There is no such person who would not experience back pain at least once in their life, limiting and holding back a person's movements for a while. According to medical practice, complaints of low back pain or back pain are considered to be the most common and can be caught at the most inopportune moment. It is worth remembering that with constant pain symptoms in the back area, it is recommended to 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 that cause pain in the lower back and back can be very different, that is, both an independent problem and a signal of incipient diseases of the spine. The main causes behind the painful sensations are:
- Excessive muscle load. About 85% of back pain can occur due to excessive physical exertion on the lower back. The so-called "back fatigue" appears not only during sports, but occurs when constantly sitting at the computer, as a result of which there is heaviness and overload in the muscles.
- Intervertebral hernia. A fairly common disease occurs mainly in people over the age of 40 and occurs due to the flattening of the intervertebral discs. This process contributes to the 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 bone depletion, that is, the loss of their mass and density, due to which 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 for life. Deviations appear in the form of extra or missing vertebrae and most often in the lumbar spine.
- Spondylolisthesis. With a spinal disease, the vertebrae are displaced, which causes strong painful sensations that are felt in the upper back.
- Gynecological diseases. Inflammation of the female genital organs is accompanied by severe back pain.
- Pregnancy. Attacks of pain can appear both in the early stages of pregnancy and in the latter. This is due to the fact that there is a change in the center of gravity, a softening or relaxation of the ligaments, an increase in body weight and an increase in body weight.
- Infectious diseases. With inflammatory processes in the skeletal muscles of the back, severe aching pains can occur, radiating to the shoulders, neck and even forehead. Painful sensations are intensified with various movements, which makes it quite difficult to turn your head and bend over.
- Intercostal neuralgia. With this ailment, the pain appears right in the intercostal space or can be localized in the lower back, under the shoulder blade and in other places where nerve endings are pinched.
- Spinal tumors. Most often, with this disease, pain occurs precisely in the lower or middle of the back, which intensifies in the morning upon waking, and sometimes even at night.
- Pathology of the internal organs. Due to the location of pain in a particular area of the back, their intensity and duration, it is possible to predict diseases of a particular organ.
Alarms
When is it worth contacting a specialist? What pains are serious signs of impaired functioning of the spine? Medical assistance is needed when victims feel:
- sudden sharp pain in the back, which is not caused by specific reasons;
- severe pain when lying down or at night;
- painful sensations that occur after injury or bruising;
- back pain accompanied by high fever, tingling sensation in the chest area, dizziness, numbness and other symptoms;
- acute pain attacks that do not subside within 2-3 days;
- chronic mild pain that does not go away in 2-2. 5 weeks;
- painful sensations that are simultaneously given to the limbs, significantly limiting the movement of a person.
It is advisable to consult a specialist immediately if the back hurts for the first time in those people who have been diagnosed with cancer or osteoporosis, if pain is felt after excessive alcohol consumption, after taking drugs or after taking use of steroid drugs.
It is worth remembering that the pain that occurs in the back does not mean that there is a serious illness. 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 examination, 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 using a neurological hammer. The data obtained will help to accurately determine the source of the onset of pain. If doctors are unsure of the diagnosis or suspect progressive cancer, tests such as:
- X-ray. The images can be used to pinpoint the exact location of the bones, allowing you to see arthritic conditions, cracks and fractures. Such a study is not suitable for those cases where the patient is suspected of such diseases associated with muscle tissue, spinal cord or nerve endings.
- MRI and CT. MRI or computed tomography 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.
- Osteoscintigraphy. Such a study is rarely prescribed. Thanks to osteocintigraphy, it is possible to identify a tumor of the bone tissue, compression fractures.
- Nerve examination. This analysis measures the electrical impulses that are activated by the nerves.
Methods of treatment
Regardless of the intensity of back pain, it is recommended to consult a doctor who can correctly diagnose the cause of their occurrence and accurately determine the methods of relieving the victim's condition. Of course, it is worthwhile initially to weaken the pain attack, which can be both acute and sudden, and periodically repetitive. Quite often, bouts of pain 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 relieve the victim's condition and reduce the load on the spine. After this, it is recommended to limit physical activity for one day or two days.
An acute pain outbreak can be extinguished with a cold ice pack. 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 using thermal compresses, which are carried out at the expense of a heating pad or a towel dipped in hot water in advance. You can relieve spasms in the back muscles by stretching the spine, which is also done in the supine position. To do this, you need to press your knees to your chest, apply light pressure on them, and then stretch and relax. This exercise should be repeated several times. An analgesic will help save you from back pain, which can reduce inflammation around where it hurts.
Non-traditional methods of relieving the victim's condition are rarely used in traditional medicine, but are 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 folk 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 any of the cases, before using one or another method of alternative medicine, it is advisable to seek the advice of your doctor. To permanently eliminate back pain, it is advisable to eliminate the original cause or disease and only then proceed to treat the pathologies of the muscles, bones and joints of the back.
Back pain prevention
To avoid various types of back pain, regardless of the original cause of their appearance, doctors recommend sticking to 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, a strong squeezing of the intervertebral discs and blood vessels occurs. Doctors are not recommended to simultaneously lift a load weighing 15 kilograms, and even more so to turn the body along with this weighting to the right or left.
- Not in a sitting position for a long time. If there are pathological changes in the structure of the spine, it is necessary to limit sitting in a chair or chair. With this position of the body, a person begins to bend, quite often puts one leg on the other, which contributes to an uneven distribution of the load on the intervertebral discs and joints. If the main occupation is associated with a lot of time on the computer, it is recommended to get up every hour, walk and lean left and right.
- Hypothermia should be avoided. Painful sensations arise from muscle spasm in the back, which most often occurs due to hypothermia of the body. It is recommended to dress warm, 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 in order 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 the health of the back, strengthening muscles and lengthening the intervertebral space will be the systematic exercise of stretching, swimming, walking at an average pace.
- Timely treatment of diseases. It is not necessary to begin 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. In order to prevent diseases of the spine, therapists and rehabilitation therapists are advised to attend various therapeutic therapeutic procedures, in particular: massage, spa procedures, remedial gymnastics, yoga.
Back pain attacks can occur in people of different ages and in a wide variety of circumstances, significantly restricting a person's movement. To prevent the appearance of chilling pains, it is recommended to move more, take care of your health and do not forget about sports.