Lower back injury

[AndreiDecker]

I have an injury that hurts on the right side of my lumbar back, very close to the right side of the spine itself, like it's between the spine and muscle insertion. There's a small "ball" or cyst that builds up, it feels like some form of liquid but it's also hard to the touch. It hurts like hell whanever I load the spine under a minimal amount of flexion, it hurts particularly bad after doing back extensions.

My guess is that it's a sebaceous cyst or a herniated disk, does anyone know what the hell this is? It's happening for 2 years now, I know I need a visit to the doctor, looking forward to do it this month, but I'm worried he will ask me to stop lifting.

[Will Morris]

I have an injury that hurts on the right side of my lumbar back, very close to the right side of the spine itself, like it's between the spine and muscle insertion. There's a small "ball" or cyst that builds up, it feels like some form of liquid but it's also hard to the touch. It hurts like hell whanever I load the spine under a minimal amount of flexion, it hurts particularly bad after doing back extensions.

My guess is that it's a sebaceous cyst or a herniated disk, does anyone know what the hell this is? It's happening for 2 years now, I know I need a visit to the doctor, looking forward to do it this month, but I'm worried he will ask me to stop lifting.

# 1: of course your doctor will tell you to stop lifting. This goes without saying. It is far better to go into this assuming he / she is going to react that way.
# 2: you can rest assured that it is NOT a herniated disc that you are feeling in the soft tissue of your back. In order for your disc to be palpable in the soft tissue, it would have had to detach from the vertebral end plates on top and below, tear through the posterior longitudinal ligament, be passed through the central canal - severing the caudal equina in the process, and then embed itself deep enough in the soft tissue to be palpable by touch.
# 3: you might be interested in the term "back mice" (episacral fat herniation). I've seen quite a few of these be quite painful in people when they get really irritated.

[AndreiDecker]

Thanks for the help.

I'm aware of back mice. If I'm not mistaken, it has something to do with fat herniating through the back fascia, am I right? Guess I'll have to look further into this. Can this be fixed by a chiropractor?

[Will Morris]

Thanks for the help.

I'm aware of back mice. If I'm not mistaken, it has something to do with fat herniating through the back fascia, am I right? Guess I'll have to look further into this. Can this be fixed by a chiropractor?

I’m almost certain the late D.D. Palmer would have said yes to this question. His philosophy was that all manner of disease could be healed by chiropractic by regulating the central nervous system by keeping it free of vertebral subluxations. There are probably practicing Chiropractors that would answer yes to this question, as well, although I doubt this would be the majority. Unless presented with a logical, coherent, and exhaustive explanation on how a manual therapist could effectively treat and prevent recurrence of this type of pathology, I’d default to any suggestion of such a treatment effect being simply preposterous.