According to medical statistics, acute back pain is the second most common cause of disability. At least 80% of people have suffered from it at least once. They can appear sporadically or be observed during exacerbations of diseases of the spine. In any case, acute and chronic back pain require competent treatment and targeted measures against the causes of their occurrence.
Acute back pain: cause
Acute pain lasts less than 6 weeks. For most, it goes away within 2 weeks. Although at first it is impossible to predict how long it will take. Even so, in almost half of the cases, similar or more severe attacks recur later and become chronic pain.
Acute pain can be of varying intensity, dull, burning, etc. Sometimes it radiates to the arms, legs and buttocks. The so-called back pain often occurs after hypothermia, excessive physical exertion and as a result of sprains. Between the influence of the traumatic factor and the direct manifestation of the pain syndrome, several days can pass, which are manifested under the influence of light physical exertion, for example, inclination.
They can also be the result of a back injury or the first manifestation of spinal disease, including:
- osteochondrosis;
- intervertebral hernia;
- spondyloarthrosis;
- Stenosis of the spine etc.
Increase the likelihood of back problems:
- frequent stress;
- regularly increased physical activity;
- overweight;
- frequent and prolonged standing.
In addition to severe back pain, headaches, a burning sensation in the legs and dizziness may occur. All of these symptoms must be reported to the doctor at the appointment.
Regardless of which anatomical structure was damaged first, this leads to a whole series of successive changes that increase the discomfort. Initially, inflammatory factors are formed in the lesion that cause swelling and irritate the nerve fibers. A common reaction to this is muscle spasm, which makes the situation worse and causes circulatory disorders in the affected area. This leads to a reduction in the amount of nutrients and oxygen that enter the lesion focus, as well as the retention of metabolic products in it.
Treatment of acute back pain
To relieve the pain, lie down on a hard surface. This allows your back muscles to relax and relieve your spine. To increase the effect, orthopedic pillows can be placed under the knees and under the head. However, it is important to avoid sagging your lower back. If the pain is severe, short-term use of drugs from the NSAID group is allowed. In the future, it is imperative that you contact a neurologist or spinal surgeon to determine the cause of the pain syndrome.
You must see a doctor as soon as possible if there is no improvement within a week, a new attack or irradiation of pain in the feet or knees, a violation of urination and defecation. To diagnose existing disorders, patients are shown:
- MRI;
- CT;
- X-ray;
- biochemical blood test;
- UAC.
Based on the research and the characteristics of the symptoms, the doctor makes a diagnosis and develops treatment tactics. In the case of acute pain that deprives a person of the ability to work, he or she can be offered to perform a spinal block, which relieves the pain syndrome in a few minutes.
After the symptoms have subsided, it is important not to stay in bed. Moderate physical activity, supplemented by special exercises in medical gymnastics, is the best way to prevent such attacks from recurring in the future.
When you visit the hospital, you will definitely receive quality treatment for pain syndrome and its causes. Specialists will be able to develop the most effective treatment tactic and quickly relieve pain through a well-made, affordable blockade.
Chronic back pain: cause
People suffer from chronic back pain just as often. They can worsen and turn into an acute attack of pain that completely disrupts a person from the usual rhythm. Mostly they are the result of:
- A sedentary lifestyle that leads to a weakening of the muscle corset. This leads to an increase in the load on the spine and compression of the vertebrae. The result is osteochondrosis, protrusion of intervertebral discs and herniated discs, spondyloarthrosis.
- Postural disorders. Long-term maintenance of any position of the body in which the natural curves of the spine are disturbed, leads to its curvature and the development of scoliosis or kyphosis. This leads to degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs, a redistribution of the load on the muscles and pinching of the nerve roots.
- weakening of the abdominal muscles. Since they serve as support for the internal organs and partially relieve the spine, weakness increases the load on the lower back, which increases lordosis and causes chronic pain. In addition to a sedentary lifestyle, weakening of the abdominal muscles can be a result of pregnancy or obesity.
- Age changes. Over the years, the intervertebral discs gradually become dehydrated, leading to a decrease in their elasticity, strength, and size. The annulus fibrosus surrounding the jelly-like nucleus pulposus dries up and becomes more fragile. Loads lead to the formation of cracks, which lead to the formation of protrusions and hernias. The resulting protrusion can squeeze tight blood vessels, nerve roots, and the spinal cord, causing the occurrence of pain syndrome.
Chronic back pain includes:
- osteochondrosis;
- spondyloarthrosis;
- osteoporosis;
- intervertebral hernia;
- facet syndrome;
- ankylosing spondylitis;
- spondylolisthesis;
- rheumatoid arthritis;
- intercostal neuralgia;
- oncological diseases and others.
A common cause of chronic pain is the deterioration of the facet joints. The cartilage inside also tends to thin out under excessive stress on the spine. As a result, when moving, they no longer perform a shock-absorbing function, which provokes the friction of bone fragments and the development of inflammation.
Treatment of back pain
Treatment tactics are developed based on the disorders identified in diagnostic studies. If spinal disorders are detected, conservative therapy is prescribed first, including:
- drug therapy;
- physiotherapy;
- massage;
- movement therapy.
Conservative Therapy
When treating back pain, a comprehensive, individual approach is important. Depending on the cause of their occurrence, patients are prescribed a number of drugs, in particular:
- NSAIDs - drugs of this group have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, but with prolonged use have a negative effect on the condition of the digestive tract.
- corticosteroids - drugs with pronounced anti-inflammatory properties that are prescribed in moderate to severe cases;
- muscle relaxants - help to get rid of increased muscle tone and cramps;
- antidepressants - help get rid of psychological ailments, which often reduce the effectiveness of conservative therapy;
- topical agents - ointments or gels that contain anti-inflammatory, warming, or cooling ingredients can reduce the severity of pain and cause virtually no side effects.
- Chondroprotectors - preparations containing glucosamine and chondroitin have a beneficial effect on the condition of cartilage tissue, increase its elasticity and help restore normal thickness.
In mild cases, oral medication is sufficient. However, in more complex situations, patients may be prescribed intra-articular injections. In the case of severe pain, it is recommended to carry out blockages once or as a whole, which can include up to 10 procedures.
To improve the effectiveness of drug therapy, patients are prescribed massages and physiotherapy. The correct effect on the muscles of the back will help activate blood and lymph flow, improve metabolic processes and eliminate muscle spasms. Manual therapy is very effective for deformities of the spine, especially scoliosis of 1–2 degrees. Regular sessions will help restore the normal position of the spine and relieve the internal organs.
As part of physiotherapy, sessions are assigned to patients:
- UHF;
- magnetic field therapy;
- Bernard currents;
- laser therapy;
- electrophoresis;
- UFO;
- balneological treatment.
If it is not possible to improve the condition within six months, or there is a risk of complications, patients may be offered surgical treatment for existing diseases.
Surgical treatment
Modern surgical intervention methods are characterized by a high degree of efficiency and safety. They allow you to quickly get rid of the pathological cause of the development of the pain syndrome and often do not require hospitalization. However, most minimally invasive and microsurgical methods can only be used if patients refer to spinal surgeons in the early stages of the disease.
The indications for surgical treatment are:
- progressive herniated discs;
- stenosis of the spine;
- sequestered hernia;
- spinal fractures;
- scoliosis grade 3-4;
- severe forms of spondyloarthrosis;
- compression of the spinal cord or its nerve roots;
- hemangiomas of the vertebral bodies;
- instability of individual segments of the spine;
- Cauda Equina Syndrome.
The surgeon determines the type of surgery based on the severity of the patient's condition. With the same diagnosis, surgical treatment can be carried out in different ways, depending on the degree of invasiveness, effectiveness, duration of rehabilitation and cost.
Recently, minimally invasive methods of surgical treatment have been very popular. With their help, the treatment of intervertebral protrusions, herniated discs, hemangiomas and a number of other diseases is carried out. The minimally invasive operation lasts no more than an hour, and when completed, the patient can go and leave the clinic almost immediately on the same day or the next.
The great advantages of the method are a good cosmetic effect (in most cases all the necessary surgical instruments are inserted through punctures of soft tissues), easy rehabilitation and an affordable price. For intervertebral hernias, only cold plasma nucleoplasty or hydroplasty (hydrodisectomy) can be considered more promising.
In situations where microsurgical techniques cannot be used, surgeons perform open surgery. In the meantime, it is possible to completely remove pathologically changed formations, compensate for severe deformities of the spine, replace unrecoverable structures with implants and achieve normal function of the spine by attaching metal titanium structures.
Modern spine surgery can solve almost any back problem. The latest methods of surgical treatment for spinal diseases are available in many facilities. A team of doctors with different profiles will help you get rid of acute or excruciating chronic back pain as quickly as possible.
Prevention of back pain
After the seizure is over and the pain subsides, it is recommended to avoid a second episode:
- Do not lift any objects that are too heavy.
- do not bend down;
- go more;
- give up heavy physical labor;
- Take regular breaks while sitting to warm up.