If a person has permanent or acute back pain in the lumbar region, it is very difficult to do something. It is an exhausting, debilitating feeling that leads to irritability and anger. And there can be many causes for pain. These are by no means always associated with joint or bone pathologies, but may indicate disorders of the internal organs. Particular attention should be paid to such feelings in women whose back pain is often associated with dangerous gynecological pathologies.
Causes and nature of pain
Although there are primary causes of all types of pain, the nature of the feelings does not always indicate 100% of a given illness. Violation of the human body can be masked by various signs.
Low back pain is characterized by the following characteristics:
- Acute discomfort. The patient has difficulty moving, the symptoms appear suddenly and radiate to the lower extremities. Acute pain is characterized by injuries, compression of vertebrae, bone diseases such as tumors, Cushing's syndrome, and multiple myeloma. The movement of the vertebrae is also accompanied by acute pain.
- It's a dull pain. It mainly develops in muscle cramps, spinal hernia, radiculitis and osteochondrosis. But it can occur in pathologies of the urogenital system, kidneys, intestines, and other organs. Radiculitis is divided into 2 diseases: lumbago with dislocation of the vertebrae and sciatica, in which the nerve endings are affected, and lumbago occurs. Very often painful pains occur with renal pathologies.
- Periodic pains of a different nature. They occur mainly in the background of excessive physical exertion, especially in the case of prolonged inactivity and lack of warm-up before sports. However, intermittent pain can be reflected and radiated when connected to organs.
- Constant pain. They are mainly associated with varicose veins and other vascular pathologies, muscular dystrophy, bone and cartilage degenerative diseases, and inflammation of these elements. It is extremely difficult to get rid of persistent symptoms.
- Shot pains. Sharp, sudden, and very strong sensations accompanied by prolonged and unpleasant pain after lumbago. They develop under the influence of careless movements, excessive stress, and factors such as hypothermia.
- Radiant pain. It is mainly associated with diseases of the kidneys, pelvic organs and urogenital system. These can include colic, stones, and pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, including diseases of the gallbladder, ulcers, tumors, and pathologies of the pancreas. In men, it is often caused by diseases of the testes and prostate, and in women, ectopic pregnancy, diseases of the uterus and ovaries, and cysts.
Hepatic abnormalities may be suspected if the pain is predominantly to the right.
Other causes of lower back pain
Pathologies leading to low back pain include diseases in which the symptoms are unclear, mild or acute, rare or persistent:
- osteochondrosis - refers to degenerative forms of the disorder in which the intervertebral disc becomes inflamed, the bone surface is loosened and nerve endings are damaged;
- prominence and intervertebral hernia are diseases that become stages 2-3 of osteochondrosis;
- scoliosis - curvature of the spine to the left or right can cause very unpleasant sensations in the background of decreased muscle and skeletal function;
- ankylosing spondylitis - an autoimmune chronic lesion of the spinal joints leading to loss of mobility;
- Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammation of the small and large joints for a number of reasons;
- bone infections, including bone tuberculosis, and intra-organ infectious processes;
- inflammation of the pancreas, postoperative adhesions in the digestive tract, appendicitis, cholecystitis;
- pyelonephritis, kidney stones and colic;
- benign and malignant tumors of the organs, tissues, and bones that compress the nerve endings in the lumbar region.
Painful sensations can cause muscle cramps, which can lead to chills and sprains caused by injury or sudden movement.
Characteristics of causes in women and men
In women, pulling and sometimes acute painful feelings may develop during ovulation in the middle of the cycle. These symptoms go away quickly and do not cause severe discomfort. Some women experience pain after an abortion, which is recognized to be very stressful for a woman’s health. Lumbar pain can persist for a long time and is often associated with inflammatory processes in the pelvic organs. This is due to an inaccurate procedure and severe trauma to the uterine wall.
In women, low back pain can be caused by inflammation of the appendix and ovaries, intensely growing uterine fibroids, large cysts, and ovarian bleeding, 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 can also occur with epididymitis, but the main symptoms are localized in the lumbar region.
Diagnostic methods
Before diagnosing and prescribing treatment for lumbar spine lumbodynia, you should see an experienced professional - a vertebrologist or orthopedic specialist. However, spinal diseases are dealt with by a vertebrologist and he knows all about the effective treatment of these diseases.
After examination, palpation, and gathering information about the patient, the doctor prescribes a number of diagnostic methods:
- X-ray. X-rays help 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 measurement of the distance between the vertebrae.
- MRI of the spine. It reveals pathological changes in the discs, vertebrae and joints, as well as the surrounding soft tissues. MRI is also easy to detect in the early stages of osteochondrosis and spondyloarthrosis.
- Myelography. A technique that uses a contrast agent to help detect vascular pathologies, tumors, and spinal stenosis, abscesses, and other similar lesions.
Urine and blood are also prescribed to rule out diseases of the internal organs and to identify inflammatory processes. Sometimes it is necessary to diagnose the gastrointestinal tract, including liver, pancreas, and gastric juice enzymes.
Diagnosing back pain helps to differentiate some diseases from others and allows you to choose the right treatment tactics. At home, it is impossible to understand which disease leads to pain on the basis of symptoms alone.
How to relieve low back pain
Regardless of the cause of the pain, the patient is prescribed the following groups of medicines to relieve the unpleasant symptoms (at the doctor's discretion):
- Analgesics. They do not help all patients and mainly affect weak sources of pain.
- NSAIDs. Powerful painkillers that are taken in courses. They also have anti-inflammatory properties.
- Hormonal drugs. Apply within 6-10 days, inclusive.
- Injections and blockages. Combination drugs are often used in combination with glucocorticosteroids and anesthetics.
- Muscle relaxants. They help with muscle cramps as well as osteochondrosis and other muscle aches.
- Current products. Painkillers, warming creams, gels and patches should also be used only when warranted.
In some cases, especially in the severe stages of joint or bone pathologies, several classes of drugs are used.
Your doctor will need to prescribe medications, especially complexes such as glucocorticosteroids or hormonal blockade. Only strict adherence to the instructions and recommendations, systematic, strict administration of drugs in the prescribed dose will help to get rid of unpleasant feelings.
Characteristics of treatment depending on the type of pain
For the treatment of low back pain to be effective, it is important to consider its nature. For all disorders and diseases, the pain can be one way or another.
Treatment of myofascial pain
This is the name given to the pain associated with muscle tension or cramps. They are caused by overload, improper weight lifting, and improper approach to training. Myofascial pain can occur due to prolonged discomfort when carrying the bags in one hand or shoulder. Sometimes this symptom occurs in the background of poor posture.
Convulsions involve damage to the spinal roots, so the symptoms are similar to sciatica: burning pain in the thighs, legs, numbness in the limbs.
You can treat such pains with painkillers and NSAIDs in the form of ointments, injections, tablets, patches. Ointments are better to choose warming and irritating agents.
Sometimes myositis, which causes pain, is caused by toxins caused by infections or worms. You should then take antibiotics or anthelmintics to overcome the cause of the pain. Compressions and heating ointments are prohibited in this case.
Diseases of the spine that involve nerve endings
This disease category includes all disorders associated with dystrophic lesions and injuries, be it osteochondrosis or spondylolisthesis. It requires the following treatments:
- bed rest during seizures - you need to lie down on a hard surface and put a small roller under your knees;
- medication - NSAIDs are most commonly used as injections;
- irritating and disturbing ointments and pepper patches, mustard patches and iodine nets;
- sludge treatment and heating and ozokerite are used during remission;
- convulsions are relieved by vacuum massage and acupuncture.
In radical syndrome, which is characterized by intense pain, novocaine blockade or weak opiates should be used, bed rest, dry or underwater traction of the lumbar spine, stimulation by electrophoresis, and microcurrents are provided.
Treatment of degenerative-inflammatory diseases
To relieve back and waist pain in degenerative diseases (spondyloatrosis), bed rest is prescribed by bending the legs in a frog position. In addition, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used as injections for severe pain. Muscle relaxants are used to relieve muscle tension. Very often, patients suffer from chronic fatigue and pain-induced depression and require antidepressant medication.
Treatment of cancer
Benign and malignant tumors can be very different in nature: fatty lipomas, neuromas affecting the nerves, spinal cord hemangiomas, gliomas, osteosarcomas, and chondrosarcomas. Tumors require complex, long, and complex treatments.
The use of prescription anticancer devices is mandatory, sometimes patients are prescribed strong opiates. Therapy for the causes of tumors is also performed, for which hormonal drugs, chemotherapeutic toxins and targeted drugs can be used.
Therapy for cancer is one of the most difficult, requiring responsibility from the patient and the doctor. The use of chemotherapy drugs and radiation therapy can worsen the patient's condition for a long time. The most important thing is not to give up at this moment, and keep in mind that detecting tumors up to Stage 2 gives you a very good chance of recovery. Even with stage 3 oncology, you can expect a successful fight against the disease.
Dangers and consequences of pain
Failure to treat, ignore, or attempt to suppress low back pain with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and other painkillers can have serious consequences for the patient. Injuries are particularly dangerous in this regard, as damage to the vertebrae can lead to displacement, cracks, and compression fractures. Other complications can cause severe pain:
- the development of chronic pain sensations that cannot be eliminated even with strong analgesics;
- diseases of the spinal cord and brain, extensive damage to the nervous system and paralysis;
- decreased sensitivity of the upper and lower limbs;
- sharp restrictions on mobility;
- complications from internal organs to paresis, fecal and urinary incontinence.
When the first symptoms of low back pain appear, it is important to diagnose to identify the cause of the discomfort.
Prevention of back pain
The following prevention rules will help prevent certain illnesses and discomforts:
- moderate physical activity, daily exercise to strengthen the muscle band and improve blood circulation;
- the use of hard surfaces for seats, the exclusion of standing on upholstered furniture;
- if someone is working in a sitting position for an extended period of time, use the furniture recommended for this purpose;
- a proper diet and rejection of bad habits are needed to prevent many diseases;
- you need to transfer the weights correctly, distribute the weight to both hands, and lift the heavy weight carefully without grabbing.
No person is free from back pain. If spinal diseases and abnormalities are detected in time, you can get rid of them quickly and correctly.