Has anyone had severe low back pain after seasonal flu shot?

I posted my experience previously (12-10-2017), but after more extensive online research, I believe myself and many others who have posted here, or people reading this now, may have suffered from what is called "Guillain-Barre Syndrome" (GBS). Please do a google search on this term for more useful information and to see if you may have GBS. Since the condition is rather rare, doctors may be inclined to dismiss it, or misdiagnose, and then under-estimate a patients' pain and symptoms. So being informed about this condition may be beneficial and relevant to your well being. Best of luck to you all!

I received the flu shot on Thursday 12.7.17, I am a masters swimmer, weight lifter and avid skier, and am 66 years old, Rarley ever sick. On Saturday 12.9.17 I drove to 2 hours to an event and the pain in my low back started. I could barely stand at the event and drove 2 hours home. Low back pain has essentially disabled me. I had a massage on Tuesday, and got some relief but the next day it came back. It is now 12.15.17 8 days later and I am still in intense pain. Cannot bend over or sleep comfortably. I never had a flu shot before and will not ever have one again , hopefully it resolves itself.

Got the flu shot on Friday, 12/8/2017, at noon. At 7 PM the same day, I started feeling some back discomfort. Its been getting progressively worse each day. Its now Sunday PM, 12/10/2017. Feeling weakness in the legs and spasms now. I have had problems with a herniated disc before, and this feels pretty much the same. I believe the vaccine is causing the swelling in the lower back in the spinal cord. Not good. Luckily, I have Naproxen and muscle relaxants from my previous back issues. If your back spasms become "severe", get ahold of some good muscle relaxants and take MORE THAN the recommended dosage (if the label says 1 pill, then take 2, and go from there). Trust me, its the only thing that will keep the back spasms at bay and allow you sleep or rest. Stop taking the relaxants AS SOON AS YOU FEEL YOU CAN TOLERATE THE PAIN. Muscle relaxants can create other problems, but personally, I feel like a back spasm takes priority. I'll worry about the side effects later. Relief from a herniated disc should come after 4 or 5 days of rest. Ice packs directly on the area will also help the swelling and pain. Hope this helps others out there suffering. Best of luck.

Please be sure to report to the cdc so they can learn how pervasive this is. I had the flu shot on Oct 23 and 5 days later awoke with severe lower back pain. I tried heat and ibuprofen for two days before going to an urgent care clinic. I told them I am in perfect health, take no meds and practice yoga. This pain came on in the middle of the night and is barely touched by anti inflammatory drugs. They ran CT scans, blood work and urinalysis and all results were negative. They gave me an injection of anti inflammatory drug and pills to take home. That was 11 days ago. I still can’t sleep through the night, and even taking anti inflammatories my pain stays between a 3 (during day) and 7 or 8 (at night and early morning).
Now they are thinking of trying muscle relaxers or steroids. I wish someone knew how to treat this!
Thanks to all for posting. This thread has helped my healthcare provider validate that my symptoms are from the flu shot.

I took flu shot on Nov 30, 2016. Exactly 6 weeks later, by mid-Jan, I fell ill with severe "stomach virus". 10 days later, my lower back hurt so bad for no reason, and I was unable to walk for few days in late Jan. Xray didn't find anything. Had steroid shots in lower back. Didn't help. Took oral steroids. Still didn't help. Had 6 months of physical therapy. Still didn't help. OTC and Rx pain meds didn't help. Finally had MRI and they found disk degenerative disease and arthritic facet joint in three places in the lower back. I believe the flu shot had triggered it. I never had problem with flu shots in the past, and I never had a back trouble before. I will report this with Health Dept.

I couldn’t believe that I’m not alone. I had been told that vaccine wouldn’t create pain in other parts of the body except the actual shot area. I had my flu shot on Thursday (November 2, 2017) in the morning. Next day I started to feel pain in right side of the lover back. I strongly believe that pain is coming from kidney. I don’t want to use over counter pain killers, it is bad for kidney. Yep, would call my doctor tomorrow.