Expert: Dr. Timothy K. Durnin - 5/6/2007

Question
I came here hoping you can give me some advice. I am 53 year old lady and i suffer from panic disorder so i do have trouble with tight muscles. 3 weeks ago i noticed that when i lent forward in my chair i had a grabbing sensation in the bottom of my back, and a burning sensation from lumbar area right up my spine,also there was electrical stabbing sensations all over my bottom of my back and going into my legs. the physiotherapist came to the house and put me up on massage table and did some tests, she said my 2 joints in bottom of lumbar were out and she taped my back and gave me some multiphidi exercises to do. well the exercises made me get cramps in my left leg, something i do not normally suffer from . she came back the next week and retaped my back. things were improving but when she came back 2 days ago she made me do this certain test that was meant to strengthen my muscles , after she left i noticed the burning pain was back and the feeling like my hips and tailbone was aching and burning and bottom back tight do not know what to expect, how long it will take to get better ,and if i have pulled the joints out again or just pulled a muscle take no meds for pain as i have a phobia of medication(part of my panic disorder) Can  you  advice me on matters of back pain and joint disalignment? i have trouble sitting and it feels like its just above thr pivot where your buttocks starts .it is causing me to sit very straight and i cannot seem to just let the back  go limp, its  held tight  and straight  because of the pulling burning feeling  across lumbar spine and even tigh thighs. i guess the joints my physio keeps reffering to is really my vertabraes  My physio says  my back problem will get better when it does. Any help would be appreciated star_light294  

Answer
Hi Helen,

I am a little taken back that someone other than a physician is diagnosing your problem and treating it!

Must be a new HMO thing to save money......

O.K., It is clear to me you have more going on than your "physio" knows. Get an MRI and get an appointment with a Chiro that utilizes spinal decompression therapy such as VAX-D, F/D, DRX; ect......

Anytime you have pain shooting into your legs you probably have a pinched nerve in your back from a slipped disc. The worst thing you want to do is put heat on it or do ACTIVE EXERCISES! The first thing to do is let the inflammation subside, ice, rest and no reaggravation. Please get it looked at before it ruptures or requires surgery.

Let me know how it turns out,

Thank you and Good Luck!

Dr. Timothy Durnin