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NFT: Back Pain and Breathing

Brown Recluse : 10/17/2016 10:57 am
So I got out of the shower yesterday and reached for my towel and suddenly I had this sudden, ridiculous pain the middle of my back right below my shoulder blade. The pain actually went across my back horizontally and for a while it hurt to move at all but especially when I tried to take deep breaths.

It's easier to breathe today so I assume it is healing, but I wonder what the hell happened. I've pulled back muscles before but its usually in my lower back and its never affected my breathing before.

And its amazing (more pathetic than anything) how it happened doing something so mundane as pulling a towel off the rack.

Has this ever happened to anyone else?
kidney stone  
DC Gmen Fan : 10/17/2016 10:58 am : link
?
Maybe it's a tumor  
pjcas18 : 10/17/2016 10:58 am : link
.
Watch it closely  
Joey in VA : 10/17/2016 10:59 am : link
If breathing pain doesn't subside go to a Dr. immediately.
Happened to me last week...  
vonritz : 10/17/2016 11:00 am : link
Was doing a little stretching prior to exercise and ended up getting a huge knot in my back. Deep breathes or coughing sucked. A couple years back my back went out drying my hands after washing them. Getting old is joyous!
could be something causing pressure on your  
UConn4523 : 10/17/2016 11:01 am : link
sternum. Happens to me every once in a while and the location makes sense. I don't get it with back pain; mine started after hernia surgery where I was bloated as all hell and the pressure against my chest was awful.
I wonder if something happened where my rib connects to my spine.  
Brown Recluse : 10/17/2016 11:01 am : link
Maybe a pinched nerve or slipped disk? Google has not been very helpful. Or maybe I suck at google.
if it persists  
UConn4523 : 10/17/2016 11:02 am : link
i'd go to a doctor of course, but your thoracic spine is really hard to injure, especially from just bending over (it would be lumbar) so I doubt its anything back related (atleast structurally).
RE: Happened to me last week...  
Brown Recluse : 10/17/2016 11:02 am : link
In comment 13177859 vonritz said:
Quote:
Was doing a little stretching prior to exercise and ended up getting a huge knot in my back. Deep breathes or coughing sucked. A couple years back my back went out drying my hands after washing them. Getting old is joyous!


Should I just shoot myself now? =)
DONT GOOGLE IT  
DC Gmen Fan : 10/17/2016 11:03 am : link
you will make yourself sick with worry after google tells you what it COULD be
or I should have said..  
DC Gmen Fan : 10/17/2016 11:03 am : link
all the things it could be
Google will tell you  
UConn4523 : 10/17/2016 11:06 am : link
its nothing or Aids. If you are that concerned go to a doctor. All that Googling will do is lead you to a doctor anyway.
Doctor? Don't be ridiculous.  
jcn56 : 10/17/2016 11:07 am : link
One of these guys *has* to have enough medical expertise to diagnose you over the internet, don't sweat it.
RE: if it persists  
Brown Recluse : 10/17/2016 11:07 am : link
In comment 13177863 UConn4523 said:
Quote:
i'd go to a doctor of course, but your thoracic spine is really hard to injure, especially from just bending over (it would be lumbar) so I doubt its anything back related (atleast structurally).


Oh I wish I could say I had at least bent over. No sir, much more pathetic than that. Simply reached out for my towel. Are you saying its muscular?
RE: RE: Happened to me last week...  
vonritz : 10/17/2016 11:07 am : link
In comment 13177865 Brown Recluse said:
Quote:



Should I just shoot myself now? =)


Hehe... Don't need to get that drastic! Give it a week and don't do anything overly physical. Try not to sit for long periods and do some walking. You'll be all good.
RE: Doctor? Don't be ridiculous.  
Brown Recluse : 10/17/2016 11:09 am : link
In comment 13177884 jcn56 said:
Quote:
One of these guys *has* to have enough medical expertise to diagnose you over the internet, don't sweat it.


Well, I've heard that doctors are pretty useless when it comes to back injuries and that a chiropractor should be my first stop.

But I've also heard that chiropractors have made things worse.

So as pathetic as it may seem to start a thread here first - I'm sort of hesitant to go to a doctor.
could be  
Les in TO : 10/17/2016 11:09 am : link
a rotator cuff injury. I had a sharp pain in my shoulder blade area going for a run that was exacerbated by coughing or deep breathing, caused by overuse/overtraining. I rested/iced it for a couple of days and it improved.
i'm not a doctor  
UConn4523 : 10/17/2016 11:10 am : link
but have had a ton of back issues (lower) as well as the pain/breathing you've described. It went away in a day or two so i'm guessing something got tweaked and later subsided.
RE: RE: Doctor? Don't be ridiculous.  
jcn56 : 10/17/2016 11:12 am : link
In comment 13177891 Brown Recluse said:
Quote:
In comment 13177884 jcn56 said:


Quote:


One of these guys *has* to have enough medical expertise to diagnose you over the internet, don't sweat it.



Well, I've heard that doctors are pretty useless when it comes to back injuries and that a chiropractor should be my first stop.

But I've also heard that chiropractors have made things worse.

So as pathetic as it may seem to start a thread here first - I'm sort of hesitant to go to a doctor.


Going to a chiropractor might be an even worse place to start than soliciting BBI for advice.

Only you know your body, and only your doctor has both medical training and familiarity with your medical history to make any sort of accurate guess. Problems breathing with sharp pains sounds like something that you might want to discuss with someone with a clue before waving it off.
that's shitty advice  
UConn4523 : 10/17/2016 11:14 am : link
Doctors can be very helpful but they also won't perform anything on you without educating you first. There's also 1,000 possibilities and Doctors generally check off the ones that can be dangerous, leaving you with muscular injuries that they can't help with most of the time. That will bring you to PT, massage therapy, or a specialist.

Be very careful with a Chiro. I've had both good and bad experiences. Personally I'll never go to one again as I felt my body needing the adjustments frequently. No way I was going to live like that long term so I dealt with the pain and got off that regiment, and found something else that worked.
RE: that's shitty advice  
Brown Recluse : 10/17/2016 11:17 am : link
In comment 13177907 UConn4523 said:
Quote:
Doctors can be very helpful but they also won't perform anything on you without educating you first. There's also 1,000 possibilities and Doctors generally check off the ones that can be dangerous, leaving you with muscular injuries that they can't help with most of the time. That will bring you to PT, massage therapy, or a specialist.

Be very careful with a Chiro. I've had both good and bad experiences. Personally I'll never go to one again as I felt my body needing the adjustments frequently. No way I was going to live like that long term so I dealt with the pain and got off that regiment, and found something else that worked.


Appreciate that, thanks. Guess I'll give it a few days and see a doctor if it doesn't get better.
My guess is a rib just went out of alignment.  
yatqb : 10/17/2016 11:25 am : link
But wtf do I know, aside from having had similar things happen to me.
IT'S NOT A TUMOR!!!  
Beezer : 10/17/2016 11:26 am : link
.
RE: IT'S NOT A TUMOR!!!  
Brown Recluse : 10/17/2016 11:45 am : link
In comment 13177947 Beezer said:
Quote:
.


You are!
Pain radiating to back  
dm1898135 : 10/17/2016 11:48 am : link
Would be on the lookout for pericarditis, if you have had any prior heart problems or recent infections this is something to look out for. Could also be pancreatitis, kidney stones, pyelonephritis, etc. Would go see someone if it persists.
Happens to me...  
BSP3076 : 10/17/2016 11:52 am : link
One of my best friends is a chiropractor and he says it is cause one of your ribs popped out where it connects to your spine. Very common and very easy to fix with an adjustment. Hurts the most when I take a deep breath.
As a cancer patient, I would appreciate it  
NH Giants : 10/17/2016 11:53 am : link
if y'all could be a little less glib with the tumor jokes.

I had experienced back and abdominal pain maybe once or twice a year for a couple of years and always felt better after a day. Until January of this year, when I was doubled over in pain for a full day before going to the ER. Emergency surgery revealed that I had a stage 4 tumor in my small intestine.
RE: As a cancer patient, I would appreciate it  
Brown Recluse : 10/17/2016 11:55 am : link
In comment 13178030 NH Giants said:
Quote:
if y'all could be a little less glib with the tumor jokes.

I had experienced back and abdominal pain maybe once or twice a year for a couple of years and always felt better after a day. Until January of this year, when I was doubled over in pain for a full day before going to the ER. Emergency surgery revealed that I had a stage 4 tumor in my small intestine.


Apologies. Didn't mean to be insensitive.
RE: As a cancer patient, I would appreciate it  
Les in TO : 10/17/2016 12:03 pm : link
In comment 13178030 NH Giants said:
Quote:
if y'all could be a little less glib with the tumor jokes.

I had experienced back and abdominal pain maybe once or twice a year for a couple of years and always felt better after a day. Until January of this year, when I was doubled over in pain for a full day before going to the ER. Emergency surgery revealed that I had a stage 4 tumor in my small intestine.
that's awful, hope you are doing better.
It's all good BR.  
NH Giants : 10/17/2016 12:04 pm : link
Thank you.
Sorry NH Giants  
pjcas18 : 10/17/2016 12:09 pm : link
my comment was from a movie, meant as a light-hearted jab at people seeking medical advice on here.

it's from an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, Kindergarten Cop, I think.

You might not find this funny, but just so you know I wasn't being glib per se about tumors.
Link - ( New Window )
pjcas - I figured as much  
NH Giants : 10/17/2016 12:32 pm : link
Some days I am a bit more sensitive about my mortality.
We're good.
yeah it's not the pain part that I'd be concerned about  
gidiefor : Mod : 10/17/2016 12:32 pm : link
it's the breathing part -- that would concern me -- if you have back pain combined with a breathing problem you need to check it out
I used to  
PaulBlakeTSU : 10/17/2016 1:44 pm : link
get this all the time, and it comes back every once in a while.

I started seeing a chiropractor for it and that would relieve the problem-- in my case, they were "back rib subluxations" where my back ribs would pop out of place a little bit and I would have to get adjustments to get them back in.

The key to avoiding them in the future is strengthening your back muscles and especially your core. Work on your posture and focus to not slump over if you're sitting at your desk or leaning on the couch in an awkward position for your back.

Cat-cow stretch, Founder's stretch, wall bugs, bretzel stretches are all something that can be found on youtube.
I used to  
PaulBlakeTSU : 10/17/2016 1:44 pm : link
get this all the time, and it comes back every once in a while.

I started seeing a chiropractor for it and that would relieve the problem-- in my case, they were "back rib subluxations" where my back ribs would pop out of place a little bit and I would have to get adjustments to get them back in.

The key to avoiding them in the future is strengthening your back muscles and especially your core. Work on your posture and focus to not slump over if you're sitting at your desk or leaning on the couch in an awkward position for your back.

Cat-cow stretch, Founder's stretch, wall bugs, bretzel stretches are all something that can be found on youtube.
sounds to me like  
mavric : 10/17/2016 3:02 pm : link
a slipped disc which in turn pinches a nerve and puts you in incredible pain. Been there, done that.

If you have the insurance, you might want to go to an orthopedic specialist who will x-ray your spine and probably call for an MRI.

Generally speaking, they can be fixed without surgery and physical therapy might be on the horizon.

If you don't have insurance, take 800 mg of Ibuprofen a couple times a day and lay on your back on a hard surface when you can. I feel for you as I've done this before and it's no fun.
RE: I used to  
Brown Recluse : 10/17/2016 3:29 pm : link
In comment 13178278 PaulBlakeTSU said:
Quote:
get this all the time, and it comes back every once in a while.

I started seeing a chiropractor for it and that would relieve the problem-- in my case, they were "back rib subluxations" where my back ribs would pop out of place a little bit and I would have to get adjustments to get them back in.

The key to avoiding them in the future is strengthening your back muscles and especially your core. Work on your posture and focus to not slump over if you're sitting at your desk or leaning on the couch in an awkward position for your back.

Cat-cow stretch, Founder's stretch, wall bugs, bretzel stretches are all something that can be found on youtube.


Thanks Paul. I have actually gotten back into Yoga about a month and a half ago and added it into my workout routine one day per week as well as core stuff. It helped with my lower back issues.

Actually now that I think about it, on the days I do cardio I can sometimes feel something moving around in the same area that this happened over the weekend. Not like a bone popping sort of thing, but sort of like this "sliding" sensation. Very weird.
I had successful back surgery Monday  
rdt288 : 10/17/2016 6:02 pm : link
L5S1

Take care of it asap. Backs get bad quick
I feel very grateful
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