fall on ice

Well, givem that I have no medical qualifications whatesoever, I recommend that you try ski jumping to see if that makes it better.

Be aware that not all problems show up on X-rays. Go back to the doctor or medical facility and tell them the problem has not gone away and you still are in pain.

I'm not a doctor nor in medical profession but a good guess is that you might have a bone bruise or sustained some soft tissue damage.

Go back to the doctor and ask for an MRI on your back.

Ditto what others said. I learned from personal experience to listen to my body and get a second opinion when I know that something just isn't right.

I had a bad fall in December, was taken to hospital via ambulance where xrays were done of my back, hip and foot. No broken bones, so they wouldn't admit me. An agonizing week later I finally got a referral to an orthopedic doctor who specialized in backs. He did his own xrays and even I could see that there were fractured vertebrae. He ordered an MRI to get detailed view to make sure there were no fragments floating around that could damage the nerve. MRI showed I also had a dislocated pelvis.

If you can, go to a back and spine specialist. They have a lot more experience with these types of injury than an ER department.

Ask the doctor to prescribe a back brace for you. It will give your back some much needed support while the healing process begins. Ask him to also refer you to a physical therapist. Mine did and it has made all the difference. Instead of a four month recovery, physical therapy is cutting the recovery time in half, mostly because early on, they were able to manipulate my pelvis back in place so the focus of the therapy could be on my back.

I know you are in a lot of pain. I hope you've got some good pain meds to help you manage it. Use them to help you push through the pain while doing the physical therapy exercises. At first they will be mostly stretching exercises and will progress to weight bearing exercises as you are able to tolerate it. I didn't feel like my back was actually healing until we started the weight bearing movements. After that, it made a difference almost over night.

If you don't have one, get yourself a cane. It comes in handy to help you stand or sit down, and gives you a way to take some of the stress off your back while standing or sitting.

I hope you find a good doctor to help you and that your recovery goes well.