Hi Keith,

I had upper back pain for several months, on two occasions last year. The pain coincided with a flare up of my C-spine lesion(s), and was combined with other MS symptoms.

I was checked for everything under the sun, including osteoperosis. I went for MANY massages . . . to no avail. It wasn't until the pain went away, BOTH TIMES when the flares let up, that I was convinced it was related to the MS.

The location in the spinal cord that can affect the lower back is L-3. Have you ever had a T spine MRI (which would show a L spine lesion)? If it is not a lesion that is causing this, it may be that you are compensating for other muscle weakness, ie. foot, legs, etc., by straining the muscles in your lower back. This is common cause of many upper and lower back problems with MS actually.

If I were you, I'd check out physiotheraphy to see if they can see a structural, muscle, or gait issue that could be causing this. I would also consider massages by someone who is very experienced in treating MS patients (both physio and massuese should be).

My doc gave me some great exercises to tighten my tummy muscles when I was having lower back pain, and in that case it wasn't related to the MS. If you save this on your comp, you can print it so it is legible.



Cherie