<p>^I believe the 600-750mg Naproxen tabs are Rx only and the 100-200mg Naproxen are indeed OTC, so you are correct Nrdsb4. My doctor does not like prescribing the larger dose anti-inflams that are NOT controlled release so that’s why he puts me on Naprelan and not Naproxen. Kajon, you can try taking Robaxin/ Methocarbamol (muscle relaxer) or equivalent. It doesn’t give me any relief whatsoever, even when I max them out, but I’m in much worse condition than the OP. After a few days or perhaps a week, your body should adjust to them and they won’t make you as light headed. </p>
<p>I would invest in a TENS (Transcultaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator) unit to “wear out the spasm” rather than take meds. It helped me for almost 20 years before my condition worsened.</p>
<p>There are a whole host of things (many mentioned on this thread) that could be wrong with your back. However, I just got over the better part of a year with a psoas issue (mentioned by Rodney in the second post). I considered several different things it could be until I realized I was experiencing muscle spasms.</p>
<p>Do you notice pain when you are trying to get up out of a seated position, like on the couch? Pain stops after you are up walking around? Difficulty turning over in bed? Do you get pain like an electric jolt? This could be psoas spasms. Be patient, it may take you a while to recover. Good luck.</p>
<p>HKLincoln - we have an inversion table and it really, really helps with my lower back, but it seems to make my C 6-7 issues worse (maybe because of the bone spur). Pain has subsided quite a bit this week, but after 12 weeks of H E double hockey sticks I am giving in and finally going to try a steroid injection…fingers are crossed.</p>
<p>I work in a GI lab, so I see the bad side of high dose, frequent use of NSAIDs. It’s always good to be thoughtful and prudent with these meds. I usually can get away with taking 2 Aleves if I am in pain, but I try to be judicious. I’ve never thought to ask for the controlled release versions.</p>
<p>I say “twinge” because it’s more of a sharp quick pain that leaves me shaken and really really sore for a few hours and then a little sore afterwards (sorry, it’s so hard to describe especially right now when it’s not so bad). When I was first pregnant I had “sciatica” which was a shooting pain from my back down my leg. I remember that vividly (haven’t had it in the last 20 years), but this is very different. This pain seem sto go up & down my back and leaves my back feeling super-tight for a while.</p>
<p>Getting up is fine other than the soreness - no real “pain” there. Walking definitely helps! Mornings are the worst and by my evening walk with the dog I barely feel it.</p>
<p>I have been taking just 1 Aleeve (good for 8 hours) in the mornings. I will keep trying the stretches and walking. Thanks again for the support!</p>
<p>I have been going thru something similar that I think originates from my spine , but the pain is located in my right hip. I went to my dr last week and discussed my previous back issues ( bulging discs ) It really flared up after a recent trip to Boston where we did some serious walking, 6-9 miles a day.
Like the OP , I haven’t had the time to get my X-ray yet. It actually bothers me the most when I am lying down, any position. It’s my new alarm clock :(</p>
<p>I have felt better today than I have in over a month…</p>
<p>My wife purchased a new Keurig coffee machine yesterday and I had my usual, (occasional) cup of decaf shortly after unwrapping it. Today, I couldn’t find any more decaf K-cups from the assorted samples that came with the machine so I decided to go with REGULAR, caffeinated coffee which I never drink. I am virtually pain-free since drinking regular coffee. I felt so much better than normal I also cleaned a bathroom and mopped some floors. </p>
<p>Can a little caffeine actually have helped reduce my pain? If you also don’t drink caffeinated coffee you might want to try some.</p>
<p>I am still getting good results from drinking regular, caffeinated coffee, about 3 mug-size cups per day spaced about 6 hours apart. If you are not a coffee drinker, but have back spasms, I would give it a try. I am finding it more effective than the pain meds I’m currently being prescribed.</p>
<p>If it is a tight piriformis a “figure 4 stretch” will often help loosen the piriformis and release pressure from sciatic nerve. Another possibility is the SI joint - amongst women of a certain age some kind of SI “dysfunction” is very common. It is a puzzle piece type joint held by ligaments and in some (me for example) the ligaments are naturally looser and the pieces can shift out of place. In some the joint loses flexibility with age (think lower estrogen levels) and if it gets slightly shifted it can get “stuck” and cause pain.</p>
<p>p.s. I would advise you to be careful grasping on to a back pain diagnosis. Like shoulders, there is a lot going on there - it could be any one of a multitude of things. Also, as I have found when my husband describes his “back pain” it is really his hip/pelvis and not back at all.</p>
<ul>
<li>lay (or lie) down on your back with knees at 90 degrees like sitting in a chair</li>
<li>bring one ankle (above ankle joint so foot doesn’t fold over) across your opposite knee so that one knee is out to the side</li>
<li>you can thread a bath towel around the back of your thigh on regular bent leg and hold both ends to pull leg towards you for better stretch w/o straining your neck and shoulders
<ul>
<li>hold for about a minute then place hand on outside of crossed over knee and gently bring towards your torso and slightly across towards your opposite shoulder for a deeper glute stretch - hold for another minute</li>
</ul></li>
</ul>
<p>if you google you can find many pictures and videos of the first part - I just looked and many have the stretcher grabbing on top of the knee which can put more pressure than is ideal on the cruciate ligaments as you fold the joint. I would definitely use the towel method to hold</p>