Lower back pain accompanies about a quarter of the country's population, manifests itself once or becomes a common phenomenon and accompanies a person for almost a lifetime. Lower back pain often worries men and women over the age of 35-45.
In recent years, due to physical inactivity, malnutrition, overweight, constant stress, lower back pain syndrome has become increasingly common in adolescents and children. Therefore, many people are increasingly concerned about what to do if their lower back hurts.
Back pain
Lower back pain can be dull, and there may be pain, cracking, and lower back pain. They can appear on the left or right side of the body, disappear without a trace or return constantly, impairing a person’s quality of life and physical activity. Patients complain of severe lower back pain. It is important for the doctor to determine why the lower back is hurting and for the patient to receive quality treatment.
Causes of lower back pain
Sometimes severe lower back pain can be caused by excessive physical exertion. Working in the country, excessive workload in the gym, carrying heavy loads, sedentary lifestyle provoke the process when the lower back hurts. However, the pain usually disappears after a few days. But if relief doesn’t come, be sure to see a doctor to find out the causes of lower back pain.
Common causes
Back pain in the lumbar region can have a variety of causes. Pain can be caused by congenital diseases of the spine, malignant or benign tumors of the pelvic organs, infectious processes. Doctors have a sufficient number of facts that explain why the back hurts in the lumbar region. There are the following causes of pain:
- Acute or chronic spasm of the back muscles.
- Protrusion (protrusion of the intervertebral disc) and hernia of the intervertebral discs.
- Osteochondrosis (degenerative damage to the joints or intervertebral discs), spondylosis (deformation, proliferation of the bone tissue of the vertebrae), arthrosis (damage to the joints caused by metabolic disorders).
- Ankylosing spondylitis (a chronic disease that immobilizes the spine).
In men and women, the most common pathology is osteochondrosis, in which there is a curvature of the spinal column, compression of the spinal cord roots and severe pain in the lumbar spine.
One of the known syndromes is lumbago - lumbago, in which the lower back or sacrum is very painful.
In the lumbar region, the pain is often pulsating, narrowing in nature, lasts for a few minutes, but sometimes for several hours or days and suddenly disappears.
Dull, painful, radiating below the ribs, associated with stretching of the renal capsule, the pain is characteristic of kidney disease. It can be acute pyelonephritis (an inflammatory process that affects the tubular system of the kidneys) or obstruction of the ureter by stones.
Withdrawal pain develops with persistent allergic syndrome, hormonal imbalance, tuberculosis. In this case, the vertebrae are destroyed.
Pain in the lower back, radiating to the right, can be symptoms of diseases of the pancreas, duodenum, gastric ulcer, aneurysms (expansion) of the abdominal aorta. In phlebitis (inflammation of the walls of the venous vessels), proctitis (inflammation of the rectum), pain in the lower back. Appendicitis or cholecystitis is characterized by pain radiating to the right side of the lower back.
Low back pain can be caused by different types of herpes. Often the virus is not manifested by a rash, but by pain, severe pain. To find out what medications and how to treat pain, you need to contact an infectious disease specialist to advise on taking antiviral medications. Lower back pain also accompanies peritoneal inflammation, osteochondrosis, sciatica, and myositis.
Among women
Low back pain in women occurs for a variety of reasons. The main ones are pregnancy, menopause, kidney diseases, disorders of the digestive system, osteochondrosis or spinal hernia. Such lower back pain not only causes discomfort, but can disrupt the menstrual cycle and lead to infertility.
Withdrawal of back pain occurs with gynecological problems. These can be inflammatory diseases of the female genital organs, endometriosis (abnormal proliferation of the uterine epithelium), ovarian cysts, polyps, fibroids or other formations in the uterine cavity.
Only a specialist is able to determine what causes a woman's lower back pain. Therefore, you do not need to decide for yourself what to do if your lower back hurts. First of all, you need to visit a gynecologist.
Women often have lower back pain during critical days. The reasons are a temporary change in the hormonal background, an increase in the amount of estrogen that increases the sensitivity of the body, water retention, an increase in the load on the spine, physiological contractions of the uterine walls.
Low back pain during pregnancy occurs in almost every woman, but often does not require treatment. Pain in the lumbar spine is associated with an increase in body weight of the pregnant woman and pressure on the spine, hormonal changes in the body, a slight shift in the center of gravity and weakening of the musculoskeletal system of the lower abdomen.
Sometimes women complain of back pain after childbirth. Experts say that the postpartum causes of back pain appear after microtrauma of the musculoskeletal system and joints of the spine.
Spinal instability is another problem for women of any age, even with a mild degree of obesity. Another common cause is damage to the intervertebral discs or joints.
Physical activity, prolonged standing in an upright position cause pain in the spine, pain in the lower back, difficulty expanding the body, the desire to lie down and rest as soon as possible. Osteoporosis may develop in the postmenopausal period.
In men
Occupational activities associated with excessive physical exertion, uncomfortable posture, and working in the cold can lead to recurrent back pain in men. The culprit for pain that radiates to the lumbar region or groin can be epididymitis - inflammation of the testicles, which is manifested by swelling of the scrotum and fever. With prostatitis, an inflammation of the bladder, a man is worried about dull pain in the left side of his back.
Lower back pain in men over the age of 40 is often caused by herniated discs. It is characterized by back pain when coughing, sneezing, difficulty bending and spreading the back. Lower back pain worsens with an upright position, so these patients tend to lie down faster. Neglected hernia and lower back pain sometimes require surgery.
These specific male diseases and other pathologies, in which the lower back constantly hurts, should not be treated without medical supervision. Self-medication can lead to exacerbation and complications of the pathological process and lead to disability. Treatment of the lumbar spine can be performed only by authorized experts.
Diagnosis of the disease
If the exact cause of the pain is still unknown, then diagnostic measures should begin with a visit to a therapist. Treatment of low back pain should begin after an accurate diagnosis is made, which is performed after a complete examination. The survey includes:
- study of anamnesis (examination of the patient about the disease);
- visual inspection of sore spots;
- 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 is caused not only by neurological but also somatic reasons, the patient should be examined by a neurologist, vertebrologist, therapist and nephrologist. If they have lower back pain, women are required to see a gynecologist, and men should visit a urologist.
Treatment of low back pain
After the correct diagnosis of low back pain, the specialist prescribes a specific treatment for this pathology, which aims to eliminate the cause of the disease.
If you have back pain, you should not look for an answer to the question of how to alleviate lower back pain from neighbors, acquaintances, on the Internet. Low back pain has different causes, so the treatment of each disease is individual. Only a doctor knows how to cure a patient and how to remove the pain.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed to relieve low back pain. These drugs have a negative effect on the gastric mucosa, so they must be taken together with drugs that reduce acidity and protect the stomach wall from damage. For pain, according to the doctor's instructions, you can use appropriate ointments or gels.
Since the pain in the spine and lower back is caused by various reasons, only specialists can prescribe the appropriate treatment for the lower back. Therefore, as soon as possible, you need to see a doctor, not self-medicate. Only a doctor can determine why your lower back hurts and how to get rid of lower back pain.
At home, the treatment of back pain can be carried out only after examination and medical examination, otherwise incurable complications can occur.
If the lower back hurts, then the treatment can be complex, that is, you can use both traditional and folk methods.
Prophylaxis
It is better to prevent back pain, then you do not have to look for an answer to the question of how to treat lower back pain. The rules of prevention are simple but effective. The main thing is not to forget to perform them.
According to statistics, more than 25-30% of people have experienced this condition when their back hurts. Preventively planned monitoring of the health condition, timely access to a doctor enables you to recognize the initial pathology, diagnose why the spine hurts in the lumbar region, why lumbar pulls.
Morning exercises, running, brisk walking, exercising in the gym, swimming are the main physical activities needed for the muscles of the spine and back. At least 20-30 minutes a day, without strong stress, overload, will help strengthen muscle tissue.
To reduce stress on the spine, you need to adjust your body weight. Overweight, physical inactivity are the enemies of the spine.
To lose weight properly, you can't get carried away with diets found on the Internet. It is better to consult a dietitian or doctor for advice on diet and maintaining water and salt balance.
Routine medical examinations are important to prevent back pain in the lumbar region. Women must visit a gynecologist every year, and men a urologist. Many spinal diseases begin in childhood.
Parents should carefully monitor their child's health, teach him to exercise, active children's games and correct posture. School-age children must undergo a routine medical examination each year before the start of the school year.
If the lower back hurts, a positive attitude, faith in success, compliance with all the regulations of experts allows to reduce or completely eliminate pain, lead a full life.