HI I went to sit down in the car this morning and something happened to my back. I couldn t get up out of the car for a little while. All of a sudden, it s really sore. It hurts to move from a sitting to a standing position, I can walk but very slowly. It feels best when I lie flat on a bed or floor. I can pull both knees up to my chest, do it one knee at a time, and stretch both legs all the way up in the air (both together and one at a time). But getting up and moving around is really painful, and standing up after sitting down is awful. What should I do?
Most likely you have suffered an annular tear, which is the outer part of your intervertebral disc. Usually this is caused by rotating movements of the spine. The acute pain can also bring about para spinal muscle spasms which can add on to your pain. As you can stretch both legs to the air, I suspect that you have no nerve root compression. Take some anti-inflammatories and rest for 2-3 days. Once the pain starts to reduce you can start light activities. Once your pain has subsided, focus on back muscle strengthening exercises to prevent recurrent tears.