Back pain from new CPAP use??

[GlimR]

Last night was night #2 on cpap...................slept with it three hours the first night and seven last night.
I had some pain in my back yesterday morning and a lot today..........I read somewhere a few weeks ago that using muscles in the
back/diaphragm for the forced exhalation can make you sore. I tried to search that on here but didn't find anything.

Does anyone have any experience with this???

[ironhands]

are you sleeping in a different position than you normally do?

[GlimR]

Hi ironhands...............Night before last no, slept on my side as always... last night in the recliner but I do that often with no pain.

[Denial Dave]

prior to CPAP, everytime you stopped breathing, you probably tossed and turned all night.

Now that you are on CPAP, you may be sleeping in the same position for hours at a time.

if that's the case, then your back pain may be associated with your bed position.

[Pugsy]

For some people there can be some low level back discomfort either from sleeping in one position too long or maybe in awkward position due to worrying about mask fit.
And yes, some people will have some low level discomfort associated with breathing. Typically this is in the rib/cartilage area but can also manifest itself in back pain especially in the thoracic area. This comes from the added work that the muscles do when exhaling against pressure. Just like any muscle, the muscles in our rib cage get a bit sore from a type of work that we haven't ever done much of.
It's usually not horribly severe though and normally fades with time as the muscles get used to the added "work".

[GlimR]

Thanks for your post Dave..so much seems like trial and error regarding CPAP.

Pugsy...that is exactly what it feels like.

I am so exhausted today.......worse than my normal "tiredness" at this time of day.
I feel like I am on an emotional roller coaster...one minute feeling optimistic and determined and the next discouraged and wondering how the heck am I going to get thru the time it takes to resolve any issues with adjusting to CPAP...........yikes~:(

[hyperlexis]

A sure sign one is badly out of shape is when ...exhaling pulls a muscle.

Or it could be a worn out mattress.

[GlimR]

There is no doubt I am extremely out of shape!

I don`t think it's a pulled muscle...more like some kind of inflammation across the whole middle back....
As for the bed...nope....worked very hard to make it as comfortable as possible. I appreciate all the ideas you are sharing. I just wondered if it might be something common.

[Pugsy]

more like some kind of inflammation across the whole middle back....

Yeah, it's actually fairly common. Feels sort of like costochronditis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costochondritis
Hurts especially to exhale during the day but sometimes even movement causes discomfort.
I don't know what machine you are using but if it has some sort of exhale relief you might increase whatever is available to see if it helps somewhat.
It will pass though as your body gets used to the new workout it is getting. A few days to maybe 3 or 4 weeks depending on how quickly your muscles adapt.

[Kenwood]

I had intense pain in my back a couple days after starting CPAP. But that was more because of changing my sleep position from my stomach to mt back and side (wearing a FFM at the time). Had to get therapy at Chiro and a couple massages for my back. Took several weeks.

[archangle]

You might ask your doctor.

There's always the risk of some sort of heart problem or other problem not related to CPAP. Many CPAPers and doctors tend to blame everything on CPAP or apnea, and may ignore other problems.

That said, muscle soreness from working against the pressure is not too uncommon when you first start. It goes away pretty quickly for most people.

[Shellbert]

Newbie here. I been on CPAP for about 2 weeks. I have tried 2 masks so far with partial success with both. Despite which mask I use I have intense back pain between my shoulder blades. It wakes me in the middle of the night and I cannot get back to sleep.

I have had back pain in the past but nothing like this. It is more than soreness in my chest from the forced exhaling. I am in decent shape. I run 2 mi about 3x a week.

I think it is due to sleeping in one position and I am sleeping slightly differently because I don't want to let the mask leak from moving. So far just hoping it will improve with time. I do have a follow up appt with my doctor in a week.

[Julie]

Your thoracic muscles aren't used to so much action and so are complaining (for now). It's not at all uncommon for this to happen when starting cpap and should pass as time does.

[cgarb54]

Yes, after a week of using CPAP, I have mid right sided back pain.

[SleepyBobR]

Sometimes I wonder if these pains are caused by aerophagia blowing up you gut and pushing your internal organs out of place and into each other. Just a thought but I have no idea if it's correct.