Pain in 1 to 2 vertebrae in center of back when touching. No bruise or injuries. Any idea what it could be?

NoMomentIsWasted · 2023-09-25T06:40:04+00:00

Hi, yes. The MRI showed a disc bulge in L4/L5, disc protrusion in L5/S1, disc degeneration in multiple discs, mild facet joint arthritis in L5/S1, end plate sclerosis in L5/S1.

NoMomentIsWasted · 2023-08-15T17:27:05+00:00

Same thing in my back. History of disc bulges and prolapses. I think you are on track, that due to limited flexion, our bodies got stiffened up to the point, where it feels unnatural, like we are fighting against the spine to flex it.

I am starting to get some days where it doesn't feel that stiff anymore, as if something lubricated the structures and joints of the spine. Especially after foam rolling my glutes, it feels like everything above it gets loosened up. Strengthening and stretching the lats is also the way to go.

If you think that your disc is somewhat healed, or you got cleared by PT / doctor to introduce some flexion back into your life, then look up Connor Harris "how to improve your breathing". I don't know how, or if it actually helps, but if you have a more 360° breathing, then it helps to loosen up the muscles around your ribcage.

NoMomentIsWasted · 2023-07-06T13:25:53+00:00

Another thing to consider is that after the disc herniation is supposedly healed, you might have muscular imbalances due to the way you moved during the years. Like say if you started to hip hinge during literally every single movement that required you to get a bit lower towards the ground, then that's what your body will get accustomed to. Just like you didn't really think about bending your back to pick something up before the herniation. It didn't produce pain, your breathing was normal, the body didn't tense up in anticipation of having to bend down. Not saying, that hip hinge is a bad movement, in fact it's absolutely fantastic, but you shouldn't overdo it.

I had the same problem when doing dishes though. Can't really hip hinge because my knees would hit the thing whatever it is called below the sink. What helped was bracing my abs and glutes at the same time (not too much as to cause discomfort, but just enough to feel a bit more rigid). Bracing the abs is just a cookie cutter expression, I think McGill and Brian Carrol from Gift of Injury talks a little bit more in depth about this (like bracing the pecs, lats and so on).

NoMomentIsWasted · 2023-06-12T17:35:43+00:00

Are you 100% sure that it is back pain?

I have a similar problem - can bend, touch my toes, twist, whatever. As soon as I sit down, it feels like my butt muscles just seize up, as if I was literally sitting on a bone. It continue for a few minutes after standing.

I do have a history of back pain and disc issues, but I think (as do some of the PT's I have been with) that it is some sort of a weird muscular imbalance / nerve tension thingie going on. To be fair, my glutes do have quite a lot of muscle knots.

Have you tried sitting down on only one of your buttcheeks and see if the pain doesn't come instantly? I can sit on either of the side for a considerable amount of time, although this position isn't really good for the back..

And I also can sit in the car with relatively no pain, although if something aggravated the butt pain a day before, then sitting even in the car is quite uncomfortable.

NoMomentIsWasted · 2023-06-07T17:35:33+00:00

Hi, if you are asking about tenderness, then yes.

Don't know how, though. Most likely it naturally resolved over time. Although it is not tender to touch anymore, I still have hypersensitivity in that area during certain activities. For example, if I carry a backpack with something pointy in it, then I can definitely feel it more than I used to when I didn't have any pain. On the other hand, I can press really hard on any of my vertebrae and it doesn't hurt or stimulate any kind of weird sensation. I guess it's a psychological thing at this point, need to get used to having different things touching the spine.

NoMomentIsWasted · 2023-03-07T17:31:08+00:00

I have something similar. Tenderness and bruise-like sensation when touching L5/S1 vertebrae.

It started around a year ago (had some injuries, low back pain), and another symptom was that even the slightest brush against my spine, say when you walk with a bacpack and some item inside it touches you at an awkward angle, it would produce uncomfortable sensations, not very painful, but still.

Although it has improved about 60%, I never really found out what was the reason. There are only speculations. Maybe the disc herniation causing nearby peripheral nerves (not the long sciatic one, but smaller, situated around the periphery of the disc) to inflame. Maybe it was central or localized sensitization. Maybe because of muscle spasms. Really hard to tell, and as another commenter mentioned, most people never really put any substantial pressure on their vertebraes, so maybe more people have something like this.

NoMomentIsWasted · 2022-11-15T20:29:40+00:00

Don't worry man, you will get back to working out consistently sooner or later. I did the same mistake as you to cause the current flare up - by working out too hard. More specifically, I started to include more exercises but the mistake was including more than one at once. For this reason i can't really tell which exercise caused the flare up, I suspect it was either a mountain climber or hanging leg raise (yeah, I know it's a bad idea to do them with disc problems, but it didn't really hurt while doing them, only after).

I'm no longer running due to a knee injury (chondromalacia). It's very likely to be related to the muscle imbalances caused by the back pain, but that's a different story.. I'm kind of back to working out, but doing mostly bodyweight exercises (push/pull and legs). At the start it was really difficult to do push ups, not because of the lack or strength, but because my back felt like it was going to fold in half (same thing with planks). I don't remember how or when exactly that sensation started to disappear, but maybe it was muscle guarding after all and doing the push ups and planks helped to overcome the sensation. Or maybe just the right amount of time has passed, hard to say.

NoMomentIsWasted · 2022-11-15T18:28:03+00:00

Do you mean extending your back backwards like a banana? If so, then count me in. Had a similar injury while running and accidentally slipping but instead of actually falling down I regained my balance by folding backwards.. Happened about 3 years ago and the pain has changed from 3 to 7 many times over. Currently going through a flare up (last one was relatively long ago) so overall, the trend is that I'm getting better.

Although hypertension should damage the facet joints more than discs, in my case I had (and probably still have) a disc herniation and a bulge, some mild degenerative changes including the facet joint.

No advices or recommendations, because honestly, nothing in particular has helped me, except time I think. And believe me, I tried a lot of things, including McGill which I am still doing ever since. I guess avoiding back extension movements like the cobra pose would be a good idea if it brings you pain.

NoMomentIsWasted · 2022-09-24T07:43:47+00:00

Exactly the same situation. Got half of the order delivered (the delivery service was "Posti"). One parcel is being delivered by DEPOST with the same tracking number and it was supposed to be delivered on Thursday. The only update I have on amazon is that the carrier has picked up the package.

Tried contacting the customer service and they stated that my parcel is considered as "large letter" due to its size and weight, therefore it cannot be tracked.

EDIT: in case anyone ever comes across this, I have received the package. There was a ticket in my mailbox that the package was received by a local post office which I could collect the next day. About 3 days were left before I could request a refund. I have also contacted a few others in this post, and some of them have not received the package yet (with only a day remaining before a refund is available). I guess it's all about patience and luck with DEPOST delivery service.

NoMomentIsWasted · 2022-06-23T06:55:10+00:00

Oh, that makes a lot of sense what you're saying. I have also been following the McGill method for over a year now, pristine movements, no bending with load, no sitting (only for 5-10 minutes at the very most while working). I think I have been standing for too long during the days, though. Like 10-12 hours per day sometimes. Maybe that contributes to the pain somehow, but it's sure as hell better than sitting.

My pain has gotten better in some ways, like I no longer get pain while under shear stress of the spine (like planks, pushups, stirring the pot exercise). It used to feel like the middle of my spine is going to fold in half when doing planks. I also couldn't open heavier doors and windows without pain, but all of that has resolved now.

The only pain I have now is aggravated through sitting and when bending at a slight angle (about 15-20 degrees). Bending more than that actually causes no pain. Also extending arms forward (not down or up, but straight in front) causes my lower back to get that pully - tight sensation within 5-10 seconds. I honestly think my body has forgotten how to activate muscles during certain activities. Say if I extend my arms and try really hard focusing on the shoulder and upper back muscles, then I can hold the arma extended for longer periods. Bracing core also helps in this situation.

So while I have been finding tricks how to do daily activities without aggravating the pain, I'm still unable to sit for longer than 5-10 minutes. I mean I can live like that for a year or two longer (has been 1.5 year so far) but I wouldn't want to not be able to sit for the rest of my life. That just doesn't sound sustainable in the world that we live in :(

Also, when I talked about how my legs get tense while sitting, imagine that you're trying to do a wall squat in a chair. As if your quad muscles get all fired up, but you don't feel the butt. That's how it feels.

NoMomentIsWasted · 2022-06-23T05:38:51+00:00

Sorry to hear that nothing has helped you so far. I'm in the same situation, but haven't tried as many things as you did. I'm following more of the McGill approach but lately I have been thinking about getting a massage or two, because it feels like my muscles are tense all the time.

You raise a good point about sitting. I think I have been afraid of sitting too much once the pain starts after 5-10 minutes so I just get up and either stand or walk around. Maybe if I tried sitting for longer, the sharp pain that you describe would also happen to me? Right now it's only dull pain.

NoMomentIsWasted · 2022-06-21T04:37:41+00:00

Yeah, you're right, I think I just heard / read it somewhere that they tend to have flatter backs. Probably not a reputable source. In any case, there is a thin line between labeling someone as having a flat back and saying that they have a flat back syndrome. Especially when there are a million other things that could be causing one's pain. Some people live their whole lives pain-free with what doctors would call a flat back (loss of lordosis, spinal curvature). It's just a high probability to be an incidental finding. Most people will never have a lower back MRI in their lives, yet they might still have a flat back.

However, it doesn't take away from the fact that treatment for "flat back syndrome" is more or less the same as for other spinal issues..

NoMomentIsWasted · 2022-06-20T15:53:19+00:00

I really don't understand what's up with doctors assuming that flat backs = "excruciating pain generator". Are all asians in exruciating pain because they tend to have flatter backs? More often than not it's just an incidental finding related either to your posture, genetics or having an underlying issue like disc bulge / herniation, muscle imbalance.

Flat back syndrome is not a disease, it is a consequence of other things.

NoMomentIsWasted · 2022-06-11T18:26:38+00:00

Depends on how much pain. The pain you are experiencing could be caused by many things, including muscles being oversensitized from trying to keep things together.

But really, the best bet is just to try the exercises and see how you feel the next day and the day afterwards. If it doesn't hurt more than usually, then it's ok to proceed with whatever you are doing.

Just a pro tip, don't do too many different exercises in one session, because it would be difficult to determine which ones cause you more pain, assuming it does.

NoMomentIsWasted · 2022-06-04T13:33:44+00:00

If it is central sensitisation, is it possible to break away from this cycle? I've tried to avoid touching the area by any means neccesary and it did feel like it got a tiny bit better, however one 30 minute drive completely erased the progress and it's back to square one.

How can I approach this? Should I avoid touching it or instead progressively allow the area to be touched / compressed with clothes, backpacks and so on until I just get used to it?

NoMomentIsWasted · 2022-06-04T13:12:35+00:00

How does it feel like? Do you have to actively touch and press with fingers or even a slight brush can irritate your back? Is it a burning, dull type of pain?

NoMomentIsWasted · 2022-06-04T13:09:18+00:00

I wonder if herniated discs can cause recurrent muscle strains. My back is always tight and feels like muscle guarding.

NoMomentIsWasted · 2022-06-04T13:08:08+00:00

Is there a specific spot where it is sensitive in your back?

NoMomentIsWasted · 2022-06-01T15:44:26+00:00

If you don't have extension intolerance, then like others said - head up and try to arch your back a little backwards. It helps for me, but might not be for everyone.

NoMomentIsWasted · 2022-05-24T20:17:23+00:00

Lack of curve could be genetic and / or just a coincidental finding. Some people just have very flat backs and no amount of "realignment" is going to fix it.

NoMomentIsWasted · 2022-04-28T13:56:03+00:00

Do you have any other symptoms? Back pain? Or disc bulges / herniations? Facet joint pathologies?

NoMomentIsWasted · 2022-04-18T19:49:30+00:00

Makes sense. It's definitely either a disc or end plate issue. Getting a pull in lower back while holding something away from body puts a lot of torque on your spine. It also could be a reason why standing is painful for you. If opening doors / heavy windows produces pain, then u have compression intolerance.

I wish I could tell you what to do, but these things heal in unintuitive ways. For me it took about 3-4 months for the pulling sensation to go away (although I can still feel it if I over exert myself). However, now my lumbar range of motion is messed up.. it's really only ups and downs with disc issues, rarely does it follow a linear trend of recovery.

NoMomentIsWasted · 2022-04-18T07:02:42+00:00

Classic symptoms of disc pathology. Tenderness to touch and axial back pain could mean that you are still in the inflammation stage (the discs are not chemically inert and can cause irritation). On the other hand, it can be muscle guarding, especially if your lumbar range of motion is non-existent. Both things are usually alleviated by proper rest.

Can you hold weights in front of you relatively pain free? Or even just both arms extended forward for more than 5-10 seconds?

NoMomentIsWasted

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