The human race pays for the ability to walk on two legs with pain in the back area.If your back hurts periodically in the lumbar region, it may be a sign of excessive fatigue or the result of being in an uncomfortable position for a long time while working or sleeping.But the reasons may be more serious.
Causes of pain
The lower back is one of the most painful areas.There are reasons for this:
- Osteochondrosis?
- Scoliosis?
- Herniated disc?
- Tumors?
- Infectious tissue damage.
The nature and intensity of the pain depends on the disease.And it bothers you in different ways: after sleep, exercise, overwork.For example, renal colic is constantly accompanied by pain in the lower back.And the patient's type of activity does not matter here.
- Most often it hurts in the lumbar region due to osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine.The pain is of moderate intensity during sleep and intensifies with physical stress.Feeling tired all the time.The feeling of weight makes you want to lie down.But relief doesn't always come after that.
- If a herniated disc is present, severe pain occurs after sudden movements, lifting heavy objects or falling.
- If the hernia is compressed, a sharp pain occurs which is characterized as lumbago.Movement in the lumbar region is noticeably limited.Damage to the nerve root also causes leg pain.
- In old age, stenosis of the intervertebral canal occurs quite often.A sign of it is lameness, numbness in the legs, especially after a long walk.
- Stiffness in the spine that occurs in the morning indicates the beginning of the development of ankylosing spondylitis.Initially, sharp pain sensations appear in the sacral region, then spread to the lumbar region.The feeling after sleep is not rest, but fatigue, which goes away with the start of physical activity.Young men are more susceptible to the disease.The disease is hereditary.Mainly the lower back hurts when lying down.
- Acute pain in the lumbar region also occurs with pyelonephritis (inflammatory process in the kidneys).They are accompanied by increased body temperature and swelling in the morning after sleep.
- Often, older men develop a disease such as an abdominal aortic aneurysm.Abdominal pain and palpitations are a result of pressure from the aorta on nearby organs.
- Lower back pain, fever, burning along the nerve are signs of shingles.This viral disease affects the cells of the spinal cord.A pink rash appears on the body and later blisters appear.
- Another common disease that many people think is harmless is flat feet.A deformed leg increases the load on the spine when walking.During sleep, the pain subsides.
- If there are congenital changes in the vertebrae: irregular shape or changes in the cleft, then sooner or later they will be felt.
- Autoimmune pathologies, especially multiple sclerosis, cause pain of various localizations.Including lower back pain.
There are other reasons why there is severe pain in the lumbar region.This can be osteoporosis, infections of the genitourinary system, hemorrhoids, tumor diseases, complications after viral or bacterial infections.And even physiological changes that affect women and occur during pregnancy and childbirth.
Pain caused by diseases of internal organs
When you wonder why your back hurts in the lumbar region, sometimes it's hard to believe that the reasons can also be inside the organs.The fact is that in some cases, pain from the internal organs "refers" to the lumbar region.
- Right pleurisy, pneumonia are the causes of pain in the lumbar region on the right.Accompanying symptoms: cough, shortness of breath, fever.Left pleurisy sends pain signals to the left side of the back, which worsens when you bend over or lie down during sleep.
- Gallstone disease also locates sharp pains on the right, just above the lower back, and are accompanied by belching and nausea.They have a stabbing character.
- Herpes zoster lower back pain occurs due to pancreatitis.Its companions are nausea and vomiting.
- Severe pain under the left shoulder blade is often the result of a myocardial infarction.
- For men, prostate pathology causes pain in the area under the lower back, with a transition to the sacrum.In women - cystitis.
- Diseases of the distal digestive tract cause pain under the lower back.
Causes of pain
Factors such as:
- Hypothermia of the body.
- Intense physical activity.
- Certain sports (bodybuilding, bodybuilding, weightlifting, weightlifting).
- Muscle strain.
- Fracture.
- Menstrual cycle in women.
- Poor nutrition.
- Stress.
- Uncomfortable posture during sleep.
Back pain in the lumbar region in children
New technologies have brought not only benefits to our world, but also harms.Why?Because the love for the computer from an early age deprives children of full motor activity and creates incorrect body posture.
Important: if you choose the right chair and table for your child to study, curvature of the spine can be avoided!
Scoliosis can develop from using a heavy backpack, flat feet or uncomfortable shoes.Be sure to pamper him!Excessive physical activity and heavy lifting are contraindicated for children.When participating in a sports department, you must be especially sensitive to your child's complaints of back discomfort after training.It could be a herniated disc.Early treatment will allow the child to live a full life.
Types of pain
The nature of pain is divided into the following types:
- Spasms in the long muscles of the back cause severe pain.This happens due to stretching.The problem is known to athletes and people whose specific occupations involve stress on the back muscles.When lying down, the pain subsides a little.The main location is the lower back.
- Injury to the spine, i.e. a fracture, is very dangerous.It can result from an unsuccessful fall or become a consequence of osteoporosis, Paget's disease, hyperparathyroidism.
- Displacement of the intervertebral discs causes pain as a result of compression of the nerve roots.For this reason, the patient's mobility is limited, the sensitivity is reduced and the knee reflex is reduced.The danger of this disease is also that the healthy vertebrae begin to hurt and this implies disturbances in the functioning of the internal organs and causes restless sleep.
- Joint syndrome causes back pain in 31% of cases.This degenerative process affects the capsule of the intervertebral joints and causes pain not only in the lower back, but also in the legs.The lower back hurts when you sit, when you bend sideways or backwards, or when you stand for a long time.
- An inflammatory process of an infectious nature in the epidural space is a very serious and dangerous disease.It can be fatal if treatment is not started on time.
Treatment
Seeing a doctor right away when you have back pain is key to successful treatment.Even if the pain only bothers you at night or after sleep, there is reason to see a specialist.
After analyzing the reasons, the doctor will give recommendations on how to treat and not get sick.The treatment will be comprehensive, using ointments, tablets, injections, massage and physical therapy.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are in the first place in the treatment of low back pain:
- In the initial stage, literally the first 3-5 days, treatment is carried out using injections to relieve pain and inflammation.They work quickly, effectively relieving acute pain by injecting the drug directly into the blood or muscle.
- Then anti-inflammatory and analgesic tablets, chondroprotective and irritant drugs are used (in each specific case separately).
- In addition, ointment treatment is used.A properly selected ointment helps to relieve inflammation in the affected area and also warms (if necessary).
Reflex muscle tension is relieved with the help of muscle relaxants.With their help, pain is treated and mobility is restored.Application from 3 to 7 days.
Formulations of group B vitamins are a necessary addition to the main treatment.
In some cases, drug exclusion is necessary.The anesthetic is administered epidurally or paraspinally.It is used for degenerative changes in the spine.
Physiotherapy treatment:
- UHF?
- Electrophoresis?
- Magnetic therapy.
Massage relieves acute pain by improving blood circulation.Kneading the muscles has a beneficial effect on the elasticity and flexibility of the ligaments.To increase the overall tone of the body, and only with the permission of the attending physician, the massage is combined with a bath or sauna.You can't get warm during an infectious process!
Pain during pregnancy can be relieved by wearing a special bandage.
For patients with flat feet, the use of orthopedic insoles is mandatory.
Therapeutic exercise
Exercise is also therapy.They strengthen the back muscles, improving posture, increasing muscle tone and increasing blood circulation.They are used not only in the complex of therapeutic treatment, but also for the prevention of pain in the lumbar region.As in the case of drug therapy, therapeutic exercises are prescribed in each case individually, analyzing the main causes of the disease.But you can highlight several general exercises, each of which is performed 5-10 times, preferably in the morning, avoiding overwork.
- In a standing position, tilt the body alternately to the right, forward, backward, left.
- In a standing position, with your feet shoulder-width apart, turn your body sideways.
- On all fours, do a "cat": arching your back in the lower back.
- Lie on your back, bend your knees, your arms along your body.Raise and lower the pelvis, gradually increasing the range of motion.
- Lie on your back, legs straight, arms along your body.Alternately bend your knees and then pull them toward your chest.
- Standing on all fours, swing your legs alternately.
Whatever the reasons, only a specialist can determine why the back hurts, identify the "culprit" of the disease and prescribe the correct and effective treatment.As with any other disease, you should not self-medicate!Any medicine can not only heal, but also harm if chosen incorrectly.