There is probably no person who has never had lower back pain.Moreover, discomfort can manifest itself at any age, regardless of gender, work activity and other factors.
Back pain in the lumbar region, of different nature and causes, significantly complicates life.Ignoring obvious symptoms of pathology can worsen the situation.
Types of pain syndromes
The main classification of pain syndromes is as follows:
- Primary.
- Secondary.
The first option is characterized by pathology of the spine and the entire musculoskeletal system.Muscles, ligaments and tendons undergo numerous changes, resulting in back pain.
Discomfort of a secondary nature is not directly related to the lumbar region.Usually, its development is influenced by indirect pathologies.
Depending on the cause, pain in the lower back varies in different ways.Discomfort can be acute and sharp, or conversely, painful and dull.It is necessary to understand in more detail the nature of each of the options.
Sharp and sharp pain
It cannot be considered an independent pathology.Typically, acute pain in the lower back is a sign of some disease.Most often, people encounter them after the age of 30.
Severe lower back pain can occur for a number of reasons.One of them is hypothermia of the mentioned area.Muscles weaken and are easily susceptible to negative effects.Pain in the lower back makes movement difficult, deprives the patient of mobility.It is hardly possible to do anything on your own if your back hurts a lot.The right thing to do would be to call a specialist.
A surge can be caused by a number of reasons:
- Intervertebral hernia.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Excessive loads.
- An injury.
What to do if there is a sharp pain in the lower back?The best option is to see a doctor.If this cannot be done immediately, you will need to relieve the symptoms of inflammation with medication.
Dull and aching pain
The causes of pain in the lower back are different.To determine them, a full body examination will be required.The accuracy of the diagnosis depends on many signs.Here are the main ones:
- A place where discomfort is concentrated.
- Age category of the patient.
- The patient's diet.
- The presence of bad habits (smoking, alcohol addiction, etc.).
- Patient's body weight.
Throbbing pain in the lower back often occurs in women of reproductive age.Pulling occurs in the lower back for the following reasons:
- Fatigue.Reducing physical activity will help ease the discomfort.Warming the problem area with a heater or ointments has a positive effect.
- Pregnancy.A special bandage will come to the woman's aid, reducing the load.
- Menstruation.Medicines will help ease the situation and ease the dull pain.
- Improper posture, osteochondrosis, osteoporosis.
- Intervertebral hernia, arthrosis.
- Pathologies of the genitourinary system.
- Radiculitis.
- Any injuries.
To understand why your lower back hurts, you should conduct a small experiment.The patient should stand with a straight back and lean against the wall.Then slowly lower your chin, pressing it to your chest.The resulting pain or throbbing on any side (up, down, side) will help determine the root cause of the aching pain.
Causes of diseases in women
In addition to the general ones, there are a number of reasons that apply only to the fairer sex.
This may include:
- Pregnancy.
- Problems in gynecology.
- Menses.
- Mechanical abortion.
Women usually do not know what to do if they feel back pain due to a strong shock or unnecessary worries.The situation can be improved only with psychological therapy.
Problems in gynecology
The presence of gynecological diseases in a woman often becomes the starting point for the onset of pain.
Problems can be as follows:
- Inflammation of the external genitalia (vulvitis).
- Tumor of any node of the genitourinary system.
- Adnexitis (in other words, inflammation of the appendages).
- Myoma.
Symptoms of the pathology are as follows:
- The presence of copious discharge.
- An infection whose foci are concentrated in the vagina.
- Problems with conceiving a child.
Often a woman complains of pain in the lower abdomen.Sometimes the pain radiates to the lumbar region.
Pregnancy
The period of pregnancy for the female body does not pass without a trace.In the last trimester of pregnancy, the load on the bones of the spine increases significantly, which is explained by the increase in the size and weight of the fetus.
Due to its physiological structure, the lumbar spine suffers the most.Lower back pain is natural and quite noticeable.Usually, lower back pain goes away after the baby is born.
Menstruation
Such a well-known phenomenon for a woman can be accompanied by pain in the lower back.
This is explained by the following factors:
- Release of follicles from the ovary.
- Enlargement of the uterus.
- Pathologies of the reproductive system.
In addition, pain can also occur during menopause.This is usually due to hormonal changes and imbalances.With the onset of menopause, a woman's bones become brittle and fragile, which is characteristic of osteoporosis.
Abortion
Mechanical termination of pregnancy also does not pass without a trace and is a serious stress for the body.During the contraction of the uterus, the inflammatory process begins.The latter focuses on the inner surface of the organ.
Keep in mind: women are more susceptible to lower back pain than men.
Causes of disease in men
Men, as well as women, suffer from lower back pain.
The most obvious reasons are:
- Prostatitis.At first it hurts only in the anus.As intoxication progresses, the patient begins to feel discomfort in the lower back.
- In other words, epididymitis is an inflammatory process in the epididymis.As such, the back does not hurt, but sometimes unpleasant sensations appear.
- Oncology of the genitourinary system.It often affects men of pre-retirement age (over 50).
- Bodybuilding, bodybuilding.
- Injuries of the muscular system.Pain in the lumbar region is caused by straining the latissimus muscle.
Occupational activity plays an important role in identifying the cause of lower back pain.
Causes of diseases in children
Pathology in children is caused by the following factors:
- Spinal hernia.
- Improper posture.
The latter is usually caused by flat feet.Although choosing a comfortable briefcase and the right shoes are also important.
Please note: in the early stages, the child's spinal curvature can be corrected.Physical therapy helps a lot in this.
Connection with diseases
The above classification is not the only one.Pain can be periodic or constant.
In the first case, malaise is directly related to factors such as:
- Excessive physical activity.
- Exacerbation of existing diseases.
- Some features of physiology.
Periodic pain subsides when the symptoms of the underlying pathology subside.
Serious lesions of the deep vessels and injuries of the musculoskeletal system can cause permanent weakness.Treatment alleviates the situation to some extent, but does not completely resolve it.
Diseases of the spine
The causes of constant pain in the lumbar region are as follows:
- Curvature of the spine.The disease is characterized by deformation of the skeleton, poor posture and the appearance of a hump in the coastal area.Sometimes scoliosis is asymptomatic for a long time.
- Intervertebral osteochondrosis of the lumbar region.Pathology destroys bones and cartilage and affects nerve fibers.Sometimes the disease becomes a catalyst for the development of protrusion, sciatica, radiculitis of the lumbar region and herniation of intervertebral discs.
- Destructive changes in the vertebrae.They cause lumbago (lumbago).Typically, acute pain occurs in men with excessive exercise.Lack of proper treatment leads to irreversible consequences.
- Spondylosis.The articular apparatus of the lumbar region ages, becomes thinner and loses mobility.This process is completely natural.
- Inflammation of all nodes of bone tissue (osteomyelitis).The nature of the process is contagious.
- Osteoporosis (increased bone fragility).It is usually diagnosed in children and women during menopause.
- Thrombophlebitis, phlebotrombosis.In deep veins, blood flow stops completely or partially.This leads to pain after a long walk.
- Rheumatoid arthritis.Chronic inflammation begins in the joints of the lumbar region, affecting muscles, cartilage and ligaments.This systemic disease often occurs in women.The cause of the pathology is problems with the immune system.
- Atherosclerosis in the last stage.It is often diagnosed in older men.
Some people have lower limbs of different lengths.A wide range of values (more than 1-3 cm) is one of the causes of pain in the lumbar region.
Diseases of internal organs
The development of the disease is influenced not only by problems with the spine.
The pain syndrome is manifested in the following diseases:
- Appendicitis.The person suffers from discomfort in the lower abdomen on the right side, sometimes the pain radiates to the back.
- Cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder walls).
- Pathologies of the small intestine.The lower back hurts because the disease affects the nerve fibers in this area.
- Spikes.Usually the result of surgery.
- Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).The pathology is accompanied by a pain syndrome of the nature of shingles.Signs of the disease are vomiting, bowel problems (diarrhea or constipation), a coating on the tongue and nausea.Pain in the lower back is not diagnosed by palpation.
- Kidney pathologies.
- Tuberculosis of bones.
- Inflammatory processes in the muscular system.The nature of tissue damage is different (infectious, bacterial, viral).Sometimes inflammation develops due to hypothermia.The process is accompanied by an increase in body temperature and general weakness.
- Tumor in the lumbar region, growing along nerve fibers.
Overweight and obesity also cause discomfort.Pain occurs due to excessive load on the lower back.
Additional symptoms
To determine why your lower back hurts, you need to consider all possible signs of the disease.
here they are:
- Sprains are accompanied by painful cramps, and the damaged muscles are limited in movement.The discomfort sometimes extends to the back of the lower limbs and the gluteal region.
- Limb numbness occurs if the nerve roots of the lower back are injured.
- Pupil dilation.
- Excessive sweating.
- Increased heart rate.
- Fever.
If the pain in the lower back is the result of some pathology, the symptoms will appear gradually.
Problem diagnosis
What to do if your lower back hurts?First, it is necessary to conduct a complete examination of the patient.
Diagnosis is based on procedures such as:
- Analysis of urine and blood in the laboratory.Biochemistry will also be required.
- Ultrasound examination of the heart, internal organs of the abdominal cavity.This is important if you suspect kidney or gastrointestinal tract pathology.
- X-ray of the lumbar region.
- CT and MRI.With their help, you can determine the cause of the pain.
- Dopplerography (vascular examination).
The implementation of all these activities enables the establishment of a catalyst for the development of pathology and the determination of methods for its elimination.
Treatment
Elimination of pathology must be comprehensive and can be carried out in different ways.
To avoid making the situation worse, you should not:
- Warm up the lumbar area.
- Take medication at your own discretion.
- Adjust the vertebrae yourself, consult a chiropractor.
Remember: without determining the root cause of the discomfort, self-medication is dangerous.
Physiotherapy and massage
Treatment of lower back pain is possible with physical therapy.
If the patient cannot move due to severe pain, he is shown:
- Massage.Applicable if the patient suffers from lower back pain or finds it difficult to bend.
- Mud therapy.
- Paraffin applications.
- Therapeutic gymnastics.
Acupuncture and manual therapy are sometimes helpful.They strengthen the bone apparatus, relieve muscle tension.
Medicines
If the patient feels pain in the lumbar region after any physical activity, drug therapy is indicated.
The following groups of medicines will help relieve the condition and relieve pain:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
- Muscle relaxants.
- Narcotic pain reliever.
- Corticosteroids.
- Chondroprotectors.
It is allowed to use ointments locally.If the effect is not achieved, injections are used.Only a specialist has the right to prescribe how to treat the lower back.
Folk remedies
Along with medication, you can treat lower back pain with traditional methods.
The following recipes apply:
- Grind a head of garlic, add a little vaseline and 1 tsp.lemon juice.Apply the resulting ointment to the inflamed areas.
- Take a bath with mustard (200 grams of powder).After that, rinse your body with clean water, dry yourself and dress warmly.
- If it hurts to walk, make a horseradish poultice.Grate (it can be replaced with radish), add sour cream and place on a thin cloth.Apply to the painful area, firm and wrap.
The dosage for taking any folk medicine or medicine should be prescribed by your doctor.
You can heal the lower back with alcohol tincture of eucalyptus.You will need to rub the inflamed area well.
Preventive measures
Weight in the lower back can be prevented by prevention.
To do this you need:
- You do gymnastics regularly.
- Control your posture.
- Strengthen your immune system, exercise, give up bad habits.
- Do annual inspections.
- Drink at least 1.5 liters of water regularly.
Remember that even nervous shocks and experiences can cause the development of the disease.It is important not to start self-treatment, but to turn to competent specialists.Time spent in unskilled therapy can sometimes be decisive.