Hello, I was deployed to Iraq for a total of 2 and a half years. (I'm out of the army now) After this second deployment I came back with a lot of constant lower back pain. I felt it while in Iraq, and my medics usually told me it could have something to do with all of the weight we carried for up to 24 hours at a time. The pain feels like it's right where my back meets with my butt, in the center. And it feels as if something is being pinched or something. Sometimes the pain will just be minor, but other times I'll bend over to pick something up, and when I come back up I get a shot of pain all the way from my leg up to my upper back, and I almost fall to the floor. I tried stretching forward and touching my toes and holding for a few weeks, which usually helped. Then my unit doctor had told me that was wrong and I should be stretching the other way. (like doing a push up as far as I can but keeping my hips on the floor).

It's been 3 months since I got out of the army, and the pain has returned. Sometimes it seems like it has to do with my posture. So when I correct that it eases the "pinching" pain, but then my back muscles become sore.

I'm just wondering what this could be, and what should I tell a doctor when I get the chance to go. Any kind of educated advice would really be appreciated.

Randall