How can I treat acute lower back pain after lifting?

Question

Hi doctor,

I was sitting half-bent while washing the clothes. There were a few buckets full of water, one over the other. I got my back hurt when I tried to bring one of the buckets down. My body has tilted a bit towards the left. I am unable to move and walk, and was painting a lot.

Usually, after work, I will have a slight pain in my back. But today it has increased so much that I cannot even move. Please tell me what medicine and what precautions I should take. Today I have taken Flexon-MR, but it did not reduce the pain.

Please help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Actually, you are very young to have persistent back pain, and this episode appears to be an acute exacerbation of this pain.

The cause of back pain can be due to a muscle strain or a small herniation of an intervertebral disc, followed by lifting heavy weights.

If you have localized back pain with no other symptoms like radiating leg pain, neurological symptoms like numbness, weakness, paresthesias, etc., then you can start with the following recommendations initially for a period of two weeks.

Maintain proper posture of your back while working and sleeping. Also, avoid acute forward bending and lifting of any heavyweight till the time your pain subsides.
If the pain is more, then you can take a short course of an anti-inflammatory medicine that suits you. Normally, I advise my patient to take the tablet Dolonex Rapid (Piroxicam) along with the tablet Ultracet (Tramadol Hydrochloride and Acetaminophen) for pain control.
You also need to take medication for muscle spasms, like the tablet Myoril (Thiocolchicoside). You can start with 8 mg twice a day for five days.
Do physical therapy initially under the supervision of a trained physiotherapist and then continue at home. No exercise is to be done initially; only modalities like SWD (short wave diathermy) and IFT (interferential therapy) will help.
Take adequate calcium and vitamin D if levels are low in your body.
Ice packs can be applied at home three to four times a day, spending 15 minutes for each application.
An analgesic spray for local application can be used after ice packs and is easily available too.
Avoid lifting heavy weights and acute forward bending in the mornings.

We will observe you for the next two to three weeks to see how you respond to this conservative management protocol. Normally, the pain in the back, along with the muscle spasm, will subside in the next five to seven days if you take your medications and observe precautions as advised. If you are not feeling better, then we might have to get some investigations, such as a dynamic x-ray of the lower back and a few blood tests for evaluation.

I hope it helps.

Thank you.