When a person has constant or acute back pain in the lumbar region, it is very difficult to do something. It is an exhausting and debilitating feeling that leads to irritability and anger. And there can be many reasons for the pain. They are far from always associated with joint or bone pathologies, but they can indicate abnormalities in internal organs. Particularly attentive to such sensations should be women whose lower back pain is often associated with dangerous gynecological pathologies.
Causes and nature of pain
Despite the fact that there are primary reasons for each type of pain, the nature of the sensations may not always indicate 100% of a particular disease. Violations in the human body can be masked by several signs.
Low back pain is characterized by the following features:
- Acute discomfort. The patient has difficulty moving, the symptoms appear suddenly, radiate to the lower limbs. Acute pain is typical for injuries, compression of the vertebrae, for bone diseases, for example, with tumors, Cushing's syndromes and multiple myeloma. The displacement of the vertebrae is also accompanied by acute pain.
- It's a dull pain. It mainly develops with muscle spasms, herniated spine, radiculitis and osteochondrosis. But it can occur with pathologies of the genitourinary system, kidneys, intestines and other organs. Radiculitis is divided into 2 diseases: low back pain with displacement of the vertebrae and sciatica, in which nerve endings are affected and low back pain occurs. Most often, aching pains appear with kidney pathologies.
- Periodic pains of a different nature. They arise mainly against the background of excessive physical exertion, especially with prolonged inactivity and the absence of warm-up before playing sports. At the same time, periodic pains can be reflected and radiated if associated with organs.
- Constant pain. They are mainly associated with varicose veins and other vascular pathologies, muscular dystrophy, degenerative diseases of the bones and cartilage, as well as inflammation of these elements. Getting rid of persistent symptoms is extremely difficult.
- Shooting pains. Sharp, sudden and very strong sensations, which are accompanied by prolonged and unpleasant pain after low back pain. They develop against the background of careless movements, excessive stress, as well as under the influence of such factors as hypothermia.
- Radiant pain. Mainly associated with diseases of the kidneys, pelvic organs, 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 testicles and prostate are often the cause, and in women - ectopic pregnancy, diseases of the uterus and ovaries, cysts.
With the location of pain predominantly on the right, abnormalities in the liver can be suspected.
Other reasons why your lower back hurts
Among the pathologies that lead to low back pain, we can also distinguish diseases in which the symptoms are ambiguous, they can be weak or acute, rare or permanent:
- osteochondrosis - refers to the degenerative forms of the disorder, in which the intervertebral disc becomes inflamed, loosening of the bone surface and damage to the nerve endings;
- protrusion 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 the muscles and skeleton;
- ankylosing spondylitis - a chronic autoimmune change in the joints of the spine, leading to loss of mobility;
- rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammation of the large and small joints, which has many reasons;
- 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, which compress nerve endings in the lumbar region.
The painful sensations can cause muscle spasms, leading to cold symptoms, as well as sprains caused by sudden injury or movement.
Characteristics of the causes in women and men
In women, painful and sometimes acute sensations may develop during ovulation in the middle of the cycle. These symptoms disappear quickly and do not cause severe discomfort. For some women, pain occurs after an abortion, which is recognized as very stressful for a woman's health. Lower back pain can persist for a long time and is often associated with inflammatory processes in the pelvic organs. This happens against the background of an inaccurate procedure and severe trauma to the walls of the uterus.
In women, low back pain can be caused by inflammation of the appendages and ovaries, intensively growing uterine fibroids, large cysts, as well as haemorrhages in the ovaries, endometritis and endometriosis. Sometimes such discomfort occurs during menopause, which is associated with a sharp change in hormonal balance.
In men, in addition to prostate cancer and prostatitis, back pain can appear with epididymitis - inflammation in the epididymis, but the main symptoms are localized in the groin area.
Diagnostic methods
Before undergoing diagnostics and prescribing treatment for lumbar spine, you need to visit an experienced specialist - a vertebrologist or orthopedist. But it is the vertebrologist who deals with diseases of the spine and knows everything about the effective treatment of these ailments.
After the examination, palpation, the collection of information about the patient, the doctor will prescribe several diagnostic methods:
- X-rays. With the help of 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. It reveals pathological changes in the discs, vertebrae and joints, as well as the surrounding soft tissues. MRI easily shows osteochondrosis and spondyloarthrosis even in the early stages.
- Myelography. A technique that uses a contrast agent, which helps detect vascular pathologies, tumors, as well as narrowing of the spinal canal, abscesses and other similar changes.
To exclude diseases of internal organs and identify inflammatory processes, urine and blood are also prescribed. Sometimes a diagnosis of the gastrointestinal tract is needed, including enzymes from the liver, pancreas, and stomach juice.
Diagnosis for back pain helps distinguish some diseases from others and allows you to choose the right treatment tactics. At home, from the symptoms alone, it is impossible to understand which disease leads to pain.
How to relieve low back pain
Regardless of the cause of the pain, the patient will be prescribed drugs from the following groups to relieve unpleasant symptoms (at the doctor's choice):
- Analgesics. They do not help all patients and mainly act on weak sources of pain.
- NSAIDs. Powerful pain relievers, which are taken during the courses. They also have anti-inflammatory properties.
- Hormonal agents. Applied within 6-10 days, they include.
- Injections and blocks. Combined drugs are often used in combination with glucocorticosteroids and anesthetics.
- Muscle relaxants. They help with muscle spasms, as well as with osteochondrosis and other ailments when there is pain in the muscles.
- Topical products. Pain relievers, warming creams, gels and patches should also be used only when directed.
In some cases, especially in severe stages of joint or bone pathologies, several groups of drugs are used.
The doctor should prescribe drugs, especially complex ones such as glucocorticosteroids or hormone blockade. Only strict adherence to the instructions and recommendations, systematic and strict administration of drugs in the prescribed dosage will help to get rid of unpleasant sensations.
Features of treatment depending on the type of pain
For the treatment of low back pain to be effective, it is important to consider its nature. For every ailment and disease, pain can be of one nature or another.
Treatment of myofascial pain
This is the name of the pain associated with muscle strain or spasms. They develop against the background of excessive load, improper weight lifting and with the wrong approach to exercise. Myofascial pain can appear due to prolonged stay in an uncomfortable position, when carrying bags in one of the hands or on the shoulder. Sometimes this symptom occurs against the background of poor posture.
With spasms, violation of the spinal roots occurs, so the symptoms are similar to sciatica: burning in the thighs, lower legs, numbness in the limbs.
You can treat such pains with analgesics and NSAIDs in the form of ointments, injections, tablets, patches. Among the ointments, it is better to choose warming and irritating agents.
Sometimes myositis, which causes pain, is triggered by infections or toxins from worms. So it is necessary to drink antibiotics or anthelmintic drugs to defeat the cause of the pain. Warming compresses and ointments in this case are prohibited.
Crest diseases involving nerve endings
This category of diseases includes all disorders associated with dystrophic alterations and lesions, whether it is osteochondrosis or spondylolisthesis. Requires the following treatments:
- bed rest during seizures: it is necessary to lie down on a hard surface, placing a small roller under the knees;
- drug treatment - most often NSAIDs are used in the form of injections;
- irritating and distracting ointments, as well as pepper patches, mustard plasters and iodine nets;
- mud treatment and warming, as well as ozocerite are used during remission;
- spasms are relieved by vacuum massage and acupuncture.
With radicular syndrome, which is expressed in severe pain, it is necessary to use novocaine blockade or weak opiates, bed rest, dry or underwater traction of the lumbar spine, stimulation by electrophoresis and microcurrents.
Treatment for degenerative-inflammatory disorders
To eliminate back pain and low back pain in degenerative diseases (spondyloatrosis), bed rest with bending of the legs in the frog position is prescribed. In addition, non-steroidal drugs are used, with severe pain they are injected by injection. Muscle relaxants are used to relieve muscle tension. Most often, patients suffer from chronic fatigue and pain-induced depression and require antidepressant medications.
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. Cancer diseases require complex, long and complex treatment.
Prescription anticancer devices are mandatory, sometimes potent opioids are prescribed to patients. They also carry out therapies for the causes of cancer, for which hormonal drugs, chemotherapy toxins and targeted drugs can be used.
Cancer therapy is one of the most difficult and requires responsibility on the part of the patient and doctors. The use of chemotherapy drugs and radiotherapy can worsen the patient's condition for a long time. The main thing is not to give up at this time and remember that the detection of tumors up to stage 2 offers a very high chance of recovery. Even with stage 3 oncology, you can count on a successful fight against the disease.
Dangers and consequences of pain
If low back pain is not treated and ignored or if you try to suppress it with NSAIDs and other pain relievers, this can lead to dire consequences for the patient. Injuries are particularly dangerous in this regard, as damage to the vertebrae can lead to displacement, cracks and compression fractures. Other complications can also cause severe pain:
- the formation of chronic painful sensations, from which it is impossible to get rid of even when taking strong painkillers;
- diseases of the spinal cord and brain, extensive damage to the nervous system and paralysis;
- decreased sensitivity of the upper and lower limbs;
- a severe limitation of mobility;
- complications from internal organs up to paresis, fecal and urinary incontinence.
When the first symptoms of low back pain appear, it is important to undergo diagnostics to identify the causes of the discomfort.
Back pain prevention
The following prevention rules will help to avoid some diseases and discomforts:
- 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 permanence on upholstered furniture;
- if a person works for a long time in a sitting position, he should use the furniture recommended for this;
- to prevent many diseases, proper nutrition and the rejection of bad habits are required;
- it is necessary to correctly transfer the weights, distribute the weight on both hands and carefully, without jerking, lift a lot of weight.
Not a single person is immune from back pain. If the disease and pathological changes in the spine are detected in time, you can quickly and correctly get rid of them.