Hello, Dr. Ashley Mak with Hudson River Fitness here. Today I wanted to share with you a recent interaction that I had with a new client. The reason being is that this is a scenario where a physical therapist, chiropractor, rehab or movement specialist cannot help you with your back pain or sciatica and needs true medical attention.
So here, we have a 35-year-old father of two who’s had a history of backaches every now and then. Now, who doesn’t in their 30s? This most recent episode of back pain came on with a vengeance, literally putting him on his back and his back hurt so bad that he was nauseous and would be vomiting on occasion. Now, when asked about his previous episodes of pain, he also reported that at the peak pain levels, he would also actually have changes in his urine habits. Often, there was more urine being produced during these higher episodes of back pain. So we went through a little movement assessment and no matter what position he was in, there really was no change in how he felt or what his back pain was like and he also didn’t recall any sort of specific movement or incident that would actually cause this most recent flare. So I reflected on his previous statement about increased urine production at peak pain levels and the area of pain is in his lower back which is also where his kidneys are located. So I asked about kidney stones and history of that and any sort of other kidney issues and he never really had kidney issues or stones in the past but he did report that his father has previously had episodes of kidney stones.
To inform you what kidney stones are, it’s a buildup of some sort of mineral crystal and the kidneys resulting in pain and dysfunction. And what are some symptoms of kidney stones? We have back pain, nausea, chills, and other things that aren’t common with generalized low back pain and sciatica. So once we encounter that information reflected, I actually suggested that he go see his primary care doctor to assess the situation further. That was a week ago. Now, yesterday we actually found out that he was diagnosed with, in fact, kidney stones. He was provided medications to manage the kidney stones themselves and his back pain is now gone.
So the lesson from today’s story is to look at the whole picture. Do you have anything outside of the ordinary that occurs with your back pain? If you do, then professionals like myself, physical therapists, chiropractors, even other movement coaches cannot help. But if you experience other symptoms like nausea, fever, chills, changes in your bowel or your bladder function, or anything else that again is out of the ordinary, please tell your doctor about it so you can get the correct medical follow-up. Also, if you are seeing a physio, a chiropractor, or other professionals, please tell them what you’re experiencing as well because they can rule out any sort of other issues and identify what’s the best route for you.
So if you are ready to take charge of your back pain with a professional who’s going to look at you as an entire person rather than just tight or weak muscles or one specific body part, then book a strategy call with me today by clicking on the link below or emailing me at ashley@hudsonriverfitness.net.
