Living With Mysterious Back Pain: My 20-Month Search for Relief

Imagine living every single day for 20 months with locked muscles, numbness, and constant pain—yet every test tells you that nothing is wrong. That has been my reality, and I’m sharing my story in hopes that someone out there might recognize it, or at least feel less alone in their own struggle.

⚡ How It All Started

I’m a 62-year-old male. Fitness has always been part of my life—resistance training three times a week, stair climbing, hiking on weekends, and over the years I’ve enjoyed tennis, martial arts, skiing, trampolining, even skating.

I don’t drink, don’t smoke, and eat well. For most of my life, I believed I was doing everything “right” to keep my body strong and healthy.

But on the morning of July 7, 2023, my life took a sharp turn. I woke up with a severe pain in my lower right back. At first, I assumed it was just a strain or a pulled muscle. By afternoon, it was unbearable, and my wife drove me to the ER.

The first CT scan ruled out kidney stones or organ issues. I was sent home with no clear answers. What I didn’t know then was that this was only the beginning of a long, painful road.

🔒 The Locking Muscles

The pain didn’t go away. Instead, it evolved into something stranger:

• The muscles along the right side of my spine (from thoracic to lumbar) became permanently tight, as if locked in place.
• The muscles wrapping over my right hip would spasm and lock after certain activities.
• My right flank—my “love handle” area—went numb, and has stayed numb ever since.

Every day, from that morning in 2023 until today, April 2025, I’ve lived with constant discomfort. The only relief comes when I lay flat on my back for 30–60 minutes. Then, and only then, does everything calm down temporarily.

🏥 15 Doctors, 4 Hospitals, Countless Tests

In 20 months, I’ve seen 15 different doctors across four hospitals in Los Angeles. Orthopedic specialists, neurologists, physiatrists—you name it.

I’ve had:

• Multiple X-rays
• Multiple CT scans
• Ultrasounds
• Several MRIs of my spine, hip, and abdomen

Every single test came back with the same frustrating result: “nothing significant.”

The problem is real—I live with it every day—but the imaging doesn’t show it. And because of that, more than one doctor has implied that the pain is “in my head.”

That, more than the pain itself, has been the hardest thing to bear: not being believed.

🧪 Treatments Tried, Relief Denied

When you’re desperate for answers, you try everything. In the last two years, I’ve cycled through:

• Chiropractic care (twice)
• Acupuncture (twice)
• Physical therapy (two full rounds)
• Trigger point injections
• Cupping therapy
• An epidural injection
• A nerve block
• Most recently, Dysport injections (a muscle relaxant similar to Botox) directly into my back muscles

Nothing has worked. Not one of these treatments brought lasting relief. Some provided a few days of mild improvement, others did nothing at all.

😔 The Emotional Toll

Living with pain is one thing. Living with pain that no one can explain is something else entirely.

There are mornings I wake up already exhausted, knowing that the tightness in my back and the numbness in my side will follow me no matter what I do. There are nights I’ve laid awake wondering if this will be the rest of my life.

The hardest part has been the feeling of isolation. Friends see me exercising and assume I’m fine. Doctors see clear scans and assume I’m exaggerating. But the reality is, every step I take is shadowed by discomfort.

📣 A Plea for Answers

I’m writing and sharing my story because after nearly two years, I’m still searching.

Somewhere, someone may have experienced this exact combination of symptoms:

• Locked spinal and hip muscles on one side
• Flank numbness that never goes away
• Pain that calms only when lying flat

I don’t know if it’s a neurological issue, a muscular disorder, or something that simply hasn’t been studied enough. But I know it’s real.

And I know there are others like me, trapped between symptoms that scream for help and medical tests that whisper “nothing’s wrong.”

💡 Lessons Learned So Far

While I still don’t have answers, here are the lessons this journey has taught me:

1. You are your own advocate. No one else will push as hard for your health as you will.
2. “Normal” scans don’t mean a normal life. Just because tests are clear doesn’t mean the pain isn’t real.
3. Don’t give up on treatment. Even if nine therapies fail, the tenth might bring relief.
4. Find emotional support. Chronic pain is as much a mental battle as it is physical.
5. Share your story. You never know who might read it and say, “I’ve been there too.”

🌼 Final Thoughts

It’s now been 20 months since that morning in July when my back locked up and my life changed. I don’t know how much longer this journey will last, or if I’ll ever find a true diagnosis.

What I do know is that sharing my story is part of my healing. Chronic pain can make you feel invisible, but putting it into words makes it real—and sometimes, that’s the first step to finding answers.

If you are struggling with unexplained pain, please know this: you are not alone.

Together, by telling our stories, we just might help each other find the missing pieces the scans can’t show.

Disclaimer: This article is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Please consult a healthcare professional before making any changes to your treatment or supplement routine.