What to do if your lower back hurts is a pressing question for many modern people. Most of them have serious problems with their spinal health. Currently, osteochondrosis is no longer a disease inherent to old age. Today, degenerative dystrophic changes in the cartilaginous tissues of the intervertebral discs develop at a fairly young age. They are found even in patients aged 20 to 25 years. Lumbosacral osteochondrosis is the most common cause of back pain. But not just him.
It is essential to consult an experienced doctor. Choose the right specialist. The first thing to remember in this case: the local therapist does not treat the low back pain. According to medical and economic standards, it only eliminates the symptom in the expected number of days. Your task is to get the patient back to work as quickly as possible. He does not pay attention to the fact that the disease will continue to develop intensely. Therefore, many patients lose time during which they could restore spinal health without surgery.
We advise you to request a complete treatment at the manual therapy clinic. They use completely different methods and approaches. They do not use symptomatic treatments. Doctors working in chiropractic clinics aim to restore the patient to full health, not mask existing symptoms.
To understand what to do if your lower back hurts a lot, you need to know how this part of the body works and what can cause an unpleasant symptom. We offer you to know some aspects of the anatomy and physiology of the lumbar region.
At the heart of this part of the body is the lumbosacral spine. The sacrum in an adult is a single triangular bone, consisting of five fused vertebral bodies. Between the first sacral vertebra and the fifth lumbar is the conditional center of gravity of the human body. This represents the main mechanical and depreciation load of the lower extremities.
This is due to the fact that the ilio-sacral joints are located on the lateral surfaces of the sacrum. With their help, the pelvic ring is attached to the spine. On the lower side of the pelvic ring are the hip joints. Thus, the entire load from the lower extremities through the hip and iliac-sacral joints is transferred to the L5-S1 intervertebral disc.
Due to these anatomical features in a modern person, due to his sedentary lifestyle, at a fairly early age, the L5-S1 intervertebral disc and the iliac-sacral joints are destroyed. And this is a serious reason for the appearance of sharp pains in the lower back.
The lumbar spine consists of individual vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs. They are quite massive. Within the lumbar and sacral sections of the spine are the spinal cord segments of the same name. Paired radicular nerves depart from them, which form the lumbosacral nerve plexus and the great nerves. In the lower part of the sacrum, the terminal wires of the spinal cord come out, which form another large nervous plexus - the "ponytail".
The long anterior and posterior ligaments run along the spine. They start in the coccyx region and end in the occipital bone region. There are also short transverse and interspinous ligaments. They are located between adjacent vertebral bodies. The paravertebral muscles located along the spine provide diffuse nutrition to the cartilaginous tissues of the intervertebral discs. If they work incorrectly, osteochondrosis and its complications develop.
It is difficult to independently determine which tissues are being destroyed. The help of an experienced doctor is required. An experienced doctor will perform an examination and make a preliminary diagnosis. Develop a personalized treatment plan.
Reasons why the lower back hurts
The first thing to do if the lower back hurts is to find out the causes of this pathological condition. It is necessary to exclude the possibility of renal pathology. Urolithiasis, pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis, and polycystic kidney disease are often manifested by a characteristic pain syndrome in the upper lumbar region. Other urologic symptoms may also be present. These are cramping during urination, change in color and transparency of urine, increase in body temperature, general malaise, intoxication and nephrotic edematous syndrome, increased blood pressure, etc.
If you experience these symptoms, we recommend that you see a nephrologist or therapist as soon as possible. You will receive professional medical care.
If on the eve of the onset of the pain syndrome you fell, got injured, had an accident, then you need to contact a traumatologist for an appointment. The cause of the pain can be a crack or fracture of the vertebral body or its process, lower costal arch. In addition, with a traumatic effect, it is possible to damage the tissues of the kidneys.
The following diseases and conditions can be potential causes of lower back pain:
- traumatic violation of the integrity of the ligament, tendon and muscle apparatus (stretching, microscopic ruptures, shredding, scar deformities, etc. );
- degenerative dystrophic process in the cartilaginous tissues of the intervertebral discs, leading to the development of osteochondrosis and dorsopathy;
- protrusion (reduction in height and increase in occupied area) of the intervertebral discs;
- extrusion (rupture) of the fibrous ring and exit of the intervertebral hernia;
- unstable position of the vertebral bodies and their periodic displacements among themselves by the type of laterolisthesis, antelisthesis and retrolisthesis;
- destruction and inflammation of well-targeted intervertebral joints;
- curvature of the spine and distortion of the pelvic bones;
- deforming osteoarthritis of the iliac-sacral joints;
- spinal canal stenosis;
- pinching of the radicular nerves and their branches (sciatica, sciatica, radiculopathy);
- cauda equina syndrome, piriformis muscle;
- lumbosacral nerve plexus plexitis and many others.
It is very difficult to independently determine the real reason why the lower back hurts. To do this, you need to have extensive practical experience and specific knowledge. Therefore, you should not engage in self-diagnosis and treatment. It is better to consult an experienced doctor in a timely manner and undergo a thorough treatment.
Very sore lower back - what to do at home
If the lower back hurts a lot, the first thing to do is ensure complete physical rest. It is necessary to lie on your back on a hard, flat surface and try to relax your back muscles. If within 30-40 minutes the pain syndrome does not begin to subside, it is necessary to call an ambulance. This can be a condition that requires immediate surgical attention.
The next thing to do at home if your lower back hurts is to rule out all possible risk factors. They include the following aspects:
- excess weight - each extra kilo repeatedly increases the pressure on the cartilaginous intervertebral discs and causes their premature destruction;
- violation of posture (round or bent backwards, withers, etc. ) - there is a violation of the processes of distributing the load of depreciation, displacement of vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs is possible;
- heavy physical work associated with lifting and carrying heavy loads;
- domestic, sports and industrial injuries to the lower back;
- inadequate organization of the sleeping and working place;
- sedentary work associated with prolonged static tension of the muscular structure of the body;
- selection of low quality clothes and shoes;
- incorrect foot positioning when walking and running (flat foot or clubfoot);
- smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages (causes a decrease in the intensity of the process of microcirculation of lymphatic fluid and blood, which is fraught with the development of ischemia and dystrophy of the tissues of the spine);
- malnutrition and insufficient drinking water intake.
If your lower back hurts a lot and you don't know what to do, see a doctor right away. Only a specialist will be able to find a potential cause, eliminate it, and develop an individual course of treatment.
Low back pain - how to treat it with manual therapy methods
So, what to do if your lower back hurts - there are currently several options on how to treat it. The first is to request an appointment with a local therapist at a clinic in town. In this case, symptomatic treatment will be carried out. All unpleasant symptoms will be eliminated, but the process of destruction of spinal tissues will continue. And it can even increase, because using symptomatic remedies for the treatment of pain, the doctor completely deactivates the natural defense mechanisms of the human body.
For example, with the protrusion of the intervertebral discs, the pain syndrome in most cases is associated with the fact that the paravertebral muscles compensate for the load of depreciation, it is assumed. This is accompanied by strong muscle fiber tension and pain. But, if muscle relaxants are used, the muscles become paralyzed and all the depreciation and mechanical load begins to be fully applied to the already damaged intervertebral discs. In some cases, this causes a rupture of the annulus fibrosus and the appearance of an intervertebral hernia.
You can also visit a manual therapist. This specialist practices a completely different approach to treatment. He will try to detect all risk factors and give the patient individual recommendations for their elimination. Then he will develop an individual course of treatment. It will be based on the principle of complete restoration of the disturbed process of diffuse nutrition of the cartilaginous tissues of the intervertebral discs.
To restore the normal shape of the intervertebral disc, several sessions of manual spinal traction are performed. During this procedure, the doctor increases the degree of elasticity of the soft tissues around the spine. It then spreads neighboring vertebral bodies a normal distance apart. Disks have room to fully expand. After 2-3 procedures, the acute pain syndrome completely disappears.
In the future, a full course of treatment is carried out. It can include osteopathy, therapeutic exercises, kinesiotherapy, laser exposure, physical therapy and more.