Severe back pain following a spinal tap
Is it normal to experience severe back pain following a spinal tap?
It’s been gradually getting worse since leaving the hospital. The bruised feeling is tolerable, but to move hurts terribly. It feels like a shock or sharp pain is shooting through my spine in my lower back. When I’m still it’s a constant pain but when I move it literally takes my breath away momentarily.
Unfortunately about half the people who have spinal taps do have chronic back pain and even headaches afterwards. These things happen when the amount of cerebrospinal fluid lessens, most likely from a leak from the puncture site.
You shouldn’t be but at the same time I wouldn’t call it abnormal. There are two ways for you to try to get this straightened out. The first is to place your fingers around the spot where the tap was done and the pain is. Press in and hold for 30 seconds. That may release it there. Another way to try to release it is by doing a complete muscle release of your back muscles. That is done like this:
Back:
Place your left hand on your left knee. Place your right hand over your left shoulder and with your fingertips find the muscle next to your spine. Press on it and hold. Relax, take a deep breath and exhale and don’t tense up any part of your body. After about 30 seconds there should be a release happening and when it does slowly lower yourself forward onto your right leg. If you can lean over the outside edge of your leg it will be better for your release. Continue holding for a total of one minute. Then release but rest your body there for one minute longer. Then reverse and do the right side.