Chronic Low Back Pain and No Diagnosis

By angela

1 min read

Hi, I have been having chronic low back pain for over a year. I’ve seen orthopedists, neurologists, and a pain specialist.

I have had Xrays, MRI's, blood tests, and a nerve test all to come out normal.

Clear test results, but same old pain

My neurologist mentioned AS but he never followed up on it since all my tests were normal. My back pain is in the lower part in the middle above my buttocks and it radiates to my left hip down my legs. It affects both my legs.

I have trouble sitting and standing for long periods, walking, and have trouble sleeping on my back and either side.

Does anyone else feel this way?

I am wanting to hear stories from other people that have these types of symptoms and maybe get some idea as to what’s wrong with me since all the doctors don’t know. They just say fibromyalgia and send me on my way.

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grabthatgoat Member
You are not alone. I have low back pain (tailbone/sacrum) and SI joint pain for almost a year now. All my lab work and images come back normal. Even though that’s great news, we still need answers for our chronic pain. Your pain is very similar to mine. I can’t sit, stand, walk, or lay for too long or I become stiff as a board. Fatigue is a constant. I don’t have answers for you, but I do want you to know your not alone in this mystery journey we got going on, as well as others. Keep searching for answers don’t stop ❤️
Cassia Pelton Contributor
Hi Angela, Having trouble sitting/standing for long periods, walking, and sleeping sound EXACTLY like my symptoms of AS. Some blood tests and scans I had came back "normal", while others showed signs of AS, so we can't rely 100% on tests. My rheumatologist actually diagnosed me primarily based on my symptom descriptions. It sounds like the doctors you've seen are dismissing the idea of AS. If possible, can you ask for a referral to a rheumatologist? Sometimes it just takes a lot of bouncing around from doctor to doctor, until you find one who is knowledgeable about AS and takes you seriously.
anthony.carrone Community Admin
Hi <inline-mention user-id="2386505" username="angela"/> - I'm so glad you took the time to write and reach out to other members here. While you wait for their responses, I want to share an article about non-radiographic axial spondyloarthirts: <a href='https://ankylosingspondylitis.net/nonradiographic/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer ugc'>https://ankylosingspondylitis.net/nonradiographic/</a>. To break it down very simply, the main difference betwee AS and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpa) is that AS shows up on an imaging test (MRI, Xray, etc...) and non-radiographic AxSpa does not. Many people here have bounced around from doctor to doctor looking for an explination without an explination, like you have. It might be helpful to learn a bit more about non-radiographic AxSpa and bring that to your next doctors apponitment. I hope this is helpful! Keep us updated on how things are going 😀

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