Back pain is familiar to all people and is one of the most common reasons for visiting a doctor. Moreover, about 80% of patients complain exactly that their lower back hurts.
Sometimes the appearance of discomfort in the lower part of the spine can simply be a long stay in an uncomfortable position. If the pain becomes regular, there is reason to consult a specialist.
Back pain can be a sign of many diseases: from osteochondrosis to malignancy.
The complex of therapeutic measures should be based on the cause of the pain. Medications and alternative medicine can also be used.
Why does the lower back hurt: causes
There are several factors that can cause back pain. Only an experienced professional can determine the correct diagnosis and prescribe effective treatment based on the examination of the patient and further examinations. Difference between primary and secondary pain syndromes.
In the first case, the lower back hurts due to the appearance of degenerative-dystrophic lesions of the spine, with diseases such as:
- Osteochondrosis - changes in bone and cartilage tissue, dystrophic in nature;
- Spondyloarthrosis is a form of osteoarthritis characterized by changes in the intervertebral joints responsible for spinal mobility.
In the second case, the causes of lower back pain are broader:
- Scoliosis or curvature of the spine;
- Inflammation, non-infectious (rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter's syndrome);
- Various infectious diseases (tuberculosis, brucellosis, epidural abscess) in which the vertebrae and intervertebral discs are damaged are common causes of lower back pain;
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (acute appendicitis, intestinal obstruction);
- Back pain is often of a reflective nature. This situation occurs in the presence of diseases of organs located in the pelvic region (renal colic, venereal diseases, gynecological pathologies).
- A tumor located on the vertebrae or spinal cord contributes to the onset of pain;
- Cerebral hemorrhage and pre-stroke conditions in which there is a violation of the blood supply to the spinal cord can cause a feeling that the lower back is in pain;
- During pregnancy, the load on the spine increases greatly, with concomitant pulling pains in the lumbar spine;
- Vertebral fractures are the most serious causes of pain.
Furthermore, the lower back often suffers from muscle stretching, displacement of intervertebral discs, and arthrosis of the hip joint. Suffering from acute pain, the patient is put into a forced posture, which severely limits his mobility while walking. Typically, this problem is faced by athletes or people whose work is related to physical activity.
The lower back may hurt during prolonged, uncomfortable work due to weight lifting or carrying, falling, hitting, sharpening, hypothermia, or drafts. All of these causes can lead to inflammation or cramps in the deep muscles of the back.
Sometimes the lower back hurts due to stress. The fact that this spine is one of the most psychosomatic parts of the body therefore responds 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 spinal muscles. If proper discharge does not occur, the tense muscles will tense and pain will occur. Therefore, unstable psychic people often experience pain in the spine.
Low back pain treatment
Discomfort and painful feelings in the lower back can vary in intensity - from mild to insignificant to unbearable pain, making it difficult to perform even a small movement. It can also be sharp, dull, pulling or burning pain, often accompanied by tingling, goosebumps, numbness. It is often combined with pain in the hip, leg or knee.
If your lower back hurts for more than 3 days, you should definitely consult a therapist. Depending on the results of the test, you may need to see a specialist. Thus, to assess the condition of the spine, back muscles, or nervous system, a neurologist should be examined if urinary tract disease is suspected - consultation with a urologist in the presence of female reproductive disorders system - gynecologist.
In addition, a general analysis of urine and blood 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 tests. Except in severe and advanced cases, the treatment of low back pain does not require surgery and can be omitted without medication.
Conservative treatment has three main purposes:
- Relieving the patient of pain;
- Develop a program of therapeutic and preventive measures to reduce negative processes in the spine;
- The patient's return to a full life.
The fastest effect is when low back pain is given by drug therapy. Commonly used in treatment:
- Muscle relaxants. These should be used immediately as soon as acute pain occurs. This allows you to relieve cramps from the muscles, remove the compression (compression) of the roots of the spine;
- Anti-inflammatory analgesics can quickly relieve pain and inflammation. They can be used in the form of ointments and gels for external use, as well as in the form of tablets and injections.
- Chondoprotectors (drugs, including chondroits and glucosamines). These substances are found in the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral joints and discs;
- Vitamin therapy.
However, it is not always possible to use medication if the lower back hurts. In the presence of allergies, pregnancy and certain diseases, the drugs are contraindicated.
How can you help treat back pain in this case? Recommendations:
- Massage is one of the safest treatments. The only contraindication is the presence of cancer. Massage procedures make it possible to relieve muscle cramps, reduce pain, and improve blood circulation to all tissues;
- Physiotherapy - exposure to magnetic fields and electric currents is considered to be the most effective methods in the presence of spinal diseases. Feelings of pain are reduced, the nutrition of the tissues is improved, the muscles are strengthened;
- Manual therapy and acupuncture. These methods are similar to massage, but work at a finer level of reflex connection.
To reduce the risk of back pain, sleep on a hard bed with a hard mattress, maintain proper posture, take a break from a computer or while driving, while doing simple exercises, avoiding weightlifting, and not trying to gain weight and exercise regularly. . .