Had Tightness In Chest. Fell In Garden. Lower Back Hurts. Back Feels Stiff. Help?

Posted on Sat, 28 Sep 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 28 Sep 2013 Answered on

Mon, 21 Oct 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I fell Thursday night; outside on grass had tightness in chest knocked the breath out of me; but my lower back hurts very stiff can walk but very slowly; hip doesn't hurt what can I do to help relieve pain

Answered by Dr. Kerry Pottinger (28 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
There are many simple measures which may help.

Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thank you for using Healthcare Magic.
It appears you may have strained the muscles of your lower back. I would suggest the following:
- paracetamol and ibuprofen for pain relief
- hot baths or cold packs applied to the area. One or both may help.
- alter your sleeping position if you are having trouble sleeping
- keep moving with gentle exercise such as swimming, walking or cycling which are low impact
- gentle stretching exercises for the muscles of your lower back
- diazepam is a muscle relaxant which can relieve muscle spasms. Your doctor would need to prescribe this.
If these measures do not improve your pain over the next week, I would suggest seeing a physiotherapist who will be able to manipulate. mobilise and massage the area.
I hope this is of help. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Regards,
Dr K A Pottinger,
MBChB FRCA

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar