When a person has constant or acute lower back pain in the lower back, it is very difficult to do anything. It's a draining, debilitating feeling that leads to irritability and anger. And pain can have many causes. They are far from always associated with joint or bone diseases, but they can indicate abnormalities in the internal organs. Particularly attentive to such sensations should be women, whose lower back pain is often associated with dangerous gynecological pathologies.
Causes and type of pain
Despite the fact that there are main reasons for each type of pain, the type of sensation may not always 100% indicate a specific disease. Injuries in the human body can be masked by various signs.
Low back pain is characterized by the following features:
- Acute complaints. The patient has difficulty moving, the symptoms appear abruptly, they radiate to the lower extremities. Acute pain is typical of injuries, vertebral compression, and bone diseases such as tumors, Cushing's syndromes and multiple myeloma. The displacement of the vertebrae is also associated with acute pain.
- It's a dull pain. It mainly develops with muscle spasms, spinal hernias, radiculitis, and osteochondrosis. However, it can appear in diseases of the genitourinary system, kidneys, intestines and other organs. Radiculitis is divided into 2 diseases: lumbago with displacement of the vertebrae and sciatica, in which nerve endings are affected and lumbago occurs. Very often painful pains occur with kidney pathologies.
- Periodic pain of a different kind. They arise mainly on the background of excessive physical exertion, especially with prolonged inactivity and lack of warm-up before exercise. At the same time, periodic pain can be reflected and radiated when connected to organs.
- Persistent pain. They are mainly associated with varicose veins and other vascular diseases, muscular dystrophy, degenerative bone and cartilage diseases, and inflammation of these elements. Getting rid of persistent symptoms is extremely difficult.
- Shooting pain. Sharp, sudden and very strong sensations accompanied by persistent and uncomfortable pain after lumbago. They develop against the background of careless movements, excessive stress, as well as under the influence of factors such as hypothermia.
- Radiating pain. Mainly associated with diseases of the kidneys, pelvic organs, the genitourinary system. It can be colic, stones, as well as pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, including diseases of the gallbladder, ulcers, tumors and pathologies of the pancreas. In men, diseases of the testicle and prostate are often the cause, and in women - ectopic pregnancy, diseases of the uterus and ovaries, cysts.
In the predominantly right-hand pain situation, abnormalities in the liver can be suspected.
Other reasons the lower back hurts
Among the pathologies that lead to low back pain, diseases can also be distinguished, in which the symptoms are ambiguous, weak or sharp, rare or permanent:
- Osteochondrosis - refers to the degenerative forms of the disease in which the intervertebral disc becomes inflamed, the bone surface loosens, and the nerve endings are damaged;
- Bulging and intervertebral hernia are diseases that become stages 2-3 of osteochondrosis;
- scoliosis - a curvature of the spine to the left or right can cause very unpleasant sensations against the background of a decrease in the functions of muscles and skeleton;
- ankylosing spondylitis - a chronic autoimmune change in the joints of the spine that leads to a loss of mobility;
- Rheumatoid arthritis is chronic inflammation of the large and small joints that has many causes;
- Bone infections, including bone tuberculosis, as well as infectious processes within the organs;
- Pancreatitis, adhesions in the digestive tract after surgery, appendicitis, cholecystitis;
- Pyelonephritis, kidney stones, and colic;
- benign and malignant tumors of organs, tissues and bones that compress the nerve endings in the lumbar area.
Painful sensations can cause muscle spasms leading to symptoms of cold, as well as sprains caused by injury or sudden movements.
Features of the causes in women and men
Women may experience tugging and sometimes acute painful sensations during mid-cycle ovulation. These symptoms go away quickly and do not cause severe discomfort. Some women experience pain after an abortion, which is considered to be very stressful for the woman's health. Loin pain can last for a long time and is often associated with inflammatory processes in the pelvic organs. This occurs against the background of an imprecise procedure and severe trauma to the walls of the uterus.
In women, lower back pain can be caused by inflammation of the limbs and ovaries, intensely growing uterine fibroids, large cysts, and bleeding in the ovaries, endometritis, and endometriosis. Sometimes such symptoms appear during menopause, which are associated with a sharp change in the hormonal balance.
In men, in addition to prostate cancer and prostatitis, back pain can also occur with epididymis - inflammation in the epididymis, but the main symptoms are localized in the groin area.
Diagnostic methods
Before diagnosing and prescribing lumbodynia of the lumbar spine, it is necessary to see an experienced specialist - a vertebrologist or orthopedic surgeon. But it is the vertebrologist who deals with diseases of the spine and knows everything about effective therapy for these diseases.
After examining, palpating and collecting information about the patient, the doctor prescribes various diagnostic methods:
- Roentgen. Using an X-ray, doctors identify the stage of osteochondrosis and other degenerative processes in the spine. The x-ray clearly shows the growth of osteophytes and allows you to measure the distance between the vertebrae.
- MRI of the spine. Shows pathological changes in intervertebral discs, vertebrae and joints as well as in the surrounding soft tissues. The MRI shows osteochondrosis and spondyloarthrosis easily in the early stages.
- Myelography. A contrast medium technique that helps identify vascular pathologies, tumors, narrowing of the spinal canal, abscesses, and other similar changes.
To exclude diseases of the internal organs and detect inflammatory processes, urine and blood are also prescribed. Sometimes a diagnosis of the gastrointestinal tract is needed, including enzymes from the liver, pancreas, and gastric juice.
Diagnosing back pain will help distinguish some diseases from others and will allow you to choose the right treatment tactics. At home, it is impossible to understand which disease is causing pain based on symptoms alone.
How to Relieve Back Pain
Regardless of the cause of the pain, the patient is prescribed drugs from the following groups to relieve unpleasant symptoms (at the discretion of the doctor):
- Analgesics. They do not help all patients and mainly act on weak sources of pain.
- NSAIDs. Strong pain relievers taken in courses. They also have anti-inflammatory properties.
- Hormonal agents. Applied within 6-10 days, they contain.
- Injections and blockages. Combined drugs are often used in combination with glucocorticosteroids and anesthetics.
- Muscle relaxants. They help with muscle cramps, as well as with osteochondrosis and other diseases with muscle pain.
- Current products. Pain relievers, warming creams, gels, and patches should also only be used when indicated.
In some cases, especially in severe stages of joint or bone diseases, several groups of drugs are used.
The doctor should prescribe medication, especially such complex drugs as glucocorticosteroids or hormone blocks. Only strict observance of instructions and recommendations, as well as the systematic and strict administration of drugs in the prescribed dosage will help get rid of unpleasant sensations.
Treatment features depending on the type of pain
For low back pain treatment to be effective, it is important to consider its nature. With every disorder and illness, pain can be of a different nature.
Treatment of myofascial pain
This is the name given to pain associated with muscle stretching or cramps. They develop against the background of excessive load, improper weight lifting, as well as the wrong method of exercise. Myofascial pain can occur from prolonged exposure to an uncomfortable position, carrying bags in one hand, or over the shoulder. Sometimes this symptom occurs against the background of poor posture.
With cramps, the roots of the spine are injured, so the symptoms are similar to sciatica: burning pain in the thighs, lower legs, numbness of the limbs.
You can treat such pain with analgesics and NSAIDs in the form of ointments, injections, tablets, plasters. Among the ointments, it is better to choose warming and irritating means.
Sometimes myositis, which causes pain, is caused by infections or toxins from worms. Then you need to drink antibiotics or anthelmintics to combat the cause of the pain. Compresses and warming ointments are prohibited in this case.
Diseases of the crest with nerve endings
This category of diseases includes all diseases associated with dystrophic changes and injuries, be it osteochondrosis or spondylolisthesis. Requires the following treatments:
- Bed rest during seizures - you need to lie down on a hard surface and put a small roll under your knees;
- drug treatment - most often NSAIDs are used in the form of injections;
- irritating and distracting ointments as well as pepper plasters, mustard plasters and iodine nets;
- Mud treatment and heating, as well as ozokerite, are used during remission;
- Cramps are relieved by vacuum massage and acupuncture.
In the case of radicular syndrome, which is manifested by severe pain, novocaine blockade or weak opiates must be used, bed rest, dry or underwater traction of the lumbar spine, stimulation by electrophoresis and microcurrents are provided.
Treatment of degenerative inflammatory diseases
To get rid of back and lower back pain in degenerative diseases (spondyloatrosis), bed rest is prescribed with the legs bent in the frog position. Non-steroidal drugs are also used; if the pain is severe, they are injected. Muscle relaxants are used to relieve muscle tension. Very often, patients suffer from chronic fatigue and pain-related depression and require antidepressants.
Treatment of tumor diseases
Benign and malignant tumors can be very different in nature: fatty lipomas, nerve neuromas, spinal cord hemangiomas, gliomas, osteosarcomas and chondrosarcomas. Tumor diseases require complex, long and time-consuming treatment.
Prescription cancer drugs are mandatory, sometimes patients are prescribed strong opiates. They also conduct therapies for the causes of tumors, which can be done with hormonal drugs, chemotherapy toxins, and targeted drugs.
The therapy of tumor diseases is one of the most difficult and requires responsibility on the part of the patient and doctor. The use of chemotherapy drugs and radiation therapy can worsen the patient's condition for a long time. The main thing is not to give up at this moment and remember that the detection of tumors up to stage 2 has a very high chance of cure. Even with stage 3 oncology, you can count on a successful fight against the disease.
Dangers and consequences of pain
If left untreated and ignored, low back pain, or attempted to suppress it with NSAIDs and other pain relievers, can have serious consequences for the patient. Injuries are particularly dangerous because damage to the vertebrae can lead to displacements, tears and compression fractures. Other complications can also cause severe pain:
- the formation of chronic painful sensations, which can not be eliminated even with the use of strong pain relievers;
- Diseases of the spinal cord and brain, extensive damage to the nervous system and paralysis;
- decreased sensitivity of the upper and lower extremities;
- a severe limitation in mobility;
- Complications from internal organs to paresis, stool and urinary incontinence.
When the first symptoms of low back pain appear, it is important to undergo a diagnostic to identify the cause of the discomfort.
Back pain prevention
The following prevention rules will help avoid certain diseases and ailments:
- moderate physical activity, daily gymnastics to strengthen the muscle corset and improve blood circulation;
- the use of hard surfaces for sitting, the exclusion of constant lingering on upholstered furniture;
- if a person works in a sitting position for a long time, he should use the furniture recommended for it;
- in order to prevent many diseases, proper nutrition and the rejection of bad habits are necessary;
- You need to transfer the weights properly, distribute the weight between both hands, and carefully lift a lot of weight without jerking.
Nobody is immune to back pain. If the disease and pathological changes in the spine are detected in a timely manner, then you can get rid of them quickly and correctly.