Back pain in the lumbar region is common. By age 30, these feelings occur to 70 percent of people who are indifferent to job type, lifestyle, and physical activity. Ignoring low back pain can have adverse health consequences, as this symptom already indicates a disturbance in bodily functions.
When consulting a neurologist:
- checking;
- Listen to patients' demands
- make an initial diagnosis;
- If necessary, send for further research;
- Prescribe individual treatments.
Causes of Back Pain
The causes of back pain in the lumbar region vary in etiology, and the pain area needs to be defined and its nature analyzed. It is customary to distinguish as follows:
- Borderline pain - severe back pain in the lower back with a clear focus;
- Primary pain - pulling, pain, which is a reflection of disease in other anatomical regions.
The frequency, duration, and area of pain sensations are important. Back failures are usually caused by:
- Age-related changes in which the spine's ability to perform depreciable functions is reduced;
- load when carrying children;
- Vertebral displacement, injury and compression fractures;
- spinal deformity;
- Intervertebral hernia, osteochondrosis, spinal nerve root compression.
If lower back pain limits mobility and prevents bending, then we're talking about stretching. Numbness, increased pain when coughing, sneezing, and spreading sensation in the lower extremities are radiculopathy. Problems with internal organs can explain chronic growing pains.
Back pain in the right lower back due to muscle spasms, nerve fiber irritation, problems with the musculoskeletal system or spine. Problems with liver, right kidney, right ovary (in women), intestines, gallbladder. Similar reasons cause a person to have back pain in the left side of the lower back. However, in this case, it is worth paying attention to the left kidney, left ovary (in women), stomach, intestines and pancreas due to primary pain.
Pain in the left or right back after going to bed for a long time in the morning indicates spondyloarthropathy. Severe pain when the temperature drops (shower or hypothermia) is a manifestation of acute back pain.
Because of the pain, it is recommended that men first turn to a urologist, for women - to a gynecologist. You will need an ultrasound of your internal organs, blood and urine tests. When examining the spine, the results of a lumbar MRI are good.
Back pain above the lower back is caused by a variety of causes:
- kidney disease;
- heart disease (angina pectoris, myocardial infarction);
- pleurisy;
- pneumonia;
- Esophageal disease;
- appendicitis;
- Inflammation of the gallbladder.
Severe pain in the back above the waist:
- radiculitis;
- Osteochondrosis of disc displacement;
- Injuries to the spine and ribs;
- Myositis (inflammation of the muscles).
Back pain below the waist is caused by morphofunctional musculoskeletal changes - osteochondrosis or spondyloarthropathy. In this case, the patient experiences severe pain in the back from the waist down.
How to Relieve Lower Back Pain
If you've ever experienced severe lower back pain, you can ease the discomfort with simple movements. You should lie on a level surface and relax. Note that a soft down bed that sags a lot under your weight won't work. The legs should be placed at a height that takes the load off the spine.
You should gently roll over and land on all fours when the discomfort is no longer felt. This "gymnastics" means minimizing the load on the back. You need to stand up straight and stand, use the support, and hold it with your hands. A back belt for low back pain allows you to immobilize this part of your body, which can also reduce pain. At the same time, he wanted to capture not only the lesion, but also the body parts above and below it. Meanwhile, analgesics can be used to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. They can be used as tablets or as injections for back and lower back pain (in which case blockade injections are only done in a clinical setting).
Be sure to contact the clinic once your symptoms resolve. Self-medication is not acceptable. Using low back pain creams and belts, patients can endure pain for a long time and make the condition worse. As a result, the back muscles weaken and the pain enters a chronic phase. Abusing pain relievers can be addictive.
Back Pain Treatment in the Lumbar Region
If your lifestyle causes periodic muscle cramps (exercise or physical labor can cause this), then muscle relaxants should be in your home medicine cabinet. But these drugs should also be prescribed by a doctor after consultation. In the treatment of low back pain, depending on the diagnosis, various measures are used:
- Reflexology.These include acupuncture (injecting with special needles in certain areas) and electroacupuncture (using electrical impulses). It can also be administered in the form of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (suppressing pain signals entering the brain).
- physiotherapy.Use of magnetic therapy and laser therapy, as well as drug electrophoresis, ultrasonic electrophoresis, to improve the effectiveness of drug use.
- Therapeutic exercise and massage.These measures are effective for spinal disorders and rehabilitation after injury. Expert supervision is required.
- operation treatment.May be needed for hernias that cause compression of the spinal cord or spinal roots.
Often, treatment is complex and requires a combination of different approaches. The duration and effectiveness of treatment depends on the timeliness of treatment.