Back Pain

[Lwceliac]

I have very severe back pain which is at it's worst when I first wake up (I can barely move) and improves throughout the day. Has anyone out there experienced this? Did you find improvement after going gluten free and how long did it take?

I have been gluten free for 6 weeks with very little change in my back pain (although I feel great otherwise!). The pain has been ongoing for about 5 months.

[rustycat]

My back pain didn't go away until I got rid of all grains, even the gluten free ones. I have been pretty much dairy free since I stopped the gluten.

It's been over 3 months and my back is about 95% better. It only got to about 50% without taking away all grains.

Everyone seems to have different reactions, so you might want to try an elimination diet or some testing to see if there are any other food sensitivities. Nightshades can often cause pain, too, but I don't seem to react to them much.

My back pain was worst in the morning or when I had been sitting for awhile.

Best wishes, I know how debilitating the back pain can be and I hope that you find what works for you.

[bincongo]

I have very severe back pain which is at it's worst when I first wake up (I can barely move) and improves throughout the day. Has anyone out there experienced this? Did you find improvement after going gluten free and how long did it take?

I have been gluten free for 6 weeks with very little change in my back pain (although I feel great otherwise!). The pain has been ongoing for about 5 months.

I don't know if you are a diagnosed Celiac. If you are then there are problems with absorbtion of vitamins and minerals that keep our bones strong. mainly calcium and vitamin D. On a gluten free diet a Celiac in time will start to absorb these better. A doctor a order a bone scan and xrays or MRI to see if this is one of your problems.

[ValeriaZ]

Hello

Back pain - I know what it is!

(Suffered from back pains since 20 years...)

More particularily - for this issue - strong pains in the morning (with a very rigid body), getting better during the day - I had this several years ago. This is related to bad blood circulation during the night, making your back sort of "stagnation zone".

What helped me greatly at this time was Nishi goldfish exercise. Try to google. Explanations in English that I found are not perfect

Look here the extract

Exercise "Goldfish?

This exercise should perform as follows: lie down on a flat bed, face up or down, pull in the direction of the body's toes, put both hands under the neck, crossing them at fourth or fifth cervical vertebra. In this position the coil (vibrate), whole body movements, like fish in water. Doing this exercise 1 - 2 minutes each morning and evening.

What I can add to the instructions (that are not in English version ) - this vibrating movement should be initiated by your toes - they remain in place, but somehow pass the impulse to your entire body. The head is stable too, and most vibrations are for hips zone.

And you do it laying on your back!

You do it in a comfortable tempo for appr 2 mins.

I even woke up in the night to do this Nishi stuff - 2-3 times.

It really helped a lot.

Link with pics I found, hope you can find better: (it is ex. 3)

Open Original Shared Link

For other remedies - stretching is great. I do it daily in the morning, otherwise I am not alive during the day.

And - a month ago I started gluten-free - and surprise - my state improved drastically!!

Good luck

[Coolclimates]

I also have been suffering from a lot of lower back pain, especially in the last couple of months. I've been on the gluten-free diet for over a year, but I got tested recently and my antibodies are still very high and I have a lot of inflamation of my intestines. I've been as strict as I can about the diet, yet I still just feel tired all the time. Additionally I have lost some weight, have bad acne, brain fog, insomnia, restless legs, some sinus/headache issues (possible allergies) and back pain. I'm wondering if my lower back pain is a symptom of my celiac disease or if it is something different all together. Regardless, it is distressing. I also get really bad lower back pain and cramps when I get my period, but the lower back pain is pretty much constant.

[love2travel]

Unfortunately I can also relate to severe chronic back pain. I was literally in bed for nearly two years with a back injury which caused muscle wasting, weight gain and numerous other issues. I thought it was all due to my injury BUT recently was diagnosed with fibromyalgia which exacerbates my back pain. FM can be linked to celiac disease, too. It can get unbearable and forces me to lie down frequently. Gentle massage helps (I go twice a week) as does acupuncture but those are only short-term fixes. So far no medications (and I've tried about 15) have even made a dent in the pain. Just like eating Smarties or something...

[Kate79]

I've been experiencing back pain pretty often over the last year or two, always when I first wake up in the morning (or the middle of the night). It's bad enough to keep me awake, but it goes away quickly once I get out of bed. I haven't found that the gluten free diet has helped this issue, but I have found that I'm much less likely to have back pain on days I work out - especially if I've done a lot of stretching, so you may want to try that - or maybe some simple yoga.

[Jenniferxgfx]

Have you had an MRI to get it looked at? I've suffered with back pain for a long time and it took 10yrs before a doctor took me seriously enough to take a picture. I have arthritis in my spine, and spondylolisthesis with some bad discs... I just suffered with it as long as I could, but after developing fibromyalgia, it was all too much to keep working.

Now I see a connection between gluten and my pain levels, and to a certain extent my back pain improves with no gluten (currently still eating it for testing), but some stuff is just too broke to be affected by diet. So, yes, I've noticed gluten intake affects back pain for me, but it's not my only treatment. It mostly helps my muscle pains. I need to stretch and strengthen, take it easy, and take medication to live with my back.

How's your mattress? My back pain was definitely worse with bad mattresses, especially first thing in the morning. A good firm one is good for a bad back.

[Ashleyf]

I have very severe back pain which is at it's worst when I first wake up (I can barely move) and improves throughout the day. Has anyone out there experienced this? Did you find improvement after going gluten free and how long did it take?

I have been gluten free for 6 weeks with very little change in my back pain (although I feel great otherwise!). The pain has been ongoing for about 5 months.

I experienced exactly the same symptom (i.e. severe back pain in early morning) for the last year, but no other symptoms. I have no history of back injury and am a fit, healthy, 36yo male. I had all sorts of tests including Xray, MRI, CT scan, and bone scan, but no problem could be found. I then discovered that coeliac disease and gluten intolerance was rife in my family (father, aunties, uncles, cousins), so I decided to try a gluten-free diet. It took at least 2 months for the pain to decrease by 50%, and 4 months for the pain to disappear. Once I was pain-free, I 'tested' myself by eating bread and pizza in 5 consecutive meals. Back-pain returned after 3 days and lasted for about 2-4 weeks. Each time I accidentally eat gluten, I get back pain for 2-4 weeks. Thus, to achieve a pain-free lifestyle, I need a strict gluten-free diet. In your case, I suggest you go 6 months on a strict gluten-free diet, otherwise you will never know the answer. It worked for me. Good luck.

[Coolclimates]

about 2 weeks after I wrote my post, I got an MRI and it showed that I had a herniated disc in my lower back. The pain just kept getting worse and I was getting bad sciatica, too. I got an epidural and shortly after that, things improved a lot. I was on the mend and over a month later I started to get physical therapy. The first therapist was fine. The second one put me through boot camp and caused my disc to pop out again. I told her over and over that the exercises hurt and they were too hard, but she didn't listen. Then when I spoke to her on the phone and told her that she caused my disc to pop out again, she didn't even apologize. I filed a complaint. Shortly afterward, I got a 2nd epidural (I was just about to go on a 2 week trip, too). I'm finally doing better and have refused to ever see that "therapist" again.

[Reba32]

Wow, I hope someone pays attention to your complaint re: the therapist Coolclimates! That's just not right!

Looks like the OP hasn't been back to tell us how they're doing with their back pain, I wonder what happened?

I was just yesterday told I have severe OA in my spine and "morbid disk degeneration". I have had on-going back pain for several years, the last year or so has been really bad, and now I finally got something more than just "yeah, you probably have arthritis, take some ibuprofen". I also have noticeable arthritis in my hands, which causes me all sorts of problems as well. I keep dropping things.

[love2travel]

about 2 weeks after I wrote my post, I got an MRI and it showed that I had a herniated disc in my lower back. The pain just kept getting worse and I was getting bad sciatica, too. I got an epidural and shortly after that, things improved a lot. I was on the mend and over a month later I started to get physical therapy. The first therapist was fine. The second one put me through boot camp and caused my disc to pop out again. I told her over and over that the exercises hurt and they were too hard, but she didn't listen. Then when I spoke to her on the phone and told her that she caused my disc to pop out again, she didn't even apologize. I filed a complaint. Shortly afterward, I got a 2nd epidural (I was just about to go on a 2 week trip, too). I'm finally doing better and have refused to ever see that "therapist" again.

Glad the epi helped you. I have three herniated discs and degenerative disc disease and have had so many treatments by so many therapists it is not even funny. My pain is anywhere from moderate to excruciating on a daily basis for nearly four years and I am frankly quite sick of it!