Waking/Breathing Back Pain

[bts11]

I am a 24 year old male who is very active. I do cardio and weight lifting 6-7 days a week. I have always been very active and suspect the back pain from which I suffer may have started as a result of an ice hockey back/hip injury I suffered in my early teens. For at least the past 5-7 years I have been unable to sleep for more than about 7 hours unless I manage to lay with my upper back and neck propped up with pillows. If I move into any other position during sleep I will wake up early with constant mild middle back pain coupled with streaking unbearable pain when I take a deep breath. I can alleviate the pain only by getting up and sitting upright in a chair or (sometimes) by stretching my back by touching my toes for a few minutes. However, after such stretching the pain returns quickly. During the day and during exercise my back feels strong and never hurts. Other than sleeping, the only time when the pain comes back is when I have to stand for long perioRAB without bending over or when I lay on my stomach for 20 minutes or more. The pain is located generally in my lat muscles and my spine. Could you please give me some feedback as to what condition I may be suffering from and how I can alleviate my pain?

 

[Justoneofus]

My first question is what kind of shape is your bed in? Is it a supportive one or one that is breaking down any?

A condition? I have no idea. Have you even been to a doctor yet? Since this has been going on for some time now, it would prudent to go to a regular MD and to possibly get an Xray, CT Scan and/or MRI. These would be to rule out or identify certain things within your muscular and skeletal spine.

Maybe you are overdoing it at the gym.. and your body is giving you some signs. It's really hard to say. Without knowing what the issue is, it's really hard for any of us to give you ideas on how to alleviate your pain.

So, when something continues for any duration, it's always a good idea to get things checked out.

Good luck.