Recurrent or persistent back pain affects about 80% of the world's population. The problem occurs more often in women. The symptom is called back pain. It is so common due to the constant high pressure in the lumbar spine. It faces pressure from 50 kg (lying down) to 220 kg if the person is sitting. The problem indicates a lifestyle bias or serious illness. With age, it worsens and can lead to the patient's disability.
Physiological causes for pain
Discomfort in the form of pain is the body's defensive reaction. It thus reacts to various "abnormal" processes within, which doctors call pathologies. The body aches in an uncomfortable position and after physical exercise, telling the brain that it is difficult for it to complete the tasks.
An awkward position
Low back pain accompanies prolonged discomfort. The problem worries drivers and office workers, as they spend a lot of time sitting when the lower back is exposed to maximum stress. A person has back pain from fatigue. If he does something for a long time in a bent position.
The back hurts after sleep if the sleeping area is not well equipped. For example, the surface of the bed is too hard or too soft to provide adequate support for spine relaxation and muscle quality.
Increased loads
Muscles and ligaments can damage the back. They support the spine in a stable position and are stressed with intense physical effort. The conditions for the onset of pain arise with sudden movements, accompanied by muscle tension in the lumbar region. This happens if a person carries weights, pulls heavy objects, lifts them up and down (bending "in half").
Muscles can also be stretched during exercise. If a person exercises a lot, his ligaments need time to heal. If there is no good rest, they wear out or become inflamed, which is signaled by the nervous system with pain.
Pain in the back of women
The problem of low back pain is very common in women, as the beautiful half of humanity experiences them regularly under certain conditions. Menstrual abdominal pain is often accompanied by discomfort in the lower back and sacrum. This is not related to increased stress, but is a consequence of the production of prostaglandins (pain mediators). Before and during menstruation, the composition of mediators causes hormonal changes
in the female body.
The lower back of girls hurts when carrying a child (in 95% of pregnant women). It is not only the spine that experiences great stress outside of pregnancy. The pressure on the lower back increases many times as the woman's weight increases. Additional loads are created by the pregnant belly. Pulls the mother-to-be's body forward, changing the axial load distribution. As a result, the woman's gait changes, back pain appears, the intensity of which increases with the duration of pregnancy. The loads increase in any position of the expectant mother, therefore, a good rest, lying on a quality mattress is extremely important for the relief of the woman's condition.
Weakness
Suffering often occurs in people who do not play sports or lift heavy objects at all. The reason for this is the weakening of the muscular device. The muscles of the back must be strong to properly support the spine and relieve stress from it. If this does not happen, the bone and cartilage tissue wears out faster, which is accompanied by pain.
Structural anomalies
The spine is formed by a skeleton of bone tissue - the vertebrae. Between them there are soft "layers" of cartilage tissue - vertebral discs. The vertebrae provide strength and stability, cartilage - flexibility and elasticity of the spine. The main building blocks are concave in the center. The canal is filled with spinal cord. All components are surrounded by blood vessels, nerve fibers. Pathologies in any element of the lumbar spine cause back pain.
Osteochondrosis
The disease develops when the discs of the intervertebral cartilage reach. Due to heavy loads, the lumbar discs are very often damaged. The most common causes of severe back pain are the protrusion (subsidence) and hernias (damage and protrusion of the contents) of the discs, in which the nerve roots of the spine are stung. Osteochondrosis affects people over 35 years of age. The disease is particularly common in the elderly.
Wound
The lumbar spine is considered the strongest because it is the main "axis" for the whole human body. However, with falls and sudden movements, the vertebrae of this incision are injured more often. Most of the fractures and bruises of the spine are located just below the back.
Vascular damage
The vessels provide nutrition to all the tissues of the spine. If their lumen narrows or overlaps, the nutritional processes in the spine deteriorate radically. As a result, inflammation occurs, which is always manifested by pain.
Nerve trapping
Nerve fibers can be damaged due to damage to cartilage and vertebrae in the case of infectious diseases. Any pathology of the nerves is accompanied by intense intake and sometimes unbearable back pain.
Bone disorders
Osteoporosis leads to calcium leaching and bone fragility. If the spinal tissue is depleted, there is an increased risk of serious back injury. In addition, osteoporosis can change the shape of the bones of the spine and increase the pressure on the nerve roots.
Another cause of pain is tumors in the vertebrae. The most common type is hemangiomas. These benign tumors develop asymptomatically for a long time, but when the tumor becomes very large and extends beyond the vertebra, the patient experiences severe pain.
Inflammatory processes
Arthritis can affect any joints in the body. Inflammation leads to joint damage and pain. It can be caused by advanced and chronic infectious diseases. Another cause of arthritis is autoimmune damage to connective tissue.
Internal problems
The lower back can be damaged not only due to pathologies of the spine. Painful sensations associated with pathologies of internal organs or certain systemic diseases can be given to the lumbar region.
Internal organs
Back pain is associated with kidney damage. Renal colic is accompanied by intense and intense pain on one or both sides of the back. It is most often felt just below the ribs on the back of the body.
Lumbar discomfort often occurs in the context of intestinal diseases, with inflammation of the pelvic organs (bladder, prostate - in men, ovaries and uterus - in women).
Systemic pathologies
Psoriasis and ankylosing spondylitis lead to low back pain. With these diseases, violations in the structure of connective tissue (cartilage) are observed. It loses its elasticity and therefore often inflammation. Over time, significant joint dysfunction occurs and the nerve endings are in constant compression (weakened). With ankylosing spondylitis, the intervertebral spaces "harden".
Low back pain can cause shingles. Rash with this disease occurs on the shoulders, on the sides, but more often - on the lateral surfaces of the trunk in the lumbar region. The first pains appear before significant changes in the skin. When a blistering rash appears, the discomfort intensifies, complete with itching. Even after the spots disappear completely, a person still has severe pain along the inflamed nerves. They can bother the patient for several months.
Tumors
Malignant lesions of the spinal cord and bones do not initially change the patient's condition. As the tumor grows and the atypical cells spread to the structure of organs and tissues, changes occur that affect the nerves. This is manifested by severe pain. The discomfort in the lower back is felt not only with lesions of the lumbar spine, but also if the tumor develops in the internal organs, which are innervated by the nerve ganglia from this part.
Nervous disorders
Lower back pain can be a ghost (in other words, it was invented by the patient himself). This is the case with psychotic disorders. The soul does not function properly in the context of shock, stress, prolonged psycho-emotional stress. Suffering can occur if a person instills his illness, suffers from overwork. Such signs appear for the first time after depression or nerve damage and can bother the patient for many years.
How to get rid of low back pain
If unpleasant sensations appear in the lower back, the patient should rest completely, to reduce the intensity of the load. As a rule, after a good rest, the discomfort subsides or disappears completely. This is a typical symptom of pain caused by an inappropriate lifestyle, poor quality of rest. If the pain persists, you should consider a visit to the doctor.
The nature of back pain is diagnosed by traumatologists, vertebrates, orthopedists. You can contact any of the experts listed. During the first consultation, the doctor will interview the patient, examine him, perform various tests (check the sensitivity of the nerves, the condition of the muscles). If the diagnosis cannot be made based on the information obtained, an additional examination will be scheduled. An x-ray is prescribed to assess the condition of the bone tissue. The structure of cartilage, nerves, the condition of blood vessels and the spinal cord can be assessed by magnetic resonance imaging. If the doctor suspects systemic disease, the patient is prescribed laboratory diagnostics (general and biochemical blood and urine tests). Only after proper diagnosis will the specialist prescribe the treatment.
Medication
The list of drugs depends entirely on the diagnosis. To quickly eliminate the symptoms, the patient will be prescribed a short course of pain relief (usually by the NSAID group). With strong inflammatory and autoimmune changes, glucocorticoid drugs are prescribed. For cartilage tissue diseases, chondroprotectants are recommended in injections or tablets. If the problem is with the muscles, muscle relaxants are recommended. To restore the work of the nerve endings, B vitamins are prescribed.
The main treatment is directed at the cause of the pain. If it is caused by diseases of the internal organs, the drug treatment will correct the disorders in the function of the kidneys, the gastrointestinal tract and the genitals. The symptoms will disappear as the underlying disease is eliminated. With unbearable pain, nerve block is performed (analgesics are injected directly into the nerve root zones).
External pain relievers (patches, ointments, gels) may be prescribed to enhance the action of the injections or tablets. Such drugs can be used independently, with recurrent back pain on a background of tension or increased stress. To relieve the condition, you can use pepper or menthol plaster. They can also be used without a prescription.
Procedures
For back pain, a specialist may recommend special treatments. These include acupuncture, electric physiotherapy, ultrasound, therapeutic ultraviolet rays. In some cases, physiotherapy and massage exercises are indicated. If the vertebrae are displaced, a chiropractor may need help to reposition the bone. Any procedures should be chosen together with a doctor. It is forbidden to undergo treatment in which they act directly on the spine, without diagnosing the disease. In this case, the procedures can not only be useless, but also harm the patient.
To avoid back pain, you need to monitor the health of your spine from an early age. It is important to do proper loads on the back (to lift sitting objects that do not bend, push heavy objects and do not pull them towards you) You should do moderate physical activity and choose exercises with a trainer. It is also important to treat infectious diseases in a timely manner, to avoid stress, to take any medication reasonably and in accordance with the doctor's instructions.