[Lopez]

Anyone here got any experience with this pleasant occurrence?

Landed pretty hard on my feet and felt pain in the back (mid-height and just left of the spine), and after the expected epic night of trying to sleep and following morning, it started feeling better, up until today.

 I just been having a coffee thinking i may do some light climbing today and then some spams/cramps hit me in the back, and in 5 or 6 pumps of the muscle i was nearly crippled in agony, and now i'm here sitting in more pain than any time since the 'injury' thinking WTF. 

Has anybody been through something like this? Any experiences, tips, ideas, etc. appreciated

[mrjonathanr]

The pain is quite possibly muscle cramp,  from overworked muscle(s) due to compensating for damage to nearby structures. You might relieve the pain by treating the cramp.

I'd see someone knowledgeable about the cause.

[SamT]

Get thee to a physio or Chiro.  Let them tell you what's wrong and start fixing.  Sound like a hard fall results in a jarring injury to one of gazillion components in you bback which then goes into spasm to protct tje injured site.

My back problems started 20 odd years ago with a snowboard fall, not really been right since.   

Get it seen to as its so integral to every bit of all you do.

[i.munro]

Physio or doc I'd suggest

Symptoms etc  sound a bit like my missus' herniated disk.

[petejh]

Sounds very much like muscles going into spasm in a guarding reaction to trauma.  if so it'll clear up in a few days, just keep walking etc but not going crazy not that you'll be able to. Longer term, do all you can to follow a knowledgable physio/chiro's advice about posture and recruiting stabilizer muscles - you really don't want back issues.

[Lopez]

Yeah, thought about going to the docs if it doesn't get better in a few days. However, if my previous experiences with the doctors are anything to go by, that will entail 2 weeks of faffing till i can get a GP appointment only for him to tell me to go home and rest, take some aspirin, and come back to him if it still hurts after 3 months...

I guess i should start looking for a physio. Booo...

[mrjonathanr]

I'd skip the GP personally, ask around and pay for a decent physio. Expensive advice often proves cheaper in the long run.

[Lopez]

I really hope you are right Petejh.  I read that the current 'trend' for back issues is to keep exercising lightly, and hence have been taking easy walks and such.

I think i'll give it till Monday and if not it'll be Physio i guess. Cheers

[Lopez]

I'd skip the GP personally, ask around and pay for a decent physio. Expensive advice often proves cheaper in the long run.

Yes, you are right. I'll have a dawdle and check what i can find in terms of sport physios round my area, probably time to start window shopping for walking sticks and tweed jackets as well...

[mrjonathanr]

If you're Manc. based I can give my tuppenny'worth.

[Lopez]

Thanks for that, but i'm in London.

I actually did a bit of research following Pete's lead looking for "jarred back muscles" and came across what seems to fit my symptoms perfectly to be a muscle sprain at the spine, which also correlates nicely with the location of the 'origin' of the pain to be just off the spine to one side.

Ignoring the repeated attempts to try to sell you back-braces, this article seems spot on http://www.ourhealthnetwork.com/conditions/back/MuscleStrainoftheLowerBack.asp

Let's see how it goes by the weekend.

Thanks all

[Broken Biscuits]

I recommend that you gonna go to see a physiotherapist. A good physiotherapist can tell you if your conditions are caused by soft tissue (muscles/tendons/ligaments) strain/sprain or by something else , e.g. caused by intervertebral disc injury, impingement of nerves. If the physiotherapist suspects a disc injury, s/he may send you to an MRI scan. If your disc is intact, physiotherapist will probably give you some manual therapy and also prescribe you with rehab exercises e.g. engaging your core muscles, regaining stability/strength of the strained/sprained soft tissue etc.

[Nike Air]

I had something similar to this after a winter of indoor bouldering and outdoor highballing. I tried all sorts of stretches and went through alot of deep heat.
I finally got better after purchasing one of these.

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/9061291.htm

I followed some of the exercises that came with it and used Google to find more.
My issues cleared up within days. Its something a physio had recommended to me years ago and I wish i had done it sooner.......

[Johnny Brown]

I've had this a few times after some hard landings. Would echo what others have said - see a physio, and try to keep some gentle exercise going. The worst time I had it, after trying Cornelius, I had to crawl between the bedroom and the bathroom for two days. More annoying was missing a surfing trip with Falling Down as a result.

[duncan]

I've done this myself and usually recover in a few days.

I would concur that this is most likely to be some kind of soft-tissue injury, the back equivalent of an ankle sprain or finger tweak. These can be extremely painful but usually clear up pretty well of their own accord as long as you stay moderately active. A true diagnosis is more or less impossible in 90% of back pain since the bits you could have injured are so tightly packed together it is impossible to test one structure in isolation.  Since nature abhors a vacuum, both patients and clinicians love a diagnosis though!

Treatment is a similar story to finger tweaks. It usually doesn't matter if you have a diagnosis or not, it is usually sufficient to treat the symptoms (ice or warmth as you prefer; paracetamol) and gradually increase activity as you are able.

The slight concern is that you could have a boney injury if you fell a considerable distance or were plain unlucky. You've not said how far you were falling or what onto. Danger signs you should seek immediate help for are pins and needles and/or numbness, especially in the buttocks, groin or genitals, or any change in toilet habits.

Usual disclaimers about medical advice from randoms on the internet applies...

[highrepute]

I'd recommend trying to go through the NHS, especially if it's not clearing up in a few days and you feel it could be serious (duncan's post has good advice). This gives the option of getting referrals to see specialists for things like MRI scans. This is something that paying to seeing a phsyio doesn't give you.

Going to see the GP can be an arse but there are key things you can do to ensure you get what you want. Ask for a referral if you feel you need one and make sure you don't understate the symptoms. I'd quote the worst it's been. Not being able to sleep with pain not a great situation to be in and should get the GP into action.

Course, it'll probably clear up in a few days. I've had similar and went away after a couple of weeks.

Walking and gentle stretching can't be bad either.

[SA Chris]

More annoying was missing a surfing trip with Falling Down as a result.

No loss, he's only make you look shit.

Even if you have found what you think might be the problem, please go see a physio!

When I screwed my back (skiing accident) I was told anything involving any jarring or impact was a bad idea, so walking is not always a good suggestion, not is bouldering obviously, but recommended swimming and climbing (toprope only)and cycling provided you aren't going to do any jumps or ride a racing bike with a tucked posture.

[P.I.]

I recommend to see physic. I just had back surgery last December. I had damaged spine disc. Orthopedic doctor was sure it was caused by highballing. If there is a trauma in your spinal disc it will make your muscles tight and spastic. But in most of the cases pain will go away in couple of weeks. Take it easy.

[Bazza]

You need to know what the problem is - soft tissue or something spinal related like a misalignment or herniation.   As someone who has had a lot of back trouble over the last few months, I would highly recommend you go to a good physio and get their advice.  I wouldn't use a foam roller or any other such tools until you know what the problem is in case you aggravate the situation.

[Lopez]

Yeah, i'm planning to visit a Physio Monday, if anything at least to get some exercises i can do for rehab.

I did think at first it could have been a slipped disc or even a compression fissure, but the symptoms didn't match and doing the leg rise test worked out with no problems whatsoever, so that's why i posted here to ask for suggestions.

Either way, the treatment for every one of those ailments is all the same bar a very badly trapped nerve which i don't have, so hopefully some Physio exercises should put it to rest.

As far as it goes, i've just spent a fun morning playing "Dodge the Spasm", which is an entertaining combination of "Twister" and "Lightning Reaction". Simple rules, when you feel the onset of a spasm you have about 5 seconds to find a body position that alleviates it. If you get it right you feel the muscle relaxing, if you don't you get what i can only describe as Chuck Norris hitting you in the back with a 10,000v taser. Piles of fun