Pain in lower back left side and tightness/tension in middle back right side

by Lili
(Toronto)


Hello,


I have been having pain in my lower back left side for the past 2-3 months after I started running and exercising a lot after a long period of inactivity. Prior to that I was having a lot of tightness/tension in the middle of my back on the right side. I found out I have scoliosis of about 10 degrees or less which causes the tightness. I have left lumbar scoliosis. Also I have uneven hips as a result of the scoliosis. The right hip is higher than the left.

Hello Lili,
It's the other way around; you have a scoliosis because of the uneven hips. In reality what you have is one limb that is shorter than the other.

The solution is a simple, inexpensive lift in your shoe; the difficulty is working out how thick the inner should be, and whether it's only under your heel, or the whole foot. You could do it by trial and error yourself, or see a professional to guide you; even then it's not clear cut. It's a very common cause of low back pain with a simple solution.

I am trying to find out what is causing the low back pain. I went to different specialists and I got a few different diagnosis. One physiotherapist told me I have lumbar faucet syndrome. Another physiotherapist told me I have a bulging disc. A chiropractor told me I have a bulging disc and also sacroilliac joint pain. I'm very confused as everyone is telling me something different and I would like to find out what the exact diagnosis is so I can get better.

I can't answer which of these it is, but really it makes no difference. First get the leg length inequality worked out before pursuing any treatment.

The reality is that a sharp diagnosis is difficult even to the very experienced and knowledgeable. At a gathering of ten of the world's greatest specialists, less than 50 percent of the time were they in agreement of the diagnosis; so no wonder the lesser lights are also not certain.

My pain seems to increase when I do physical activity such as exercise, especially running so I have stopped doing it. Sometimes when I put a lot of weight on my left foot, such as standing on left leg only, I feel pain in my left low back. Recently I have started hearing a clicking sound in my low back sometimes when I step on my left leg. Sitting helps make the pain go away if I sit with a greater than 90 degree angle between my upper body and legs. When I lie down the pain goes away. Please help me. I would like to find out whats causing it.

This is absolutely typical of the short leg syndrome; standing and walking, especially dawdling causes pain, relieved by sitting and lying down.

Also, are you doing any disciplined lower back exercises? Every morning before getting out of bed is what I recommend. They take less than two minutes; find them in the navigation bar at chiropractic help.

Dr B

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Jun 15, 2016
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starstarstarstarstar 		Physical therapy
by: Anonymous

Hi. Thank you very much for your help. I was wondering if it's possible to correct the pelvic imbalance to equalize the two sides without having to wear a shoe lift? Would it be possible to correct it with physical therapy? I noticed my right side glute muscles are always tight. Do you think the left side is not working properly?

I'm afraid that with a spine looking like the leaning tower of Pisa, stresses and strains are inevitable at the apex of the curves.

Whilst exercise will help strengthen the muscles, and keep the joints mobile, only a lift in your shoe can straighten you up; then all the other issues will show vast improvement. It's so simple and inexpensive; why go looking for a costly and less effective solution?

Dr B

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