Pain in back during adrenalin rush situations

I am a 37 year-old woman who gave birth to a second child two months ago.  About an hour ago, I had a stressful road rage altercation with another driver.  Seconds after it ended, I felt this almost painful throbbing in my lower back, followed by what felt like a release of cool fluids into my back.  This is the first time I have ever felt it.  I have no history of back problems or any serious illnesses or diseases.  I have recently started light jogging and other light exercise.  I have never had an epidural or any injections/tampering with my spine.  It is a relief that others have experienced this, too, but it is also frightening that the cause and any treatment remain unknown.    

Please do not be too frightened by this. I am a 50 year old, female nurse, and have been having these same exact symptoms, since my 20's. It always occurs when I am startled. Typically a near care accident, or a situation where I am VERY angry or VERY scared. I has probably happened to me 30-40 times in my life. I have spoken to numerous physicians about this. They have no idea what it is. I know, from research, that it is a sympathetic nervous system reaction. An adrenalin rush basically.

I remember seeing in this blog (I've been following for years) that there was a Med. Student that had these symptoms, and he stated he would further research this phenomena. It undoubtedly cannot be too terribly serious, as there are so many people that have experienced these symptoms. I actually just happened to my 47 year old sister, when she was playing hide and seek with her grandchildren, and she couldn't find them. She called me to tell me that the symptoms that I have been experiencing all these years, finally happened to her.

This is not fun, and it is very painful. I literally can bring you to your knees, if it happens when you are standing. It's the strangest thing. I wish someone could figure it out.

Just wanted you to know that I've had it for 30+ years! and I'm still here! and perfectly fine. Congratulations on your newborn. ❤️

Thank you so much! I feel better already and hope we all never feel this again.

28 year old male. I've been having this exact thing happen to me since senior year of high school. Only when about to get into a fight or a close call while driving and so on. Pulsing pain in lower back area that seems to be syncing with my heartbeat, I usually have to sit down its so intense. Glad I found others with same problem and isn't just me, if only I could find out what the problem is.

Well, I was in a situation the other day where it normally would have happened to me, a very familiar drill for me. I stand up in public, say something or sing something in public, requiring me to breathe deep and project, I feel fine while it's happening, everyone hears me and understands me, I get off the stage and POW!!
Except not this time. Why? Well, a few messages here referred to the fact that it seems to be worse when sitting (e.g. all the examples involving unpleasant experiences in cars). So I just refused to sit down for a few minutes. I still got it, I think. How can I think? Don't I know? No, because it was SO MILD. I don't know whether it just happened to be a mild attack or whether remaining standing really helped, but I figured it couldn't hurt to mention it. I really am thunderstruck at 1) how many people have experienced this and 2) the complete lack of knowledge on the part of everyone as to what exactly this is.

This sounds very plausible and very scary. Could it be that the reason why this phenomenon is surrounded by mystery is because most sufferers tend to die from it before a doctor has had a chance to see the syndrome in action and diagnose it?

"This pain originating near the kidneys is the descending aorta and inferior vena cava under extreme pressure, your basically on the verge of a aneurism. The pressure buildup is caused by the constriction of the artery due to massive cortisone and adrenalin release. Usually used up by muscles in vigorous activity, however as you get older and especially when your unfit, the bodies ability to eliminate this from the blood stream at speed diminishes. When your body prepares for fight or flight then you just sit down, the reaction results in massive blood pressure spike around this area. be very careful, your arteries are on the verge of bursting open followed by rapid onset of death."

This sounds very scary and very plausible. Could it be that most folks suffering from this syndrome tend to die, which is why so little is known about it? Perhaps doctors never get the chance to examine the syndrome in depth because most patients don't live to tell the tale.

Marc wrote "try reading this: http://endocrinesurgery.ucla.edu/patient_education_pheochromocytoma.html" so I did.

Hmmm

I'm not completely convinced. Take a look at the symptoms listed there:


Severe Headache
Palpitations or rapid heart rate
Profuse sweating
Flushing or feeling hot
Chest pain or chest pressure

Folks, do those symptoms match what we've been experiencing? Certainly not in my case. No headache, no palpitations, no sweating, no flushing, no chest pain. In addition, my heart rate doesn't increase; instead, it POUNDS really HARD. Also, notice that this pheochromocytoma symptom list says NOTHING about back pains.

Color me skeptical. I'm leaning more toward the far more dangerous potential aneurysm situation described above, I'm afraid.

Pirate wrote: "Somehow this thread has turned from people having "Adrenaline rushed" centered in the lumbar region, to weird sexual back pain, and unrelated back spasms? So, returning to the original post, the adrenaline rush lower back intense 1-3 minute pain is caused simply by EXTREME fear, or anxiety. i.e about to have a physical altercation with an extremely large person. There is NO medication for this condition as it is part of our human evolution "fight or flight" makeup. Some people are naturally predisposed to this condition due to their personalities or nature. The only way to overcome this condition is to conquer fear it self!"

But something doesn't make sense here: almost everyone's experience, including mine, is that this hits AFTER the stressful situation is over, not while it's happening. It particularly seems to happen if one sits down after a stressful situation. That doesn't strike me as the way a normal "fight or flight" reaction would work, no?

I have the exact same symptoms. Very scary. O worry about an aneurysm also since my dad had a serious one repaired. I think I have a weakness there that only shows up during adrenaline rushes. I suspect it will one day balloon out and need repair.

37 myself, in the UK.  I've had this experience 3 times in about the last 5 years.  All 3 times I was (again just like many others here) a seated car driver and was fighting off other aggressive drivers with bad manners that were trying to drive over the top of me or "cut me up".  On all 3 accounts (yet again like others) the lower back pain occured about 30 seconds after the situation had subsided.  For me, I'd describe the pain as "significantly uncomfortable" and it would gradually dissipate over a further 30-60 seconds

All my younger life I've been an "adrenalyn junkie" - Skiing black runs beyond my capability and sometimes crashing out big time, big roller coasters etc all set me on fire (in a good way) for a good few minutes after the event, and never gave me lower back pains.  However, I haven't done any of those adrenalyn activities in about 7 years and these lower back pains have all happened in the last 5 or so years.  I would be very interested to see if I got the pains if I went skiing again or went on a major roller coaster (a test on the being seated theory!!). 

Sadly neither of those activities are on my cards in the near future.

I'll repost here if I ever spot any significant patterns or go skiing again.

I also encourage anyone who's isn't thinking of posting - to just post a one-liner to help give an indication of how many people are experiencing this.  (After all, if you're reading this then it's more than likely that you Googled it because it has happened to you).

I have experienced this pain as well only in my neck tho ever since a rake hit the back of my neck just after highschool. One of the bones in my neck is pushed inward a little bit. Im 28 now and it seems like it is getting worse. I cant afford a doctor or chiropracter as i can barely pay the bills i have. Any tips you can give me would be most welcome.

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I have this also, had the mri done, nothing, mine is also triggered by adreniline rush, even after getting into a warm vehicle after being out in the very cold, it almost feels like it is near the end of my spine, it increases in pain severity with every beat of my heart then goes away as the heart slows down. I can seem to lessen the pain by forcing the muscles used to force a bowel movement. I am amazed at the number of others who also suffer from this---it is pretty scary--I have had 6 heart bypass surgery and I don't like this feeling it causes. I guess there is no easy fix for it?

So according to Iliriana Bisha Tagani, MD we all have a tumor?

I'm same as you all, the initial adrenalin rush causes the pain..  and just like the rest of you it subsides in a short while.

Thanks ALL..  good to know there's some comrads out there.

Are we men only, no women with this problem? 

And so I am now a subscriber to this page, and am amazed as all of you who experience what I have been experiencing for about 30 years.  

I had a back injury around the time it started, so I always just associated it with that,. But not many posters have had back injuries it seems? And now I'm not sure that's what brought it on, all I know is I had to quit the railroad because of it sadly. I was afraid one day I'd be hanging on a boxcar and have an attack and not be able to step off, or worse just fall off because the pain is like getting hit by lighting in your lower back!  

If this aneurysm thing is real, that it's real scary.  I hope to read on here someday that they don't think we're all crazy and they've found a cure for it!