Painful sensations in the back are familiar to every person and are one of the most common reasons for visiting a doctor. Moreover, about 80% of patients complain that their lower back hurts.
Sometimes the reason for the appearance of discomfort in the lower part of the spine can simply be a prolonged stay in an awkward position. If the pain becomes 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 lower back pain: reasons
There are various factors that can cause back pain. Only an experienced specialist, based on the patient's examination and additional examinations, can make a correct diagnosis and prescribe an effective course of treatment. Distinguish between primary and secondary pain syndromes.
In the first case, the lower back hurts as a result of the appearance of degenerative-dystrophic changes in the spine with diseases such as:
- Osteochondrosis - is a lesion of bone and cartilage tissue, it is dystrophic in nature;
- Spondyloarthritis is a form of osteoarthritis, characterized by lesions of the intervertebral joints responsible for spinal mobility.
In the second case, the range of reasons why the lower back hurts is wider:
- Scoliosis or curvature of the spine;
- Inflammation, non-infectious in nature (rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter's syndrome);
- Various infectious diseases (tuberculosis, brucellosis, epidural abscess), in which the vertebrae and intervertebral discs are damaged, are a common reason why the lower back hurts;
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (acute appendicitis, intestinal obstruction);
- Often, back pain is of a reflected nature. This situation occurs in the presence of diseases of organs located in the pelvic region (renal colic, sexually transmitted diseases, gynecological pathologies).
- A tumor located on the vertebrae or spinal cord contributes to the onset of pain;
- Stroke and pre-stroke conditions, in which the blood supply to the spinal cord is disrupted, can cause a feeling of pain in the lower back;
- During pregnancy, the load on the spine increases greatly, in connection with which there is a dragging pain in the lumbar spine;
- Spinal fractures of the spine are the most serious cause of pain.
Also, the lower back often hurts as a result of muscle stretching, movement of intervertebral discs, osteoarthritis of the hip joint. Suffering from acute pain, the patient assumes a forced body position, which severely limits his mobility when walking. This problem is usually faced by athletes or people whose work is related to physical activity.
It happens that the lower back hurts during prolonged work in an awkward position, as a result of lifting or carrying weights, falling, hitting, sharp straightening, hypothermia or drafts. All of these causes can lead to inflammation of the deep muscles of the back or cramps.
Sometimes the lower back hurts due to stress. The fact is that this part of the spine is one of the psychosomatic parts of the body, and therefore 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 spinal muscle tone. If the proper discharge does not appear, then the tense muscles begin to contract and pain occurs. Therefore, people with an unstable psyche often feel pain in the spine.
Treatment of lower back pain
Discomfort and even painful sensations in the lower back can be of varying intensity - from mild insignificant to unbearable pain that makes even a small movement difficult. It can also be sharp, dull, pulling or burning pain, which is often accompanied by tingling, cramps, numbness. It is often combined with pain in the hip, foot or knee.
If your lower back hurts for more than 3 days, then you need to see a therapist. Depending on the results of the examination, you may need to consult a specialist. Therefore, in order to assess the condition of the spine, back muscles or nervous system, it is necessary to examine a neurologist, if there is a suspicion of diseases of the urinary system - consultation with a urologist, in the presence of diseases of the female reproductive 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, an ultrasound of the hip joints, an X-ray of the spine (MSCT or MRI), and other studies. With the exception of severe and advanced cases, treatment of lower back pain does not require surgery and can be bypassed with 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;
- The return of the patient to a fulfilled life.
The fastest effect if the pain in the lower back is given by drug therapy. The following are usually used in treatment:
- Muscle relaxants. They should be used as soon as acute pain occurs. This allows you to relieve muscle spasm, remove the resulting compression (compression) of the spinal roots;
- Anti-inflammatory painkillers can quickly relieve pain and inflammation. They can be used in the form of ointments and gels for external use, as well as in tablets and injections.
- Chondoprotectors (drugs including chondroites and glucosamines). These substances are found in the cartilaginous tissue of the intervertebral joints and discs;
- Vitamin therapy.
However, it is not always possible to use drug therapy if your lower back hurts. In the presence of allergies, pregnancy and certain diseases, medications are contraindicated.
How can you help deal 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, reduce pain, improve blood flow to all tissues;
- Physiotherapy - exposure to magnetic fields, electric currents can be considered the most effective method in the presence of spinal diseases. Pain is reduced, tissue nutrition is improved, muscles are strengthened;
- Manual therapy and acupuncture. These methods are similar to massage, but work on 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 at the computer or driving a car, during which you can do simple exercises, avoid lifting weights, do not try to gain weight andyou exercise regularly. . .