of getting a second opinion? The answer you are getting sounds like he has no clue to me. If he knows it will get better than he should be able to tell you what it is. I wish I had more info to give you but you really should seek another opinion from a qualified spine specialist. Good luck and please do let us know how you make out.

Would you mind writing a little synopsis of how you were injured and what your back problems are? I don't quite know what you are describing by the back fatigue. Could you explain a bit more?

Easy for them to say "don't worry about it" when they aren't the ones in pain, right?

Well to better describe it. My original injury had all but healed. I was working out 5 days a week, had no pain in the morning, and most of the time didn't even need to take ibuprofin - any that I did take was for maintenance.

but then a couple weeks ago I had to work on the bike and so was bent over for long periods of time. My back started feeling fatigued, and so I sat down, rested it, got back up and worked on the bike some more. Ever since then my back has had that same feeling of fatigue - that pressing urge to sit down and take a load off as it were. Sitting down eased it right away. but now bending forward is a painful process and the muscles in my low back are very stiff.
Makes me wonder if that L4/L5 bulge I had is starting to open up - or if this is just muscle spasm.

I have a bulging disc at L4/L5 -- for almost a year my only symptom was severe sciatica in my left leg -- now the sciatica improved drastically over the summer -- but I now have achiness at the L4/L5 site.

The last week or two I've had just what you're describing -- a pressure (like someone is sitting on my lower back). Everyday I've been starting my day off by lying on the floor and doing gentle stretching exercises that I've learned over the years. I can tell you that bending over at he waist as you describe to work on the bike is a big "no no" for me.

I use a dinner tray propped on my lap as my honey and I tend to eat in front of the tv instead of at the dining table.

I think you might want to try to counter balance your bending forward with the reverse movement every 1/2 hour or so. Hopefully, you have exercises prescribed for you through PT. Also, the therma care back wraps which give you eight hours of heat might be great to use during the day to keep those muscles warm and loose.

Just my opinion from my experience -- hope you get to feeling better soon..

Judy

I may have had that H1N1 going around. I woke up this morning at 3ish and my back felt like it'd been in a car accident. Then I woke up at 3:30, 4, 4:30, and by then my back felt perfectly fine - no aches no pains, just the normal pinch in my kidney area. My stomache, head, and chest however.... I feel like heck (but at least my back doesn't hurt!)

That is great that your back is better but I sure hope that you do not have H1N1. If you really think that you might please see a doc asap. That flu is nothing to mess around with.