Back Pain

Paul, just my 2 cents, I would be willing to bet it's a combination of a couple of things. You were sleeping in a different bed while out of the country, posture is also a culprit, especially sitting in the seats of a plane & what activities you did while out of the country. Most of all yes, the good old age thing gets us. I will be 66 yrs old soon & I can assure you things hurt much easier now than when I was younger. If I happen to roll over during the night on my side, the next morning my shoulder will let me know fast what I did. Lack of exercise is another kicker. I doubt you need to worry about crohns & absorption issues causing this.

There are numerous OTC remedies that can help a person. It's a matter of trial & error finding which one helps you. Alternating moist heat & ice, Salon Pas & Tiger Balm make patches with some lidocaine in them. I have found these to work well & of course plenty of analgesic topicals. Above all you need to keep moving around. Sitting or laying will not help at all. I would be willing to bet if you had an xray done on your back right now it would show you to have arthritis, it's due to the natural aging process. Every morning do some light stretches.

Look at the age of your mattress, if its old think about replacing it. Do not wear the same pair of shoes every day, alternate your shoes.

If you try some things without any relief go see your pcp for an opinion. Hope things calm down.

Thank you both for your replies, Susie and HabsHockeyFan. Yes, the cause of the pain could be a combination of many factors.

Mattress: At home, I have been sleeping on the same firm mattress for over 10 years. It is still firm and no sagging at all. But the oversea hotel mattress was too soft for me. I slept in the hotel for 5 days.

Sitting posture: I sat on the airplane for 13 hours straight for one leg of the flight. But I doubt this is the cause, because I walked on the plane every now and then.

Baggage: I pulled 3 suitcases all by myself. This is the most likely cause of my back pain, as I had to load and unload my suitcases multiple times onto cars and a van. 2 of the suitcases weight exactly 50 pounds.

Exercise: I need to do more stretching. I guess this is the only hope for avoiding future back pains.

Nutrient: my PCP said I am low on Vitamin D, as I work indoor in an office and maybe also due to poor absorption of Vitamin D in my small intestine. If I take oral Vitamin D supplement, it often causes diarrhea and gas and bloating.

Medical Testing: a month again, I had moderate shoulder pain. So I met my PCP. Out of abundance of caution, he ordered an X-Ray CLAVICLE. Test result: No bone, joint, or soft tissue abnormality is seen. Now before my shoulder pain is gone, I am starting to have lower back pain.

Back pain is *extremely* common in people, especially those in their 40s, 50s, and 60s.

The discs in between each vertebrae tend to dry out with age, with significant changes evident by the time one is in his/her 30s or 40s.

Stretches, physical therapy, exercises, etc, can all help, but some of it is inevitable for many people.

For somebody with a healthy back and healthy set of discs, sleeping on any old mattress won't matter. But for people with disc issues, it can make all the difference in the world. Same with posture - kids with healthy discs can sit in all sorts of ways without it hurting their backs. Adults with disc dessication have to be much more careful about their posture and how they sit.

I've thrown out my back sneezing, bending over to grab a carrot out of the refrigerator, getting out of bed, rolling over in bed, taking a shower, etc. I can't count how many times. I have multiple bad discs shown on MRIs.

For people with IBD, there is the possibility that there is more going on than the usual degeneration that is so common. People with IBD are more prone to arthritic conditions of the back/spine, called spondyloarthropathies. If you experience gradual-onset pain & stiffness that just keeps getting worse over time, get it checked out.

It doesn't even have to be herniated/ruptured to cause problems. When the discs dry out with age, they lose height and flexibility, ie, their cushioning benefits.

By the way, the Chinese orthopedic doctor prescribed some expensive but hopefully good patches for me, called Flurbiprofen Cataplasms. No sure what it is exactly. But the patches are supposed to reduce pain and inflammation for me.

EruditePaul, be careful with those patches. They're an NSAID.

Paul, my gi has no problem with me using Voltaren gel when things get bad. It has a different delivery system versus oral. I only use it when other methods do not give me relief. I too like Salonpas!!