Pain in back hips and butt at day 4 of extendedfast

[Rian]

I never put my finger on the exact mechanism but I can say the pain gradually improved over time to the point of no longer being an issue. About all I can say is hang in there, the pain will eventually subside.

[Alpha]

thanks for replying

I do not want to speak too soon , but kale maybe helping.

[Madeleine]

@Alpha, @Rian @Suzanne_Leigh Not sure if this helps anyone, but I don’t think I saw it mentioned above: caffeine withdrawal gives me severe leg aches - to the point that I can’t sleep. The first time I did a water fast I could not figure out what was going on but I eventually pieced it together.

[Alpha]

thanks @Madeleine

Yes anything in my opinion is worth mentioning.

But caffeine is OK with me . even when I quit I just get slight headache .

but I suspect that cafeine is causing my high triglycerides.

I deleted a sentence here that I thought I wrote in another thread )

thanks

[Rian]

caffeine withdrawal gives me severe leg aches

Hmm, very interesting. Seems plausible, I’ll add this to my list of reasons to avoid caffeine as I seem to have developed a wide range of sensitivities to it recently.

[katmm]

Another thought on hip/back pain a few days into a fast. Jason Fung has said that your immune system is replaced when we fast longer than 72 hours. Those new white blood cells are produced in our bone marrow. The locations which have the largest amount of bone marrow? Hip bones. Cancer patients who take drugs to mobilize their bone marrow after chemo are very familiar with this pain.

Kathy

[DiMo]

Another thought on hip/back pain a few days into a fast. Jason Fung has said that your immune system is replaced when we fast longer than 72 hours. Those new white blood cells are produced in our bone marrow. The locations which have the largest amount of bone marrow? Hip bones. Cancer patients who take drugs to mobilize their bone marrow after chemo are very familiar with this pain.

Great integration of information from various sources! Having worked with cancer patients for years, this TOTALLY makes intuitive sense to me.

Thanks for sharing.

[Alpha]

very interesting

when I start searching I was convinced something is wrong with my kidneys.

not any more.

[Rian]

Those new white blood cells are produced in our bone marrow.

I guess pain from the rapid production of new white blood cells could be referred to as a good hurt. That’ll be my new way of thinking about it as this sounds more plausible than any explanation I’ve heard so far.

[pwoolston]

I am on day 4 of a dry fast and my back and thighs and buttocks etc. started aching pretty bad. I decided to try my foam roller on my back and lower body this actually took the pain away for 4 hours and then it came back and I did it again. This is how I have been managing it this works well also cracking your lower back also works and Yin-Restorative Yoga.

[Alpha]

Try eating some kale

This pain is so confusing, and I have tried so many things that is why I am not sure what exactly helped me but the kale is a prime suspect.

[pwoolston]

I finally had a bowel movement which alleviated the pain.

[pwoolston]

No

[sugar-addict]

I finally had a bowel movement which alleviated the pain.

This thread and the above answer has inspired me to start the following thread/ poll about a golden rule I know from 10 years’ experience with EF…

Having trouble with EF? Discomfort etc...? Try the EF golden rule of using a laxative pre fasting

Do you empty your bowels completely (gentle laxative) before an extended fast? Do you have trouble doing extended fasts? 0 voters This thread: https://www.ketogenicforums.com/t/pain-in-back-hips-and-butt-at-day-4-of-extendedfast/22077 and one answer to the thread in particular, has inspired me to raise an issue about extended fasting, that I mostly see “ignored” here on the forum… I come from a background of EF (10 years experience) and am part of a (non-English speaking) fasting…

[pwoolston]

I’m having the same issue it comes and goes usually it’s more intense when I lie down. I use my foam roller which helps a bit and also magnesium bathes. I’ve looked all over the internet and can’t find any answers. I am on day 14 of a dry and water fast.

[bbRVA]

I wish I had any answers but I have tried to do 2 EF and stopped each time when intermittent intense low back pain radiating through my glutes and down both legs started. The first time I thought I had sciatica (never had it but do have some arthritis in low back fron old injury). The sudden onset and intensity was scary. I got to 81 hours and ended the fast with food, Advil& Tylenol. I had my son take me to the doctor who said I had no signs of sciatica. I didn’t connect the back pain to the fast.

Last week I tried another EF. Woke up with the same back pain but after shifting sleep positions many times, fell back asleep. The next day the intermittent pain returned, getting longer and stronger. I quit at 50 hours, had food & medicine and it went away again.

Glad to hear it seems to get better with more EFs. Also glad to report I did get lasting good results from both short EFs: decreased joint pain. Beginning another EF this week and hoping the back pain/leg isn’t as bad. I want all of the autophagy I can get!

[Alpha]

Glad to hear it seems to get better with more EFs. Also glad to report I did get lasting good results from both short EFs: decreased joint pain. Beginning another EF this week and hoping the back pain/leg isn’t as bad. I want all of the autophagy I can get!

I searched a lot about this issue. I was sad because I thought this lower back pain will never go and it will prevent me from fasting.

as you mentioned the more fasting attempts you make the less intense the pain gets . I believe the detox hypothesis but most people who have this pain they can not pin point to how it was resolved.

good luck

[Susiew]

Hi, Original poster back here.
It’s been very interesting reading all the comments and thoughts, thanks. I’ve been having really bad lower back issues just recently and I’m wondering if I could have some sort of virus or massive inflammation. So my thought process is to do a minimum 3 day fast to get all those autophagy benefits. I have started another fast, currently on day 2. I havent taken a laxative as my bowels were working just fine previously and early on day 1. However, having said that I may consider one tomorrow I think to make sure that all that sludge gets cleared out cause obviously nothing is moving when you’re not eating!

So far so good, I havent had any headaches or anything. Was starving yesterday and of course every ad on tv was for food. I guess if I do end up with pain again I will barely notice it compared to what my back is like currently. Only doing water, but may have half a dozen cashews if I feel a bit like I’m losing my way which is what I did last time and kept me sane.

[Alpha]

I found it useful to take small amount of fiber like
psyllium husk while fasting to feed your friends downyander.

I mean the gut bacteria.

Good luck for your fasting

[JohnMan]

Hi, new here as of 5 mins ago!
I’m on day 4 of my first fast although I’ve been on a more or less keto diet for years.
I’m also experiencing severe lower back pain today. Yesterday and the day before were the headache days.
I’ve been trying to lay down and relax as I didn’t really sleep last night but the pain is so strong that I can’t stay in bed.
I’ve just taken some medication as I can’t bear it.
I’m doing this fast as I have CFS or something like it (there’s no diagnosis after 4 years of doctors).
I have also read that the lower back pain can be related to detoxing along with neck pain which I also experience.
It’s good to know that I’m not the only one feeling this way.
Good luck to all those dealing with this!