Sore back with CPAP?

[cb28210]

Anyone ever develop sore back pain as a result of CPAP therapy?

I've only been using my CPAP for about a month. Shortly after beginning, I began waking up each morning with a sore back. It's not sharp pain like an injury - it's stiff like a crick in the neck. After an our of of sitting up it usually subsides. I'm wondering if it is because I can't roll around like I used to be able to do.

Anyone else experience such "side-effects?" Any advice?

[GuyK]

Aaaargh! I was going to post exactly the same question, this very moment!

I've had the same problem -- I started about four weeks ago, and a little more than a week ago I started developing upper back pain that is enough to wake me up about 3am. Spasms when I move. Can't seem to get into a comfortable position. Have much trouble getting back to sleep. This isn't a problem when I first fall asleep, it always happens about 5 hours in.

I'm planning on calling my DME-R/T, because he seemed to have lots of practical advice. Overall, things have been going well (although I seem to be all over the map on leak rate) and so I've been saving up questions for him. It's time to call...

Guy

[sepool]

Me too. I think before CPAP, I was thrashing around enough to not stay in one position long enough to wake up sore. Now I don't move as much. I'm trying to get into positions where I'll feel better. Maybe it is time for a new mattress or something. Or stronger arthritis meds.

[Paul56]

I had that issue upon initially starting CPAP for the first few days... I attribute my case to tension.

Going to bed with this weird new contraption and a mask strapped to my head I was feeling a little tense... one evening told myself to relax and I discovered just how much muscle tension I had.

No sore back since that; however, I seem to have a propensity to back issues. My first sleep study was a complete failure due to severe lower back muscle spasms... did not sleep a wink. I should have selected "Sleep_Failure" as my username here... that gives me a chuckle all the time.

[MMCGOWAN]

i went through this years ago

It was determined by my wifes observations that I was sleeping so deeply that I did not move or even twitch.
often waking up in the same position I went to sleep in

Sleep hygiene is important and I have learned to do about fifteen minutes of gentle pre sleep yoga stretches to prepare for bed, it helps a great deal and I get to sleep much faster

when I am very tired i occasionally fall asleep during the relaxation phase of the stretches on the living room floor and have to get up and go to bed

[dcw002]

My pain has been in the lower ribs both sides. Go on a weeks trip for work and not take the Cpap and the ribs would heal. First night back and 4:00 0r 5:00 in the morning the sore ribs would wake me up. This has gone on for over 2 years. Went thru 3 types of beds no help. Currently sleeping on an air mattress with foam pads. After a while no amount of time with out the Cpap could heal the ribs. The wife who is a nurse found a elastic back support that is wide and closes with velcro, had to take out the fiber glass supports to hard to sleep on. I would strap on the support not to tight, just enough to keep the lower ribs from moving while breathing. I also reduced the pressure on my Cpap. This had an over night effect the ribs where filling better. This was telling me that I was breathing with the lower back part of my Diaphram, expanding and contracting these lower ribs making them sore. Wore this elastic support for 3 months and with a lower air pressure helped retrain my breathing to the chest area. I have not worn the elastic support for about 2 months know and the lower ribs are great.

[Craig-Tx]

I too had a sore back for a little while after starting CPAP. I figured it was because I wasn't moving around in my sleep. And also because until I got used to the CPAP therapy, I probably did lay there a lot more tense, trying not to knock my machine / mask around. On top of that, I just wasn't used to sleeping on my back.

After a while, I guess it went away. I really don't have any back problems anymore.

I hope that is all your problem is.

[boston]

Ive been on cpap for 2 weeks and my back has been killing me in the morning for most of that time. I usually sleep with 2 pillows, last night I only used 1 and it helped some. I figure its because I have been used to turning half way through the night and now I am trying to stay in the same position so my mask doesnt move and leak. I have been told it gets easier to mave around after awhile.

[Don1959]

Wow,
I have had this problem with my back hurting between the shoulder blade area to the point it has awakened me. What I did one time when this happened was looked at my apap machine to see what the pressure had ramped to...It was 15cm. My gosh I don't remember it ever going that high for me. I think it was to much causing the pain in the back. So what I did was lowered my max pressure to 13.5cm and it got better. Now I also changed the type of mask I was using went from nasal mask to a full face and I was able to set the max pressure back up to 14.5. It helped with my problem.

Don

[jimhopp]

I have been having the same problem, I have been experiencing severe early morning (or after sleeping 5.5 to 6 hrs) upper back pain. Right between the shoulder blades about two thirds of the way down. This has been going on for about a year now and is really killing my sleep as it usually starts up after about 4 hrs then I'll toss and turn for an hour, till I'm forced to get up out of bed, usally about 4-5 in the morning, I'm wondering if anyone has found a definitive answer on this one. I've been on cpap for about 14 years now and this is the first time experiencing it. It also dissipates after I wake up and start moving around, but comes back quickly if I try to go back to bed. I figured I'd list some things about myself to see if anyone has this problem and is sharing theses common traits:
I don't really get any exercise
I am obesese(just middle aged obesesity)
Mainly work at the desk
pressure is at 17
43 years old
do not move from back position all night
My job is sales from home
I takZoloft for depression
I sleep on a sleep numbers infatible bed set at about 45#
pillow is hard and flat
I've kinda chalked it up to lack of exersise, but maybe I'm wrong(although I do need to do it) hopefully we can work together and find a common train amoung us.
Please respond if you have any syptoms like this, we got to find out whats wrong.

[boston]

the past 2 nights ive taken motrin before bed and its helped a lot.
i still wake up a bit sore, but goes away quickly, nowhere as bad as before.

[plr66]

Everyone's sleeping situation is going to be a bit different, in terms of mattress, pillow, physical condition, and sleeping pattern--so it might be hard to draw a single solution. I have been using my cpap (now an auto) for about 2 months, and have at times had sharp pain in my shoulders or between my shoulder blades. It is very clear to me that this is because I am no longer "allowed" to sleep on my back--and my favorite stomach-position is not comfortable anymore due to the mask constraints. So because I am now sleeping for longer uninterrupted periods on my side, it starts to hurt. Roll over, stay on that side for a couple of hours, and it starts to hurt.

I personally can't afford a new mattress, so have experimented with pillows. Being able to periodically shift to a semi-stomach position relieves my shoulders (and therefore less shoulder blade pain).

Though for me it is the lesser problem now, I noticed in the beginning weeks that I was much more tense upon going to sleep due to consciousness of the machine, the breathing sound, trying to "sync with the machine," and breathing with much more deliberate, longer breaths. Others on this forum have suggested music or white noise to assist in minimizing awareness of the sounds, and I found this to be very helpful, as it is now less an issue.

[Guest]

After being on CPAP for about 6 months my back problems started. I knew it was due to the fact I moved much less and sleep primarilly on my back now. I thought my mattress was too soft, so I purchased a temper-pedic bed. I always liked a extra firm mattress, but the teper-pedic proved too firm. I traded it for a select comfort and now feel much better sleeping on a soft setting of 45.
The other two suggestions previously mentioned here also helped a lot - yoga type stretching & advil prior to sleep.
I'm also exercising to stregthen my upper & lower back.
Unfortunately, curing sleep related back pain is going to involve some type of stretching or exercise

[Kiralynx]

Unfortunately, curing sleep related back pain is going to involve some type of stretching or exercise

For anyone who is looking for a good exercise, ask your health care practitioner to send you to a qualified water therapist. I have bad knees, bad hips, and a bad back. I'm also obese, though thankfully, no longer morbidly obese. I will cheer the day I reach merely overweight.

I do, religiously, 2-3 hours of water therapy three times a week. When I began, I could barely do a half an hour.

Some practitioners will claim that water therapy isn't "real" exercise. I'd like to throw them in the pool at my fitness center and challenge them to keep up!

My therapist taught me about twenty exercises for flexibility, core threngthening, and joint health. When I had to be out of the water for two months for cancer surgery, I demanded the surgeon send me a therapist who would have exercises I could do in spite of a 24" incision. She did. When I was cleared to go back in the water, I checked with the therapist for a program to let me safely build back to where I was before the surgery.

As far as "not having time" or "hating to do exercise," well, yes, I hate it, too. There are lots of things I could do with all those hours. But I have two options. I can do the exercises, and have an amelioration of my pain issues. Or not do them, and be in so much pain that even narcotics don't help. So, for me, there's no option.

These comments about increased pain on CPAP sort of freak me out, though. My machine should be here on Thursday. I already have hip pain which wakes me nightly at around 2-3 am. I don't do NSAIDs or apirin or acetaminophen: they all contain "inactive" ingredients which give me gut-pain. I do have nutriceuticals which help, but I'm still having sleep which is badly fragmented because of pain issues. THe idea that this might increase on CPAP is scary.

I was diagnosed because the pain management doctor I was sent to said apnea can be related to chronic pain, and sent me for a sleep study.

I didn't make it through either the original study or the titration without severe pain around 3a-4a, and in fact, my pain was noticeably worse the night of the titration.

The idea that, starting Thursday, every night will be more of that level of pain or worse is purely terrifying.

[plr66]

These comments about increased pain on CPAP sort of freak me out, though.

Let me jump in here quickly to say that the kind of dicomfort I mentioned is not the level of pain you are describing!