Every second person on the planet is familiar with lower back pain – this is confirmed by official statistics.And, in fact, everyone has experienced pain in the spine of varying intensity, and it's not even worth talking about attacks in the lower back - they lifted something wrong, bent over too much, slept in an uncomfortable position and the pain will definitely be there.
Low back pain can be of an absolutely varied nature: aching and pulling, sharp and constant, paroxysmal and cutting, sharp and local.Even the intensity of the syndrome in question is variable - the pain can appear suddenly, without visible preconditions, but can constantly develop “more and more”.
Low back pain can be tolerated by a person relatively easily, or it can cause immobility - it all depends on the individual tolerance of the syndrome and the psycho-emotional state of the patient.
Causes of low back pain in men
Men, more often than women, work in extreme conditions - for example, with regularly low air temperatures, in conditions of high humidity, with the need to lift heavy objects, etc.It is not surprising that physiological factors rank first among the causes of low back pain.
Pain in the lumbar spine in men can occur with prostatitis - an inflammatory process in the prostate gland.Attention: prostatitis is manifested not only by pain in the lower back radiating to the rectum, but there are also disturbances in the urination process, persistent discomfort in the groin and perineum, hyperthermia (increase in temperature).
If a man develops inflammation of the testicles (epididymitis), pain in the lower back, associated with increased size of the testicles and tumor, may be the main reason for a complete examination by an andrologist.
Causes of low back pain in women
For the female category of patients, low back pain is typical for certain gynecological diseases/conditions:
- Attach.Inflammation of the ovaries causes the development of increasing pain in the lower back.It can be unilateral or bilateral - it all depends on the location of the inflammatory process.Lower back pain with adnexitis is accompanied by an increase in body temperature, altered vaginal discharge, general weakness, and increased pain during intimate relationships.
- Pregnancy.This is a physiological condition that is accompanied by excessive loads on all organs and systems - having a child a priori implies the functioning of the body “for wear and tear”.Another factor in the appearance of lower back pain during pregnancy is the threat of miscarriage/miscarriage.
- Climax.During this period, a woman's body undergoes powerful changes, including hormonal balance.The level of estrogen in the blood becomes unstable, to which the nerve endings react - low back pain can be explained by this factor.
Note: women are characterized by idiopathic low back pain - its occurrence is unclear;Doctors associate pain with the woman's psycho-emotional state and her minimal resistance to stress.
Common causes of lower back pain
This classification includes pain in the lumbar spine, which can occur due to internal pathologies in both men and women.The most frequently recorded factors and reasons:
- An attack of acute or chronic appendicitis.Of course, this pathology is characterized by pain in the right hypochondrium, but in some cases (depending on the physiological characteristics of the body and the intensity of the inflammatory process) pain may appear in the lower back on the right side.
- Chronic cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder).The pain syndrome in this case will be localized in the right hypochondrium with strong irradiation to the lumbar region - this means that the fibers of the spinal nerves are involved in the pathological process.
- Inflammatory/infectious processes in the kidneys.For them, low back pain is considered the main symptom, in addition to hyperthermia (sustained increase in body temperature), morning swelling of the face and hypertension.
- Small intestine diseases.They are characterized by standard digestive disorders (stool problems, increased gas formation, intestinal cramps) associated with lower back pain.
- Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).The pain in this pathology is circular in nature and is accompanied by nausea and vomiting.Note: if the lower back pain is caused precisely by pancreatitis, then, when palpating the spine, there are no changes in the intensity of sensations.
- Infectious pathologies.Not all infectious diseases cause lower back pain - this syndrome is characteristic only in cases where pathological damage to bone tissue occurs.And the lower back hurts most often due to the heavy load on this particular part of the spine.
Doctors consider inflammatory processes in the muscles – myositis – the main cause of lower back pain in men and women.They are characterized by constant, aching pain with a gradual increase in intensity - based on this symptom and in the absence of other signs, a preliminary diagnosis can be made.
Also, the syndrome in question may appear in patients diagnosed with stage 4 obesity - the load on the muscles and bones is too great, so the pain in the lower back will be constant, intensifying and radiating to the legs.
Attention: pain in the lumbar spine can be caused by the growth of malignant or benign tumors.But in this case there will be no problems with the diagnosis - this syndrome does not appear at the first stage of cancer.
Diseases always accompanied by back pain
There are several pathological conditions in which low back pain is the main symptom:
- Lumbago.It is characterized by sharp, stabbing pain, most often diagnosed in male patients and may be the result of compression of the sciatic nerve or displacement of several vertebrae.
- Scoliosis.Curvature of the vertebrae, which can be congenital or acquired.The pathological process can affect any part of the spine;the following classification of the disease is typical for the lumbar region:
- habitual scoliosis, which develops in childhood and is a consequence of the child's incorrect posture;
- rickety appearance - final stage of metabolic disorders in childhood;
- rheumatic – most frequently diagnosed in adult patients, always a consequence of serious joint pathologies;
- paralytic scoliosis.
- Osteochondrosis of intervertebral nature.
- Lumbar spinal hernia.
- Rheumatoid-type arthritis.It is most often diagnosed in menopausal women.
- Osteoporosis.This is a thinning of bone tissue, the causes of which are exclusively related to age.In addition to pain in the lumbar spine, the patient is diagnosed with hernias, deformation of the vertebral joints and cartilage problems.
- Phlebothrombosis.This is not an inflammatory process in the vessels, but rather their blockage - the disease is more common in the elderly.It is typical that with phlebothrombosis, low back pain appears only during a long walk.
In addition, lower back pain can be caused by grade 3-4 atherosclerosis, obstruction of blood flow through inflamed vessels (various phlebitis), ankylosing spondylitis and other factors and causes.
You definitely need to call a doctor and undergo a full examination - the cause of the syndrome may be the development of a serious pathology in the body.
Low back pain – what to do?
To help yourself when you experience low back pain, you need to remember some expert recommendations:
- When the syndrome first occurs, get into a comfortable position and monitor the nature of the pain:
- at what moment it appears, intensifies or disappears;
- is accompanied by nausea, headaches, changes in physiological processes (urination, defecation);
- Is there an increase in temperature and strange flavors in the oral cavity?
- If the cause of your lower back pain is a bruise, sprain, or injury, you will need to do the following:
- taking a medicine from the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
- take a diuretic - this will help quickly eliminate swelling and speed up the process of eliminating inflammation;
- tighten the lower back with any fixing material - a special orthopedic belt, a towel, a scarf, an elastic bandage.
In any case, you will need to see a doctor and undergo a full examination - even the simplest spinal injury and short-term lower back pain can be caused by a serious pathological process.
Contraindicated actions for low back pain
The following manipulations are strictly prohibited:
- warming the area where the pain syndrome is located without first determining the cause of its occurrence - this can provoke a powerful progression of the inflammatory process;
- take painkillers if the cause of pain in the lumbar spine remains unclear;
- realign the vertebrae - many patients miss this point and believe that professional chiropractors will not cause harm.In fact, displacement of the vertebrae can be caused not only by strong physical stress, but also by various degenerative processes in cartilage and ligaments.The result of forced repositioning of a vertebra in place due to connective tissue or cartilage dystrophy can be complete destruction of the latter and immobilization.
Low back pain treatment
Professional treatment of the pain syndrome in question is carried out only in a hospital setting.As a rule, after an examination (x-ray, computed tomography, laboratory blood/urine tests, etc.), patients are given medications that can quickly and with lasting effect alleviate a pain crisis.Then, depending on the general state of health, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed, the doctor selects restorative therapy, and the patient undergoes a course of physiotherapy and massage.
Attention: you need to learn how to rest properly after intense physical activity: lying on your back with your legs raised.If your lower back hurts after sleeping, you will need an orthopedic mattress, and if the pain becomes regular and severe, doctors may perform a block.But this does not mean that after the syndrome in question disappears, you can calm down and not carry out treatment - attacks will occur more and more frequently.
Treatment of low back pain with folk remedies
Any means from the category of traditional medicine, which are aimed at restoring the function of the spine and eliminating lower back pain, can only be used if the etiology of the problem is clarified!Only in this case will they be truly effective and absolutely safe.
Some treatments for low back pain:
- For osteochondrosis, you need to take wax, melt it and apply it hot to the lower back (in the place of pain).It is necessary to put a warm scarf or scarf on top so that the heating has a greater effect.Attention: the skin where the melted wax is applied must not show damage or visible pathologies in the dermatological area.
- With regular stress, nervous breakdowns and lower back pain against the background of psycho-emotional disorders, St. John's wort can be used for treatment.Take 2 tablespoons of dry St. John's wort, pour 400 ml of boiling water and leave overnight.Then strain the infusion and take 100 ml at least 4 times a day.The course of treatment is a week, even if the pain disappeared on the second or third day, it is not recommended to stop taking the St. John's wort infusion.
- When diagnosing habitual pinched nerves (for example, the sciatic nerve), tincture of spicy red pepper and fir oil is used.It is necessary to apply these components to the lower back, exactly in the area where the pain syndrome is located, twice a day for a week.Note: first, pepper tincture is rubbed into the skin, then fir oil.The number of procedures depends on the intensity of the pain syndrome - as soon as the condition returns to normal, the treatment is stopped.
Regular massage helps a lot with common back pain.Doing it yourself is problematic, but our ancestors used the following method: you need to take a nylon/nylon stocking and make three knots at the same distance.You need to rub your back with this sock every day - it is quite possible to do it yourself.
Low back pain can be a consequence of several pathological conditions.Many people habitually “ignore” this syndrome, attributing everything to excessive tension or nervousness.But doctors warn: even if they occur periodically, non-severe pain in the lumbar spine may indicate the development of internal pathology.