Painful sensations in the back are known to everyone and are one of the most common reasons for a doctor's visit. In addition, around 80% of patients are currently complaining that their lower back is sore.
Sometimes the reason for the appearance of discomfort in the lower part of the spine can simply be a prolonged stay in an uncomfortable position. If the pain becomes regular, there is a reason to see a specialist.
Back pain can be a sign of a wide variety of diseases: from osteochondrosis to malignant tumors.
The complex of therapeutic measures should be based on the cause of this pain. Medicines and alternative medicine can be used.
Why does the lower back hurt: reasons
There are several factors that can cause back pain. Only an experienced specialist, based on the examination of the patient and further examinations, can make the correct diagnosis and prescribe effective treatment. Differentiate between primary and secondary pain syndromes.
In the first case, the lower back hurts from the appearance of degenerative-dystrophic changes in the spine with diseases such as:
- Osteochondrosis - is a lesion of bone and cartilage tissue, is dystrophic in nature;
- Spondyloarthrosis is one of the forms of osteoarthritis characterized by lesions in the intervertebral joints, which are responsible for the mobility of the spine.
In the second case, the reasons why the lower back hurts are wider:
- Scoliosis, or curvature of the spine;
- Inflammation of a non-infectious nature (rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter's syndrome);
- Various infectious diseases (tuberculosis, brucellosis, epidural abscess), in which vertebrae and intervertebral discs are damaged, are a common cause of lower back pain;
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (acute appendicitis, intestinal obstruction);
- Back pain is often of a reflected nature. This situation occurs with diseases of organs in the pelvic area (renal colic, venereal diseases, gynecological pathologies).
- A tumor located on the vertebrae or spinal cord contributes to the appearance of pain;
- Strokes, and pre-stroke conditions in which the blood supply to the spinal cord is disrupted, can make your lower back feel like your lower back is sore;
- During pregnancy, the load on the spine increases sharply, associated with pulling pains in the lumbar spine;
- Fractures of the vertebral bodies are the most serious cause of pain.
The lower back also often hurts due to muscle stretching, displacement of the intervertebral discs, and osteoarthritis of the hip joint. The patient suffering from acute pain adopts a forced posture of the body that severely restricts his mobility when walking. Typically, this problem occurs in athletes or people whose work is related to physical activity.
It happens that the lower back hurts during prolonged work in an uncomfortable position from lifting or carrying weights, falling, hitting, straightening up sharply, hypothermia or drafts. All of these causes can lead to deep back muscle inflammation or cramps.
Sometimes the lower back hurts from stress. The fact is that this part of the spine is one of the most psychosomatic parts of the body, and therefore it reacts sharply to various worries and experiences. Anger, fear, irritability contribute to the release of adrenaline into the bloodstream, which in turn leads to an increase in the tone of the muscles of the spine. If there is insufficient discharge, the tense muscles begin to tighten and pain occurs. Therefore, people with an unstable psyche often have pain in the spine.
Back pain treatment
Discomfort and even painful sensations in the lower back can vary in severity - from mild insignificant to unbearable pain that makes it difficult to perform even a small movement. It can also be sharp, dull, pulling or burning pain, which is often accompanied by tingling, goose bumps, numbness. It is often combined with pain in the hip, foot, or knee.
If the lower back hurts for more than 3 days, it is imperative to consult a therapist. Depending on the results of the examination, you may need to see a specialist doctor. To assess the condition of the spine, back muscles or nervous system, if there is a suspicion of diseases of the urinary system, it is necessary to examine a neurologist - a consultation with a urologist in diseases of the female reproductive system - from a gynecologist.
Also, a general urine and blood analysis is usually prescribed to rule out or confirm the inflammatory nature of the disease, ultrasound of the hip joints, x-ray of the spine (MSCT or MRI), and other studies. With the exception of severe and advanced cases, treating low back pain does not require surgery and does not require medication.
Conservative treatment has three main goals:
- Relieving the patient of pain;
- Development of a program of therapeutic and preventive measures to reduce negative processes in the spine;
- Return of the patient to a full life.
The fastest effect on low back pain is achieved through drug therapy. Typically used in treatment:
- Muscle relaxing drugs. They should be used as soon as acute pain occurs. In this way, you can relieve muscle spasm and remove the resulting compression (bruising) of the roots of the spine.
- Anti-inflammatory pain relievers can relieve pain and inflammation quickly. They can be used in the form of an ointment and gel for external use, as well as in tablets and injections.
- Chondoprotectors (medicines including chondroites and glucosamines). These substances are found in the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral joints and intervertebral discs;
- Vitamin therapy.
However, drug therapy is not always possible when the lower back is painful. In the case of allergies, pregnancy and certain diseases, drugs are contraindicated.
How can you help with back pain in this case? Recommendations:
- Massage is one of the safest treatments. The only contraindication is the presence of cancer. Massage procedures allow you to relieve muscle spasms, relieve pain and improve blood flow to all tissues.
- Physiotherapy - exposure to magnetic fields, electrical currents can be considered the most effective methods in diseases of the spine. Pain sensations are reduced, tissue nutrition is improved, muscles are strengthened;
- Manual therapy and acupuncture. These methods are similar to massage, but act on a more subtle level of networking the reflexes.
To reduce the risk of back pain, sleep on a firm bed with a hard mattress, maintain correct posture, take breaks from working at the computer or driving a car where you can do simple exercises, avoid lifting weights, try not to get overweight and exercise regularly. . .