Painful sensations in the back are familiar to everyone and are one of the most common reasons to visit a doctor. In addition, about 80% of patients precisely complain that their lower back hurts.
Sometimes the reason for discomfort in the lower spine may simply be a prolonged stay in an uncomfortable position. If the pains become regular, then there is a reason to consult a specialist.
Back pain can be a sign of a wide variety of diseases: from osteochondrosis to malignant tumors.
The complex of therapeutic measures should be based on the cause of this pain. Medicines and alternative medicine can be used.
Why does the lower back hurt: reasons
There are several factors that can cause back pain. Only an experienced specialist, based on the examination of the patient and additional examinations, can make the correct diagnosis and prescribe an effective course of treatment. Distinguish between primary and secondary pain syndromes.
In the first case, the lumbar area hurts as a consequence of the appearance of degenerative-dystrophic changes in the spine with diseases such as:
- Osteochondrosis: it is a lesion of the bone and cartilaginous tissue, it is dystrophic in nature;
- Spondyloarthrosis is one of the forms of osteoarthritis, characterized by injuries to the intervertebral joints responsible for the mobility of the spine.
In the second case, the range of reasons why the lower back hurts is wider:
- Scoliosis or curvature of the spine;
- Inflammation, non-infectious 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);
- Back pain is often mirrored in nature. This situation occurs in the presence of diseases of organs located in the pelvic region (renal colic, venereal diseases, gynecological pathologies).
- A tumor located in the vertebrae or spinal cord contributes to the appearance of pain;
- Strokes and pre-stroke conditions, in which there is a violation of the blood supply to the spinal cord, can cause a sensation of pain in the lower back;
- During pregnancy, the load on the spine greatly increases, in connection with this there are pulling pains in the lumbar spine;
- Fractures of the spinal vertebrae are the most serious cause of pain.
In addition, the lower back often hurts as a result of muscle stretching, displacement of the intervertebral discs, and osteoarthritis of the hip joint. When suffering acute pain, the patient adopts a forced position of the body, which severely limits his mobility when walking. Usually this problem is faced by athletes or people whose work is related to physical activity.
It occurs that the lower back hurts during prolonged work in an uncomfortable position, as a result of lifting or carrying weights, falling, hitting, straightening up, hypothermia or being in a draft. All of these causes can lead to inflammation of the deep back muscles or spasms.
Sometimes the lower back hurts due to stress. The fact is that this part of the spine is one of the most psychosomatic parts of the body, therefore it reacts sharply to various concerns and experiences. Anger, fear, irritability contribute to the release of adrenaline into the bloodstream, which, in turn, leads to an increase in the tone of the spinal muscles. If a proper shock is not produced, the tense muscles begin to tense and pain occurs. Therefore, people with an unstable psyche often experience pain in the spine.
Low back pain treatment
Discomfort and even painful sensations in the lower back can be of varying intensity, from mild and insignificant pain to excruciating pain that makes it difficult to make even a small movement. It can also be a sharp, dull, pulling, or burning pain, often accompanied by tingling, goose bumps, and numbness. It is often combined with pain in the hip, foot, or knee.
If your lower back hurts for more than 3 days, it is imperative to consult a therapist. Depending on the results of the test, you may need to see a specialist doctor. So, to assess the state of the spine, back muscles or nervous system, a neurologist should be examined, if there is a suspicion of diseases of the urinary system - a consultation with a urologist, in the presence of diseases of the apparatus female reproductive. system - by a gynecologist.
In addition, a general urine and blood analysis is usually prescribed to exclude or confirm the inflammatory nature of the disease, ultrasound of the hip joints, X-ray of the spine (MSCT or MRI) and other studies. With the exception of severe and advanced cases, the treatment of low back pain does not require surgery and medication can be dispensed with.
Conservative treatment has three main goals:
- Relieve the patient of pain;
- Development of a program of therapeutic and preventive measures to reduce negative processes in the spine;
- Return of the patient to a full life.
The fastest effect if low back pain is managed by drug therapy. Typically used in treatment:
- Muscle relaxant medications. They should be used as soon as acute pain occurs. This allows you to relieve muscle spasm, eliminate the resulting compression (squeeze) of the spinal roots;
- Anti-inflammatory pain relievers can quickly relieve pain and inflammation. They can be used in the form of an ointment and gel for external use, as well as in tablets and injections.
- Chondroprotectors (drugs that include chondroites and glucosamines). These substances are found in the cartilage tissue of the joints and intervertebral 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, drugs are contraindicated.
How can you help cope 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 methods in the presence of diseases of the spine. Pain sensations are reduced, tissue nutrition is improved, muscles are strengthened;
- Manual therapy and acupuncture. These methods are similar to massage, but work at a more subtle level of interconnected reflexes.
To reduce the risk of back pain, you should sleep on a firm bed with a hard mattress, maintain correct posture, take breaks while working at a computer or driving a car, during which you can do simple exercises, avoid lifting weights, no try not to gain excess weight and exercise regularly. . .