Do you spend a lot of time sitting due to work or hobbies, or do you train a lot in the gym?Everything was fine before, but now you have frequent back and lower back pain?So maybe you should see a doctor for help?What causes back pain?Which doctor should I contact and how to deal with the sore?We will talk about this and much more later in the article.
What causes pain?
So, “What to do if your back hurts and what could be causing it?”Let's look at this issue in more detail.There may be more than enough reasons for this.The fact is that pain in the back and lower back can signal a number of diseases, both of the spine itself and of the internal organs.This is due to the fact that many nerve endings extend from the spinal column that surround all the internal organs.Therefore, based on the localization of pain in a particular area of the ridge, we can talk about some specific pathologies.
Causes
What does back pain mean and which doctor should you see for it?The causes of lower back pain can be both habits and diseases.The former include:
- Constant sedentary work.IT workers and drivers are at risk.
- Constant standing work.
- Intense and frequent physical activity.Athletes, especially weightlifters, are at risk.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Pregnant women and those who have recently given birth are in a separate risk group.
- Overweight.
As you can see, everything is simple with habits.As for the second case, pain in the lumbar region can often be caused by a disease.Here we can also distinguish diseases of the spine itself and diseases in which pain in the lumbar region is only a symptom.The former include osteochondrosis, spondyloarthrosis, intervertebral hernia and protrusion.
The second group includes the following possible causes of low back pain:
- Fracture of the spine due to trauma.
- Fracture caused by osteoporosis.
- A tumor located in the spinal canal.
- Prolonged muscular effort.
- Narrow structure of the spinal canal (quite rare).
- Various complications during pregnancy.
- Various arthritis, for example arthrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis.
- Spinal deformities, e.g. 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, which passes quickly and is a consequence of prolonged exercise, is the norm.But if the lower back hurts for quite a long time or the pain is periodic, then it manifests itself, then disappears, then you should sound the alarm.You should also go to the hospital immediately after a serious back injury.It should be understood that lower back pain can be accompanied by pain in the foot or lower leg.It is also possible that part of your leg or buttocks may become numb.In this case, you have something serious and should be examined as quickly as possible.
You are unlikely to be able to diagnose yourself, so you should go to the hospital, but which doctor should you go to?Some will say a chiropractor, while others will say a neurologist is more experienced.Both options are correct, however, it would be more correct to contact a neurologist, because he will be able to correctly prescribe and carry out the entire diagnostic process of the disease.And in this case, the cause will be identified more accurately and there is every chance to deal with it successfully.So, from the point of view of a neurologist, with low back pain, based on the intensity and strength of the pain, it is possible to approximately determine the cause of its occurrence.
Sharp pain
Acute low back pain in men and women is a consequence of a recent injury (fall, muscle strain, blow, sudden movements).Also, the cause may be prolonged working in an uncomfortable position or carrying and lifting heavy objects for a long time.And finally, don't forget about colds, due to hypothermia or prolonged exposure to drafts.Here you can easily treat back pain with folk remedies.
Separately, the most common include low back pain and displacement of the intervertebral discs.The first to suffer from the disease are people whose field of activity involves constant hard physical work, which is why back pain occurs in men.The disease is popularly called “low back pain”.It usually resolves on its own with rest or after a few days.However, it can easily last up to a month, so it requires at least some back pain treatment at home.
Sharp, severe pain in the lower back also occurs when the intervertebral discs are displaced.The disease can be caused by various injuries, heavy physical work or diseases such as osteochondrosis.You can no longer receive care at home here.Hospitalization and complete diagnosis are required.It could even involve surgery.
Strong pain
Severe pain differs from acute pain in that it lasts longer and is a consequence of some diseases associated with the musculoskeletal system.These include lumbosacral radiculitis and osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine.With them, you feel a shooting pain in the lower back while sneezing, coughing, sitting, walking, in a word, the back hurts during any movement.Additionally, the pain may radiate to the lower limbs and they may even become numb.Here it is no longer necessary to rush, but to fly to the attending physician for an examination.
Sore
As a rule, the back may hurt due to sudden strong tension in the spinal muscles.You can relieve lower back pain by simply resting for a couple of hours.But you shouldn't fly in the clouds, you need to be on the alert, because your back can hurt due to severe hypothermia.Therefore, the more you can develop a chronic disease, myositis, in which the psoas muscles become inflamed.In this case you need several days of rest and also knowing how to relieve the pain.
Chronic
Often caused by spondylosis deformans.The main symptoms of this disease are throbbing 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.
Moved
Such pain is not a consequence of a back disease, but the result of a disease of some organ included in the spinal region.This includes diseases of the pelvic organs of both the male and female half, as well as diseases of the colon, kidneys, pancreas and various types of tumors.
How is the treatment carried out?
So, how to get rid of back pain?First you should go to the hospital and make an appointment with a specialist for examination.After the examination, the attending physician should send you for 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.Today, a more advanced method is used, called myelography.
This method allows you to examine in detail the paths leading to the spinal cord.Identifies all pathologies in the presence of decreased patency of the passages.It is worth knowing that before the x-ray, through a syringe, a xenon substance will be injected into the spinal cord, which will highlight everything in the image.This method is quite expensive, but very effective and almost always helps to find out why your back hurts.Additionally, MRI, ultrasound, ECG and CT may be prescribed.In further cases, other tests, such as a complete blood count, etc., may be necessary.
Drug
In most cases, medications are an excellent treatment option for lower back pain.It is aimed at relieving pain, eliminating and further preventing inflammatory processes, improving blood circulation and regenerating damaged tissues.Therefore, after learning why the lower back hurts, we can get a general picture of how to treat lower back pain.
Conventionally, the entire treatment can be divided into 3 phases, namely: the beginning of the treatment, the treatment itself and the end of the therapy.At each stage, drugs can be administered both in the form of droppers and in the form of blocks and injections.Treatment of back pain in the first stage should eliminate the pain itself, reduce swelling and inflammation, relieve spasms and relax the muscles.In the second stage, it is necessary to completely eliminate the cause of the disease.Here the treatment is mainly carried out locally.Ointments and compress mixtures are used.Additionally, it is recommended to undergo physical therapy.
The third phase consists of injections that increase the regeneration of damaged tissues and nourish them with all the necessary components.In this way the full functionality of the segment is restored.At all stages, the choice of drugs and therapy depends on the diagnosis and the choice of the doctor.Self-medication is strictly not recommended.
Physiotherapy
Once the exact cause of the pain is identified, treatment can be done using physiotherapeutic methods.Based on their cause, the following treatment methods can be distinguished:
- Ultrasound.
- Laser therapy.
- Exposure to electric current, etc.
Physical therapy is more focused on treating back pain in the early stages.In the later stages of the disease it can be recommended as an auxiliary treatment method.The therapy you need is prescribed only by the attending physician after the examination.
Surgery
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 gets worse over time and you categorically refuse to consult a doctor, then this method of treatment is also possible.In this case, most likely, general anesthesia will be used, where a lytic mixture is used, in order to completely immobilize the patient.The surgical plan itself will be developed by the surgeon based on the diagnostic data.
Traditional methods
To the question “How to relieve back pain?”Traditional medicine can also respond.Here, depending on the severity of the pain symptoms, various ointments, lotions, etc. can be used.homemade.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, not knowing the root cause of pain can significantly aggravate 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 with a paper towel on top and a scarf is tied around the entire lower back.This compress perfectly eliminates pain symptoms and removes muscle spasms.
- When your back hurts, warm compresses from an infusion prepared from a mixture of injury medicines 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 during the night.An identical compress is prepared from an infusion of dried burdock leaves.
- Another folk remedy is based on the healing properties of horse chestnut.First you need to grind the chestnut into powder.It is then mixed with camphor oil and melted lard.The ingredients are supplied in approximately the same quantities.The resulting ointment is spread on a slice of black bread and applied to the sore back as a compress.This product can improve blood circulation and has nutritional and anti-inflammatory properties.
But remember, no matter how effective the folk remedy is, you still need to consult a doctor.After all, self-medication is always done at your own risk.Furthermore, it is possible that medical procedures bring only short-term relief, after which the pain will increase significantly.
Prevention
When your back hurts in the lumbar region, it's too late for prevention.But in order not to face such a problem as long as possible, it is necessary to think about how to prevent it and what leads to it?It has already been described above that people who lead a sedentary or sedentary lifestyle, athletes, especially weight lifters and overweight people, are at risk.
Accordingly, the best prevention of the disease would be mandatory morning physical exercise, sports, therapeutic exercises, reducing the load on the back, massage, nutrition control, etc.Additionally, scheduled periodic checkups with your doctor will help you get rid of what may be causing your back pain.
Emergency room
What to do if your lower back hurts a lot and the way to the hospital is long?How to quickly relieve back pain so you can wait for the doctor?To do this you need to know some first aid techniques.Of course, they will not have a therapeutic effect, but they will help to cope with 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 added comfort, place a pillow or folded blanket under your raised legs.
- We take the usual dose of the painkiller or anti-inflammatory we have.
- We lie down and try not to make sudden movements.
- While carrying out the procedures, do not forget to call a doctor at home.
- 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.
- During and after treatment, try to avoid spicy and smoked foods.