Bad lower back pain

[demerson1280]

My 18 yr old son was diagnosed 5 weeks ago with Crohn's, immediately started pentasa and prednisone, 40mg. The sever abdominal pain and diahrea got better very quickly and he put on 10 pounds. But over last 1.5 weeks, he's had very intense lower right back pain, most prevalent at night, causing him to get no sleep and then still hurting him off and on over the day. Taking Tylenol and tramadol at night but not getting much relief. Nurse said back pain is a "thing" of Crohns. That's not enough for me, I need to get him some relief and know what is going on to cause that severe of pain, especially when other symptons are improved. Does anyone have any ideas or helpful explanations.

 

[upsetmom]

Hi and welcome

Sorry to hear about your son....:hug:

Have you tried deep heat?

My daughter also gets back pain we were told it was from the inflamed bowel

 

[my little penguin]

Hugs
My son age 9 also had the back pain "thing"
As well as other joints .
These are extra intestinal manifestations ( EIM )
Which basically means when the gut is inflamed other body systems in this case the joints will also be inflamed until the gut heals .
Since he just started pred I would assume the gut is not healed yet.
Hot packs can help also a tens unit .
Have you tried EEN ( exclusive enteral nutrition)
?
Basically all formula no food for 6-8 weeks.
This heals the gut and improved nutrition at the same time.
It is the first course of treatment in every other country but the US for kids.
My son said swimming might have helped it a little bit back when it was an issue
He also sees a Rheumo to help with his EIM since he consistently has joint pain as part if his crohn's when he is flaring .

 

[Tesscorm]

My son also had back pains... his pain was in different areas of this back at different times (lower back, near shoulder blades, etc.). GI wasn't 100% sure but said it was possible that intestinal inflammation was causing the backache??? Muscles were also 'very tight' - so not sure if that was caused by the inflammation or if that means the ache wasn't caused by crohns???? :ywow:

He was referred to a rheumatologist by his GI - tests can be run to determine if there is joint/spine issues. In Stephen's case, they were all negative, so no definitive explanation for back pain.

In any case, for him... Tiger Balm ointment gave him lots of relief - he swore by this and used it all the time! He also found massage and stretching helped a fair bit. He did some yoga classes and found it helped quite a bit (doesn't attend regularly but still goes whenever he starts to feel back pain). He also finds sleeping on a very firm surface helps (when he's sore, he sleeps on the floor (on carpet with some blankets for a bit of cushioning...).

Do not give ibuprofen (or any nsaids) - also be careful of anti-inflammatory gels. Stephen did use Voltaren for an injury but only very sparingly and only for a short period of time. (As far as I've been able to determine, Tiger Balm has no anti-inflammatory ingredients.)

Hope some of this helps! :ghug: Please also look into Enteral Nutrition (EN) - this is the treatment that helped my son.

:ghug:

 

[DustyKat]

Is this pain new and/or has it intensified since commencing treatment?

Dusty. xxx

 

[Sascot]

Sorry, not something we've had to deal with. Hope it gets better soon!

 

[PVail]

Hi and sorry to hear your son is hurting so much .I have had this for three years and have been to a go to a pain management clinic. It was explained to me that active inflammation will cause this pain and also spasms in the colon or lower bowel. Im on Asacol for the inflammation and found that it takes some time for this to settle down .But this has worked for me in keeping some of the symptoms at bay. For the pain im on Amitryptyline and this really helps at night . It had been a long time since I had a nights sleep but this helps calm you down and depending on the dose aids in pain relief.
I personally think its more about trying to manage this situation . So for instance if you are having pain at night then I would certainly reduce the food intake in the evenings or maybe switch to a more liquid diet to ease the stress on the bowel.
There are some natural remedies which may help such as Ginger tea which is very good for easing the bowel spasms ( I found).
Ive been dealing with this for some time and I found that it does take some managing but it is possible to reduce this by sorting out your diet . this can really help.
Working between a good diet and the proper pain relief can ease things.
Look I know its not the answer but i think you have to look at how to help get some control rather than looking for an answer.
I was able to get back to work and lead a relatively normal life but still having all the symptoms albiet at a reduced level.
Hope this helps
Peter

 

[Devynnsmom]

Have you tried heat or ice? Devynn gets a lot of joint pain, but tylenol usually relieves it somewhat atleast. Im sorry he's feeling bad.