Back spasms, upper left side.

raver, ten years of suffering? Have you received any pain care? I would go straight to a chiropractor while requesting an MRI of the area of the pain. Is this pain cervical thoracic or lumbar?
Chiropractors are less expensive, non invasive and usually you can see one same day. Chiropractors can define the location of the pain and if you accept an adjustment some relief.
The 18 hours of pain lead to suspicion of either fracture or disc bulging, but could be all muscular.

@gently thank you for your information. I've been to a chiropractor, no help. I am seeing a pain management doctor, the same one for about 5 years. Still nothing. cervical thoracic not lumbar. Ive now had one each day for 4 days. I'm at my wits end.

I’ve had a similar problem on R side …years ago, visits to Dr.John Sarno (now deceased) cut the pain in half…. I still can get spasms, very much helped by osteopathic manipulation and soothed by the Rosen method practitioner….these help manage the pain, with help from heat, Tylenol and occasional pain patch for long days….breathing exercises help a lot, walking, doing stretches/exercises, keeping postures that help make the rib cage more open are part of my management program… wish everyone dealing with this better days and relief !

@nycmusic I would add that what happens in our emotions (stress) can show up in our muscles…it is important to know if the problem is mostly in the muscles, like mine. There are many reasons people can get back pain.

I've always had stressful jobs. The pain is in the muscle. I don't know why I can't get a shot in that muscle like Botox.

Which muscle? You might be able to get botox or myobloc at a pain clinic. I know the Stanford Pain clinic offered those injections years ago.

I had a lot spasms to start with, and started seeing a physical therapist, massage weekly, heat and laser therapy helped also. I wish you some relief.

Hello to Raver and everyone else reading these comments. I am sorry I do not have answers, as I have been through the gauntlet out here with no answers from anyone. About me, I am a 63 year old male that has been in shape my whole life from playing sports, to working out, to trying activities that let you have fun while staying fit. I have rarely needed a doctor over the years, and I went for regular check-ups for both medical and dental.

Unfortunately, just over three years ago (July 7, 2023), pain started in my low right back that then spread to the right-side Paraspinal muscles, and then to my right-side Oblique / Flank muscles. I have tried everything from Chiropractic, to Acupuncture, to Trigger Point injections, to massage and Cupping, to Dysport (insurance denied Botox, Dysport works in the same way), to Epidurals (x3), and I am now at my 4th PT office just this year (January until now).

I have been to every major hospital in my city, I have seen more than 30 medical professionals, and I have had every image, blood test, and treatment / technique you can have, all with the same conclusion, no one has any idea why my right-side muscles are constantly locked / spasmed from when I get up until I go to bed.

This has been every day, all day, for more than three years. Two things this year have increased the pain level I have all day. First, I had an Epidural at T11-T12 back in February, and there was intense pain during the Epidural, as well as an increase in my pain afterwards. The second thing was at the latest PT office a little over two weeks ago. One of the owners worked on me back on Monday, August 10th, and he was digging in to my right-side QL muscle that he said he could feel was locked.

It hurt a lot while he was doing this, and ever since that day, my pain level has ramped up to an (8) all day, with the right-side muscles cramping / spasming at the slightest activation of my core. This makes it impossible to do the assigned PT exercises and stretches because when I start them, it is then like a calf cramp in my side, and I have to lay down for at least (30) minutes. This has been all day, every day, laying in bed more and more each day.

As I stated at the top, I do not have answers (yet, I'm not giving up), but I wanted to let people know this is happening to others out here, and the fact we are going for years and years with zero help from the medical community is a sad reflection on the healthcare industry itself in the US. It is literally a joke that you can't laugh at because you are in too much pain.

There is an Australian doc that has great videos online dealing with at home trigger point release, rather than injections. I've learned from having intense pain since 2015, that injections, no matter where (in the spine, muscles, joints, etc), only introduce another small layer of scar tissue that one has to deal with. Dr. Graeme, is the trigger point specialist I'm referring to. I recommend getting a knobby type ''therapy cane'' called BodyBackBuddy, and watch tutorials online, concerning use of this tool. Another trigger point specialist, Clair Davies, has written a very complete book, with illustrations and guidelines to treat trigger points AT HOME...it's called The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook, 2nd edition. I'm guessing one could find a used one online. There are so many ''sore points'' that I work on DAILY to try and ease my pain. Trigger points don't respond well to ''digging into'' them, for me they respond to gentle stretching of tissue around them, so the toxins/lactic acid/waste products from a continually contracting muscle, are released. This book tells the why, where, etc. of trigger points and explains it in layman's terms.
I do exercises daily, with some repeated 2-3 times daily, they hurt, but I know if I don't do them, the muscles like the QL, the paraspinals, rhomboids, trapezius, the core abdominal muscles, etc. will tighten and get worse. Best wishes.

@raver, this may be unrelated to your situation. https://blogs.bcm.edu/2024/06/19/baylor-medicine-surgeon-performs-costal-margin-reconstruction-for-slipping-rib-syndrome/