Lower back pain is a companion of about a quarter of the country's population, manifests itself once or becomes a habitual phenomenon and accompanies a person for almost a lifetime. Back pain is common in men and women between the ages of 35 and 45.
In recent years it has become more and more common in adolescents and children due to lack of exercise, malnutrition, obesity, constant stress, low back pain syndrome. As a result, many people are increasingly preoccupied with the question of what to do when the lower back is painful.
Back pain
Lower back pain can be dull, lower back pain, stinging, and girdle pain can also occur. They can appear on the left or right side of the body, disappear without a trace, or keep returning and affect a person's quality of life and physical activity. Patients complain of severe lower back pain. It is important for the doctor to understand why the lower back is aching and for the patient to receive quality treatment.
Causes of back pain lower
Sometimes severe lower back pain can be caused by excessive physical exertion. Working in the countryside, overexertion in the gym, carrying heavy weights, a sedentary lifestyle provoke the process when the lower back hurts. However, the pain usually disappears after a few days. However, if relief does not set in, it is important to see a doctor to find out the causes of low back pain.
Common causes
Back pain in the lumbar region can have various causes. Pain can be caused by congenital diseases of the spine, malignant or benign tumors of the pelvic organs, infectious processes. Doctors have enough facts to explain why the back hurts in the lumbar region. The causes of pain are as follows:
- Acute or chronic spasm of the back muscles.
- Protrusion (bulging of the intervertebral disc) and herniated disc.
- Osteochondrosis (degenerative damage to the joints or intervertebral discs), spondylosis (deformation, increase in bone tissue in the vertebrae), osteoarthritis (damage to the joints due to metabolic disorders).
- Ankylosing spondylitis (a chronic condition that immobilizes the spine).
In men and women, the most common pathology is osteochondrosis, in which there is a curvature of the spine, compression of the roots of the spinal cord, and severe pain in the lumbar spine.
One of the well-known syndromes is lumbago - lumbago, in which the lower back or sacrum is very painful.
In the lumbar area, the pain is often pulsating, tearing, lasting several minutes, but sometimes several hours or days, and suddenly disappears.
Dull, sore, radiating from under the ribs, associated with stretching of the kidney capsule, pain is characteristic of kidney diseases. This can be acute pyelonephritis (an inflammatory process that affects the tube system of the kidneys) or a blockage of the ureter with stones (stones).
Retreating pains develop with constant allergic syndrome, hormonal imbalance, tuberculosis. In this case, the vertebrae are destroyed.
Lower back pain radiating to the right may be symptoms of diseases of the pancreas, duodenum, stomach ulcer, aneurysms (widening) of the abdominal artery. With phlebitis (inflammation of the walls of the venous vessels), proctitis (inflammation of the rectum), there is also pain in the lower back. Appendicitis or cholecystitis is characterized by pain radiating to the right side of the lower back.
Girdle pain in the lower back can be caused by several types of herpes. Often the virus manifests itself not in a rash, but in pain, severe pain. To find out what drugs to treat and how to treat pain, you need to contact an infectious disease specialist for advice on taking antiviral drugs. Girdle pain in the lower back is also associated with inflammation of the peritoneum, osteochondrosis, sciatica, and myositis.
Among women
Low back pain in women has various causes. The most important are pregnancy, menopause, kidney disease, digestive system disorders, osteochondrosis or hernia of the spine. Such lower back pain not only causes discomfort, but can also disrupt the menstrual cycle and lead to infertility.
Back pain occurs with gynecological problems. These can be inflammatory diseases of the female genital organs, endometriosis (abnormal proliferation of the uterine epithelium), cysts on the ovaries, polyps, fibroids or other formations in the uterine cavity.
Only a specialist can determine what is causing a woman's lower back pain. Therefore, you don't have to decide for yourself what to do when your lower back hurts. First of all, you need to see a gynecologist.
Women often experience lower back pain on critical days. The reasons are a temporary change in the hormonal background, an increase in the amount of estrogen, which increases the sensitivity of the body, water retention, an increase in the load on the spine, physiological contractions of the walls of the uterus.
Lower back pain during pregnancy occurs in almost every woman, but it often does not require treatment. Lumbar spine pain is associated with an increase in a pregnant woman's body weight and pressure on the spine, hormonal changes in the body, a slight shift in the center of gravity and a weakening of the muscle-ligament system of the lower abdomen.
Sometimes women complain of back pain after giving birth. Experts say that postpartum causes of back pain occur after microtraumas of the musculoskeletal system and joints of the spine.
Spinal instability is another problem for women of all ages, even those who are slightly overweight. Another common cause is damage to the intervertebral discs or joints.
Physical activity, prolonged standing in an upright position cause pain in the spine, lower back pain, difficult extension of the body, a desire to lie down and rest as soon as possible. Osteoporosis can develop in the postmenopausal period.
In men
Occupational activities that involve excessive physical exertion, awkward postures, and working in the cold can cause periodic back pain in men. The cause of pain radiating to the lumbar region or groin may be inflammation of the epididymis - inflammation of the testicles, which manifests itself as swelling of the scrotum and a fever. With prostatitis, which is inflammation of the bladder, a man worries about dull pain in the left side of the back.
Lower back pain in men over 40 is often caused by a slipped disc. It is characterized by back pain when coughing, sneezing, difficulty bending and straightening the back. Lower back pain worsens when the patient is upright, so these patients tend to lie down more quickly. A neglected hernia and lower back pain sometimes require surgery.
The listed specific diseases of men and other pathologies in which the lower back is constantly aching should not be treated without medical supervision. Self-medication can lead to an exacerbation and complication of the pathological process and lead to disability. Treatment of the lumbar spine may only be carried out by certified specialists.
Diagnosis of diseases
If the exact cause of the pain is still unknown, diagnostic measures should begin with a visit to the therapist. Treatment of low back pain should be started after an accurate diagnosis, which is carried out after a full examination. The survey includes:
- Study of anamnesis (questioning the patient about the disease)
- visual inspection of painful points;
- Blood and urine tests (general and biochemical);
- Ultrasound examination (ultrasound);
- X-ray examination of the spine;
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI);
- Computed Tomography (CT).
Since pain in the lumbar region has not only neurological but also somatic causes, the patient should be examined by a neurologist, vertebrologist, therapist and nephrologist. Women should definitely be examined by a gynecologist if they have lower back pain, men should see a urologist.
Back pain treatment
After correctly diagnosing lower back pain, the specialist will prescribe specific treatment for this pathology, which is aimed at eliminating the causes of the disease.
If your back hurts, you should not look for the answer to the question of how to relieve back pain from neighbors, acquaintances on the Internet. Lower back pain has different causes, so treatment for each disease is individual. Only a doctor can cure a patient and remove pain.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed for back pain relief. These drugs have a negative effect on the lining of the stomach, so they must be taken with drugs that reduce acidity and protect the stomach wall from damage. If there is pain, you can use the appropriate ointments or gels as directed by a doctor.
Since pain in the spine and lower back have different causes, only specialists can prescribe appropriate treatment for the lower back. Therefore, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible and not self-medicate. Only a doctor can determine why the lower back hurts and how to get rid of back pain.
At home, treatment of back pain can only be carried out after an examination and medical examination, otherwise there may be incurable complications.
If the lower back hurts, then treatment can be complex, that is, you can use both traditional and folk methods.
prophylaxis
It is better to prevent back pain, then you don't have to look for an answer to the question of how to treat low back pain. Prevention rules are simple but effective. The main thing is not to forget to carry them out.
According to statistics, more than 25-30% of people have experienced this condition when their back hurts. Preventively planned monitoring of the state of health, timely access to a doctor allows you to identify the onset of pathology, diagnose why the spine hurts in the lumbar region, why the lumbar spine pulls.
Morning exercise, jogging, brisk walking, fitness training, swimming are the most important physical activities for the spinal and back muscles. At least 20-30 minutes a day without excessive stress and strain will help strengthen muscle tissue.
To reduce the load on the spine, you need to adjust your body weight. Obesity and lack of exercise are enemies of the spine.
In order to properly reduce body weight, you can not get carried away with diets on the Internet. It is better to consult a nutritionist or doctor for advice on diet and maintaining water-salt balance.
Regular medical examinations are important to prevent lower back pain. Women need to see a gynecologist every year, men - a urologist. Many diseases of the spine begin in childhood.
Parents need to closely monitor the child's health, teach him to play sports, have active children's games and correct posture. School-age children must undergo a routine medical examination every year before the start of the school year.
When the lower back hurts, a positive attitude, belief in success and compliance with all the prescriptions of specialists can relieve pain or completely eliminate it, lead a full-fledged lifestyle.