Intermittent or persistent back pain affects about 80% of the world’s population. The problem is more common in women. The symptom is called lumbodynia. It is so common because the lumbar spine is constantly strained. It experiences a pressure of 50 kg (in the supine position) to 220 kg when sitting down. The problem indicates a lifestyle bias or serious illness. It gets worse with age and can lead to disability.
Physiological causes of pain
Discomfort in the form of pain is a defensive reaction of the body. So it responds to various "abnormal" processes that doctors call pathology. The body hurts in an awkward position and after physical exertion and tells the brain that it is difficult to perform tasks.
Uncomfortable situation
Lumbar pain is accompanied by long-term 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 is hurt by fatigue. If you are in a bent position for a long time doing something.
After sleeping, your back hurts if the sleeping area is poorly equipped. For example, the surface of the bed is too hard or soft to provide adequate support for the spine and quality muscle relaxation.
Increased loads
Muscles and ligaments in the back can hurt. They support the spine in a stable position and are exposed to stress with intense physical exertion. The conditions for the occurrence of pain occur with sudden movements, accompanied by muscle tension in the lumbar region. This happens when a person carries weights, pulls heavy objects, lifts them up and down ("bends in two").
Muscles can also be strained during exercise. If a person exercises a lot, their tapes need time to recover. If there is no good rest, they will wear out or become inflamed, which the nervous system indicates with pain.
Women's back pain
The problem of lumbar pain is very common among women as the beautiful half of humanity experiences them regularly under certain circumstances. Menstrual abdominal pain is often accompanied by discomfort in the lower and sacral region of the back. This is not due to increased stress, but is a consequence of the production of prostaglandins (pain mediators). The synthesis of mediators before and during menstruation triggers hormonal changes
in the female body.
Girls have lower back pain while carrying a child (95% of pregnant women). The spine not only experiences great stress outside of pregnancy. Lumbar pressure increases many times as a woman’s weight increases. It puts extra strain on the pregnant belly. It pulls the maternity body forward, changing the distribution of axial load. As a result, the woman's gait changes, low back pain occurs, the intensity of which increases with the duration of pregnancy. The loads increase in any position of the expectant mother, so resting in good condition, lying on a quality mattress is extremely important to alleviate the condition of the woman.
Hypodynamics
Discomfort often occurs in people who do not play sports at all or lift heavy objects. This is due to a weakening of the muscle instrument. The back muscles need to be strong to properly support the spine and relieve stress. If this does not happen, the bone and cartilage will wear out faster, accompanied by pain.
Structural disorders
The spine is made up of the skeleton of the bone tissue - the vertebrae. Between them is a soft "layer" of cartilage tissue - vertebral discs. The vertebrae provide strength and stability, cartilage - the flexibility and elasticity of the spine. The main structural elements are hollow in the middle. The duct is full of spinal cord. All components are surrounded by blood vessels and nerve fibers. Pathology of any element of the lumbar spine causes lumbodynia.
Osteochondrosis
The disease develops when the intervertebral discs wear out. Due to high loads, the lumbar discs are very often damaged. The most common causes of severe back pain are protrusion (sinking) and injuries (damage and protrusion of the contents) of the discs, in which the nerve roots of the spine become pinched. Osteochondrosis affects people over 35 years of age. The disease is especially common in the elderly.
Injury
The lumbar spine is considered to be the strongest because it forms the main "axis" for the entire human body. However, with falls and sudden movements, the vertebrae of this section are most often injured. Most fractures and bruises on the spine are located exactly in the lower back.
Vascular damage
The blood vessels feed all the tissues of the spine. If their lumens narrow or overlap, the trophic processes in the spine deteriorate radically. As a result, inflammation occurs, which always manifests itself in pain.
Capturing nerves
In infectious diseases, nerve fibers can be damaged by any damage to cartilage and vertebrae. Any pathology of the nerves is accompanied by a sharp shot and sometimes unbearable back pain.
Bone disorders
Osteoporosis leads to calcium leaching and bone fragility. If the vertebral tissue is depleted, there is an increased risk of serious back injury. In addition, osteoporosis can change the shape of the bones in the spine and increase the pressure on the nerve roots.
Another cause of pain is tumors of the vertebrae. The most common type is hemangioma. These benign tumors develop asymptomatically for a long time, but when the tumor becomes too large and extends beyond the vertebrae, the patient experiences severe pain.
Inflammatory processes
Arthritis can affect any joint in the body. Inflammation leads to joint damage and pain. It can be provoked by advanced and chronic infectious diseases. Another cause of arthritis is autoimmune damage to connective tissue.
Internal problems
The lower back can be painful not only because of pathologies of the spine. Painful sensations associated with internal organ pathologies or some systemic diseases may be given to the lumbar region.
Internal organs
Back pain is associated with kidney damage. Renal colic is accompanied by sharp and sharp pain on one or both sides of the back. It is more often felt under the ribs at the back of the body.
Lumbar discomfort often occurs in the background 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 lumbar pain. With these diseases, violations of the structure of the connective tissue (cartilage) occur. It loses its elasticity, so it often inflames. Over time, significant disturbances in the functioning of the joints occur and the nerve endings are permanently compressed (damaged). In ankylosing spondylitis, the intervertebral spaces "harden. "
Lower back pain can cause herpes zoster. The rashes associated with the disease appear on the shoulder blades and ribs, but most often - on the lateral surfaces of the trunk in the lumbar region. The first pains occur before significant changes in the skin. When a blistering rash appears, the discomfort increases, accompanied by itching. Even after the spots have completely disappeared, he 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 atypical cells spread, changes in the structure of organs and tissues occur in which the nerves are involved. This manifests itself in severe pain. Discomfort in the lower back is felt not only in lesions of the lumbar spine, but also when the tumor grows in the internal organs innervated by nerve ganglia from this department.
Nervous system disorders
Lower back pain can be a phantom (in other words, invented by the patient himself). This is done with psychoneurotic disorders. The psyche does not work properly against the background of shocks, stresses, prolonged psycho-emotional stress. Discomfort can occur when a person drops illnesses on their own and suffers from overload. Such signs first appear after depression or nervous breakdown and can interfere with the patient for many years.
How to get rid of lumbar pain
If discomfort occurs in the lower back, the patient should fully relax, reducing the intensity of the load. Usually, after a good rest, the discomfort disappears or disappears completely. This is a typical symptom of poor lifestyle, pain caused by poor quality rest. If the pain persists, you should consider visiting your doctor.
The nature of back pain is diagnosed by traumatologists, vertebrologists and orthopedists. You can contact any of the professionals listed. At the first consultation, the doctor listens to the patient, examines him, performs several examinations (checks the sensitivity of the nerves, the condition of the muscles). If it cannot be diagnosed based on the information received, further testing will be scheduled. An X-ray is prescribed to assess the condition of the bone tissue. The condition of cartilage, nerve structure, blood vessels, and spinal cord can be assessed by MRI. If the physician suspects systemic disease, the patient is prescribed with laboratory diagnostics (general and biochemical blood and urine tests). Treatment should only be prescribed by a specialist after the correct diagnosis has been made.
Drug therapy
The list of drugs depends entirely on the diagnosis. In order to eliminate the symptoms quickly, the patient is prescribed a short course of pain relief (usually from the NSAID group). Glucocorticoid drugs are prescribed for severe inflammatory and autoimmune changes. For cartilage tissue diseases, chondroprotectors are recommended in the form of injections or tablets. If you have a problem with your muscles, we recommend muscle relaxants. B vitamins are prescribed to restore the work of nerve endings.
The main treatment is for the cause of the pain. When caused by diseases of the internal organs, drug therapy corrects disorders of the kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and genitals. The symptoms disappear as the underlying disease disappears. In case of unbearable pain, nerve blockade is performed (painkillers are injected directly into the zones of the nerve roots).
External analgesics (patches, ointments, gels) may be prescribed to increase the effect of injections or tablets. Such medications can be used on their own, with recurrent back pain, against a background of tension or increased stress. You can use pepper or menthol plaster to alleviate the condition. They can also be used without a prescription.
Procedures
In case of low back pain, a specialist may recommend special treatments. These include acupuncture, electric physiotherapy, ultrasound, therapeutic ultraviolet rays. In some cases, physiotherapy exercises and massages appear. If the vertebrae move, you may need the help of a chiropractor to repair the bone. Any procedures should be selected in conjunction with a physician. It is forbidden to undergo treatment in which they act directly on the spine without diagnosing the disease. In this case, the procedures may not only be useless but may also harm the patient.
To prevent back pain, you should monitor the condition of your spine from an early age. It is important to load the back cover properly (lift squats and non-bending objects, push heavy objects and do not pull towards you). You should engage in moderate physical activity and select exercises with a coach. It is also important to treat infectious diseases in a timely manner, to avoid stress, and to take reasonable and prescribed medications.