Question
I am a 25/F, former college athlete, and have never had back problems.  About 2 weeks ago, I noticed a slight pain in my lower back, but definitely not enough to inhibit my daily activity.  The pain has gotten progressively worse over the past 2 weeks, and I have been unable to move most of the day yesterday and today.  I've been stretching, icing, heating pad, and taking a ton of ibuprofin, but there has been absolutely no change in my pain.  It is all the way across my lower back, with more pain on the right side.  There has also been increasing pain in my right hip and starting to go down my leg...there is no pain in my tail bone.
It's frustrating that the ibuprofin isn't helping, and I am wondering if I need to go to a doctor, and if I do, does this sound like something a chiropractor (which I have never been to before) can treat, or do I need to see an orthopaedic?

Answer
Erin,

This is exactly what chiropractors address.   Research shows that new and acute back pain should respond quickly to manual joint manipulation.   Ice/heat/ibuprophen is not curative. Orthopedists do surgery or prescribe medicines.  You don't need that.  See if you can find a chiropractor from these lists:   www.acbsp.com   www.westhartfordgroup.com   www.grastontechnique.com  Also search for chiropractors that have skills performing active myofascial release techniques.  If all goes well, you should experience immediate pain reduction with your first treatment session.   At 25, so long as you have a normal physical examination (and please know that there is no need for x-rays), you should do pretty well.   

Good luck!

Dr. G

www.drgillman.com
www.westhartfordgroup.com