Back pain

If the pain is that bad you should be doing something about it, have you slipped a disc ? Don't self medicate get the pain relief appropriate to the condition, Tramadol is evil.

I suffer regular back pain and have a disc slip out of alignment. Years ago I was so bad with it and had to attend physiotherapy at local hospital. If I have even the slightest twinge now I start the gentle exercises again asap. They always help . However your pain may be something else but you saying it feels like a trapped nerve sounds familiar. The exercises I shall try to describe and it may be worthwhile having a very gentle try at them .
1... Lie flat on your back on your bed. Slide your feet towards your bottom so knees are slightly raised. Slowly lean your knees to the left , back to centre and then to the right. Do this five times to each side VERY GENTLY DOES IT .
Do it about 5 times a day
If it helps then tmoro try this one as well as exercise 1
2...With legs and knees in same position as exercise one gently raise one leg at a time keeping knees bent .just raise about 3 to 4 inches from the bed .Again very slowly. Do this 5 times each leg .
This should do for starters if you feel you can after a couple of days then increase counts a little .
Still go to see your doctor if it continues . They may just prescribe rest and pain relief however if you go back again with same problem you might get referred to physio . The protocol was 2 visits and then referral when I had the problem but it may be more than that now so go back to gp if it does not go away.

You have to establish exactly where the pain is. Is it at the base of your spine only or does it start there with pain radiating down one or both legs? This pain can shoot down your leg(s) as far as your foot.

Have you been walking too much- any sudden movements? If it does not settle down, a trip to your GP is required. Rest and pain relief until you can establish the cause.

try an Acti Patch ,you get them at the chemist and wear them 24/7 costs about £19 now I think and the reviews online are fantastic.Well worth a try

Long term consider some Pilates classes. I lived with back pain until I tried them.

I've got it masked pretty well with painkillers and the TENS now. There is still breakthrough but not as bad as first thing this morning. I've been sitting (which is more comfortable) and walking a few times between the living room and the kitchen every 15 mins or so. I'm hoping this easing is a sign that whatever is wrong is improving. This happened about 9 months ago and it eased over a few days. We're away next week so I need it to get better. Fingers crossed it will.

I use a TENS machine regularly for my MS vq and couldn't cope without it. But I agree with harri if the pain is really THAT bad you should be seeking help. TENS machines are brilliant at masking pain but won't cure the problem. I had acupuncture (on the NHS) on a really bad back a few years ago and it was amazing.

I won't bore everyone with the saga that is my back and the £1,000s I've paid out to osteopaths.
But, with the last bad attack I went to my doctor and he have me a telephone number.
I never saw anyone, he just took my details and sent me exercises to do.
I can't believe how good my back is, if I had known this years ago, I would have saved ££££ and the the weekly visits to osteopath.
Go for exercises, they work.

Forgot to add, they take less than 10 mins a day.

Are they the Core Stability exercises petra?

If they are then I do them too. Also cannot praise Pilates highly enough. Brilliant for gentle stretching.

I need to do something to strengthen my core muscles. A class is out of the question due to the agoraphobia but I've found a few things on YouTube that take you from beginners to advanced.

I have a back saga too but what I would say is don't self medicate thinking it will go away. See a doctor / physio / injuries specialist or whoever you think is appropriate but don't ignore it even if the pain appears to disappear.

The pain is easing today. I'm still wearing the TENS machine and taking painkillers but I'm far more mobile.

It could be muscle spasm causing the pain if it eases over a few days. Building up your core strength would definitely help.