There is no such person who would not experience pain in the back at least once in his life, limiting and restraining 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 caught at the most inopportune moment. It is worth remembering that with constant pain symptoms in the back area, it is recommended that you consult a specialist who can correctly determine the causes of immobilization and prescribe effective treatment. If you do not see a doctor in a timely manner, serious complications may arise.
Causes of pain
In fact, the reasons that cause pain in the lower back and in the back can be very diverse, that is, both an independent problem and a signal of incipient diseases of the spine. The main underlying causes of painful sensations are:
- Excessive muscle load. About 85% of back pain can occur due to excessive physical exertion on the lower back. The so-called "back fatigue" appears not only during sports, but is experienced when constantly sitting at the computer, as a result of which there is heaviness and overstrain in the muscles.
- Intervertebral hernia. A fairly common disease occurs mainly in people over 40 years old 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 root causes for back pain are diagnosed in 4% of patients. According to medical statistics, compression fractures are quite common in older people who suffer from osteochondrosis. The disease is characterized by bone depletion, that is, the loss of their mass and density, due to which there is a high risk of spinal fracture.
- Congenital defects of the spine. Pathologies of this kind appear at birth and can accompany a person throughout his life. Deviations appear in the form of extra or missing vertebrae and most often in the lumbar spine.
- Spondylolisthesis. With a disease of the spinal column, the vertebrae are displaced, which causes sharp painful sensations that are felt in the upper back.
- Gynecological diseases. Inflammation of the female genital organs is accompanied by severe back pain.
- Pregnancy. Pain attacks can appear both in the early stages of pregnancy and in the latter. This is due to the fact that there is a change in the center of gravity, softening or relaxation of the ligaments, an increase in body weight and an increase in body weight.
- Infectious diseases. With inflammatory processes in the skeletal muscles of the back, severe aching pains can occur that radiate to the shoulders, neck and even to the forehead. The painful sensations intensify with various movements, which makes it quite difficult to turn your head and bend over.
- Intercostal neuralgia. With this ailment, pain appears precisely in the intercostal space or can be localized in the lower back, under the scapula and in other places where the nerve endings are pinched.
- Spinal tumors. Most often, with this disease, pain occurs precisely in the lower or middle part of the back, which intensifies in the morning upon waking, and sometimes even at night.
- Pathology of internal organs. Due to the location of pain in a particular area of the back, their intensity and duration, one can foresee diseases of a certain organ.
Alarms
When is it worth contacting a specialist? What pains are serious signals of impaired proper functioning of the spinal column? Medical assistance is needed when the victims feel:
- sudden sharp pain in the back, which is not caused by any specific reasons;
- severe pain when lying down or at night;
- painful sensations that are 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 go away in 2-2. 5 weeks;
- painful sensations that are simultaneously given to the limbs, while significantly constraining the movement of a person.
It is recommended to immediately consult a specialist if the 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 narcotic drugs or after using steroid medications.
It is worth remembering that the pain that occurs in the back does not mean that there is any serious illness. It is not recommended to independently diagnose diseases and pathologies of the spine, and even more so to prescribe treatment or perform physiotherapy exercises without a specialist.
Diagnosis
To accurately determine the cause of back pain, specialists conduct an oral survey, 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, a reflex test is performed using a neurological hammer. The data obtained will help to accurately determine the source of the onset of pain. If doctors have doubts about the diagnosis or a progressive tumor is suspected, examinations such as:
- Radiography. The images can be used to pinpoint the exact location of the bones, allowing you to see arthritic conditions, cracks and fractures. Such a study is not suitable for those cases in which the patient is suspected of such diseases that are associated with muscle tissue, spinal cord or nerve endings.
- MRI and CT. Magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography allows you to determine if a patient has such ailments as: hernia, diseases of bone and cartilage tissue, problems with blood vessels, nerves and tendons.
- Osteoscintigraphy. Such a study is rarely prescribed. Thanks to osteocyntigraphy, it is possible to identify a tumor of bone tissue, compression fractures.
- Examination of the nerves. This analysis measures the electrical impulses that are triggered by the nerves.
Treatment methods
Regardless of the intensity of back pain, it is advised to consult a doctor who can correctly diagnose the cause of their occurrence and accurately determine the methods of alleviating the condition of the victim. Of course, it is worth initially weakening the attack of pain, which can be both sharp and sudden, and periodically repetitive. Quite often, pain attacks are felt when the joints are deformed or the back muscles are stretched. When a sharp sharp pain is felt, doctors advise the victim to lie down, which will greatly alleviate the condition of the victim and reduce the load on the spine. After this, it is recommended to limit physical activity for a day or for two days.
A flash of acute pain can be damped with a cold ice pack. This method can significantly reduce puffiness, if it appears. In rare cases, ice massage is used, that is, massaging a sore spot with ice cubes for 7-8 minutes. Such therapy is carried out for no more than 1-2 days, after which doctors advise using heat compresses, which are carried out at the expense of a heating pad or a towel soaked in hot water in advance. You can relieve spasms in the muscles of the back by stretching the spine, which is performed even in the supine position. To do this, you need to press your knees to your chest, put a little pressure on them and then stretch out and relax. This exercise should be repeated several times. An analgesic will help to save from pain in the back, which can reduce inflammation around the place where it hurts.
Non-traditional methods of alleviating the condition of the victim are rarely used in traditional medicine, but still they are considered effective and effective. It is possible to cure pain attacks in the back area using methods such as acupuncture, vacuum therapy, manual therapy, osteopathy and other folk remedies. It is recommended to take into account that such methods of improving the condition of the victim are used only for those pains that are caused by diseases of the musculoskeletal system. In any of the cases, before using one or another method of alternative medicine, it is recommended to seek the advice of your doctor. In order to permanently get rid of back pain, it is recommended to eliminate the original cause or disease, and only then proceed to cure the pathologies of the muscles, bones and joints of the back.
Prevention of back pain
To avoid various kinds of pain in the back, regardless of the original cause of their appearance, doctors recommend adhering to fairly simple but effective advice, namely:
- Do not lift weights. When a person lifts a load, the mass of which is several times higher than the norm, there is a sharp squeezing of the intervertebral discs and blood vessels. Doctors are not recommended to simultaneously lift a load weighing 15 kilograms, and even more so to turn the body along with this weighting to the right or to the left.
- Not in a sitting position for a long period of time. If there are pathological changes in the structure of the spine, it is necessary to limit sitting in a chair or on a chair. With this position of the body, a person begins to slouch, quite often puts one leg on another, which contributes to an uneven distribution of the load on the intervertebral discs and joints. If the main occupation is associated with a long time at the computer, then it is advised to get up every hour, walk and tilt to the right and left.
- Hypothermia should be avoided. Painful sensations arise from muscle spasm of the back, which most often occur due to hypothermia of the body. It is advised to dress warmly, avoid drafts, cold winds and strong air conditioning.
- You need to move more. The wrong choice for many people is to significantly limit physical activity in order to maintain the health of the spine. In the absence of movement, the back muscles atrophy over time, as a result of which the entire load is transferred from the muscle corset to the spine. In such a situation, the tissues of the intervertebral discs and articular cartilage are destroyed. An excellent option to restore back health, strengthen muscles and stretch the intervertebral space will be systematic stretching exercises, swimming, walking at an average pace.
- Timely treatment of diseases. There is no need to start the course of diseases of the spine, such as osteochondrosis or spondyloarthrosis, which leads to serious and quite often irreparable complications. When diagnosing a disease, it is worthwhile to immediately begin treatment, which can alleviate the condition.
- Therapeutic procedures. In order to prevent diseases of the spine, rehabilitation therapists and therapists are advised to attend various therapeutic therapeutic procedures, namely: massage, spa procedures, remedial gymnastics, yoga.
Back pain attacks can occur in people at different ages and in a wide variety of circumstances, while significantly limiting a person's movement. In order to prevent the appearance of chilling pains, it is recommended to move more, take care of your health and do not forget about sports.