Severe lower back pain for 15 years
Hi, I’m a 27 M, about 5/11, 350 LBS, US. When I was about 12, I suddenly while sitting on the floor and trying to get up had a sharp burning pain in my lower right back. My dad and I decided I’d sleep it off but I couldn’t get up. Eventually the next day though I was better. It’s periodically been on and off, but has always remained as a humming uncomfortable feeling there.
The next major incident was when I was 18. I decided to sprint to catch my dad down a really long driveway to give him something he forgot. I gave it to him and by the time he left and I was a quarter of the way back, I was holding back screams of agony. Same place, same pain. I had to literally drag myself back to my house and in bed. When it gets really bad like that it’s like an involuntary spasm or something. I have to arch backwards and it feels like I’m about to shit myself if I don’t grunt or scream.
We went to the hospital later and I was given muscle relaxers and I was bedridden for a week. They told me it was probably a muscle spasm of some kind but they didn’t elaborate much from what I remember. After that it was mostly okay, but I never was able to keep myself on it due to my dad worrying I’d get addicted. I couldn’t tell if the meds helped because my muscles were the problem or if the muscle relaxers just felt good.
The next time was when I was 21. I don’t know what caused this one, I just woke up and yet again couldn’t walk. Returning to the hospital they just told me to take pain meds and sent me away.
The last major time was when I was 24. I carried a couch down a hill and then couldn’t walk anymore after that. I knew it would probably go away so I just let it. It took about 5 days for me to be able to walk normally again.
And again thought my life to this day it comes and goes in severity but it’s always there. Seemingly at random when I wake up it’s horrible but gets better. When it’s bad, if I cough it’ll make it worse. And when it’s relieved from whatever it is, it feels like after you stretch I guess. I’ve also been heavily discouraged by my family to rely on medicine so for the majority of my life I’ve not been, and at this point in my life I can’t afford to go.
This is also a factor into why I’m so heavy. I used to be very athletic and I loved running and walking. Nowadays it feels like my back is always warning me when I decide to move my right leg in any way that’s moving it higher than my knee. Some people I ask say it could be a nerve, the old doctor told me it was a muscle. To my knowledge I don’t have anything else but again I haven’t been to the doctor in years and haven’t had one since I was 15. I would like to know whatever anyone could tell me, and thank you for taking the time to read this post.