I had two discs herniate on me. I continued on with my job in construction as I really had little choice; taking Vicodin and Soma. THis worked for about 4 years. Then I was on a really heavy job (actually I wasn't so good, the herniations wore through the sciatic nerve and I vomited at around 2:00 P.M. most days) and I ruptured the discs.

The Surgeon didn't believe what I told him, did not prepare properly, went in on the wrong side and found two major blow outs on the right inside. Total FUBAR.

The next doc spent 6 hrs just cleaning up the scar tissue and another 5 doing a fusion. The hospital screwed up and put me in tiny leg circulating sheaths and ignored my screams of pain all night. The next morning the doc wanted to remove both legs at the knee.

I was left with some weird stuff; now reflexes in my legs and never ending pain in my back which leads to sciatic pain and chronic muscle spasms.

Somewhere a nerve or set of nerves is being stimulated.

As far as I can tell there are limited solutions. List: No more than 1 hour in any fixed position, If you are thin a lace up corset helps a lot. A healthy dose (HIGH) of opiates and a good synergetic drug and perhaps a benzo diazapin. When the spasms hit stand up and put your hands on a wall, support and stretch gently.

In my state (WA) they are cutting off or down most pain med RX. The magic limit is 1/2 what makes my retired life 40% of normal. At 1/2 I'm in bed.

This is what it is. Doctors hate it because it's soft tissue damage and it's hard to document. The good/bad news is that with chronic pain you no longer "get high" when you take the meds. The doctors still act as if you do, but you don't and the therapists are hip.

Have you had any weight gain with the injury? Not using the back muscles or giving them extra work can exacerbate the spasms. They can't do what's asked and so they spasm.