The Pain Can Spread To Other Areas
Back pain, especially lower back pain, is one of the most common conditions among the modern human. There are a lot of different things that can cause back pain, but there are also a lot of different ways to help prevent and fix back pain.
In our gallery, we have multiple accounts of people with back pain to see what it's really like.
Back pain has the ability to not just affect your back but can spread to other parts of your body as well. According to one sufferer, "Chronic pain is one second, feeling like you’re being stabbed in the back, the next, like your bones are poking one of your internal organs, then your brain is getting hit with a hammer, and so on. Sometimes I forget that there's pain in one area until it’s moved to another part of my body at a different intensity.
Disrpupt The Body's Normal Function
It’s sharp, then dull, then crushing. It’ll be your skin, then your bones, then your lungs, and it just keeps changing."
Back pain can also disrupt the signals in your brain. According to one woman, "When I’m having a particularly bad flare-up and my body is overwhelmed with pain, it’s like my brain starts flipping switches off: my hearing usually goes first, then my ability to feel different temperatures, then my speech and motor skills, then my sight gets blurry.
The Struggle (And Pain) Is Real
Finally, I pass out."
Listen to what this sufferer has to say: "Please know that when you doubt someone with chronic pain, it can make them doubt themselves. Sometimes I think, 'Well, if my doctor, friend, or family member is saying that I'm making this up, maybe I am.
It's Seemingly Endless
And that is ridiculous because the pain is strong and real."
The pain seems to always be there, never going away. According to this back-pain sufferer, "I feel like the word 'chronic' loses its meaning when people are talking about chronic pain.
Pain Tolerance Skewed
People don’t realize that I literally have a headache every single second of the day. Chronic doesn’t just mean most of the time!"
Having lower back pain skews your pain scale. According to one woman, "Your pain scale shifts when you have chronic pain.
Not Just Physical Pain
When doctors ask what your pain is on a scale of 1-10 (as they recently did when I had an elbow injury), I had to ask, 'your 1-10 or mine?'"
Not only can back pain affect your physical health, but it can affect your mental health too. One woman said, "I think the hardest part has been being locked in my house all the time and being distanced from my friends.
Age Doesn't Matter
My lack of social interaction is hard and has led me to develop depression, which I think happens a lot with chronic pain."
Whether you're 10 years old or 100 years old, back pain can affect you. One sufferer mentioned, "I’m living with arthritic ankle and hip joints that most doctors have only seen in patients twice my age.
Ups And Downs
It doesn’t care what age you are, or that you’re 'way too young' to know what advanced arthritis feels like. I do know, and I struggle with it on a daily basis."
Not all days are bad with back pain. According to one sufferer, "When bad days hit, they don’t discriminate.
Everyone Thinks They're A Doctor
Sometimes I can drink beer, eat pizza and not work out and I feel fine the next day. Other days I take two hot baths, do yoga, take my (prescribed) pain meds, eat all the good foods and still feel like dying."
When someone has back pain, many of their peers chime in and try to give them advice, even though they don't necessarily have the qualifications to be giving proper advice. Alicia, who suffers from back pain, said it best: "If people could just stop recommending miracle substances in general, that’d be great. Or telling me to work out more.
Yet, Some Doctors Won't Take You Seriously
Or suggesting I just need needles in my face or suction cups on my back, or to ‘just relax.' I've heard it all. I’ll, instead, defer to a trained medical professional and my physical therapist."
Like Alicia said, it's frustrating when people act like they're a doctor. But it can be even more frustrating when your doctor won't take your pain seriously. One sufferer said, "It’s hard to have doctors who brush off looking into the issue because it’s just 'pain,' without considering how bad it might be.
Sometimes, Nothing Works
Sure, my MRI or X-ray might not show a problem that day, but it doesn’t mean there’s no problem or no pain. It’s terrible to be told by a doctor that you have a 'successful knee' when it still hurts to walk and go up and down stairs."
In some cases, medication or even surgery won't work for lower back pain. According to Danielle, who suffers from lower back pain, "I’ve had extremely painful periods since high school. The pain got so bad.
It Can Seem Fine, But It's Usually Not
Five doctors and many years later, I was diagnosed with one of the most severe cases of endometriosis my new doctor has seen. I’ve had had two surgeries in four years and been on medication that’s put me through menopause twice. I still have constant pain every day."
It can be frustrating, said this back pain sufferer: "It's hard because everyone says I look fine or I seem healthy. On the outside I’m great, but inside, my body is trying to destroy itself.
Flaking On Plans Is Common
I’ve gotten really good at hiding my pain and faking smiles but there are days I can’t get out of bed 'til noon."
Having back pain can affect your social life due to the pain restricting you from doing activities with your friends and family. According to Melissa who suffers from lower back pain, "People forget very quickly that despite your age and the invisibility of symptoms, that doesn't mean you don't have it.
It's Best To Talk About Something Other Than Back Pain
A lot of life with chronic pain is also living with the disappointment on someone's face when you have to back out of plans, or leave early to go home because sitting up hurts too much right now."
According to Jen, who is a 25-year-old who walks with a cane due to her back pain, "Please don’t stop me in the middle of my day to ask me about how I’m feeling.
Everyday Tasks Are Difficult
Stopping to acknowledge how much pain I’m in, or just how drained I feel, ruins all the great compartmentalizing I’ve been working on."
Everyday tasks around the house can seem simple from the outside, but with back pain, it can be a nearly impossible task. According to Jenna, who suffers from back pain, "I have gotten sores before on my shoulders from constant turning over and over during each night because of pain.
Even Holding A Job Can Be Tough
Simple things like brushing my teeth or bathing are hard and require extra mental and physical effort. Even lifting myself out of a chair."
Jenna also added that "working a full-time job is taxing on the body, and the pain causes 'brain fog' and migraines, which makes it hard to concentrate or retain information.
Don't Compare The Pain
Not to mention the depression and anxiety you get from your nerve endings being out of whack, constantly tolerating the pain."
It can be frustrating when people compare your pain to their pain. According to another back pain sufferer, "I have postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, and one of my symptoms is a constant headache.
Exhausting
It never stops. It’s not that you can’t complain about pain to someone who has chronic pain, but please be respectful of how I’m feeling."
Back pain can be exhausting, even when you're not really doing anything at all. According to a back pain sufferer, "On the bad days, just existing leaves you feeling drained.
Tough On Relationships
Even if you do nothing but lay down and surf the web, you can still feel as tired as if you went out and did stuff all day."
Back pain doesn't solely affect your body, it can affect your relationships too. According to Amanda, who suffers from back pain, "I wish my husband could understand that I’m not lazy, or upset, or just tired if tasks don't get done or we don’t have sex.
It's No Joking Matter
I wish he knew that 'drinking more water' or trying fad diets won't magically cure autoimmune diseases or trauma from a car crash."
Back pain is nothing to joke about when due to how serious it can be. According to another back pain sufferer, "I once had a co-worker tell me that I only 'suffer' from fibromyalgia when I don’t feel like working.
The fact that some people think I’m lying or exaggerating about my pain hurts worse than all the shit I have to deal with on a daily basis."