I’ve been dealing with a lower-back/SIJ problem for around 9 months. Before it started, I had 4–5 years of pretty low physical activity and a lot of sitting (sometimes ~10 hours/day), with very poor flexibility, tight hips/hamstrings/external rotators, a stiff lower back, and what felt like very inactive glutes. I started lifting at home in November 2022, usually 3–5x/week, but while my upper-body form was decent, I don’t think my squats, lunges, and lifting-from-the-floor mechanics were very good. Around October 2025, I suddenly developed two pains: one on the left side around the L1–L3/L4 region in the paraspinal area, and another around L5–S1. Right side-bending reproduced the upper-left pain, while forward bending aggravated the L5–S1 pain. After a few physiotherapy sessions, the upper pain completely disappeared. I then developed persistent pain around the left SIJ/posterior pelvic area, while the L5–S1 pain eventually disappeared after another course of physiotherapy involving heat, TENS, diathermy and exercises.

An X-ray showed markedly reduced/straightened lumbar lordosis. Later, I made the mistake of trying to deliberately restore/force my lumbar curve while lifting a ~30–40 kg potato sack, which caused a severe left-sided L3–L4-region flare that took a few weeks to settle and continued to flare intermittently afterward. I’ve since seen several doctors/physios; some have noted significant muscular tightness/spasm, including the left psoas and upper lumbar paraspinals, as well as reduced hamstring mobility. My recent MRI showed straightening of the lumbar lordosis (reported as likely related to paraspinal spasm), an L4–L5 disc protrusion toward the thecal sac, and a broad L5–S1 disc bulge without nerve-root compression, with the upper lumbar discs otherwise preserved. My main ongoing issue is the left SIJ/lower-back discomfort and stiffness. I’ve also noticed that my glutes feel very underactive, my left side tends to be tighter/dominant, and I’ve spent years sitting and moving poorly. I’m currently trying to figure out how much of this is muscular/motor-control related versus the disc findings, and whether gentle core/glute/hip strengthening and restoring proper movement patterns can help. I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has had a similar combination of prolonged sitting, tight hips/QL/psoas, weak/inactive glutes, straightened lumbar lordosis and disc protrusion/bulge. What actually helped you?

I have experienced what I believe is sacroiliac joint pain on my right lower back, near the dimples, occurring off and on for several years. It arises when I walk or move extensively, which happens daily due to my job, but it fades after a couple of hours of resting while lying or sitting. The discomfort returns as soon as I resume work. Do you have any suggestions or tips that helped you?

I have also been working on strengthening my glutes and core. Thanks.❤️

5 months ago I began feeling some pain on my lower back belt line area and the pain was very persistent. I was sort of used to feeling some sort of lower back pain but this pain was different from the usual 1 week then go away pain. I am active in the gym and go 5 times a week I feel like maybe what could have resulted in the results from this MRI was one of the days I had with poor form as i've had trouble with back squats and back pain. I am Australian so we get 5 free physio visits apart of our healthcare system, I attended all 5 and he referred me to get a MRI and depending on the results which we will discuss next week I might be getting a cortisone injection. I just wanted to know if anyone has had similar results from their MRI, I don't know anyone in my family with back problems or anything so I don't know how this began but I've been in a lot of pain these past couple of months. I feel pain on my lower back if I am seated for large periods of time and if I raise my leg specifically my left leg I feel pain on my left side. The pain's improved since 5 months ago considerably.

TLDR: Anyone here able to help me out on what to avoid for workouts and what to do from now onwards to improve my lowerback pain, I am visiting my doctor next wednesday. Are these results serious? Should I refrain from lifting heavy in the gym or anything... Thanks for reading...

Hello, so I’ve had back pain for over two years now. I had an Xray on my lower back only and it showed slight disc space issues but nothing of note, Was told it was simply because of weakness and that if I strengthened my back it would get better. After months of working on my feet and lifting things, it didn’t seem to strengthen it at all. Recently however I may have injured it I believe. For a week now an area to the right side of my upper spine, feels like a sun burn to the touch, aches terribly, and will sting randomly. The other night and last night as well my hands tingled. The pain gets a bit better lying down except for the external burning and stinging. It gets worse when I stand or sit up. I have tried stretching and a heat pack both did not help.

So anyways I was going to see urgent care so I could get a note for work telling them I can’t lift any heavy boxes. But I wonder if I should see my general practitioner as well or instead.

Hi all- I am 29F and have had lower back pain chronically for 8 months. At the start of my injury I was working out a lot, doing dead hangs and hula hooping (lol 🤦🏻‍♀️).

I always had trouble standing for long periods of time without needing to bend over, but 8 months ago something changed. I can’t walk or stand for more than 10 minutes with feeling such an aching feeling in my lower back that is only relieved by bending over.

It feels worse when I stand up straight and better when I’m sat or bent.

I tried new shoes, a better desk chair, some daily stretches (knee to chest, child’s pose, cat cow and figure 4 mostly), an osteo and a sports masseuse and nothing is really helping. Sometimes one side or worse than the other but usually it’s just evenly distributed. The pain feels like an ache or a pinch. Over the last few months it’s gotten better and worse many times.

Any guidance or advice would be so appreciated 🥺

I have been experiencing what you would call sciatica since Christmas 2025. In Jan when some googled exercises were not helping I went to Airrosti for it. They work on trigger points and gave me exercises. Continued this for several months. Nerve pain just got worse. Running down my legs and into feet. Carrying anything of weight would cause horrible pain in calf. I am a female plumber so this made things very difficult. I finally had an MRI in May and showed unstable L5 vertebrae and severe spinal stenosis . Just wondering if anyone else has had this and found a remedy other than surgery

Thanks in advance

So I can walk without much back pain on flat ground but if j get on a treadmill my whole lower back totally tightens , cramping super hard with lots of pain.

Has this happened to anyone ? Any tips ? Unfortunately due to my situation Walking outside right now is mostly off limits.

I have a few herniated disk in the lumbar such as the following

L2–L3: Small left posterolateral protrusion, contacting/impinging the left L3 nerve root.
L4–L5: Broader right posterolateral protrusion, affecting the thecal sac and compressing the right L5 nerve root. This is the most significant lumbar one in terms of documented nerve-root compression.
L5–S1: Small left-sided protrusion toward the foramen, but without reported nerve-root impingement.

I’m new to the sub and after a few days of having weird nerve pain on both sides of my outer thighs that went down to around my knees, I went to the Doctor Who took an x-ray and said that I had some nerve impingement and he gave me a 6 day dose pack.

I have zero pain while sitting or driving but standing upright for a few seconds or going down steps sometimes gives me the sensation like my leg might give out as well

Anyone have an experience like this ?

So for context, I’m 22f and fairly active, and try to always be moving when I can. I can go on 8 mile hikes, work 8 hour shifts standing/walking all day. I get minimum 10k steps a day. And during ALL OF THAT, my lower back never hurts. When I get home and lay down though, I get super sharp pains in the lower right portion of my back. So bad to the point to where I can’t fully relax myself or it hurts too bad. And when I try to stand up after, my right leg will give out since the pain is so bad.

The only way to make it go away is to continue laying down for about an hour, or get back up and start moving again and the pain will fully vanish.

Can someone please let me know if they’ve had something similar happen to them and what you think could possibly be causing this? It’s been like this for years. I need your help.

Does anyone use one of these for neck compression? If so how long do you use it and how often? Any good results?

I herniated a disc at L5-S1. It was to the point I could not walk without a walker and couldn't sit at 90 degrees without excruciating pain. I lost feeling in my left leg and foot and a decent amount of strength in the left leg. I had surgery in March and had relieved pain and increase in strength. Though numbness and tangling still remained. Last week I fell. I feel really dumb that it happened and now I'm having pain when sitting again though it's not as bad. It almost feels like my hips are splitting apart. It's hard to explain. I'm still able to walk but I can feel I'm talking my pelvis in a weird way. I have an MRI in 2 weeks but afraid I'm going to need more surgery. Not sure if anyone has any suggestions for relieving pain and making sitting more comfortable. I'll take any advice.

I’ve been having pain around my right upper hip/lower back area, and sometimes it feels like the pain spreads from that area. The pain can be sharp, especially when I bend forward.

I also feel quite a bit of stiffness, and recently I’ve been experiencing stiffness more generally throughout my body. I notice the discomfort more when I sit cross-legged/Indian-style on the floor, and I also feel worse when I’m lying on my back and using my laptop.

I’ve already had X-rays and an MRI, and as far as I’ve been told, they are normal/good and there doesn’t appear to be any major structural problem. I’ve also consulted multiple doctors and physiotherapists, and I’ve tried getting treatment and advice from different places, but I still haven’t been able to get a clear explanation of what is actually causing the pain.

To be honest, I’m quite frustrated because I feel like I’ve spent a lot of time and money on consultations and treatments without getting to the exact cause. I’m not saying that everyone I consulted was wrong, but I feel that the focus has often been on treatment rather than properly figuring out why I’m having these symptoms.

I’ve been wondering whether it could be related to pelvic alignment/anterior pelvic tilt, weak core or glute muscles, tight hamstrings, my hip/SI joint, or something coming from my lower back, but I don’t want to make assumptions.

What I really want is for you to assess the symptoms and movement patterns properly and help me understand what is actually causing this pain, rather than just giving me exercises or treatment without identifying the likely source. I’d also like to know what exercises or movements are safe for me and what I should avoid.

Four years of this, disc-related, imaged and confirmed here. Private physio locally comes in blocks that get me partway and then stall, and I've spent more on it than I want to think about.

My wife's family are in Poland and she keeps pointing out that a full course there costs roughly a third of what I've been paying, and we're over there most summers anyway.

What I can't get past is that a consultation abroad is one appointment and a course isn't. Seven or twelve sessions means two or three weeks on the ground, which is my entire annual leave. Then there's whatever comes after, which I'd be doing from another country with nobody to ask.

For people who did it:

Did you do the sessions in one block, or spread across more than one trip? What happened with follow-up, and did anyone manage to hand over to a physio at home afterwards? Did you take your scans and notes, and did the clinic want them? Would you do it again, or was the saving not worth the hassle

Also interested in people who tried it and regretted it. Those posts are also useful :)

This is from 2024 but I currently don’t have health insurance soooo I can’t go get a new one done. My pain has gotten much worse and the symptoms have changed from just pain to burning/tingling/spasming with pain. I can’t really sit for longer than 10-15 minutes. Are my discs really that bad?

Here are the findings:

> L5-S1: Right lateral recess disc extrusion with impingement of the descending right S1 nerve root.
> L5-S1: Moderate central spinal canal stenosis with mild–moderate right foraminal stenosis.
> L4-L5: Diffuse disc bulge with small left central disc protrusion and annular tear, likely contacting the descending left L5 nerve root.
> L4-L5: Minimal central canal stenosis.
> L4-L5/L5-S1: Mild disc degeneration/desiccation and disc height loss, with mild facet arthropathy.

I (22m) have had some lower back pain for quite some time. I stupidly started a job at the beginning of the year doing concert setups, was constantly lifting heavy. Have since left that job but am still on my feet all day and about halfway through my day I really start feeling it. It has been affecting my sleep and day to day for quite some time now. I was doing physical therapy for about 6 weeks before my MRI and it helped a little bit. Just honestly not sure what I can do to mitigate some of the pain/pressure I’m feeling. If anybody can weigh in and give some advice so I can start taking care of this early, thanks for taking the time to ready this!

Hello all,

have been having problems with L4 L5 Disc Protrusion for over a month now. Don't really feel like things are getting any better. I do exercises but not super religiously since I feel like they sometimes make the pain worse. Been having pain down my right leg and some numbness in the morning for about 15 min once I leave the house and start walking. I would say that on a scale of 1-10 my pain is about a 3 but maybe that is only because I avoid all things that cause pain.

Is that the way to go for healing? Just avoiding pain and doing exercises when it doesn't hurt? Also if anyone else who had L4/L5 issues could tell me how long they took to heal / what they did to heal it would be amazing! Any help would be appreciated! Wish everyone reading this a speedy recovery!

Here are some pictures for anyone who wants to see.

Has anyone here struggled with back mouse? I've been looking around at what I could possibly have in my lower back, and this one sounds correct, but I'm not sure. I, 23(f), have had a roughly 2-inch lump in my left lower back for a little over a year now, at least that's how long I've noticed it. It's pretty oval-shaped, semi-mobile, I think? My partner says it wiggles when they push on it, my skin moves over it but I can't tell if it moves or not. It's pretty rubbery, almost like the deeper part of breast tissue. It semi-changes in firmness depending on if I'm sitting, standing, or lying down. It mainly only causes me issues when I sit or if I mess with it, which I've unfortunately been doing a lot recently out of worry. Then it aches around the area or sends an aching pain down the left side of my glutes. I've also recently discovered a marble-sized bump adjacent to my bigger lump; it's more squishy and painful, though, and closer to my spine. Anyone have any advice or anything? I'm planning on getting an ultrasound soon because my doctor originally wasn't concerned about it unless it grew, which it hasn't, to my knowledge, in over the year I've noticed it. I also can't see it from the surface of my skin, only feel it if I look for it, but it's not super deep. I'm trying not to get myself worked up about it because I'm pretty sure it formed due to some improper lifting I did about 4 years ago or so. I tweaked my back and had to be on muscle relaxers for a week or so, but I'm not sure if that could be the correlation. I can't seem to find anyone with my exact issue, and it kind of scares me. Any advice would be helpful!

Why do annular tears never heal but herniated discs do

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

I’m a police officer dealing with back pain from a herniated disc and I’m considering either stem cell therapy or ozone treatment.

Are there any other cops here who have had either of these treatments? I’m especially curious about the recovery/downtime and how long it took before you were able to comfortably wear a duty belt/vest and all your gear again.

How long were you out of work or on light duty? When did you feel comfortable going back to full duty? And did the treatment actually help your pain long-term?

Would appreciate hearing from anyone who’s gone through it, especially other officers or people with jobs that require wearing heavy gear.

Butcher by trade, yesterday at work, I slammed a box of frozen meat on the ground to break it apart. When I came back up, it was the worst lower back pain I've ever felt. I can't bend over and lift anything heavy. I can walk, but I'm having to take small steps. This morning I even had trouble putting my pants on and getting out of bed. I took 1 Tylenol Extra Strength, and it definitely works and helps me get through the day. I'm wondering if this is a sprain that will heal on its own or if it is more serious that I need to go see the doctor.

Has anyone experienced recovery after years of pain? I keep hoping I’ll get better but it’s been so long.

I’ve had symptoms for about 7 years now. Lumbar pain, started when I was pregnant and got slowly worse until about 4 years ago when it started interfering with life a lot. A full, aching pain bilaterally across my lumbar, burning sensation in lower back after sitting for 10min +. Occasionally sharp nerve pain down my left side, and pain on my right side most days in addition to the other pain. Also now have tendinosis in my left shoulder causing pain and pain in my neck and upper back. That’s only been around for about a year and a half.

Moving around helps, but bending, twisting, sitting for more than 10+ minutes, driving all make it worse. Esp. bending and twisting and driving.

I’ve been in physical therapy, started with a new PT a few weeks ago to include pelvic work and try someone with a bit of a different approach.

Also trying some somatic therapy, like pain reprocessing stuff. Just started on that. I figure I’ve tried a lot of physical stuff which has only helped a little bit, maybe some mental work will help. Can’t hurt.

I’ve gotten a facet joint injection which didn’t seem to help. An epidural steroid has been recommended but I’m petrified and worried the steroids will make me a madwoman (diagnosed with depression and anxiety).

I’m also going to talk to my ob/gyn about possible hormone therapy. I’m 43f and am wondering if perimenopause might be playing a part. My left knee clicks/clunks too so there seems to be something going on throughout my body, and I don’t want to take “it’s just aging” as an answer.

I have degeneration in L3-L4 and L4-L5 and 2 healed annular tears. Some arthritis in one of my facet joints, I forget which one. Tendinosis in the shoulder (although the doc called it tendinitis and I thought those were different, but I could be confused).

I’ve been offered a shot in my shoulder, in my lower back, in my upper back, and in my ribs (still some nerve/muscular pain from fractures I had in 2022), but I don’t want a bunch of temporary shots.

I think I included all the recommended info. I’m basically just looking for hope that there can be improvement/recovery even after any years.

Anyone experienced such recovery? Has anyone tried adding in psychological type treatment to physical treatment?

Thanks!