doze more effectively. ((((((Chi)))))

I just thought I would update. I'm at about 90% improvement so that's great. But this has been the longest recovery to date and that worries me. I'm still very stiff and sore and walking is difficult, but at least most of the pain has subsided. It's mostly side/hip muscles so I assume they were strained a bit to compensate for my inflamed spinal muscles last week.

I have physical therapy scheduled for Wednesday and an MRI for Friday. I'm excited to finally get a real diagnosis and start strengthening my back so hopefully this won't happen again.

Regarding the chair, it's been wonderful. I expect it's made my recovery a bit longer as I haven't been walking as much but it's been more comfortable. I don't need the lift assist anymore but I still sleep in it at night. I tried to sleep in my bed on Friday night but the pain came back. I think I need to accept that my preferred plush mattresses are bad for my back. I'm looking into buying a firmer one.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions and input!

So glad you are feeling better! You were in my thoughts.

That's good news, Chi! Best wishes for your continuing recovery and in getting a diagnosis so that you can get the treatment that you need.

I wonder if a sleep number mattress would be good for your back. Be sure to discuss mattress types with the dr once you get a diagnosis.

Chi, regarding the swelling of your feet and legs.....that's my main side effect with all pain meds and it can be painful in itself. I'll often have difficulty in catching a full breath and rapid heart beat, too, which can mean that fluid is also gathering in my abdomen and heart.

Try to be very mindful about what your body is telling you and act accordingly.

Thanks rhizo. The swelling was so bizarre. I would take my advil dose and within an hour I could literally feel my feet expanding. Luckily all the swelling rapidly dissipated once I stopped taking it and there's not much left. I was having an unusually slow heart beat and my throat was making these crackling noises but that's faded as well.

I am heading to physical therapy soon! I slept outside of my recliner for the first time last night and it went well. Some minor stiffness in my lower spine but hopefully the therapists can help me address it. I slept on my couch which is firmer than my mattress. I'll be ordering a new mattress today. I'm trying one of those ones they mail to you as it has a 100 day risk free return policy where they will come pick it up again. It's strange not being able to try it first, but I also think it's hard to pick out a mattress after only spending a few minutes laying on it.

Chi that is good news -- It's good when you can really believe that little by little things will improve. It's nice that they'll pick up the mattress if you don't like it! Returns can be such a negative experience.