Why Am I Having Pain With Most Of The Lower Back Movements After A Fall?

Posted on Sat, 14 Dec 2013

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

Sat, 14 Dec 2013 Answered on

Fri, 3 Jan 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : I slipped and fell on Tuesday morning. I fell on my side but it is my back that hurts. My lower back on both sides. Can walk and sit, but bending, getup from a chair ,turning in bed or most movements involving the lower back muscles give me a lot of pain. Tylenol and heat pads help a bit. I am 80 years old. Do I just wait it out, or see a doctor? I live alone and there is a snowstorm outside.

Answered by Dr. Saurabh Gupta (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: Strained muscle when stretched gives severe pain. Detailed Answer: Hello, Thanks for your query. The fact that your pain is occuring with movements indicates a muscle strain. Any strained muscle when stretched gives severe pain. I advice you to follow the below mentioned guidelines - * Give adequate rest to the involved muscle group and avoid any movement that causes pain * Ice packing once in every 2 hours over the affected area * Moist heat application to relax the muscles * Local application of muscle relaxant gel You can continue taking tylenol as needed If your symptoms are not getting better with the above measures, I suggest you to consult an orthopaedic surgeon for further evaluation and management. I do hope that you have found something helpful and I will be glad to answer any further query. Take care

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