There is no such person who would not feel back pain at least once in his life, restricting and restricting a person's movements for a while. According to medical practice, complaints of back pain or back pain are considered the most common and can be identified at the most inopportune moment. It is worth remembering that with persistent symptoms of back pain, it is recommended to consult a specialist who can correctly identify the causes of immobilization and prescribe effective treatment. If you do not see a doctor on time, serious complications can occur.
Causes of pain
In fact, the causes of lower back and lower back pain can be very different, that is, both an independent problem and a sign of early diseases of the spine. The main causes of painful sensations are:
- Excessive muscle load. About 85% of back pain can occur due to excessive physical exercise in the lower back. The so-called "back fatigue" occurs not only during sports, but is experienced when you are constantly sitting at the computer, resulting in weight and muscle overload.
- Intervertebral hernia. A fairly common disease occurs mainly in people over 40 years of age and occurs due to flattening of the intervertebral discs. This process contributes to the compression of the nerve roots, which leads to severe back pain.
- Fractures. Such underlying causes of back pain are diagnosed in 4% of patients. According to medical statistics, compression fractures are quite common in the elderly who suffer from osteochondrosis. The disease is characterized by bone exhaustion, ie loss of mass and density, due to which there is a high risk of fracture of the spine.
- Congenital defects of the spine. Pathologies of this kind occur at birth and can accompany a person throughout his life. The deviations appear in the form of extra or missing vertebrae and more often in the lumbar spine.
- Spondylolisthesis. With a disease of the spine, the vertebrae are displaced, which causes intense painful sensations that are felt in the upper back.
- Gynecological diseases. Inflammation of the female genitals is accompanied by severe back pain.
- Pregnancy. Pain attacks can occur in both the early and late stages of pregnancy. This is due to the fact that there is a change in the center of gravity, softness or loosening of the joints, weight gain and weight gain.
- Infectious diseases. With inflammatory processes in the skeletal muscles of the back, severe pain can occur, which radiates to the shoulders, neck and even the forehead. The painful sensations are intensified by various movements, which makes it quite difficult to turn your head and bend over.
- Intercostal neuralgia. With this disease, the pain occurs just in the intercostal space or can be found in the lower back, under the shoulder and in other places where the nerve endings sting.
- Tumors of the spine. Most often, with this disease, the pain appears just below or in the middle of the back, which intensifies in the morning after waking up and sometimes even at night.
- Pathology of internal organs. Due to the location of the pain in a specific area of the back, their intensity and duration, one can predict diseases of a specific organ.
Alarm
When is it worth contacting a specialist? What pains are serious signs of dysfunction of the spine? Medical assistance is required when victims feel:
- sudden severe back pain, which is not caused by specific reasons.
- severe pain when lying down or at night.
- painful sensations felt after injury or bruising.
- back pain accompanied by high fever, tingling 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 subside in 2-2, 5 weeks.
- painful sensations that are given simultaneously to the extremities, while significantly restricting a person's movement.
It is advisable to consult a specialist immediately if your back hurts for the first time in those people who have been diagnosed with cancer or osteoporosis, if the pain is felt after excessive alcohol consumption, after taking drugs or after using steroid drugs.
It is worth remembering that back pain does not mean that there is a serious illness. Independent diagnosis of diseases and pathologies of the spine and even more so the prescription of treatment or the practice of physiotherapy without a specialist is not recommended.
Diagnosis
To accurately determine the cause of back pain, specialists perform 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, reflex testing is performed using a neurological hammer. The data obtained will help to accurately determine the source of pain. If doctors have doubts about the diagnosis or a progressive tumor is suspected, tests such as:
- X-ray. The images can be used to locate the exact location of the bones, allowing you to see arthritic conditions, cracks and fractures. Such a study is not appropriate in cases where the patient is suspected of such diseases associated with muscle tissue, spinal cord or nerve endings.
- MRI and CT scan. MRI or CT scans allow you to determine if a patient has a disease such as hernia, bone and cartilage disease, problems with blood vessels, nerves and tendons.
- Osteoscintigraphy. Such a study is rarely prescribed. Thanks to osteocytography, it is possible to detect a tumor of bone tissue, compression fractures.
- Examination of the nerves. This analysis measures the electrical pulses activated by the nerves.
Treatment methods
Regardless of the intensity of the back pain, it is recommended that you consult a doctor who can correctly diagnose the cause of their appearance and accurately determine the methods of relieving the victim's condition. Of course, it is worth first weakening the onset of pain, which can be intense and sudden, and recurring periodically. Very often, pain attacks are felt when the joints are deformed or the back muscles are stretched. When severe acute pain occurs, doctors advise the victim to lie down, which will significantly alleviate the victim's condition and reduce the load on the spine. After that, it is recommended to limit physical activity for a day or two.
An outbreak of acute pain can be eliminated with a pack of cold ice. This method can significantly reduce swelling if it occurs. In rare cases, ice massage is used, that is, massaging a sore spot with ice for 7-8 minutes. Such a treatment is carried out no more than 1-2 days, after which doctors advise to use thermal compresses, which are carried out at the expense of a heating pad or a towel soaked in warm water in advance. You can relieve spasms in the back muscles by stretching the spine, which takes place even in a supine position. To do this, you need to press your knees to your chest, push them a little and then stretch and relax. This exercise should be repeated several times. An analgesic will help save you from back pain, which can reduce the inflammation around the sore spot.
Non-traditional methods of relieving the victim's condition are rarely used in traditional medicine, but are still considered effective and efficient. It is possible to treat back pain attacks using methods such as acupuncture, vacuum therapy, manual therapy, osteopathy and other folk remedies. It is recommended to keep in mind that such methods of improving the victim's condition are used only for those pains caused by diseases of the musculoskeletal system. In any case, before using one or the other method of alternative medicine, it is recommended to seek the advice of your doctor. To get rid of back pain permanently, it is recommended to eliminate the original cause or disease and only then proceed to the treatment of pathologies of the muscles, bones and joints of the back.
Prevention of back pain
To avoid different types of back pain, regardless of the initial cause of their appearance, doctors recommend that you follow quite simple but effective tips, namely:
- Do not lift weights. When a person lifts a load, the mass of which is several times larger than normal, there is a sharp compression of the intervertebral discs and blood vessels. It is not recommended for doctors to lift a load of 15 kg at the same time and even more to turn the body with this weight 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 the seat to a chair or a chair. With this body position, a person begins to bend, very often putting one foot on the other, which contributes to the uneven distribution of load on the intervertebral discs and joints. If the main occupation is related to a lot of time on the computer, then it is recommended to get up every hour, walk and lean left and right.
- Hypothermia should be avoided. Painful sensations result from muscle spasm of the back, which occurs more often due to hypothermia of the body. It is recommended to dress warmly, avoid currents, cold winds and strong air conditioning.
- You need to move more. The wrong choice for many people is to significantly reduce physical activity in order to maintain a healthy spine. In the absence of movement, the back muscles atrophy over time, causing the entire load to be transferred from the muscle corset to the spine. In such a situation, the tissues of the intervertebral discs and the articular cartilage are destroyed. An excellent choice for restoring the health of the back, strengthening the muscles and stretching the intervertebral space will be the regular exercise of stretching, swimming, walking at a medium pace.
- Early treatment of diseases. It is not necessary to start the course of diseases of the spine, such as osteochondrosis or arthritis, which leads to serious and often irreversible 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, rehabilitation therapists and therapists are advised to follow various therapeutic procedures, namely: massage, spa procedures, exercise, yoga.
Back pain attacks can occur in people of different ages and in a wide variety of circumstances, while significantly restricting a person's movement. In order to avoid the appearance of cold pains, it is recommended to move more, take care of your health and do not forget about sports.