doodlegirll
New member
So as of late, my mother (who is a nurse) and I have noticed something odd about my back.
First of all, I've always had this problem, but it hasn't really come to light until recently, due to starting college and having to carry a heavy backpack around all the time.
I can't touch my toes at all, and I can only bend down to the point where the tip of my middle finger is about an inch or two above my kneecap. I am a 5 foot 6 inch nineteen year old female. We have also noticed that when I bend down, my back does not arch; instead, it stays almost completely flat! There is very, very little arch to it at all, and when you reach my lower back, it doesn't arch at all!
My boyfriend's stepmom is a general practitioner, and she looked at it, and while she did not have an answer for me, she did say she could feel a little curvature to my spine in some places, as well as the almost nonexistent arch.
My back has really started to hurt as of late. It started about a month ago, which is when I started my second year of college, meaning heavy textbooks and a laptop in my bookbag, the works. I have a very good backpack (Swiss Army), so I know it's not because I have a crappy one not suited to carrying what mine does.
When I lay on my back, I cannot lift my legs very high in the air, and I can't lift them very high anyway. And when I do bend down, if I bend down too far, the muscles and tendons behind my knees start to tighten very painfully!
I cannot sleep on my back or sides. I MUST sleep on my stomach. It's always been this way, since I was a child. I cannot get comfortable if I sleep any other way.
Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has any idea what might be wrong here? I also have flat feet (pronate supination, to be specific, in both feet, but it's more prominent in my right foot. I also suffer from tibial tendinitis in my right ankle), if that has anything to do with it...
I have very limited flexibility, and I always have. I've never been able to do push up or sit ups very well at all, and I could never squat more than seventy pounds when I was in gym in high school, even though by all standards, I should have been able to squat at least a 120.
Also, it might as well be pointed out that my back is always very, very tense. I often have muscle spasms, and it is in constant need of a cracking (something either my coworkers or my boyfriend help me with, as I am not flexible enough to do it myself!). I also have a stiff neck.
I have had my meningitis checkups and vaccines. They are up to date.
Could anyone help me maybe crack down on what this could be? My parents and I are in the process of finding a specialist in our area, but I'd like to have a few ideas as to what it could be before I go in, if only to give me a nice list to ponder.
It's almost like my spine is fused together, and we just can't figure it out. :-/
Any help at all would be GREATLY appreciated!!
First of all, I've always had this problem, but it hasn't really come to light until recently, due to starting college and having to carry a heavy backpack around all the time.
I can't touch my toes at all, and I can only bend down to the point where the tip of my middle finger is about an inch or two above my kneecap. I am a 5 foot 6 inch nineteen year old female. We have also noticed that when I bend down, my back does not arch; instead, it stays almost completely flat! There is very, very little arch to it at all, and when you reach my lower back, it doesn't arch at all!
My boyfriend's stepmom is a general practitioner, and she looked at it, and while she did not have an answer for me, she did say she could feel a little curvature to my spine in some places, as well as the almost nonexistent arch.
My back has really started to hurt as of late. It started about a month ago, which is when I started my second year of college, meaning heavy textbooks and a laptop in my bookbag, the works. I have a very good backpack (Swiss Army), so I know it's not because I have a crappy one not suited to carrying what mine does.
When I lay on my back, I cannot lift my legs very high in the air, and I can't lift them very high anyway. And when I do bend down, if I bend down too far, the muscles and tendons behind my knees start to tighten very painfully!
I cannot sleep on my back or sides. I MUST sleep on my stomach. It's always been this way, since I was a child. I cannot get comfortable if I sleep any other way.
Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has any idea what might be wrong here? I also have flat feet (pronate supination, to be specific, in both feet, but it's more prominent in my right foot. I also suffer from tibial tendinitis in my right ankle), if that has anything to do with it...
I have very limited flexibility, and I always have. I've never been able to do push up or sit ups very well at all, and I could never squat more than seventy pounds when I was in gym in high school, even though by all standards, I should have been able to squat at least a 120.
Also, it might as well be pointed out that my back is always very, very tense. I often have muscle spasms, and it is in constant need of a cracking (something either my coworkers or my boyfriend help me with, as I am not flexible enough to do it myself!). I also have a stiff neck.
I have had my meningitis checkups and vaccines. They are up to date.
Could anyone help me maybe crack down on what this could be? My parents and I are in the process of finding a specialist in our area, but I'd like to have a few ideas as to what it could be before I go in, if only to give me a nice list to ponder.
It's almost like my spine is fused together, and we just can't figure it out. :-/
Any help at all would be GREATLY appreciated!!