We all know since childhood that with any back problem, it is urgent to consult a doctor. However, often when we arrive for an appointment, a neurologist tells us that it should have been done earlier, yesterday, but today the disease is already neglected and requires more complex and long-term treatment.
To prevent this from happening, you must listen to your body; Any lumbago or low back pain is a reason to visit a doctor immediately. Low back discomfort can be a symptom of a variety of conditions.
In this article, we will tell you what to do about low back pain and what diseases cause it.
The most important signals that should not be ignored are:
- pain and tension in the lower back, especially when the pain goes beyond, in the groin, legs, buttocks;
- a feeling of creepy legs, numbness, feeling that the legs are "cottony";
- leg cramps;
- knee and hip pain;
- anxiety, sucking on the stomach;
- in women: painful menstruation, irregular cycle, problems with conception;
- in men: erectile dysfunction, potency problems;
- pain in the coccyx, small pelvis, especially when they intensify, if you change body position and take a steam bath;
- gastrointestinal problems that a gastroenterologist cannot cure;
- increased pain when sitting for a long time, which often occurs in drivers and office workers;
- inability to stand for a long time due to back pain.
Types of back pain
Understanding the nature of the pain is very important, because it will help the doctor make an immediate assumption about the diagnosis and prescribe a more accurate diagnosis.
Pain occurs:
- acute (due to recent injury, lasts up to 1. 5 months);
- pain;
- silly;
- strong and durable;
- subacute (lasts 6 to 12 weeks);
- variable (transient);
- chronic (lasts more than 12 weeks).
In addition, low back pain is divided into primary and secondary.
Primary is associated with chronic changes in the tissues of the spine, muscles. Sometimes the spinal roots are involved in the process.
Secondary pain indicates another disease. It can be osteoarthritis, arthritis, some type of pathology of the internal organs.
Which doctor should I contact if I have back pain?
You usually need to see a therapist first, who will already give you a referral to a limited specialist: a neurologist, orthopedic surgeon, rheumatologist, osteopath.
If you are sure you know the exact source of the pain, you can contact a specific doctor directly. For example, if you recently fell without success, then you need to see an orthopedist.
How is a doctor's diagnosis and examination going?
First, the physician must exclude life-threatening conditions. For this, clinical and biochemical blood tests are performed. They allow the detection of inflammatory processes, excess calcium, typical of cancer that metastasizes to the bone. In addition, tests reveal myeloma and many other pathologies.
A man over 50 may be prescribed a prostate specific antigen test to rule out prostate cancer.
Radiographs are required to determine the height of the intervertebral discs and identify osteophytes, if any. The latter are growths of bone tissue that appear due to an incorrectly distributed load on the vertebrae and changes in their shape.
MRI and CT scan are needed to determine if there is a bulging of the intervertebral disc, calcifications, spinal canal stenosis. Similar changes can be seen on ultrasound, which is increasingly being prescribed instead of CT, as it does not give radiation exposure.
The patient should definitely consult a neurologist and, if necessary, a chiropractor.
When the exam is complete, the doctor can accurately diagnose and determine treatment tactics. The success of therapy is multiplied tenfold with early treatment.
How to cure low back pain: basic therapies
Treatment of the lower back depends on the cause of the pain. What works in one case may not work in another. Let's look at the main therapies and how to relieve pain at home.
Conservative treatment
Conservative therapy is rarely self-administered. It usually complements medication.
Physiotherapy is mainly related to conservative methods. It can be manual therapy, classical or therapeutic massage, acupuncture. Bleeding cupping massage is often prescribed at specific trigger points to relieve muscle spasms and restore blood flow.
Doctors sometimes prescribe herbal treatments that improve blood circulation in the spine when it comes to spasms.
Kinesitherapy is becoming more and more popular. This is a special exercise that must be performed on decompression machines. These devices allow overloaded muscles to be unloaded, forming correct motor stereotypes in a person.
Medications
In most cases, back pain is not a threat to health and can be treated with certain medications and ointments.
First, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory tablets are shown to patients. They are good pain relievers that also reduce inflammation.
You can also give pain injections, they can stop even very severe pain.
In a hospital setting, these medications can be administered intravenously. This makes them the fastest and most efficient way.
At home, they can be injected intramuscularly into the buttock. Visually divide the buttock into four segments by drawing two lines: horizontally and vertically in the middle. The injection should be done in the upper right part (for the right buttock). With a sure movement, the needle should be inserted to its full length, and then inject the drug by pressing the syringe. The drug should be administered in quick moderation. Before the injection, be sure to disinfect the skin and then apply a cotton swab dipped in an antiseptic for about 5 minutes.
Important!We do not recommend self-medication. Always consult your doctor before using any medication!
Let's go back to drug treatment methods. In some cases, hormonal medications are prescribed to reduce swelling and pain. They work faster than nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They are administered under medical supervision or strictly according to the prescribed scheme. At home, you can give intramuscular injections or take the prescription medicine in tablets. In the hospital, droppers are usually given.
In addition, hormonal agents are used for therapeutic blocks, that is, they are injected directly into the source of pain.
Many commercials position ointments and gels as the most effective means of treating pain. However, in fact, this method of introducing an active substance into the body is considered the most ineffective, because most of the drug does not even pass through the skin.
How to get rid of pain quickly without medication and at home
It won't be possible to get rid of the pain in a minute, but in 5-10 it may well be. For this, it is necessary to perform an exercise aimed at relieving muscle spasms and relaxing the lumbar spine.
We offer two options:
Exercise one
- Starting position: kneeling.
- The right leg should be bent at a right angle, it should be in front. Place your left foot on the floor with your knee.
- In this position, you must find a balance and correct it.
- When you're good at it, reach back with your left hand and grab your left foot.
- After that, pull the left leg from the heel to the pelvis. The thigh muscles should be stretched well. You can enhance the effect by squeezing your left glute.
- In this position, hold the position for half a minute, then slowly and carefully lower your left leg, returning to its original position.
- Next, do the right leg exercise.
Exercise two (you need a massage roller)
- Lie on your back with a massage roller under the sacrum. Important: never place the roller under your column.
- Gently pull your right knee toward your chest. The left heel should touch the ground. At this point, you will feel the anterior thigh muscle stretch.
- To tense the muscle, place your left hand behind your head and slightly turn your bent knee to the right.
- Hold this position for half a minute.
- Repeat for the other leg.
Other home remedies for low back pain
If the pain is caused by swelling, a dry cold pack works well. Take ice or something frozen from the freezer, put it in a bag and wrap it with a cloth. Apply to the lower back for 20 minutes for two days. You can repeat every two hours.
If the pain persists due to cold, after two days you can try warm compresses. They increase blood circulation in the lower back and relieve pain by interrupting pain signals from nerve endings to the brain. It is best to use an electric heating pad for this. If not, the usual will do. Or just take a warm bath.
What symptoms of the disease can be low back pain
Bechterew's disease
This disease develops gradually. At first, a mild back pain appears, then it intensifies and spreads to other parts of the spine. The pain can occur sporadically, but most of the time it is constant and only decreases while the pain medicine lasts.
Characteristics of the nature of pain:
- worse at rest, especially in the morning and late at night when lying down;
- accompanied by stiffness of movement;
- passes or decreases after loading;
- resolves quickly after taking NSAIDs.
Sometimes the pain is very weak or not at all, and the only symptom is a decrease in mobility of the spine, extending from the bottom up. Some patients also have pain in their shoulder, which limits their mobility. It happens that the joints of the legs and arms swell and hurt.
Hernia and osteochondrosis
These diseases have similar symptoms and depend on each other, so we will look at them together.
With lumbar osteochondrosis, the pain is severe because the nerve roots are mechanically irritated. Also, when the membranes and septa of the intervertebral disc rupture, substances that irritate pain receptors enter the bloodstream.
In the last stage of osteochondrosis, the intervertebral discs bulge out and a hernia forms. The lower back is most often affected because the foramina between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebra and between the fifth vertebra and the sacrum are the narrowest, but the nerve roots that pass through them are the most massive. At the same time, the patient feels severe pain, similar to sciatica. If the hernia is massive, it begins to put pressure on the spinal cord, leading to decreased sensation in the legs and even paralysis.
Typical signs of a hernia:
- it is impossible to stand without leaning on a chair or knee, because the load on the disc responds with an attack of severe pain;
- You can't lie on your stomach like this, but only with a pillow;
- it is impossible to bend over to pick something up off the ground, but you must squat gently to do so.
Kyphosis and scoliosis
There is no pain in the early stages. Perhaps a feeling of severe fatigue of the back muscles, at night I really want to go to bed as soon as possible. In the second stage, neurological disorders appear:
- hands go numb;
- weakened shoulders and forearms;
- My back is starting to hurt.
Spondyloarthrosis
Spondylosis develops simultaneously with it. With it, the cartilage of the intervertebral disc is destroyed, bony protrusions grow around the changed disc. This can lead to narrowing of the spinal canal and compression of the spinal cord, in which the legs become numb or even removed, and the function of the pelvic organs is impaired.
Main symptoms:
- back pain, which in rare cases radiates to the thigh closer to the hip joint;
- pain relief after rest or cessation of exercise;
- pain and tension in the lower back muscles;
- limited mobility of the spine.
Pain intensifies when standing and walking, there is a feeling of heaviness and stiffness in the lower back in the morning. Usually the stiffness and heaviness go away after exercising in the morning.
The pain is mild and can become chronic. This is due to constant irritation of the nerve roots and nerves.
Bump
Bumps occur where mobility is greatest and therefore wear out. Therefore, the lower back is the most affected.
Symptoms are mild for a long time, so people don't even suspect that this is not a common fatigue, but a serious diagnosis. However, then the demonstrations intensify:
- the discomfort in the lower back gradually turns into pain, which becomes stronger and more frequent, it hurts the person to move, the pain radiates to the legs and eventually passes to them;
- pain in the legs spreads to the buttocks, numbness, tingling, cramps may occur;
- I'm worried about back pain;
- there is a constant sharp or aching pain;
- in the later stages, without treatment, the leg muscles weaken, motor activity decreases;
- the pains occur in the right or left upper quadrant.
Arthritis
The symptoms of lumbar osteoarthritis are similar to those of osteochondrosis. With this disease, the nutrition of the intervertebral discs is disturbed, the joints become inflamed. In the later stages, limited mobility and even paralysis can occur.
Arthritis is a chronic disease, so you must follow all of your doctor's orders for life to maintain a normal quality of life.
Main symptoms:
- Dull, aching back pain;
- lumbago in the back against hypothermia;
- violation of sensitivity in different parts of the body;
- the inability to move due to pain after a person has been in one position for a long time.
Osteomyelitis
With this disease, there is constant pain in the lower back, which intensifies with movement and does not disappear at rest. The pain may be worse at night and can be relieved with a warm, dry compress.
Other symptoms also occur:
- signs of general intoxication of the body: sweating, chills, weight loss, a slight increase in body temperature;
- a local abscess, due to which the nerve roots are compressed and the functions of the organs innervated by them are interrupted;
- paresis and paralysis (in severe cases).
Pancreatitis
If only the head of the pancreas is affected, then the pain occurs in the right hypochondrium, if your body is "under the spoon", if the tail is in the left hypochondrium.
If the entire gland is swollen, then the pain is waist type, radiating to the back, below the left shoulder blade.
In some cases, the pain radiates to the left thigh, groin, tailbone, and perineum.
The nature of the pain may be different: sharp, drawing, periodic. Usually it starts to hurt 2-3 hours after eating, but sometimes almost immediately, after 10-15 minutes. During physical exertion, the gland capsule stretches, which also causes pain.
Spinal stenosis
Occurs due to a hernia, bulge, or sequestration. It compresses the lower spinal nerves that supply the lower extremities. The pain spreads along the affected nerve root, from the lower back to the foot, is uncomfortable when walking and at rest, increases when a person tries to straighten the spine, and gives way when leaning forward.
Facet syndrome
This is a disease of the intervertebral joints, which are called "facet" joints. Pain may be localized only to the injury site or in the tailbone, groin, or back of the thigh. Unpleasant sensations intensify when turning in the lower back and bending over, after physical exertion and at night.
Causes of back pain
Let's consider the main causes of low back pain, taking into account their location.
Pain above the lower back, but below the shoulder blades
The main reasons why it hurts in this area:
- spinal diseases (primary pain);
- injury: from a fall, incorrect exercise, blow;
- muscle tension, spasm;
- cardiovascular diseases;
- tumors, including malignant ones;
- gastrointestinal diseases.
Low back pain
Lower back pain is due to diseases of the spine or internal organs. In the second case, the pain is called "reflected. "Most often, the pain occurs after a long walk, sitting for a long time, bruises and injuries, past infectious diseases, lifting weights.
Low back pain is often associated with unhealthy and inappropriate stress on the spine. Less frequently, it can be diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and genitourinary system: cholecystitis, cystitis, pyelonephritis, gastritis, constipation.
Signs of reflected pain:
- rare or frequent and painful urination;
- swelling;
- lower abdominal pain;
- increase in body temperature;
- nausea, vomiting;
- diarrhea or constipation.
In women, the causes of low back pain can be: pregnancy and its complications, menopause, menstruation.
If there are no other symptoms besides pain, then they say this is associated with problems with the musculoskeletal system. If the pain is localized to the pelvic region, this may be the result of previous hip joint disease.
Left lumbar pain
The nature of the pain is painful, it does not disappear at rest, it occurs when walking, exercising, running, after sitting for a long time.
If after rest the pain does not disappear, its causes may be:
- scoliosis;
- osteochondrosis;
- spinal infections;
- circulatory disorders.
If the pain occurs when walking and disappears after rest, it may be sciatica, diabetes mellitus, displacement of the spine, impingement of the nerve root.
Acute pain above the lower back on the left occurs with a sedentary lifestyle and may indicate the presence of osteochondrosis, recent hypothermia, or incorrect posture.
Sharp pain in the waist on the side, radiating to the left shoulder blade, can be one of the symptoms of myocardial infarction. A stomach ulcer emits in the same area, the pain is sudden, sharp and cutting.
Right back pain
- Cramps are characteristic of diseases of the genitourinary system.
- Increased pain indicates an inflammatory process, including an abscess.
- Dagger pain is an emergency, ie internal bleeding, ulcer, organ rupture, thromboembolism.
- Low back pain is typical of diseases of the spine, when the roots of the spine are involved.
- Constant, dull, monotonous pain is characteristic of diseases of the parenchymal organs, such as the liver.
- Pain when pulling occurs with injuries to the musculoskeletal system, including trauma.
Low back pain when coughing
The most common causes of cough pain are:
- Hernia: accompanied by loss of sensation in the extremities. Pain also occurs when you lean forward.
- Stenosis. At the same time, it is difficult to walk, there is weakness in the legs. Inspection shows a decrease in disc thickness.
- Facet arthropathy. The lower back hurts when you cough, but the pain goes away if you lean to the side of the injury. Muscles are overloaded on the affected side.
- Injury to the annulus fibrosus. Pain increases with bending, movements, prolonged sitting.
- Osteochondrosis. Reduce the function of the column.
- Kidney disease.
- Neuralgia: pain in the waist.
Ways to prevent low back pain
In order not to hurt your lower back, you should:
- Provide an adequate load: do morning exercises, simple exercises to stretch your muscles and spine.
- Take regular massage courses: classic, cupping for trigger points.
- Warm up or take a course of cryotherapy as directed by a physician.
- Eat well to exclude gastrointestinal pathologies. It is necessary to maintain a balance of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, consume enough vegetable fiber. Alcohol, fat, fried, salty and spicy should be excluded from the diet. Do not abuse smoked meats and preserves, fast food. Another important point is the drinking regime: it is necessary to drink 1. 5 to 2 liters of liquid a day (along with soups, tea, etc. ).
- At the first sign of illness, you should consult a doctor. In the early stages, almost any disease can be cured quickly and easily, without consequences. If you are predisposed to lower back problems, you should visit a neurologist for prevention at least once a year.