Do you spend a lot of time sitting for work or hobby purposes or do you train a lot in the gym?Everything used to be fine, but now you often have back and lower back pain?So maybe you should ask a doctor for help?What causes back pain?Which doctor should I contact and how do I deal with the wound?We'll talk about this and much more later in this article.
What causes pain?
So: “What to do if your back hurts and what could be the cause?”Let's take a closer look at this problem.There can be more than enough reasons for this.The fact is that pain in the back and lower back can indicate a number of diseases, both of the spine itself and of internal organs.This is because many nerve endings radiate from the spine and surround all internal organs.Therefore, based on the localization of pain in a specific area of the ridge, we can talk about some specific diseases.
Causes
What does lower back pain mean and which doctor should you see about it?The causes of lower back pain can be both habits and illnesses.The first include:
- Constant sedentary activity.IT employees and drivers are at risk.
- Constant standing work.
- Frequent heavy physical activity.Athletes, especially weightlifters, are at risk.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Pregnant women and women who have recently given birth belong to a separate risk group.
- Overweight.
As you can see, everything is simple with habits.In the second case, pain in the lumbar region can often be due to illness.A distinction can also be made between diseases of the spine itself and diseases in which pain in the lumbar region is merely a symptom.The first include osteochondrosis, spondyloarthrosis, intervertebral hernia and protrusion.
The second group includes the following possible causes of lower back pain:
- Spinal fracture due to trauma.
- Fracture caused by osteoporosis.
- A tumor located in the spinal canal.
- Prolonged muscle strain.
- Narrow structure of the spinal canal (quite rare).
- Various complications during pregnancy.
- Various arthritis, for example osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis.
- Spinal deformities, for example kyphosis, scoliosis, Scheuermann-Mau disease, kyphoscoliosis.
- Spinal tuberculosis, osteomyelitis, discitis.
- Urolithiasis, pyelonephritis.
- Ovarian cancer, endometriosis, ovarian cyst.
When should you see a doctor?
Mild back pain that goes away quickly and is a result of prolonged physical activity is the norm.But if the lower back hurts for a long time or the pain occurs periodically, then it arises on its own, then it disappears, then you should sound the alarm.Even if you have a serious back injury, you should go to the hospital immediately.It is understood that pain in the lumbar region can be accompanied by pain in the foot or lower leg.It is also possible that part of the leg or buttocks may become numb.In this case, there is something serious and should be investigated as soon as possible.
Since you are unlikely to diagnose yourself, you should go to the hospital, but which doctor should you go to?Some will say that you should contact a chiropractor, while others will say that a neurologist has more experience.Both options are correct, but it would be more correct to contact a neurologist, since he will be the one who can correctly prescribe and carry out the entire diagnosis of the disease.And in this case, the cause will be identified more accurately and there is every chance of successfully eliminating it.From the point of view of a neurologist, if you have pain in the lower back, you can roughly determine the cause of its occurrence based on the intensity and strength of the pain.
Acute pain
Acute lower back pain in men and women is the result of a recent injury (fall, muscle strain, blow, sudden movements).It can also be caused by working in an uncomfortable position for a long time or carrying and lifting heavy objects for a long period of time.And don't forget about the cold back caused by hypothermia or prolonged drafts.Here you can easily treat back pain with folk remedies.
The most common diseases include lumbago and slipped discs.The disease initially affects people whose field of activity is associated with constant heavy physical work, which is why pain in the lower back occurs in men.The disease is popularly called “lumbago”.It usually stops on its own during rest or after a few days.However, it can easily take up to a month, so at least home treatment for lower back pain is necessary.
Acute and severe pain in the lower back also occurs with disc displacement.The disease can be caused by various injuries, heavy physical work or a disease such as osteochondrosis.Here you can no longer receive treatment at home.Hospitalization and a full diagnosis are required.It can even go as far as a surgical procedure.
Severe pain
Severe pain differs from acute pain in that it lasts longer and is a result of a musculoskeletal disorder.These include lumbosacral radiculitis and osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine.With them, you feel a belt-shaped pain in your lower back when you sneeze, cough, sit, walk, in short, your back hurts with every movement.In addition, pain can radiate to the lower extremities and even cause them to become numb.Here you no longer have to run, but rather fly to the attending doctor for an examination.
Painful
As a rule, sudden severe tension in the spinal muscles can cause back pain.You can relieve lower back pain by simply resting for a few hours.But you shouldn't fly in the clouds, you need to be on your guard, because severe hypothermia can cause your back to hurt.In the more chronic disease, myositis can develop, which leads to inflammation of the psoas muscles.In this case, you need several days of rest and also know how to relieve the pain.
Chronic
Often caused by spondylosis deformans.The main symptoms of this disease are girdle pain in the lower back, radiating to the buttocks or legs.Numbness in the lower extremities may also occur.Other diseases that cause similar symptoms include: cancer, metabolic disorders and ankylosing spondylitis.
Repressed
Such pain is not a result of a back disease, but rather the result of a disease of an organ in the spine area.These include diseases of the pelvic organs of both the male and female halves, but also diseases of the colon, kidneys, pancreas and various types of tumors.
How is the treatment carried out?
So how to get rid of lower back pain?First of all, you should go to the hospital and make an appointment with a specialist for an examination.After the examination, the attending physician should send you for an examination to confirm or refute his suspected diagnosis.To find out what it might be, you may be sent for an X-ray of your spine.Nowadays a more advanced method is used, myelography.
This method allows you to examine the spinal cord pathways in detail.Identifies all pathologies with impaired signaling pathway patency.It is important to know that before the X-ray is taken, a xenon substance is injected into your spinal cord using a syringe, which highlights everything in the image.This method is quite expensive, but very effective and almost always helps to find out why your back hurts.In addition, MRI, ultrasound, ECG and CT can be prescribed.In other cases, further tests may be required, such as a complete blood count, etc.
Medication
In most cases, medication is an excellent treatment option for lower back pain.The aim is to relieve pain, eliminate and further prevent inflammatory processes, improve blood circulation and regenerate damaged tissue.So, after learning why the lower back hurts, we can get a general idea of how to treat lower back pain.
Conventionally, any treatment can be divided into three phases: the beginning of treatment, the treatment itself and the end of therapy.At any stage, drugs can be administered both in the form of droppers and in the form of blocks and injections.Treatment of lower back pain in the first stage should eliminate the pain itself, reduce swelling and inflammation, relieve spasms, and relax the muscles.At the second stage, you need to completely eliminate the cause of the disease.Here the treatment mainly takes place on site.Ointments and mixtures for compresses are used.Physiotherapy is also recommended.
The third stage consists of injections that increase the regeneration of damaged tissues and provide them with all the necessary components.This will restore the full functionality of the segment.At all stages, the choice of medication and therapy depends on your diagnosis and the choice of your doctor.Self-medication is generally not recommended.
Physiotherapy
If the exact cause of pain is identified, treatment with physiotherapeutic methods can be resorted to.Based on their cause, the following treatment methods can be distinguished:
- Ultrasonic.
- Laser therapy.
- exposure to electric current, etc.
Physiotherapy focuses more on treating back pain in its early stages.In later stages of the disease it can be recommended as a supportive treatment method.The treatment you need will only be prescribed by your treating doctor after the examination.
Surgical intervention
In the vast majority of cases, back pain does not require surgery.However, if you have been suffering from pain for a long time and it is getting worse over time and you strictly refuse to see a doctor, this treatment method is also possible.In this case, general anesthesia will most likely be used, using a lytic mixture to completely immobilize the patient.The operation plan itself is developed by the surgeon based on diagnostic data.
Traditional methods
When asked “How do you relieve back pain?”Conventional medicine can also provide an answer.Depending on the severity of the pain symptoms, various homemade ointments, lotions, etc. can be used.The main purpose of such remedies is to relieve pain and inflammation.In most cases, treatment of the lower back with folk remedies is justified only as first aid.With prolonged self-medication, ignorance of the main cause of pain can greatly worsen the disease.Below are some folk remedies.
- A compress of grated horseradish and radish mixed with sour cream is placed on the painful area of the lower back.The whole thing is covered on top with a paper napkin and a scarf is tied around the entire lower back.This compress perfectly eliminates pain symptoms and eliminates muscle spasms.
- If your back hurts, hot compresses made from an infusion with a mixture of remedies will be of great help.These include thyme, chamomile, St. John's wort and black elderberry.The compress is applied at night.The painful area is wrapped in a warm cloth.It is recommended to carry out the treatment at night.An identical compress is made from an infusion of dried burdock leaves.
- Another folk remedy treatment is based on the healing properties of horse chestnut.First you need to grind the chestnut into powder.Then it is mixed with camphor oil and melted lard.The ingredients are given in approximately equal quantities.The resulting ointment is spread on a slice of black bread and applied as a compress to the sore back.This product can improve blood circulation and has nutritional and anti-inflammatory properties.
But remember: no matter how well the folk remedy works, you still need to see a doctor.Because self-medication is always done at your own risk and peril.In addition, medical interventions may only provide short-term relief and the pain may become significantly worse afterwards.
Prevention
If your back hurts in the lumbar region, it's too late for prevention.But so that such a problem does not occur for as long as possible, you have to think about how you can prevent it and what leads to it?It has already been described above that people with a sedentary or sedentary lifestyle, athletes, especially weightlifters and overweight people are at risk.
Accordingly, the best prevention of the disease would be mandatory morning exercises, sports, therapeutic exercises, back relief, massage, nutritional control, etc. In addition, regular, scheduled check-ups with your doctor will help you eliminate the possible causes of your lower back pain.
First aid
What to do if your lower back hurts a lot and the way to the hospital is long?How to relieve back pain quickly so you can wait for the doctor?To do this, you need to know some first aid techniques.Of course, they do not have a therapeutic effect, but they help to cope with the pain.So let's do everything step by step:
- We lie on our backs, on a hard bed or on the floor.The blanket from the bed must be removed.
- At the same time, the legs are raised and bent at the knees.For comfort, place a pillow or folded blanket under your raised legs.
- We take the usual dose of the painkiller or anti-inflammatory medication available to us.
- We lie down and try not to make any sudden movements.
- Do not forget to call a doctor at home while carrying out the procedures.
- In most cases you will need rest and bed rest for the next few days.After your doctor's visit, call work and notify your boss.
- Avoid spicy and smoked foods during and after treatment.