I have treated many patients who had suffered with insomnia because of their back pain. Have you been up most of night with back pain? Are you desperate for a good night’s sleep? Many patients I treat for back pain had not been able to sleep in the same bad with their spouse for years. Even though they had bought different mattresses, and some were very expensive. They said it would have been worth the money just to get to some sleep.
It is not unusual for people to sleep on the floor or put a board under mattress. They will buy body-pillows to prop up their legs or place between their knees. They try all types of pillows: memory pillows, contour pillows or even expensive down pillows. It could drive a spouse crazy because back pain sufferers often lay awake at night channel-surfing and ordering products from infomercials. They might buy sleeping aids, inversion tables, Ginsu knives, diet programs, and exercise programs, just to list a few. And it is understandable, as they are really ordering the promise of the hope to get better. It is a never-ending cycle with back pain and not sleeping. Many try heating pads, electric blankets, and soothing music.
Many people have tried heating pads, electric blankets, playing soothing music, and leaving the television on – which can drive a spouse insane. They want to have some company while they are awake suffering. This is when back pain sufferers are tempted to order products from the late-night infomercials: diet programs, sleep aids, exercise equipment, inversion tables, vitamins and maybe even Ginsu knives. Anything that will promise a better life might be ordered. It is a viscous cycle that just does not seem to end because their pain is only the symptom of what could be a serious, underlying back problem.
If you are suffering with back pain to point you are not able sleep, then you should see a doctor. Sleep loss and back pain affect your whole life, and you need to find out the cause. It is normal to be given pain pills, anti-inflammatory medications, and muscle relaxants when you first go to see a doctor for back pain. In the beginning, many doctors do not want to take too much time examining you, and they may give you a diagnosis of “nonspecific” back pain.
It is miserable not being able to sleep because of back pain; your nights can be agonizingly long. When the pain is so bad that it affects you day and night, you need to get to your doctor. However, this may be the beginning of what I call the “Medical Pipeline”. There can many visits before you may have an actual diagnosis, because there are standard guidelines that doctors tend to follow.
First visit, you could get pain pills and muscle relaxants, and you will have a “nonspecific” back pain diagnosis. If the pills do not help, on the second visit, you may be sent to physical therapy. If that does not help, on your third visit, the doctor may order X-rays or MRIs and direct you to a specialist (an orthopedic or neurologist). If you have a problem such a herniated disc, degenerative disc, spinal stenosis or facet syndrome, the doctor will probably have you get an epidural. This is a temporary pain blocker and may last a while or only a few days, if at all.
If there is post-surgery pain, they may have to go under the care of a pain specialist. Some surgeries are successful and the symptoms are gone, others might last for two to five years or less, and some are not successful – failed surgery syndrome – at all.
Want to find out more about sleep disorders and back pain#1, then visit Dr. Richard E. Busch III’s site on why you have back pain keyword #2 and what you can do.
