Could my back pain be caused by a disc hernia?

[girts]

Hi, so recently I've been having problems with my back of which the root started some time ago, the story sort of goes like this, I was repairing my car a few years ago and as you know as you are leaning over the engine bay your back is in a rather uncomfortable situation as you need to reach the far side of the engine bay with your hands so after such work I noticed that next thing in the morning I was feeling stiffness and pain in my lower back it was rather painful to put shoes on etc, so I understood I had probably damaged , overstressed my lower back muscles so I used some good gels from the local drug store for this purpose and the pian went away and I was back to normal, but as the last 4 or so years went by time after ti9me I felt these pain again after either physical workouts that are focused on back or lower back and or sometimes after lifting weight, either for sports or as a job.

In few cases the pain was accompanied by me looking in a mirror just to see that my back is buckled unnaturally to one side due to the muscle strain which again with treatment went away after a while.
Now I was kind of lazy and reluctant to see a doctor because I was almost like 100% sure it was just muscle overstress or something along those lines so I basically relaxed and took a few weeks off of anything physical.
Now lately everything has been rather fine both doing sports or otherwise until this Wednesday I was again leaning over my car's engine bay with nothing but only a screwdriver in my hand to fix a screw, as I laid over the engine I kind of pulled back up as I finished the screw and suddenly like a bolt of lightning I felt a jolt zapping through my spine, it was a very powerful impulse and for a half a minute it left me in a state of physical shock as I was trembling and it was hard to stand upright. Even though I did not feel any such powerful pain immediately afterwards the first impulse the whole feeling was sort of like being hit in the head with a hammer while having severe hangover at the same time.
Now obviously I will see a doctor as soon as possible now and I realize this is an internet forums so I am not asking you to be doctors but I would be glad to hear if anyone else has had similar experiences and what did you do in such conditions,
I hope that these are just muscles but I'm also suspecting it could be disc hernia, its now a few days after this last incident and my back has almost gone back to normal and I don't feel any noticable pain anymore or stiffness in the back, also I don't feel anything wrong with my legs, but since the first pain was so sudden and strong I kind of am afraid it could be something with the lower disc (L1-L5)
I do workout, ride a bike regularly, lift weights but not anything over my own body mass and I'm 28 years old.

Well as I said I will see a doctor as soon as he can see me but until then i would be happy for some opinions here maybe from a practical experience.
Also what are the best techniques in determining lower spine disc problems, MRI or CT?Maybe if you have good scientific literature about the topic one can share it here, as disc hernia seems to be a "popular" problem these days as I know some of my friends who have had the condition, one even had it so severe that he needed surgery. and now he can't lift anything heavier than a few milk boxes.I hope this is not a restricted topic as it deals with personal health issues.I am just curious to understand more about the possible problems that I am facing

 

[Scott Ryals]

You already have the best answer. See your doctor and follow the advice you get. Sooner rather than later. I waited too long and ended up with surgery and two years of rehab.

best of luck

 

[BillTre]

I have had similar problems which have proven to be due to muscle stiffness rather than some disk or joint problem.
Still muscles snapping over each other can pinch nerves and cause the kind of pain you describe.
Back muscles can be complicated. They don't always terminate on bones.
Some end on large tendons which in turn can pull on other muscles and thereby having indirect effects.
I have been going to a physical therapist and getting new and intriguing stretching exercises which seem to be working.

 

[FactChecker]

Only a doctor can give you real information, but until then you can get general information at web sites like the Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/herniated-disk/symptoms-causes/syc-20354095.

I didn't see anything in your post that indicated a pinched nerve, which can be serious to the point of requiring immediate emergency surgery. Back spasms can be very painful and hard to get rid of without muscle relaxers that will nearly incapacitate you. I had both a pinched nerve and back spasms. As long as I didn't move my leg the wrong way, the leg felt OK, but when I moved it the wrong way, it felt like it was being chopped off. The muscle spasms hurt all the time till they faded after about a week.

 

[jim mcnamara]

You got the best answers we can give, you need to see a physician or other health care provider. PF does not really provide any medical advice.