Paroxysmal or persistent low back pain usually indicates that inflammation or degenerative malnutrition is gradually developing in the body. Early diagnosis of this disease can increase the chances of a full recovery. Pain in the lumbosacral spine may indicate osteochondrosis, hernia, herniation, infection, or internal organ problems.
Why does the lower back hurt
If a person complains of pain in the lumbar spine, the doctor will initially suspect that there is a problem with the patient's musculoskeletal system. Only after such diseases have been ruled out, a thorough examination will be carried out to assess the state of the internal organs.
This is because the lumbar vertebrae and intervertebral discs are generally innervated by the trunk of nerve tissue. For this reason, the appearance of pain, for example in the digestive organs, can only appear in the waist area. Let us understand in detail some of the causes of low back pain.
Overloaded
It is a relatively natural source of back pain. In hard physical work or active sports training, muscle tissue will be subjected to excessive pressure. It accumulates lactic acid and stimulates skeletal muscle tissue. As a result, in addition to pain, one notices a sufficiently strong burning sensation. After a short rest, any discomfort will disappear because lactic acid will be excreted from the muscles.
Every time you exercise, you have low back pain. If there is no change in intensity for several hours, you should see a doctor. Overtraining and lifting heavy objects usually cause micro-trauma to the intervertebral discs and vertebrae, resulting in degenerative malnutrition.
Osteochondrosis and intervertebral hernia
Stage I, II, and III lumbar osteochondrosis is the main cause of back pain. In the early stage, the patient is worried about slight discomfort, indicating a slight damage to the intervertebral disc.
If the patient seeks help from a neurologist during this period, it is possible to completely cure the disease and partially restore the damaged tissue. Severe pain when bending or twisting the torso indicates severe damage to the structure of the spine.
In the context of osteochondrosis of radiological degree II or III, the formation of hernias or protrusions is often observed. Because of this, there will be tingling, and there may also be serious complications-nerve root syndrome, intervertebral disc myelopathy.
Gynecological diseases
Lumbar discomfort often afflicts women diagnosed with adnexitis, which affects both the ovaries and fallopian tubes (uterine appendages). In addition to the pain syndrome, the patient also noticed the occurrence of genital secretions, the appearance of pregnancy problems, and irregular menstrual cycles.
Similar symptoms were observed in inflammation of the uterine appendages, ovarian cyst formation, and uterine polyp formation.
Kidney disease
Since the kidneys are located directly near the waist, a person may experience lower back pain when their function declines. The fact that these bean formations affect the organs indicates that urinary function is impaired, purulent or bloody impurities appear in the urine, and general health conditions deteriorate.
Lumbar pain is often disturbing in the presence of the following diseases: cystitis (including hemorrhagic), glomerulonephritis, pyelonephritis, acute and chronic renal failure.
Holding baby
This is one of the natural factors leading to uncomfortable performance of the lumbar spine. When a woman gives birth to a future child, the size of the uterus and fetus will increase, so the nerve receptors located below are violated.
In the last three months, the mother's body begins to produce a special hormone-relaxin. This causes the ligaments and tendons to relax to facilitate the passage of the fetus through the birth canal. As a result, the intensity of pain will increase sharply.
Endometriosis
This is a common gynecological disease whose background is the growth of tissue inside the uterus beyond its limit. Endometrioid tissues are more sensitive to hormones synthesized by the body. Therefore, endometriosis manifests as monthly bleeding. Because of this, one of the symptoms of the development of inflammation is pain syndrome, which radiates to the lumbosacral part of the spine.
Menstruation
Half of women will have moderately severe stretch pain before menstruation or during bleeding. This pain is natural and will disappear immediately after the menstruation is over. Discomfort may also be felt in the lower back.
The pathological causes of menstrual low back pain are indigestion, diarrhea or constipation, frequent headaches and dizziness. In similar situations, women may be diagnosed with dysmenorrhea or menstrual dysfunction.
Breast size
The spine of women with large breasts bears a heavy burden. If the mammary glands are not properly distributed, the risk of degenerative destruction processes will increase. Women with large breasts often stoop and hunch back, which can lead to degeneration of the spine.
Uncomfortable shoes
Lumbar pain at the end of the working day is a common symptom of women walking in tight heels. This can lead to damage to blood vessels and impaired blood circulation in the lower extremities and pelvic organs. As a result, the nutrition of the lumbar intervertebral discs deteriorates, so they are destroyed. As the pressure on the spine increases, the situation gets worse.
menopause
During female menopause, the production of estrogen, which is involved in regulating the recovery process of the musculoskeletal system, is reduced. The bone structure has lost the ability to completely absorb the trace elements needed for its repair. It becomes fragile and may cause frequent fractures. Pain in the lumbar spine during menopause may indicate bone resorption and the formation of osteoporosis.
overweight
Overweight is one of the causes of lumbosacral osteochondrosis. Being overweight will increase the load on the intervertebral disc, leading to an increased risk of microtrauma and further damage to the vertebral tissue.
People who are overweight usually don't eat well. His diet is rich in high-calorie foods, and the intake of fresh vegetables and fruits containing essential trace elements and vitamins is insufficient. With the increase in load and the lack of useful substances, there is a tendency to develop lumbar osteochondrosis.
Oncology
Changes in the genetic structure of a cell result in violation of its regulation of growth and reproduction. As a result, the tissues proliferate pathologically and form benign or malignant tumors.
Lumbar pain can be manifested in the context of tumor invasion of sensitive nerve receptors, spine, soft tissue and circulatory system. Calcium is largely absorbed by tumors, so the lack of this substance in bone tissue results in thinning of bones.
Low temperature
Due to the influence of low temperature, the muscles of the lumbosacral bones are often inflamed. This becomes the cause of myositis-a disease that manifests as a local pain syndrome of damaged muscles. Its intensity increases significantly during exercise and palpation. Against the background of the inflammatory process, muscle tension increases, which reduces the mobility of the lower back.
Types of pain
A preliminary diagnosis can be made based on a detailed description of the disturbing symptoms. For each disease, pain manifests in different severity, frequency, and conditions before it occurs.
Intense pain
This pain syndrome is a typical symptom of stage II and stage III lumbar osteochondrosis. At this stage, the intervertebral disc has undergone significant damage and lost its depreciation characteristics. They cannot reduce the load during exercise, which makes the structure of the vertebral body unstable.
This leads to compression of the soft tissues. Even in a state of motionlessness, severe pain can begin to bother and worsen against the background of bending and turning, loud laughter, coughing and sneezing. In addition, there is a feeling of "goose bumps" and muscle weakness.
Tingling
Acute pain syndrome occurs because osteophytes or intervertebral discs compress the receptors in the spinal canal. This is a typical episode of low back pain, often manifested as rheumatic disease, lumbosacral osteochondrosis, and radiculopathy.
The pain is so obvious, tingling, and burning that the patient cannot move. Usually, a person cannot straighten their back due to fear of pain.
It's a dull pain
Lumbar spine pain is dull and oppressive, which is a characteristic of diseases of the internal organs, including genitourinary organs and reproductive organs. This discomfort may indicate the development of osteochondrosis, spondyloarthropathy, and spondyloarthritis.
The pain is not local, but can radiate to the buttocks, hips and ankles. Usually, soreness is evidence of a destructive process in the spine or inflammation of the internal system.
Chronic pain
Persistent pain in the waist indicates that the disease has turned into a chronic disease. It is sharp and intense when it relapses and radiates to the area near the body. During the remission period, mild discomforts such as hypothermia, physical exertion, aggravation of other diseases, and acute respiratory virus infection occur.
Pain syndrome increases against the background of bending, turning the torso, going up stairs, and walking for long periods of time.
Diagnostic measures
The diagnosis of the disease is based on the patient's main complaint, his visual examination, memory data, instrument and laboratory diagnosis results. The most useful information for identifying problems with the musculoskeletal system is an X-ray examination. In the generated image, you can see the altered vertebrae and the formed osteophytes (bone formation).
If the doctor suspects the development of hernias, herniation, internal system diseases, ultrasound, MRI and CT. Thanks to these diagnostic methods, it is possible to find out the location of the disease to assess the degree of progression of inflammation.
Clinical studies must be conducted on blood and urine. If systemic diseases (gout, rheumatoid arthritis) are suspected, biochemical and serological studies should be conducted.
Which doctor to contact
Usually, back pain occurs after injury-subluxation of the vertebrae, severe bruising, spinal canal injury. In this case, you will need the help of a traumatologist.
You can also see a therapist. Such doctors can diagnose diseases of the spine and internal systems. After checking the diagnosis, he will determine which expert consultation (rheumatologist, neuropathologist or orthopedist) is needed to prescribe further treatment.
first aid
If there is severe acute pain, the victim should be placed on a hard surface to make the discomfort less obvious. You can lie down, bend your knees slightly, and put a rolled up blanket under your knees. For quick pain relief, you can take any non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Treatment measures
Analgesics can help get rid of back pain. If you do not treat the underlying disease correctly, their effects will not last long. Some pathologies of the internal system have been well treated, including oncology. However, it is impossible to completely repair damaged intervertebral discs and deformed vertebrae under the background of osteochondrosis. The goal of treatment is to achieve stable relief, during which lumbar spine pain will not be bothered.
medical treatement
First, for back pain, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the form of tablets or capsules are prescribed.
In the case of oncological diseases, they resorted to narcotic analgesics. If pain occurs due to skeletal muscle spasms, muscle relaxants are needed.
In the treatment of internal system diseases, analgesics are also prescribed.
Treat with ointment and gel
Ointments and gels are used to relieve mild to moderate discomfort in the waist area. Topical drugs are also included in the treatment plan to reduce the dose of injections and tablets to reduce the pharmacological load on the body.
For back pain, the following groups of external drugs can be prescribed:
- NSAIDs-have anti-inflammatory, analgesic and decongestant effects.
- Warm gel and ointment-have analgesic, local irritation and distracting effects.
- A chondroprotective agent for osteochondrosis-has analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects and stimulates the recovery of intervertebral discs.
injection
When choosing analgesics, the doctor will choose according to the type of disease, its course, and the severity of the pain syndrome. In order to eliminate acute pain, they often resort to drug blockers using glucocorticoids and anesthetics. The use of hormonal drugs is very harmful to the body, so this type of operation can be performed at most once within 1-3 months.
To eliminate severe pain, NSAIDs are prescribed in the form of injections into the muscles.
physiotherapy
If the disease has been diagnosed, or to prevent its development, experts recommend that patients perform therapeutic gymnastics every day. This will help:
- Improve blood circulation in the waist;
- Strengthen the muscle structure of the back;
- Reduce the intensity of pain.
The gymnastics complex is developed by the attending physician according to the type of disease, the existing complications and the patient's physical condition.
Massage therapy
In order to improve the blood and nutrient supply of the tissues, normalize the tension of skeletal and smooth muscles, and strengthen the muscles, massage is recommended:
- classic;
- View;
- Segmental
- can.
Massage is not only for therapeutic purposes, but also to prevent deterioration in the course of chronic diseases.
Heat treatment and cold treatment
The effect of heat on the lumbar spine helps to eliminate pain, but only after the acute inflammatory process has ceased. For these purposes, heating pads, heating ointments or gels, baths are suitable.
Under the influence of cryotherapy (cold therapy), the adaptation system is activated. At the core of this physical therapy procedure, the body's response is not hypothermia in the outer layer of the skin.
Precaution
By eliminating the factors that may cause the problem, the occurrence of lumbar spine pain can be prevented. It is necessary to stop walking in high heels and minimize the intake of high-calorie foods. Regular exercise, swimming and yoga are good preventive measures.