Lower Back Pain and knee weakness

**Ladywriter1968** · 01-19-2011, 01:28 PM

I have lower back pain and had it for years now, sometimes it hurts a lot and feels like my muscles are being twisted around inside my back like a flanel being rinsed out. I was told the stuff between my spine seeped out a bit.

I do exercise to try to help it.

Any one else suffer with bad back?

My knee weakness now I think was caused by my back pain, as I used to limp a bit when it hurt which put pressure on my knees. Thats the only reason I can think of.

01-20-2011, 12:48 PM

>>>>>> Hi. It sounRAB like it is time for you to see a spine doctor to get a diagnosis of just what is going on. Look for an orthopedic spine specialist or a neurosurgeon who specializes in the spine. This does not mean you need surgery. But these doctors are the best at knowing what tests may be needed and at reading the results. Since you were told that some of the disc material leaked out, it could mean that you have a badly degenerated disc or even a herniation. I would lay off exercising for now until you see the specialist; the wrong exercises can make things worse.

I have had back problems since l981 and have had several surgeries; there are those who only need physical therapy to keep them going or pain managment as surgery is not always the best option. Between now and the time you see a specialist I recommend that you keep a journal. Write down the date and time, what kind of pain you are having and whether you did something that caused it to worsen. Keep track of what makes the pain better as well and rate your pain using the scale of 0 meaning no pain and 10 being the worst pain of your life. This kind of journal tells a story that can be very helpful to a spine specialist.

Keep posting please, and let us know how you are doing.

Carol

**Ladywriter1968** · 01-21-2011, 11:45 AM

Ok thanks for that. I did see doctors a few years ago and had MRU scans etc. they said its the stuff between the vertabrae, I know with backs there is not much they can do. I recently had physio exercises at the hospital as well. they call them flare ups, Some times its fine and other times its not. They said there was not much they could do for this type of back pain. Recently broke my little toe and that did not help matters, cause I was hobbling it caused more pain and pressure on my back.

**Ladywriter1968** · 01-21-2011, 08:09 PM

and I was told that my back muscles are to tight and stomach muscles are lazy. I need to do exercise to even then out.

01-22-2011, 03:24 AM

Problems with your discs can cause your muscles to become out of balance, and problems with your muscles can cause your spine to misalign. It's a vicious cycle. Also your leg muscles tighten too much and get trigger points which cause the knee to misalign. I have all these issues, and I have gained much relief from massage therapy. Helps greatly with function and pain.

01-22-2011, 08:03 PM

Since it has been a few years since you have seen a specialist, I really do think you might benefit from doing so. A new MRI or ct scan is important to see if there are changes present.....it really isn't wise to start exercising when you have back problems unless approved by a doctor. Sometimes we can do more harm than good. You might benefit from seeing a pain management specialist who can employ special treatments to ease your pain.

Hope this helps and that you continue to post.

Carol