Expert: Scott F. Gillman, DC, DACBSP - 1/29/2007

Question
Hi I have been suffering with back pain for over 2 years now.I am 28 not overweight and am always on the move when I am at work. The pain is always there in my back but seems to ease when I am at work or moving about. Within 5 minutes of putting my feet up on the sofa or going to bed I can feel the pain start to get worse and my back stiffening up. The only position which is bearable at night is lying on my side with my legs bent. Standing in a queue for any length of time also aggravates it.I have had chiropractic sessions but it didnt really help. I then had x-ray and then a mri scan but nothing was found or diagnosed. I take pain-killers for my back when it is extremely bad, but they dont really help that much. I have tried heat and freeze aerosols, back support straps, and even a TENS machine. I would really appreciate any advice or help you could give me?
Thanks

Answer
Mark,

There is too much I don't know, such as your past medical history, previous injuries, etc.  Nevertheless, I wonder what kind of chiropractic treatment you've received.  Was is standard high-velocity, hands-on joint manipulation?  DId your chiropractor also try flexion-distraction to decompress our back?  Also, have you tried massage therapy or some acupuncture?  With a negative MRI, and you being so young, I wonder how you could have such a pain problem unless you have previous injuries to your back.  You may simply want to try different techniques or methods until you find the one that works.  TENS has no effect on back pain outcomes, so use it only for immediate, temporary pain reduction.  The same goes for heat/cold/gels/aerosols.  They are only palliative and have no bearing on fixing any problems.  Talk to your DC about distractive manipulation such as flexion-distraction.  Also try a deep soft tissue treatment program such as Active Release Technique, Graston Technique (my favorite), NIMMO, or some others.  Don't give up.  Try different things.

'Hope this helps.

Dr. G