The human race pays for the ability to walk on two legs with back pain.If your back periodically hurts in the lower back, it could be a sign of extreme tiredness or the result of being in an uncomfortable position for too long while working or sleeping.But the reasons may be more serious.
Causes of pain
The lower back is one of the most painful areas.There are reasons for this:
- Osteochondrosis;
- Scoliosis;
- Disc herniation;
- Tumors;
- Infectious tissue lesions.
The nature and intensity of the pain depend on the disease.And it bothers you in different ways: after sleeping, exercising, overwork.For example, renal colic is constantly accompanied by lower back pain.And here the type of activity of the patient does not matter.
- Most often it hurts in the lower back due to osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine.The pain is of moderate intensity during sleep and intensifies with physical stress.Feeling tired all the time.The feeling of heaviness makes you want to lie down.But relief doesn't always come after that.
- If there is a herniated disc, severe pain occurs after sudden movements, lifting heavy objects or falling.
- If the hernia is compressed, a sharp pain appears, characterized as lumbodynia.Movement in the lower back is noticeably limited.Nerve root damage also causes leg pain.
- In old age, stenosis of the intervertebral canal occurs quite often.A sign of this is limping, numbness in the legs, especially after a long walk.
- Stiffness of the spine that occurs in the morning indicates the beginning of the development of ankylosing spondylitis.Initially, sharp pain sensations appear in the sacral region, then spread to the lumbar region.The feeling after sleep is not one of rest, but rather of tiredness, which passes with the beginning of physical activity.Young men are more susceptible to the disease.The disease is hereditary.Mainly the lower back hurts when lying down.
- Acute pain in the lower back also occurs with pyelonephritis (an inflammatory process in the kidneys).They are accompanied by an increase in body temperature and swelling in the morning after sleep.
- Often, older men develop a disease such as abdominal aortic aneurysm.Severe pain and throbbing in the abdomen are the result of pressure from the aorta on nearby organs.
- Lower back pain, fever, and burning along the nerve are signs of shingles.This viral disease affects cells in the spinal cord.A pink rash appears on the body and later blisters appear.
- Another widespread disease that many consider harmless is flat feet.A deformed foot increases the load on the spine when walking.During sleep, the pain decreases.
- If there are congenital changes in the vertebrae: irregular shape or changes in the fissure, sooner or later they will make themselves felt.
- Autoimmune pathologies, in particular multiple sclerosis, cause pain in different locations.Including low back pain.
There are other reasons why there is severe pain in the lower back.It can be osteoporosis, infections of the genitourinary system, hemorrhoids, tumor diseases, complications after viral or bacterial infections.And even physiological changes that affect women and occur during pregnancy and childbirth.
Pain caused by diseases of internal organs
When wondering why your back hurts in the lower back, it is sometimes difficult to believe that the reasons could also lie within the organs.The fact is that in some cases pain from internal organs is “referred” to the lower back.
- Right-sided pleurisy and pneumonia are the causes of pain in the right lower back.Associated symptoms: cough, shortness of breath, fever.Left-sided pleurisy sends pain signals to the left side of the lower back, which intensify when bending over or lying down during sleep.
- Gallstone disease also localizes sharp pains to the right, just above the lower back, and are accompanied by belching and nausea.They have a stabbing character.
- Pain in the lower back occurs due to pancreatitis.Its companions are nausea and vomiting.
- Severe pain under the left shoulder blade is often the result of a myocardial infarction.
- In men, prostate pathology causes pain in the region below the lower back, with a transition to the sacrum.In women - cystitis.
- Diseases of the distal digestive tract cause pain below the lower back.
Pain triggers
Factors such as:
- Hypothermia of the body.
- Intense physical activity.
- Certain sports (bodybuilding, bodybuilding, powerlifting, powerlifting).
- Muscle tension.
- Fracture.
- Menstrual cycle in women.
- Poor nutrition.
- Stress.
- Uncomfortable posture while sleeping.
Back pain in the lower back in children
New technologies have brought not only benefits to our world, but also harm.Why?Because love for the computer from an early age deprives children of full motor activity and creates incorrect postures.
Important: if you choose the right chair and table for your child to study, spinal curvature can be avoided!
Scoliosis can develop due to wearing a heavy backpack, flat feet or uncomfortable shoes.Be sure to treat it!Excessive physical activity and heavy lifting are contraindicated for children.When participating in a sports section, you need to be especially attentive to your child's complaints about back discomfort after training.It could be a herniated disc.Timely treatment will allow the child to live a full life.
Types of pain
The nature of pain is divided into the following types:
- Spasms in the long back muscles cause severe pain.This happens due to stretching.The problem is familiar to athletes and people whose specific professions involve stress on the back muscles.When lying down, the pain lessens a little.The main location is the lower back.
- Spinal injury, namely a fracture, is very dangerous.It can occur due to an unsuccessful fall or be a consequence of osteoporosis, Paget's disease, hyperparathyroidism.
- Displacement of the intervertebral discs causes pain as a result of compression of the nerve roots.For this reason, the patient's mobility is limited, sensitivity is impaired and the knee reflex is reduced.The danger of this disease is also that healthy vertebrae begin to hurt, which leads to disruptions in the functioning of internal organs and causes restless sleep.
- Facet joint syndrome causes back pain in 31% of cases.This degenerative process affects the capsule of the intervertebral joints and causes pain not only in the lower back, but also in the legs.The lower back hurts when sitting, leaning to the side or back, or standing for a long time.
- An inflammatory process of an infectious nature in the epidural space is a very serious and dangerous disease.It can be fatal if treatment is not started immediately.
Treatment
Seeing a doctor immediately when you experience back pain is key to successful treatment.Even if the pain only bothers you at night or after sleeping, there is a reason to see a specialist.
After analyzing the reasons, the doctor will give recommendations on how to treat and not get sick.The treatment will be comprehensive, using ointments, tablets, injections, massages and physiotherapy.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs come first in the treatment of low back pain:
- At the initial stage, literally in the first 3-5 days, treatment is carried out with injections to relieve pain and inflammation.They act quickly, effectively relieving acute pain by directly injecting the medication into the blood or muscle.
- Then, anti-inflammatory and analgesic, chondroprotective and irritating tablets are used (in each specific case separately).
- Additionally, ointment treatment is used.A properly selected ointment helps to relieve inflammation in the affected area and also warms it (if necessary).
Reflex muscle tension is relieved with the help of muscle relaxants.With their help, pain is treated and mobility is restored.Apply for 3 to 7 days.
Group B vitamin preparations are a necessary addition to the main therapy.
In some cases, a drug block is necessary.The anesthetic is administered epidurally or paravertebrally.Used for degenerative changes in the spine.
Physiotherapy treatment:
- UHF;
- Electrophoresis;
- Magnetotherapy.
Massage relieves acute pain by improving blood circulation.Kneading muscles has a beneficial effect on the elasticity and flexibility of ligaments.To increase the general tone of the body, and only with the permission of the attending physician, the massage is combined with a bath or sauna.You cannot keep warm during an infectious process!
Pain during pregnancy can be relieved by using a special bandage.
For patients with flat feet, the use of orthopedic insoles is mandatory.
Therapeutic exercise
Exercise is also a treatment.They strengthen the back muscles, improving posture, increasing muscle tone and increasing blood circulation.They are used not only in the complex of therapeutic therapy, but also to prevent pain in the lower back.As in the case of drug therapy, therapeutic exercises are prescribed individually in each case, analyzing the main causes of the disease.But we can highlight several general exercises, each of which is performed 5 to 10 times, preferably in the morning, avoiding overwork.
- While standing, lean your body alternately to the right, forward, back, and left.
- Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, turn your body to the sides.
- On all fours, do a “cat”: arching your back in the lower back.
- Lying on your back, bend your knees, arms along your body.Raise and lower your pelvis, gradually increasing the range of motion.
- Lying on your back, legs straight and arms at your sides.Alternately bend your knees and pull them towards your chest.
- On all fours, swing your legs alternately.
Whatever the reasons, only a specialist can determine why your back hurts, identify the “culprit” of the disease and prescribe the correct and effective treatment.As with any other disease, you should not self-medicate!Any medicine can not only treat, but also harm if chosen incorrectly.