Back pain

If a person has worked hard, played intensively in sports, or walked a long distance, at the reflex level, he puts his hand to the lower back when he stops and relaxes. It is this part of the body that pulls and aches after exertion, which is explained very simply. The spine is the main support of the human bone skeleton. It connects all the articular joints and takes on most of the load in any movement. Therefore, it is quite natural if, after work or sports, the lower back aches and hurts.

But not always the causes of back pain in the lumbar region are overwork. Lower back pain is often a symptom of serious disorders in the human body; it cannot be ignored, especially if the pain is severe, often repeated. This is a sign that an unknown pathology is already progressing and is causing more and more harm to the body every day. It is recommended to consult a doctor as early as possible: advanced problems with the spine are difficult to treat and can end up in a wheelchair for the patient.

It is interesting:Researchers believe that low back pain in the spine is a consequence of human evolution, and more precisely - bipedal locomotion. In animals that move on four limbs, the loads are evenly distributed. A person has to pay for the royal posture and the ability to walk on two legs with a violation of the distribution of loads, curvature of the vertebrae and back pain.

What can be back pain

Your back can hurt in different ways. Sometimes the pain is sharp, unbearable, the patient feels an unbearable burning sensation and a sharp limitation of mobility. More often, patients complain of an ache in the lower back, pulling, unpleasant sensations that usually appear in the evening, can wake up in the middle of the night, intensify when the weather changes or after physical exertion.

Morning stiffness of the spine, back pain "for the weather" and after exercise are the first signals that the joints are out of order.

Pain in the back is always accompanied by additional symptoms, which you should definitely pay attention to and inform your doctor about your observations. According to the accompanying signs, it will be easier to establish the true cause of pain in the lumbar spine. So, what symptoms and criteria will be of diagnostic value:

• Duration (severity) of pain. Acute pain syndrome is called, which worries up to three months. If it occurs periodically for four months or more, it is of varying intensity, then it is already referred to as chronic.
• Localization. Lower back pain radiating to the buttock is commonly called lumbodynia in medicine. If the pain affects the leg, then it is lumboischialgia. Also, unpleasant sensations can occur only on the right, on the left, or on both sides at once.
• The nature of the pain. This criterion is of fundamental importance. The pain can be acute and localized at one point, it can be projected onto the limbs, buttocks, groin, in the hypochondrium or lower abdomen. The pain is severe, dull, or throbbing. The most difficult thing is to make a correct diagnosis for combined pain.
• Effects on joint mobility. The doctor will definitely clarify whether there is stiffness in the spine, limb, hip joint, under what circumstances, for how long it lasts.
• Time indicator. It is also important when and after which the back begins to hurt. This happens all the time, in the morning, in the evening, at night, after exertion, when turning the head, walking, bending over, etc. - the answers to all these questions are extremely important for the correct diagnosis.

On a note:according to the statistics of doctors, more than 80% of the population of Europe has faced back pain at least once in their life. More than 25% of medical visits are caused by discomfort and pain in the lumbar region. Moreover, 8 out of 10 patients are young people of active, working age from 35 to 45 years. Less often, pensioners complain of lower back pain, and even less often teenagers.

The reasons

All causes of low back pain can be divided into two broad categories:

• physiological, usually caused by external factors;
• pathological, associated with diseases of internal organs.

Physiological reasons include:

• excessive physical activity when playing sports;
• lifting and carrying weights at work or in training;
• hard work at home or in the country;
• hypothermia, prolonged stay in a damp room.

Age combined with physical labor are sufficient reasons for lower back pain.

Pathological causes of back pain, in turn, may be associated with diseases of the spine or age-related changes in its structures - this pain syndrome is called primary. If back pain is caused by dysfunctions of other organs, for example, the kidneys, it is called secondary - in this case, it will be necessary to establish the background disease with the help of additional specific studies and treat two pathologies simultaneously.

Diseases and conditions in which the lower back may hurt:

• osteochondrosis (spondylosis) - earlier it was diagnosed mainly in elderly people, now it is detected at any age;
• intervertebral hernia - also occurs at any age, if in young people, then usually after excessive strength sports;
• neuralgia of a different nature;
• arthritis and arthrosis, any inflammatory processes of the joints;
• rheumatism and other diseases of autoimmune origin;
• radiculitis;
• dysfunction of the endocrine system (diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism);
• inflammation of the renal pelvis - pyelonephritis;
• inflammation of the genitourinary organs.

Back or limb injuries are also painful. To determine the exact cause, you will need to undergo a number of examinations, the obligatory minimum is an external examination by a specialist, laboratory tests of urine and blood, an X-ray, an electrocardiogram, an ultrasound of the kidneys and genitourinary organs. If necessary, additional diagnostic measures will be assigned.

In women, back pain can be caused by cystitis or inflammation of the appendages.

Spine diseases as a cause of back pain

If the X-ray shows deformation of the vertebrae, their compaction and expansion with the formation of bone growths in the form of thorns along the edges, the doctor diagnoses osteochondrosis or spondylosis. Until recently, this pathology was considered a disease of pensioners, and its main cause was called natural age-related changes in the body, a slowdown in metabolic processes and wear of the vertebrae.

Today it has been proven that osteochondrosis can be triggered by a number of other factors in young people and even adolescents. The impetus for degenerative changes in the vertebrae and intervertebral discs are:

• insufficient physical activity with excess weight or due to chronic diseases that limit mobility;
• sedentary work;
• metabolic disorders during diet, for example, as a result of which the vertebral structures do not receive enough nutrients and wear out prematurely;
• improper sports - without warming up muscles and ligaments, without a gradual increase in loads and control of lifting loads.

With osteochondrosis, as it progresses, deformation of the intervertebral discs occurs - they become flat, dense and rough. The affected disc can easily pinch the nerve root, which branches off from the spinal column, causing inflammation. Additionally, the nerve roots are injured by bone spines-processes. The patient feels this as a sharp, sharp pain, along with which there is a limitation of mobility in the lower back. This condition is called sciatica.

In spondylosis, bone growths along the edges of the vertebrae injure the nerve roots and thereby provoke acute pain syndrome.

Inflammatory processes in the spine can begin to develop as early as adolescence and adolescence. It manifests itself as recurrent back pain, sometimes disturbing at night. Then they are joined by morning stiffness, fatigue, and decreased physical activity. In advanced stages, the spine is severely deformed, changes the posture and gait of a person, and a hump forms. Rheumatoid arthritis can develop over years, in some cases up to ten years. Since the course of the disease is sluggish, the symptoms are often blurred, the patient does not go to the doctor, trying to cope with the discomfort with improvised means. For this reason, inflammation of the vertebral joints more often than other pathologies leads to disability.

If the patient during the survey mentions discomfort in other joints (shoulder, foot, knee, hand), complains of pain in the buttocks, decreased visual acuity, stool disorders, spondyloarthritis can be suspected. A rheumatologist is engaged in the treatment of such a pathology, his consultation is needed immediately, since the pathology progresses rapidly and leads to irreversible changes in bone and articular structures.

Non-back related diseases as a cause of pain

Sometimes pain in the lower back causes diseases of organs that, at first glance, have nothing to do with the spine. Myofascial pain syndrome is a common cause of back pain, which is not accompanied by other symptoms of joint pathologies. Usually, young women come to the doctor with complaints of pain in the back after a working day, intense training in the gym, or a long stay in one position.

Pain in myofascial syndrome is not associated with damage to the joints of the spine and is easily eliminated by analgesics, massage and NSAIDs.

During the examination, the doctor easily detects points near the spine, when pressure is applied to which pain occurs. Pain is caused by overstrain of muscle tissues, the nerve roots and articular elements do not suffer. This condition does not pose a great threat to the patient's health, but can significantly reduce the quality of life. For treatment, the doctor prescribes muscle relaxants - drugs that promote muscle relaxation, as well as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in a short course in minimal dosages. It is recommended to adjust the rest and sleep regimen and monitor physical activity.

Other extra-articular pathologies that can also be accompanied by pain in the spine:

• Cholecystitis and pancreatitis. Pain is localized in the right hypochondrium and can be projected onto the right lower side of the back.
• Appendicitis. In some cases, sharp, stabbing pains radiate to the lower back, also on the right side. Additional symptoms of inflammation of the appendix: bloating, stool disorders, nausea, vomiting, severe pallor, fever.
• Kidney dysfunction, urolithiasis. Depending on which kidney is inflamed, pain will occur in the right or left lower back. If a stone comes out with urolithiasis, the lower back also hurts very badly, in difficult cases the body temperature may rise.
• Obesity. With excess body weight, heavy loads are placed on the lumbar spine, which leads to pain and discomfort in the back.
• Osteomyelitis. Bone infections are accompanied by severe pain and fever.

If during the examination no visible lesions of the spine or other joints were found, no diseases of the internal organs were detected, it makes sense to donate blood for tumor markers and perform an MRI of the spine. Malignant tumors, when they grow, put pressure on the nerve roots and also become the causes of pain. Pain syndrome is characteristic of cancer at stages 3-4.

Pain in the lumbar region can be a symptom of appendicitis.

Why does the back hurt in women

If women have severe back pain in the lumbar region, first of all, you should revise your individual calendar. Pulling pains can bother before menstruation, while also pulling the lower abdomen, swelling of the mammary glands, the patient is nauseous, some are tormented by migraines, food intolerance, or, conversely, gluttony.

Roughly the same symptoms are a sign of pregnancy. Therefore, if for several days menstruation has not begun, and the pain and discomfort persist, it makes sense to take a pregnancy test and make an appointment with a gynecologist.

Also, the cause may be gynecological diseases. Adnexitis is usually manifested by pulling pains in the lower abdomen. But sometimes they radiate to the lower back. Similar sensations occur when the ovarian cyst is twisted. With the onset of menopause, many women complain of a burning sensation in the lower back, stiffness. In any case, a therapist or rheumatologist will advise you to consult a gynecologist.

Causes of pain in men

In men, the back hurts mainly due to professional activities - many hours of driving, working at a computer, lifting and carrying weights, professional sports.

But also pain on the right or left side of the back can be one of the symptoms of prostatitis or a pathology such as epididymitis. To exclude or confirm pathologies, you need to be examined by an andrologist.

Men with back pain should definitely consult an andrologist to exclude prostatitis.

When and what treatment is needed

Even with very intense, persistent back pain, most patients do not believe that they need serious treatment, and expect only one thing from the doctor - a good pain reliever to help immediately and for a long time. Unfortunately, no such medicine exists. The pain syndrome can be extinguished with injections and pills, but the effect will not be long-term, since the cause of the discomfort will not be eliminated. Treatment methods will be determined depending on what triggered the back pain.

Bruises and muscle sprains

The first thing to do is to give your back complete rest. This means that you cannot go in for sports, lift weights, stand a lot, walk, run, jump, and overcool. It is recommended to get rid of extra pounds, with sedentary work and an inactive lifestyle, on the contrary, you should think about sparing sports - for example, yoga, Pilates, swimming. In the future, you will have to reconsider your habits and adjust the load on the spine.

What to do before visiting the doctor:

• take an analgesic or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug at a minimum dosage;
• fix the lower back with an impromptu corset - a towel or scarf;
• to reduce swelling, drink herbal tea with a diuretic effect.

What the doctor will advise:

• short course non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
• muscle relaxants to relieve muscle spasm and tension;
• massage and warming up the back (in the absence of inflammatory processes);
• B vitamins.

If you follow all the recommendations, the pain will completely go away in 7-14 days.

Remember!If an increase in body temperature is detected, pain is given to the leg or other parts of the body, mobility is limited, or other atypical symptoms occur, in no case should you resort to the help of a chiropractor, do warming up or massage yourself. It is also not recommended to take pain relievers, as this will complicate the diagnosis.

Spine pathology

Early joint diseases are treated using the same techniques as bruises or other injuries. Additionally, doctors can prescribe chondroprotectors - drugs that protect the articular structures from destruction and stimulate their recovery.

For compression fractures of the spine, extensive hernias of intervertebral discs, severe forms of osteochondrosis or spondyloarthritis, surgical intervention is indicated. Depending on the detected violation, the operation can be simple and is carried out under local anesthesia, or it is performed in several stages over six months. After an operation of any complexity, a course of taking antibiotics, wearing a bandage, and physical therapy for full rehabilitation will be required.

Modern technologies make it possible to perform minimally invasive interventions on the spine with minimal risk of complications.

Today, spine surgeries are no longer exceptional, a rich and varied experience has been accumulated, there is special equipment that allows you to solve almost any problem. Therefore, if the situation is difficult and the doctor has recommended an operation, there is no point in delaying it. The sooner it is performed, the more chances you have for complete relief from pain and restoration of spinal function.

Helpful hints

Timely and effective treatment of low back pain is often difficult for an extremely commonplace reason - the patient does not know which doctor should be consulted. If the pain was preceded by an injury, then everything is simple - you need to go to a traumatologist. He will most likely prescribe analgesics and a course of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and then recommend various physiotherapy procedures - electrophoresis, magnetotherapy, massage and exercise therapy. This is the standard treatment for back injuries.

The difficulty is that when hit or fall, nerve endings can be affected. And then you need to involve a neurologist who will recommend his own methods of treatment. A rheumatologist or orthopedist will have their own opinion. And if, during the examination, the pathology of any of the internal organs, for example, the genitourinary system, is revealed, the patient will become completely confused about what he needs to be treated and who to listen to. By the way, it is for this reason that many people abandon the methods of official medicine and turn to non-traditional, that is, folk remedies, which ultimately leads to a worsening of the condition and the development of complications.

It happens that doctors misdiagnose and prescribe incorrect treatment, which leads to the progression of the disease and complications.

What to do in such a situation? Do not panic and do not rush, but go through the prescribed course of treatment to the end, focusing on your own feelings and well-being. If, after two to four weeks, the back hurts just as badly and there is not the slightest improvement, it makes sense to contact another doctor and undergo a second examination to revise the correctness of the diagnosis. Changing one analgesic to another, and instead of electrophoresis, it makes no sense to do UHF.

As for the treatment of the back with homeopathic remedies at home, here, too, one should not get carried away and recklessly believe the promises of traditional healers. An adequate adult person must understand: traditional methods of treatment are good in the stage of remission, when the condition is stable, or for the prevention of relapses and complications. Rheumatoid arthritis, for example, as an autoimmune disease, herbal tinctures cannot cure in any way.

Medicinal plants will be helpful in improving the overall tone of the body, but they are unlikely to help with a hernia, dislocation of discs, or compression fractures.

The right decision would be if the lower back constantly hurts, and the appointments of doctors in the district clinic are ineffective - go to a reputable private clinic and undergo an examination there. It is not free, but you will find out the real reason and be able to start the correct treatment, and not experiment with folk remedies and standard painkillers that do not give any therapeutic effect.

Summary:Almost all adults experience back pain at least once in their life. In fact, there can be a lot of reasons: from banal overwork to serious pathology of the spine, kidneys, infection or metabolic disorders in the body. It is important to accurately and correctly establish the cause and initiate appropriate treatment as early as possible. The spine is the main joint in the human skeleton, its dysfunction and destruction in the absence of adequate medical care will inevitably lead to loss of mobility and disability.