I am having a really rough time with my back/ hips. I keep using my heated rice pack on my back and that helps a little, but I am having these major stabs of pain through my lower back that seem to stab from my back straight through to my stomach/ belly area. It is better when I sit still but when walking it gets excruciating.

Does this happen to anyone else? Is it just the RSD?

If so, do you have ideas for me? Thanks a lot.

Have you had testing {xray/MRI/ultrasound} to make sure there is no other cause for that pain?

I think the advice of the Mri is good to rule out anything else. But usually we have all had all those tests by now. My stabbing pains are shocking, they can literally knock me down. I take Bacolfen for them and zanaflex. Vicious and very scary I know. Front to back. Its hard for me not to belivie it is a heart attack. Women often have that type of sympton- but my heart checks out just fine so as usual it is RSD. Take care CZ

Hi there,

Well, I agree with Jo actually, it's something that should be checked out, in case it's not the RSD.

CZ, we can only really say "this is what I know it is *in my case*", I'm sure you realise this. I suppose if several more people add to this post saying "and me too", then IHH might reasonably conclude that it really is only the RSD.

But that kind of symptom really could mean a lot of different things - specially for women, in that area.

So...well, I personally would get myself checked out...just my $0.2 worth!
all the best

i had severe lower back pain a few years ago and was worried that it was rsd spreading there, but i went for an MRI of my complete back and found it was degenerative L-4 to L-5. i had two facet blocks that very day and have to do some exercises to keep the pain away. but at least it was not rsd ...
joan

It's always worth getting things checked out properly.... but if there is "no conclusion" and it''s attributed to RSD it's nice to not feel alone with it....

so V, get it checked out!!!

love ya and hang in there babe!!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


(but as ever, I can unfortunatly empathise with the sx).

My Physical Therapist diagnosed me with RSD in my back and she did a lot of soft tissue massage for months along with me getting TPI's in my back. It's calmed down good now.

When I first started with the RSD, I was like you I was in so much pain everywhere that I was more suicidal then ever. I had a lot of other things going on so it was hard to separate it all at first. It took us a few years to get things figured out and calmed down in me. I do know what you are going through. It's not an easy journey with the RSD.

I hope you start feeling better soon. I would see if the Dr. would do some test. I have back problems also and that's why I never thought of having it in my back. I started out having PT to get me up out of bed from my back problems and then the TOS and TOS surgery then the RSD. They were working on my TOS and RSD in other places when she found it in my back.

Have you tried putting some Lidocaine patches on your back? That might help some.

Feel better soon.
Ada

Thank you for all the advice and experiences, everyone. I really appreciate it.

I am going to talk to my Dr about it, and from there maybe I'll get an MRI or such done (just to be sure it isn't just the RSD).

Ada, I am putting the lidocaine patches on my back- they help a little. But, sometimes this RSD pain is so bad that there is not much anything does for me. Thanks for the idea.

Thanks, Frogga! ((hugs)) I am so utterly thankful for you all here... it is one place where I can come and know I am understood completely (sadly), and I want you all to know how much you mean to me. Thank you so much.

I just wanted to quickly update this post so everyone who read it will know that I did come to a conclusion on what this pain coming through my back is...

This same pain still occurs and now I get the pain in my stomach and chest. My Dr. explained to me that it is muscle spasms. The spasms in my back are getting extreme enough that they cause the surrounding muscles to spasm as well (for example: if I am having upper back pain, and my muscles are spasming then that is enough to cause the muscles around the rib cage to spasm which will cause the chest pain that I am having).

CZ- like you said, I told my Dr. that if she hadn't told me what was causing this severe pain I could really think that I was having a heart attack! The pain stops me in my tracks and I literally cannot move. I have to stop and sit down until the pain calms down enough.

Right now I am on a low dose of Valium which my Dr. prescribed for my jaw, but she thought it might help with the back spasms which is causing this chest/ stomach pain.

Yes, those muscle spasms can affect many areas.
Many of the TOS members have gone to ER thinking they were having a heart attack and heart tested out fine- it was the spasms.
There is a nerve that runs around the chest- intercostal?

my thoughts are that the nerve can be a cause of the spasms or the muscles {or TrPs } can start first and then they will pinch or compress on the nerve to cause chest pain symptoms.
{as long as the heart is ruled OK}


my TOS spasms started as tight muscles, then TrPs and then full spasms.
we were doing a heavy project {concrete floor for our shop} that I couldn't really stop helping with.
And I had never had anything like those spasms before.

My ribs and chest felt like they were vibrating, it was kind of hard to breathe and I felt like I had to cough, the muscles were all locked up over my whole upperbody. weird stuff.
I suffered thru it at the time, not really knowing what it was - the heart/breathing problem faded but I still felt all locked up.
I happened to find my chiro at that time and he was the one that told me about spasms and "rescued" me from them. It took a couple of weeks but with each treatment I felt so much better.