Pain in the back is familiar to everyone and is one of the most common reasons to see a doctor. In addition, about 80% of patients complain of back pain.
Sometimes the cause of discomfort in the lower part of the spine can be simply a long period of restlessness. If the pain is regular, there is a reason to consult a specialist.
Back pain can be a sign of various diseases: from osteochondrosis to malignant tumors.
The complex of therapeutic measures should be based on the cause of this pain. Medications and alternative medicine can be used.
Why back pain: causes
There are various factors that can cause back pain. Only an experienced specialist can make a correct diagnosis and prescribe an effective course of treatment based on the patient's examination and additional examinations. Distinguish between primary and secondary pain syndromes.
In the first case, it is accompanied by back pain as a result of degenerative-dystrophic changes in the spine.
- Osteochondrosis is a damage to bone and cartilage tissue, dystrophic in nature;
- Spondyloarthritis is a form of osteoarthritis characterized by damage to the intervertebral joints responsible for lumbar mobility.
In the second case, the causes of back pain are more broad:
- Scoliosis or curvature of the spine;
- Inflammatory, non-infectious nature (rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter's syndrome);
- Various infectious diseases (tuberculosis, brucellosis, epidural abscess) with damage to the vertebrae and intervertebral discs are a common cause of back pain;
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (acute appendicitis, intestinal obstruction);
- Often, back pain is a reflex. This situation occurs when there are diseases of the organs located in the pelvic region (renal colic, venereal diseases, gynecological pathologies).
- A tumor located in the vertebrae or spine contributes to the appearance of pain;
- Strokes and pre-stroke conditions that disrupt the blood supply to the spinal cord can cause back pain;
- During pregnancy, the load on the spine increases greatly, due to which there is pain in the lower back;
- Fractures of the spinal vertebrae are the most serious cause of pain.
In addition, the spine often hurts as a result of stretching of muscles, displacement of intervertebral discs, arthrosis of the hip joint. A patient suffering from severe pain assumes a forced position of the body, which significantly limits his mobility while walking. Typically, this problem is faced by athletes or people whose work involves physical activity.
Low back pain when working for long periods of time as a result of lifting or carrying weight, falling, hitting, sharpening, hypothermia, or being drafted. All of these causes can lead to inflammation of the deep muscles of the lower back or spasm.
Sometimes back pain is caused by stress. The fact is that this part of the spine is one of the most psychosomatic parts of the body, so it reacts sharply to various concerns and experiences. Anger, fear, and irritability help to release adrenaline into the bloodstream, which in turn increases the tone of the spinal muscles. If there is not enough relaxation, the tense muscles begin to contract and pain occurs. Therefore, people with mental instability often feel pain in the spine.
Treatment of low back pain
Anxiety and even painful sensations in the lower back can be of varying intensity - from mild insignificant pain to unbearable pain, making even a small movement difficult. There may also be sharp, dull, tingling, or burning pain, often accompanied by tingling, gas, or numbness. Often associated with hip, leg or knee pain.
If you have back pain for more than 3 days, it is important to consult a therapist. Depending on the results of the examination, you may need to see a specialist. To assess the condition of the spine, lumbar muscles or nervous system, if you suspect diseases of the urinary system, you should be examined by a neurologist - in case of diseases of the female reproductive system, consult a urologist. system - by a gynecologist.
Also, a general urine and blood test is usually prescribed to rule out or confirm the inflammatory nature of the disease, ultrasound of the hip joints, spinal x-ray (MSCT or MRI), and other studies. With the exception of severe and advanced cases, treatment of low back pain does not require surgery and can be eliminated with medication.
Conservative treatment has three main goals:
- Relieve the patient of pain;
- Development of a program of therapeutic and prophylactic measures to reduce adverse processes in the spine;
- Return of the patient to a full life.
The fastest effect if back pain is given with medication. Commonly used in treatment:
- Muscle relaxants. It should be used as soon as acute pain occurs. This allows you to eliminate spasms from the muscles, to prevent the formation (compression) of the spinal roots;
- Anti-inflammatory painkillers can relieve pain and inflammation quickly. It can be used in the form of an ointment and gel for external use, as well as in the form of tablets and injections.
- Chondroprotectors (drugs including chondrocytes and glucosamines). These substances occur in the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral joints and discs;
- Vitamin therapy.
However, it is not always possible to use medication if you have back pain. The drug is contraindicated in case of allergies, pregnancy and some diseases.
How can you cope with back pain in this situation? Recommendations:
- Massage is one of the safest treatments. The only contraindication is cancer. Massage procedures help to relieve muscle spasms, reduce pain, improve blood flow to all tissues;
- Physiotherapy - magnetic fields, electric currents can be considered the most effective methods in the presence of spinal diseases. Pain is reduced, tissue nutrition is improved, muscles are strengthened;
- Manual therapy and acupuncture. These techniques are similar to massage, but work at a more subtle level of interconnectedness of reflexes.
To reduce the risk of back pain, you should sleep on a firm bed with a firm mattress, maintain proper posture, take breaks while working on the computer or driving a car, do simple exercises during this time, do not lift weights, do not try. gain excess weight and exercise regularly. . .