There is no such person who would not experience back pain at least once in his life, limiting and restricting a person's movements for a time. According to medical practice, complaints of low back pain or low back pain are considered the most common and can be detected at the most inopportune moment. It is worth remembering that with symptoms of constant pain in the back area, it is recommended that you consult a specialist who can correctly determine the causes of immobilization and prescribe effective treatment. If you don't see a doctor in a timely manner, serious complications can arise.
Causes of pain
In fact, the reasons for pain in the lower back and back can be very diverse, that is, both an independent problem and a sign of incipient diseases of the spine. The main underlying causes of painful sensations are:
- Excessive muscle load. Approximately 85% of back pain can be due to excessive physical exertion in the lower back. The so-called "back fatigue" appears not only during sports, but is experienced when constantly sitting in front of the computer, as a result of which there is heaviness and overexertion on the muscles.
- Intervertebral hernia. A fairly common disease occurs mainly in people over the age of 40 and occurs due to flattening of the intervertebral discs. This process contributes to compression of the nerve roots, which leads to severe back pain.
- Fractures These root causes of back pain are diagnosed in 4% of patients. According to medical statistics, compression fractures are quite common in older people suffering from osteochondrosis. The disease is characterized by the exhaustion of the bones, that is, the loss of their mass and density, which is why there is a high risk of spinal fracture.
- Congenital defects of the spine. Pathologies of this type appear at birth and can accompany a person throughout his life. Deviations appear in the form of extra or missing vertebrae and most often in the lumbar spine.
- Spondylolisthesis. With a disease of the spine, the vertebrae are displaced, causing sharp painful sensations that are felt in the upper back.
- Gynecological diseases. Inflammation of the female genital organs is accompanied by severe back pain.
- The pregnancy. Pain attacks can appear both in the early stages of pregnancy and in the latter. This is because there is a change in the center of gravity, softening or relaxation of the ligaments, increased body weight, and increased body weight.
- Infectious diseases. With inflammatory processes in the skeletal muscles of the back, severe pain can occur that radiates to the shoulders, neck, and even the forehead. Painful sensations intensify with various movements, making it quite difficult to turn your head and bend over.
- Intercostal neuralgia. With this ailment, the pain appears precisely in the intercostal space or it can be localized in the lumbar area, under the scapula and in other places where the nerve endings are pinched.
- Spinal tumorsMost of the time, with this disease, the pain occurs precisely in the lower or middle part of the back, which intensifies in the morning upon waking and sometimes even at night.
- Pathology of internal organs. Due to the location of pain in a particular area of the back, its intensity and duration, diseases of a particular organ can be predicted.
Alarms
When is it worth contacting a specialist? What pains are serious signs of impaired proper spinal function? Medical assistance is needed when victims feel:
- sudden, sharp pain in the back, which is not caused by any specific reason;
- severe pain when lying down or at night;
- painful sensations felt after an injury or bruise;
- back pain accompanied by high fever, tingling sensation in the chest area, dizziness, numbness and other symptoms;
- acute pain attacks that do not go away in 2-3 days;
- mild chronic pain that does not go away in 2 to 2. 5 weeks;
- painful sensations that occur simultaneously to the limbs, while significantly restricting a person's movement.
It is recommended to consult a specialist immediately if the back hurts for the first time in those who have been diagnosed with cancer or osteoporosis, if pain is felt after excessive alcohol consumption, after taking narcotic drugs or after using medications steroids.
It is worth remembering that the pain that occurs in the back does not mean that there is a serious disease. It is not recommended to independently diagnose diseases and pathologies of the spine, and even more so to prescribe treatment or perform physiotherapy exercises without a specialist.
Diagnosis
To accurately determine the cause of back pain, specialists conduct an oral survey, as well as an examination of the patient, which includes a visual examination of the back and an assessment of the victim's ability to walk, sit, or lie down. If necessary, a reflex test is performed with a neurological hammer. The data obtained will help to accurately determine the source of the onset of pain. If doctors have doubts about the diagnosis or a progressive tumor is suspected, tests such as:
- Bone scan. The images can be used to pinpoint the exact location of bones, allowing you to see arthritic conditions, cracks, and fractures. This study is not suitable for those cases in which it is suspected that the patient suffers from diseases associated with the muscle tissue, the spinal cord or the nerve endings.
- Magnetic resonance and computed tomography. The MRI or CT scan allows you to determine if a patient has ailments such as: hernia, diseases of the bone and cartilage tissue, problems with blood vessels, nerves and tendons.
- Osteo-scintigraphy. Rarely is such a study prescribed. Thanks to osteosintigraphy, it is possible to identify a tumor of bone tissue, compression fractures.
- Exam of the nerves. This test measures the electrical impulses that are activated by the nerves.
Treatment methods
Regardless of the intensity of the back pain, it is recommended to consult a doctor who can correctly diagnose the cause of its occurrence and accurately determine the methods of alleviating the condition of the victim. Of course, it is worth initially weakening the attack of pain, which can be sharp and sudden, and periodically repetitive. Most often, pain attacks are felt when the joints are deformed or the back muscles are stretched. When sharp, sharp pain is felt, doctors advise the victim to lie down, which will greatly alleviate the condition of the victim and reduce the load on the spine. After this, it is recommended to limit physical activity for a day or two.
An outbreak of acute pain can be extinguished with a cold pack of ice. This method can significantly reduce swelling, if it appears. In rare cases, ice massage is used, that is, massaging a sore spot with ice cubes for 7-8 minutes. Such therapy is carried out for no more than 1-2 days, after which doctors recommend the use of heating compresses, which are carried out at the expense of a heating pad or a towel soaked in hot water in advance. You can relieve spasms in the back muscles by stretching the spine, which is done even in the supine position. To do this, you need to press your knees to your chest, put some pressure on them, and then stretch and relax. This exercise must be repeated several times. A pain reliever will help you avoid back pain, which can reduce inflammation around the area where it hurts.
Non-traditional methods of alleviating the condition of the victim are rarely used in traditional medicine, but still considered effective and effective. It is possible to cure pain attacks in the back area using methods such as acupuncture, vacuum therapy, manual therapy, osteopathy, and other home remedies. It is recommended to take into account that such methods of improving the condition of the victim are used only for those pains caused by diseases of the musculoskeletal system. In either case, before using one or another alternative medicine method, it is recommended to seek the advice of your doctor. To permanently get rid of back pain, it is recommended to eliminate the original cause or disease, and only then proceed to cure the pathologies of the muscles, bones and joints of the back.
Back pain prevention.
In order to avoid various types of pain in the back, regardless of the original cause of its appearance, doctors recommend following fairly simple but effective advice, namely:
- Don't lift weights. When a person lifts a load, the mass of which is several times higher than the norm, there is a strong compression of the intervertebral discs and blood vessels. Doctors are not recommended to simultaneously lift a load of 15 kilograms, and even more so to turn the body together with this weight to the right or to the left.
- Not sitting for a long time. If there are pathological changes in the structure of the spine, it is necessary to limit sitting on a chair or chair. With this position of the body, a person begins to stoop, quite often he puts one leg on the other, which contributes to an uneven distribution of load on the intervertebral discs and joints. If the main occupation is associated with a long time at the computer, it is recommended to get up every hour, walk and bend to the right and left.
- Hypothermia should be avoided. Painful sensations arise from muscle spasm of the back, which occurs most often due to hypothermia of the body. It is advisable to dress warmly, avoid drafts, cold winds and strong air conditioning.
- You need to move more. The wrong choice for many people is to significantly limit physical activity to maintain spinal health. In the absence of movement, the back muscles atrophy over time, as a result of which the entire load is transferred from the muscular corset to the spine. In such a situation, the tissues of the intervertebral discs and articular cartilage are destroyed. An excellent option for restoring back health, strengthening muscles and stretching the intervertebral space will be systematic stretching, swimming, walking at an average pace.
- Timely treatment of diseases. It is not necessary to start the course of diseases of the spine, such as osteochondrosis or spondyloarthrosis, which leads to serious and quite often irreparable complications. When diagnosing a disease, it is worth starting treatment immediately, which can alleviate the condition.
- Therapeutic procedures. To prevent diseases of the spine, rehabilitation therapists and therapists are recommended to attend various therapeutic therapeutic procedures, namely: massages, spa procedures, corrective gymnastics, yoga.
Back pain attacks can occur in people of different ages and in a wide variety of circumstances, while significantly limiting a person's movement. To avoid the appearance of icy sores, it is recommended to move more, take care of your health and not forget about sports.