The human race pays for the ability to walk on two legs with pain in the back.If your back hurts from time to time in the lumbar region, it can be a sign of extreme fatigue or the result of being in an uncomfortable position for a long time while working or sleeping.But the reasons can be more serious.
Causes of pain
The lower back is one of the most painful areas.There are reasons for this:
- Osteochondrosis;
- Scoliosis;
- herniated discs;
- tumors;
- Infectious tissue lesions.
The nature and intensity of pain depends on the disease.And it bothers you in different ways: after sleep, sports, overwork.For example, renal colic is always accompanied by back pain.And here the type of activity of the patient is not important.
- Most often, it hurts in the lumbar region due to osteochondrosis of the lumbar region.The pain is of moderate intensity during sleep and increases with physical stress.Feeling tired all the time.The feeling of heaviness makes you want to lie down.But comfort does not always follow.
- If there is a herniated disc, severe pain occurs after sudden movements, lifting heavy objects or falling.
- If the hernia is compressed, a sharp pain, characterized as lumbodynia, appears.Movement in the lumbar region is noticeably limited.Damage to the nerve root also causes leg pain.
- In old age, stenosis of the intervertebral canal occurs quite often.A sign of this is lameness, numbness in the legs, especially after a long walk.
- The stiffness of the spine that occurs in the morning indicates the beginning of the development of ankylosing spondylitis.At first, sharp pain sensations appear in the sacral region, then spread to the lumbar region.The feeling after sleep is not rest, but fatigue that disappears with the onset of physical activity.Young men are most susceptible to the disease.The disease is hereditary.Mainly the lower back hurts when lying down.
- Acute pain in the lumbar region also occurs with pyelonephritis (an inflammatory process in the kidneys).They are accompanied by increased body temperature and swelling in the morning after sleep.
- Often, elderly men develop a disease such as an abdominal aortic aneurysm.Abdominal pain and pulsation are the result of pressure of the aorta on nearby organs.
- Back pain, fever, burning along the nerve are symptoms of herpes zoster.This viral disease affects the cells of the spinal cord.A pink rash appears on the body, then blisters appear.
- Another common ailment that many consider harmless is flat feet.A deformed leg increases the load on the spine during walking.Pain decreases during sleep.
- If there are congenital changes in the vertebrae: irregular shape or changes in the slit, they will make themselves felt sooner or later.
- Autoimmune pathologies, especially multiple sclerosis, are provocateurs of pain of various localizations.Including lower back pain.
There are other reasons for severe pain in the lumbar region.These can be complications after osteoporosis, infections of the genitourinary system, hemorrhoids, tumor diseases, viral or bacterial infections.And even the physiological changes that affect women and occur during pregnancy and childbirth.
Pain caused by diseases of internal organs
When wondering why your lower back hurts, sometimes it's hard to believe that the causes can be inside the organs.The point is that in some cases pains from internal organs are "wanted" to the lower back.
- Right-sided pleurisy, pneumonia are the causes of pain in the right lumbar region.Associated symptoms: cough, shortness of breath, fever.Left-sided pleurisy sends pain signals to the left side of the lower back, which intensifies when bending over or lying down during sleep.
- Gallstone disease also localizes sharp pains on the right, in the upper part of the lower back, and they are accompanied by belching and nausea.They have a stabbing character.
- Back pain occurs due to pancreatitis.Its companions are nausea and vomiting.
- Severe pain under the left shoulder blade is often the result of a myocardial infarction.
- For men, the pathology of the prostate gland causes pain in the area below the lower back, passing to the sacrum.In women - cystitis.
- Diseases of the distal alimentary canal cause lower back pain.
Pain triggers
factors such as:
- Hypothermia of the body.
- Vigorous physical activity.
- Certain sports (bodybuilding, bodybuilding, weightlifting, weightlifting).
- Muscle tension.
- Broken.
- Menstrual cycle in women.
- Poor nutrition.
- Stress.
- Disturbed posture during sleep.
Low back pain in children
New technologies have brought not only benefit but also harm to our world.Why?Because love for computers from a young age deprives children of full motor activity and creates incorrect posture.
Important: if you choose the right chair and table for your child to study, curvature of the spine can be prevented!
Scoliosis can develop from wearing a heavy backpack, flat feet, or uncomfortable shoes.Be sure to treat him!Excessive physical activity and weight lifting are contraindicated for children.When participating in the sports section, you should be especially sensitive to your child's complaints of back discomfort after exercise.It could be a herniated disc.Timely treatment will allow the child to live a full life.
Types of pain
According to the nature of the pain, it is divided into the following types:
- Spasms in the long back muscles cause severe pain.This happens due to stretching.The problem is familiar to athletes and people whose specific occupations involve straining the back muscles.The pain is slightly reduced while sleeping.The main place is the lower back.
- A spinal cord injury, that is, a fracture, is very dangerous.It can occur as a result of a failed fall, or it can be the result of osteoporosis, Paget's disease, hyperparathyroidism.
- Displacement of intervertebral discs causes pain due to compression of nerve roots.For this reason, the patient's mobility is limited, the sensitivity is impaired, the knee reflex is reduced.The danger of this disease is that healthy vertebrae begin to be damaged, which causes disturbances in the work of internal organs and leads to restless sleep.
- Facet joint syndrome causes back pain in 31% of cases.This degenerative process affects the capsule of the intervertebral joints and causes pain not only in the lower back, but also in the legs.Back pain when sitting, bending sideways or leaning back, or standing for long periods of time.
- The inflammatory process of an infectious nature in the epidural space is a very serious and dangerous disease.If treatment is not started in time, it can be fatal.
Treatment
In the case of back pain, immediate medical attention is the key to successful treatment.Even if the pain bothers you only at night or after sleep, there is a reason to consult a specialist.
After analyzing the causes, the doctor will give recommendations on how to treat and avoid getting sick.The treatment will be comprehensive, using ointments, tablets, injections, massages and physiotherapy.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are first in the treatment of back pain:
- In the initial stage, literally the first 3-5 days, treatment is carried out using injections to relieve pain and inflammation.By injecting the drug directly into the blood or muscle, they act quickly, effectively relieving acute pain.
- Then anti-inflammatory and analgesic tablets, chondroprotectors and irritant drugs are used (separately in each specific case).
- In addition, ointment treatment is used.Correctly selected ointment helps to relieve inflammation in the affected area and also warms (if necessary).
Reflex muscle tension is eliminated with the help of muscle relaxants.With their help, pain is treated and mobility is restored.Apply for 3 to 7 days.
B group vitamin preparations are a necessary addition to the main therapy.
In some cases, drug blockade is necessary.Anesthesia is given epidurally or paravertebrally.It is used for degenerative changes in the spine.
Physiotherapy treatment:
- UHF;
- electrophoresis;
- Magnetotherapy.
Massage improves blood circulation and relieves acute pain.Kneading the muscles has a beneficial effect on the elasticity and flexibility of the ligaments.To increase the general tone of the body and only with the permission of the attending physician, the massage is combined with a bath or sauna.You can not warm up during an infectious process!
Pain during pregnancy can be relieved by wearing a special bandage.
Orthopedic insoles are mandatory for patients with flat feet.
Therapeutic exercise
Exercise is also therapy.They strengthen the back muscles, improve posture, increase muscle tone and increase blood circulation.They are used not only in the therapeutic therapy complex, but also to prevent back pain.As in the case of drug therapy, therapeutic exercises are prescribed individually in each case, analyzing the main causes of the disease.But you can highlight several general exercises, each performed 5-10 times, preferably in the morning, avoid overwork.
- While standing, bend the body alternately to the right, forward, backward, left.
- In a standing position, turn your body to the sides, with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- In a position on all fours, do a "cat": bend your back in the lower back.
- Lying on your back, bend your knees, bend your arms along the body.Raise and lower the pelvis, gradually increasing the range of motion.
- Lie on your back, legs straight, arms along the body.Alternatively, bend your knees and then pull them towards your chest.
- Stand on all fours, swing your legs alternately.
Regardless of the reasons, only a specialist can determine why the back hurts, determine the "culprit" of the disease and prescribe the correct and effective treatment.As with any other disease, you should not self-medicate!Any medicine can not only cure, but also harm if it is chosen incorrectly.