Question
I'm not quite sure what to do;
Immediately following an epidural (or 9, because of an emergency c section) I started having some pretty intense back pain after runs, push ups, sit ups...
I had a clean x ray, a clean MRI, and a clean MRI with contrast.
I'm starting to wonder if I'm just crazy.
The pain originates in center of low back and spreads down right side. It's an achy type pain.

I just was wondering what could be causing it, but wouldn't show up on X-rays or MRIs?

Answer
Hi Tegan,

I'm not sure how long ago your delivery was, but it is not uncommon to have back pain after an epidural.

About 30% of women will experience some back pain after an epidural, however, that goes down to about 9% after 2 weeks. There is less of a chance of experiencing back pain more than 2 weeks after an epidural if it is your first child. If you had a history of back pain, there is a greater chance of experiencing back pain with an epidural, but not more than 2 weeks. Most common is back pain the following day, usually due to some localized trauma from the needle insertion and related to muscles and/or ligaments.

If the pain is longer than 6 weeks, I would recommend seeing a good Chiropractor in your area that might be able to provide some help. Carrying through pregnancy to delivery can cause problems with the lower back. Hormones loosen ligaments and the added weight and alteration of posture can cause some problems during and after delivery. Hopefully, it is just mechanical, usually pelvic or sacroiliac joint misalignments can cause this type of condition and it will not show as a problem on MRI. So, I would not hesitate to contact a Chiropractor for a consult/evaluation.

I can tell you from personal experience when my wife delivered our 3rd child. She had an epidural, first one - not planned, but in desperation she decided at the last moment. I told the administering doctor that she had an extra lumbar vertebra. He said no problem, but it did not work! She delivered without anything to reduce the pain. Well, she had back pain after that for almost a year afterwards! Nothing really helped, but it went away on its own. Her pain was more localized in the area of injection.

I hope you feel better and congrats on the birth of your child!

Kind Regards,

Dr. Steve