Question:
For a couple of years now I have been waking up with lower back pain, hip pain and feet pain. By the end of the day I'm feeling pretty good but every morning its hobbeling around for awhile. About a year ago I started working out. It helped my feet but my back still hurts. I exercise through the pain. (I do stairmaster, racquetball and bball 6 days a week.) Basically my back feels tight.

I'm surprised about sleeping because I'd figure that laying down should relax things not tighten things. In fact I find that when the pain wakes me up that it relaxes if I curl up rather than straighten up. This seems strange to me because I'd think that curled up stretches (tightens) things. The pain seems like nerve stuff as it shoots from the center down the hips.

As the day goes on the hips are ok and it is more just in the center of my lower back. It really ticks me off as I am otherwise in pretty good shape. I have taken naproxen but it doesn't seem to make much difference. Anyway someone said it sounded like arthritis. Does it?

Answer:

I have similar pain to what you discribe. I also have RA and MS. Wether or not you may have arthritis will have to be answered by by a physician but I can tell you that if I don't keep those areas properly stretched they will hurt like H#%& when I wake up. You can go to physical therapy to learn the proper stretches or get a page from you doc.

Low back pain on waking can be because you hamstring muscles are tighter than you think. There is a muscle that connects you hip and lower back that needs stretching for a healthy lower back too.

On to the feet, the heel cord stretch will help with feet that hurt -- at least it did for me. This is an easy one. Sit on the floor with your feet strait out -Wrap a towel around you foot to hold it like a sling and press your foot away from you. then do it in the opposite direction. Try these ---you will be surprised how helpful that is.

The pattern you're describing sounds very much like inflam- matory arthritis. I have rheumatoid arthritis, and at onset had a pattern very like yours -- in particular, the bilateral morning stiffness and pain are typical of inflammatory arthritis. What I'd recommend is that you consult with a rheumatologist -- a specialist in arthritic disease -- and have your- self evaluated. It may not, in fact, be arthritis, but it's enough like to make such a consultation reasonable.

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