The last several months I have been plagued with a very sore lower back, right on the belt line. And I have been wondering if this could possible have been exacerbated from waist line carry? I always carry my pistol on the right hip. Sometimes IWB, other times OWB. Has it ever been discussed here as to whether back pain can be related to wearing a gun on the hip? I'm wondering if inside carry over time could cause a pressing against a nerve which over time could either cause a sore back. or make a sore back worse?
A sore back.
- Thread starter keithdog
- Start date
Not a DR but you may want to get looked at.
Several things can cause it and many are not good.
Knew a guy with a nagging lower back issue he finally got looked at and was dead 6 mo later form cancer.
The bad back was a sign had he got in sooner.
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Several things can cause it and many are not good.
Knew a guy with a nagging lower back issue he finally got looked at and was dead 6 mo later form cancer.
The bad back was a sign had he got in sooner.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
g.willikers
New member
There's plenty of therapeutic exercises for back pain.
They can really help.
Won't cure cancer, but otherwise they can make a huge difference.
They can really help.
Won't cure cancer, but otherwise they can make a huge difference.
I was at a chiropractor several years ago for this same issue and he took care of it. Lasted several years. He said he was sure it was from the same repetitive motions I do at work. I have a feeling this is still the case. But I am wondering if carrying on the belt line could inflame it over time.
buck460XVR
New member
I believe it could, especially if you are driving/sitting with the gun.
If you are carrying your gun on your hip at the 3 o'clock position, I don't believe there are any nerves at that location that will cause back pain in the lumbar region. I suppose that the gun might make you sit differently thus causing the pain. Try wet heat, like a hot towel. If it relieves the pain it could be muscular. See a chiropractor and or your doctor. Age and back history are important.
I'm not a doctor, just someone that has a history of back pain and surgery.
I'm not a doctor, just someone that has a history of back pain and surgery.
You need to find out what is causing the pain. Might be from sitting(slouching actually. Sitting is bad for you.) in front of a computer. Or having lifted stuff incorrectly. Repetitive motions too.
The whole thing is usually caused by a lack of activity/motion. Not having a couple pounds hanging off your belt. A bunch of pounds hanging over the front of your belt will do it too.
Five to 15 minutes on a stationary bicycle or riding a real one will loosen up your back. So does a half hour's hike as sick and twisted as that sounds. snicker.
"...nerves at that location..." Doesn't matter where the nerves are. It's more about straining one's back that causes other places to hurt. Sciatica, for example, is a lumbar issue that hurts down the leg.
The whole thing is usually caused by a lack of activity/motion. Not having a couple pounds hanging off your belt. A bunch of pounds hanging over the front of your belt will do it too.
Five to 15 minutes on a stationary bicycle or riding a real one will loosen up your back. So does a half hour's hike as sick and twisted as that sounds. snicker.
"...nerves at that location..." Doesn't matter where the nerves are. It's more about straining one's back that causes other places to hurt. Sciatica, for example, is a lumbar issue that hurts down the leg.
Shoulder holster??? 
I have a herniated disc and a calcified disc in my back. Last check with the neurosurgeon was that surgery was ...disrecommended.
When you are in pain and cannot do things, advice telling one that one's problem is not doing things is a bit irritating...
(actually had a doc tell me to take long walks,to deal with my depression because I could barely WALK, and even standing for more than a handful of minutes was painful
They aren't ALL right.
Lots of things cause back pain. Go see a doc or three, and see what they say.
I have a herniated disc and a calcified disc in my back. Last check with the neurosurgeon was that surgery was ...disrecommended.
When you are in pain and cannot do things, advice telling one that one's problem is not doing things is a bit irritating...
(actually had a doc tell me to take long walks,to deal with my depression because I could barely WALK, and even standing for more than a handful of minutes was painful
They aren't ALL right.
Lots of things cause back pain. Go see a doc or three, and see what they say.
I was responding to the OP's question about pressing on a nerve at his side causing lower back pain. I agree with your other comments. Sciatica is pain caused by impingement on the nerve leaving the spine in the lumbar region. It can be caused by several things such as a disk problem or stenosis, which is what I have. The location of the pain can be anywhere from the butt down to the toes. Mine changes, from hip, to thigh, to inside thigh (which is the worst), and even the ankle.
I am NOT a doctor but agree that a second doctor's opinion based on examination and appropriate tests would be a good choice. I am recovering from upper spine surgery to remove two bone spurs and two disks. The disks were replaced with cadaver bone and three vertebrae were fused. I hope to be free of the neck brace soon.
And some time the exercises can hurt. Before I had my surgery 13 years ago I had to go to PT before insurance would pay for an MRI. After a few sessions of PT I woke up one morning just after labor day screaming in agony. Only then did I get an MRI followed by a meylogram (dye injected into the spinal cord) that showed that no dye got past one spot between L3 and L5. This is called stenosis. Surgeon told me that this was the source of all my back aches since I was a teenager and that no amount of PT was going to help. Two years after the surgery I was pain free. Recently my sciatica has come back, somewhat randomly. I'll have it for 2-3 weeks and then it will go away for 2-3 weeks.
With stenosis standing hurts. With a disk problem sitting hurts. YMMV. If you lean over the shopping cart because it eases the pain, you could have stenosis, which is a result of combination of a congenitally narrow spinal canal and build-up that further narrows the canal.
So, PT helps in stabilizing the area around the injury by strengthening the muscles as well as some stretching. I would want to avoid surgery as much as possible with PT, cortisone shots, and pain medicine. When it gets too bad, then you look at surgery.
It sucks to get old.
I was in a car accident and had compression fractures in 5 lumbar vertebra in 1968. I was 20 and the doctors couldn't understand why I was still able to walk after I laid in traction for 50 days without even raising my bed to eat. I have tried everything over the years regarding my constant back pain. I had a herniated disc 7 or 8 years ago and had to have micro back surgery for a pain in my leg. That showed me that what hurts is not necessarily where the problem is.
I would suggest doing one thing at a time as you look for the cause of the pain. I would wear the gun differently or take it off for a while to see if it helps. I would check to make sure it is not related to foot or shoe issues that can cause back pain. You might need to sit differently or change the chairs you sit in. You might need to carry your wallet in a front pocket. Sometimes standing for a period of time makes your back hurt (I can ride my motorcycle or drive my car all day without pain but my back hurts standing in line at the store) I have found over 48 years of pain that the problem can and frequently is something minor that causes major pain. If you make several changes at one time and the pain changes, you won't know what helped and what didn't.
I would suggest doing one thing at a time as you look for the cause of the pain. I would wear the gun differently or take it off for a while to see if it helps. I would check to make sure it is not related to foot or shoe issues that can cause back pain. You might need to sit differently or change the chairs you sit in. You might need to carry your wallet in a front pocket. Sometimes standing for a period of time makes your back hurt (I can ride my motorcycle or drive my car all day without pain but my back hurts standing in line at the store) I have found over 48 years of pain that the problem can and frequently is something minor that causes major pain. If you make several changes at one time and the pain changes, you won't know what helped and what didn't.
kilimanjaro
New member
Get a shoulder holster and wear that now and then, see what happens with your lower back twinges. Also, take your wallet out of your hip pocket and put it in your front pocket or a jacket.
And, see your MD for a scan. You never know.
And, see your MD for a scan. You never know.
FrankenMauser
New member
A "sore back" ... maybe.
But if it's legitimate pain, it's likely something else.
I have two bulging discs (one possibly herniated - it's time for another MRI) that like to "pop around", giving me all manners of hell; plus 'arthritic decay' of four vertebra.
It's a constant, terrible pain; and it gets worse when I carry. But it's not the handgun's fault. It's just a bad back, due to choices I made when I was younger.
But if it's legitimate pain, it's likely something else.
I have two bulging discs (one possibly herniated - it's time for another MRI) that like to "pop around", giving me all manners of hell; plus 'arthritic decay' of four vertebra.
It's a constant, terrible pain; and it gets worse when I carry. But it's not the handgun's fault. It's just a bad back, due to choices I made when I was younger.
spacemanspiff
New member
I get a sore back if I carry only a gun on my strong side. Having the dual mag pouch on my left hip seems to balance the weight out.
shootniron
New member
He stated his problem...seems like he has probably had serious medical attention.