When a person suffers from constant or sharp back pain in the lumbar region, it is very difficult to do anything. It is an exhausting and debilitating feeling that leads to irritability and anger. And there can be a lot of reasons for the pain. They are far from always associated with joint or bone pathologies, but they can indicate abnormalities in internal organs. Women whose lower back pain is often associated with dangerous gynecological pathologies should be especially attentive to such sensations.
Causes and nature of pain
Despite the fact that there are main 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 different signs.
Low back pain is characterized by the following characteristics:
- Acute discomfort. The patient has difficulty moving, the symptoms appear suddenly, they radiate to the lower limbs. Acute pain is typical of injuries, compression of the vertebrae, bone diseases, for example, tumors, Cushing's syndromes and multiple myeloma. The displacement of the vertebrae is also accompanied by sharp pain.
- It's a dull pain. It mainly develops with muscle spasms, hernia of the 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: lumbago with displacement of the vertebrae and sciatica, in which the nerve endings are affected and lumbago occurs. Very often painful pains appear with kidney pathologies.
- Periodic pains of a different nature. They occur mainly against the background of excessive physical exertion, especially with prolonged inactivity and the absence of warming up before playing sports. At the same time, periodic pains can reflect and radiate if they are associated with organs.
- Constant pain. They are mainly associated with varicose veins and other vascular pathologies, muscular dystrophy, degenerative diseases of bones and cartilage, as well as inflammation of these elements. Getting rid of persistent symptoms is extremely difficult.
- Throbbing pains. Sharp, sudden and very strong sensations, which are accompanied by prolonged and unpleasant pain after lumbago. They develop against the background of careless movements, excessive stress, as well as under the influence of factors such as hypothermia.
- Radiating 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 testes and prostate are often the cause, and in women - ectopic pregnancy, diseases of the uterus and ovaries, cysts.
With the pain position predominantly on the right, liver abnormalities can be suspected.
Other reasons why the lower back hurts
Among the pathologies that lead to low back pain, there are also diseases whose symptoms are ambiguous, may be weak or acute, rare or permanent:
- osteochondrosis - refers to degenerative forms of the disease, in which the intervertebral disc becomes inflamed, loosening of the bone surface and damage to nerve endings;
- protrusion and intervertebral hernia are diseases that become 2-3 stages of osteochondrosis;
- scoliosis - a curvature of the spine to the left or to the 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, which results in loss of mobility;
- rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammation of the large and small joints for many reasons;
- bone infections, including bone tuberculosis, as well as infectious processes inside 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, resulting in freezing symptoms, as well as sprains from injury or sudden movement.
Features of causes in women and men
In women, tightness and sometimes sharp painful sensations can develop during ovulation in the middle of the cycle. These symptoms go away quickly and do not cause serious discomfort. For some women, the pain occurs after an abortion, which is known to be 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 occurs against the background of an improper 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 hemorrhages 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 may appear with epididymitis - inflammation of the epididymis, but the main symptoms are localized in the groin area.
Diagnostic methods
Before undergoing a diagnosis and prescribing treatment for lumbodynia of the lumbar spine, you need to consult an experienced specialist - a vertebrologist or an orthopedist. But it is the vertebrologist who deals with diseases of the spine and who knows all about the effective therapy of these disorders.
After examination, palpation, collection of information about the patient, the doctor will prescribe several diagnostic methods:
- X-ray. Using 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 the distance between the vertebrae to be measured.
- MRI of the spine. Reveals pathological changes in discs, vertebrae and joints, as well as in surrounding soft tissues. MRI easily shows osteochondrosis and spondylarthrosis, even in the early stages.
- Myelography. A technique using a contrast agent, which helps detect vascular pathologies, tumors, as well as spinal narrowing, 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 required, including the enzymes of the liver, pancreas, and gastric juice.
Diagnosing back pain helps distinguish some illnesses from others and allows you to choose the right treatment tactics. At home, by the symptoms alone, it is impossible to understand which disease causes pain.
How to relieve lower 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 choice of the doctor):
- Analgesics. They do not help all patients and work mainly on weak sources of pain.
- NSAIDs. Strong pain relievers, which are taken together. They also have anti-inflammatory properties.
- Hormonal agents. Applied within 6-10 days, they include.
- Injections and blockages. Combination drugs are often used in conjunction with glucocorticoids and anesthetics.
- Muscle relaxants. They help against muscle spasms, as well as osteochondrosis and other disorders when there is pain in the muscles.
- Topical products. Pain relievers, warming creams, gels, and patches should also be used only when indicated.
In some cases, especially in the severe stages of joint or bone pathologies, several groups of drugs are used.
The doctor should prescribe drugs, especially complex drugs such as glucocorticoids or hormone blocking. Only strict observance of the instructions and recommendations, systematic and strict administration of drugs in the prescribed dosage will help to get rid of unpleasant sensations.
Treatment characteristics according to the type of pain
For the treatment of low back pain to be effective, it is important to consider its nature. For every disorder and disease, the pain can be of one kind or another.
Treatment of myofascial pain
This is the name for the pain associated with stretching or spasms of the muscles. They develop against the background of excessive load, improper weight lifting and the wrong approach to exercise. Myofascial pain may appear due to prolonged stay in an uncomfortable position, when carrying bags in one of the hands or slung over the shoulder. Sometimes this symptom occurs against the background of poor posture.
With spasms, damage to the spinal roots occurs, so the symptoms are similar to sciatica: burning pain in the thighs, lower legs, numbness in the limbs.
You can treat this pain with pain relievers 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. Then you need to drink antibiotics or anthelmintic drugs to overcome the cause of the pain. Warming compresses and ointments in this case are prohibited.
Diseases of the ridge involving nerve endings
This category of diseases includes all disorders associated with dystrophic changes and injuries, whether it is osteochondrosis or spondylolisthesis. Requires the following treatments:
- bed rest during seizures - you need to lie down on a hard surface, putting a small roller under your knees;
- drug therapy - most often NSAIDs are used in the form of injections;
- irritating and distracting ointments, as well as pepper dressings, mustard dressings and iodine fillets;
- sludge processing and warming, as well as ozokerite are used during remission;
- spasms are relieved by vacuum massage and acupuncture.
With radicular syndrome, which is expressed by severe pain, one should use novocaine blockade or weak opiates, bed rest, dry or underwater traction of the lumbar spine, electrophoresis stimulation andmicro-currents are provided.
Treatment of degenerative-inflammatory disorders
To get rid of back pain and lower back in degenerative diseases (spondyloatrosis), bed rest is prescribed with bending of the legs in the frog position. In addition, non-steroidal drugs are used, with severe pain they are injected by injection. Muscle relaxants are used to relieve muscle tension. Very often, patients suffer from chronic fatigue and depression caused by pain and require antidepressant medication.
Treatment of tumor diseases
Benign and malignant tumors can be very different in nature: fatty lipomas, neuromas affecting the nerves, medullary hemangiomas, gliomas, osteosarcomas and chondrosarcomas. Tumor diseases require complex, long and complex treatment.
Prescription cancer devices are mandatory, sometimes strong opiates are prescribed to patients. They also perform therapies for the causes of tumors, for which hormonal drugs, chemotherapy toxins, and targeted drugs can be used.
The treatment of tumor diseases is one of the most difficult, requiring the responsibility of the patient and the doctors. The use of chemotherapy and radiation therapy drugs can worsen the patient's condition for a long time. The main thing is not to give up just yet and remember that detecting tumors up to stage 2 gives 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 attempted to suppress it with NSAIDs and other pain relievers, it can have dire consequences for the patient. Injury is 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, which it is impossible to get rid of even when taking strong pain relievers;
- diseases of the spinal cord and brain, severe damage to the nervous system and paralysis;
- decreased sensitivity of upper and lower limbs;
- a strong limitation of mobility;
- complication of internal organs up to paresis, faecal and urinary incontinence.
When the first symptoms of low back pain appear, it is important to make a diagnosis to identify the causes of the discomfort.
Prevention of back pain
The following prevention rules will help prevent certain illnesses and discomfort:
- moderate physical activity, daily gymnastics to strengthen the muscle corset and improve blood circulation;
- the use of hard surfaces for seating, the exclusion of a constant stay on upholstered furniture;
- if a person works for a long time in a sitting position, he should use the furniture recommended for this purpose;
- to prevent many diseases, correct nutrition and the rejection of bad habits are necessary;
- you need to properly transfer the weights, distribute the weight on both hands and carefully, smoothly, lift a lot of weight.
Not a single person is immune to back pain. If the disease and pathological changes in the spine are detected in time, you can get rid of them quickly and correctly.