Back Pain.... Any suggestions?

[KristaLane]

In May 2008, I flipped my car. I refused to go in the ambulance because I felt alright at the time.  The next day I was in severe pain.  I went to the hospital with my accident report and was told that I had Soft Tissue damage in my neck that was attributed to whiplash.  They gave me a mild muscle relaxer and Percosets.  The pain subsided after about 2 weeks and I resumed life as normal.  In July 2009, I began noticing pain in the middle of my back.  This pain was induced after pressure was applied to the specific spinal bulges (I dont know any terms, forgive me.).  It has progressed to if anything brushes up against it, bra strap included.  It practically drops me to my knees if anything touches it.  Im assuming that this IS NOT normal, and Im trying to avoid going to a doctor because of the amount I will have to pay if its nothing to worry about.  Ive also noticed the top of my left foot gets tingly when this happens.  Any suggestions?

[KristaLane]

Thankyou very much for helping me out so quickly.  I truly appreciate it.  As far as insurance goes, I don't have any.  It makes things super difficult and super expensive.  My auto insurance covered my injuries way back in 2008, but I think its a little late to draw on that claim now, so it would be all out of pocket.  
Maybe I will just give it another month or two, and see how things are.  If anybody else has any suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated. :)
Thankyou all for your time and concern...

[Kelly_NH]

Please go to a doctor and please get an X ray so you know what is going on. The issue could be soft tissue (muscle), ligament, spinal, in within the spine, it could be bones, discs, ligaments and muscles or (likely) a combination ...Once you know what is going on, you will be able to make decisions for treatment, which may include massage, physical therapy, heat or cold therapy, chiropractic, or pain management (RX), trigger point massage, acupuncture etc.

The problem with injuries like you are describing is that if you let them get worse, the surrounding muscles and ligaments attempt to compensate for the injured area, and soon you have referral pain in addition to the original pain. You can also develop complications like arthritis around the site of the injury (speaking as a layman here, not a doctor). Please, please go get a diagnosis. Once you know what you are dealing with, you can decide to take a conservative approach, but you will know the potential consequences to treatment vs. non treatment.
For me, regular massage and ice are Godsends for my accident related neck pain. Good luck!

[bigT907]

Oh my dear... that sounds like a typical slipped disk.  Not a good thing and certainly not something to ignore at all.  

I dont know how your insurance works or if you have any or have aid of any type.  I know you can seek difinative diagnosis from either a bone specialist or a chiropractor.  However, if you choose the latter- you MUST and I mean MUST make sure they have experience in slipped or bulging disks first.