Many patients, barely crossing the threshold of the doctor's office, holding their lower back, ask, "Why does the lower back hurt and what medications will help with this pain? "
Unfortunately, not everything is so simple, and you can choose the correct method of treatment only after identifying the causes that caused the pain.
Many people go through life with mild to moderate low back pain and accept it as normal. But even if you suffer from unremitting mild or severe tingling in your lower back for a significant period of time, you should visit a therapist to diagnose the problem. After all, if you don't act in time, the condition will get worse.
While back pain is not the most serious ailment, over time it will cause a lot of pain and cause great discomfort.
Primary and secondary pain syndrome
The causes of low back pain can be very different and only after you fully understand where they came from, you can start dealing with this ailment.
According to the medical classification of diseases, primary and secondary pain syndrome, which occurs in the lumbar region, are distinguished.
Primary pain syndrome is formed against the background of degenerative-dystrophic pathologies of the spine. These include osteochondrosis, in which cartilage and bone tissues are damaged, as well as spondylarthrosis, affecting intervertebral or synovial joints.
Secondary pain syndrome can occur for a variety of reasons. Firstly, the lower back constantly hurts with the curvature of the spine (scoliosis). Also, this condition can be observed due to metabolic disorders of bone tissue (osteoporosis or osteomalacia).
Often, the cause of pain in the lower back is inflammation of a non-infectious nature (ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. ).
One quite dangerous cause of low back pain is a fracture of the spinal vertebrae.
Pain syndrome can be the result of various infectious diseases that lead to damage to the vertebrae and intervertebral discs (brucellosis, tuberculosis, epidural abscess).
The lower back hurts with acute disorders of spinal circulation (stroke conditions), as well as diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (obstruction, atypical acute appendicitis).
In some pathologies, back pain is reflected. This occurs when organs located in the pelvic region are affected (gynecological pathologies, STDs, renal colic).
Pain is often observed when stretching the lower back muscles. The lower back hurts a lot when the intervertebral discs in the lower back are displaced. At the same time, due to intense pain, the patient assumes a forced position of the body and his mobility when walking is also very limited.
Coxarthrosis (arthrosis of the hip joint) is also often the cause of secondary pain.
Other causes of back pain
Acute lower back pain often occurs due to unsuccessful movement, prolonged work in an uncomfortable position, improper lifting or carrying weights, falling or striking, sharp straightening with simultaneous turning, as well as prolonged hypothermia or exposure to drafts. All of these "accidents" can cause spasm and inflammation of the deep back muscles.
Many patients note that the lower back often hurts after sleeping. There are reasons for that too. The simplest of these is the uncomfortable position of the body in a dream. For those who like to sleep on their stomachs, the muscles of the lumbar back are in constant tension, which causes the occurrence of pain. Sometimes such a painful condition is due to the fact that the bed or pillow itself does not fit the person. That's why experts recommend sleeping on an orthopedic mattress to completely relax your back.
Also, morning low back pain can be a symptom of diseases of Organs internal organs. Thus, pathologies of the circulatory, digestive and genitourinary systems are accompanied by back pain.
Low back pain as a cause of negative emotions
Few of the patients realize that the lower back is one of the most psychosomatic parts of the body and therefore reacts very strongly to severe stress and arousal.
Anger, anger, irritability, or intense fear contribute to the release of significant doses of adrenaline into the blood. As a result - an increase in the tone of the back muscles. And in the event that there is no proper discharge, the muscles that are in increased tone begin to tighten gradually. And then - spasm and pain syndrome. It should be noted that spinal disorders often develop in people with an unstable psyche, and for these patients psychotherapy is the best method of treatment.
Back pain during pregnancy
Many pregnant women are concerned about the causes of low back pain. In early pregnancy, this could be due to kidney or urinary tract disease. Also during this period, the production of progesterone increases, due to which there is negligible softening of the ligaments, which can cause lower back pain.
In the second trimester of pregnancy, when the abdomen increases significantly, the load on the spine increases a lot, and therefore there is pain in the lower back.
Severe lower back pain during pregnancy can sometimes be the cause of a neurological disease (herniated disc or sciatica).
What to do if your back hurts
Firstly, if the back pain does not go away within three days, a consultation with a neurologist is necessary. Only a specialist can develop a correct treatment strategy, which will depend on the severity of the patient's condition.
As a rule, most low back pain requires conservative treatment, however, sometimes there are cases when it is impossible to do without surgical intervention.
When prescribing conservative treatment, three main goals are pursued:
- Relieve the patient from pain.
- Development of a program of therapeutic and preventive measures to delay degenerative-dystrophic processes in the spine.
- Quick return of the patient to normal life.
First of all, we all need to learn to properly relax after physical exertion. To do this, you need to lie in a horizontal position on a hard surface, and for the best relaxation, place a pillow under your knees.
Patients with impaired motor activity are advised not to stay in bed for more than 2-3 days, even if they have pain (of course, not too severe), as this significantly weakens the paraspinal muscles. With persistent pain syndrome with returning leg pain, an orthopedic consultation is required.
In the event that osteochondrosis is diagnosed, complex drug treatment is prescribed with the help of drugs that reduce pain, improve blood circulation and restore nerve tissue.
To eliminate back pain, paravertebral blocks have proven to be good. These injections help relieve inflammation and muscle spasm, thereby relieving pain.
When a herniated disc is detected, the question of surgery arises. This technique involves removing a hernia that compresses the root and creating conditions for its recovery.