Back pain can occur not only in people who lead a sedentary lifestyle.This can happen with age or during hard work, when the spine experiences increased stress.If the pain occurs occasionally, no treatment is necessary.But if the pain is regular, you should see a doctor.Therapy is selected based on the cause of the identified pathology: drug treatment, physiotherapy, and sometimes surgical intervention are used.
Reasons
To determine the causes of back pain it is necessary to analyze when and under what circumstances they occur:
- Morning pain.It usually happens after waking up.A person cannot change position, raise an arm, or turn their neck without feeling severe pain.Most often, this has nothing to do with the spine, but is caused by myositis, an inflammation of the muscles caused by hypothermia, excessive stress and infectious diseases.In these cases, warming ointments are prescribed, including those based on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.If the inflammation also affects the joints, the doctor prescribes chondroprotectors, agents that restore tissues.
- Exertional pain.They occur during a walk, with a long walk or, conversely, with lack of movement.Usually the pain is dull, but rather strong, disappears only after removing the load, but sometimes it becomes constant.In this case, you need to consult a doctor.The specialist will be able to accurately determine the cause of the discomfort: spondylolisthesis, stenosis of the spinal canal or osteochondrosis.
- Pulling pain occurs in the neck towards the end of the working day.They are accompanied by a creaking sound and after a while they intensify - these are symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.The disease cannot be completely cured.But pain relief is possible.In the acute period, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or, if they do not help, corticosteroids are prescribed.
Intervertebral disc dystrophy develops with age.This means they lose their ability to absorb shock, leading to back pain.In these cases, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and chondroprotectors are prescribed.Your doctor may recommend special therapeutic exercises that will help strengthen your back muscles.Intervertebral disc dystrophy should not be confused with a hernia;the latter is characterized by the protrusion of a vertebra.In more severe cases, surgical treatment is prescribed.
Drug therapy and other methods of conservative treatment of hernia allow you to maintain the patient's quality of life at a high level.But in more advanced cases, when it is impossible to relieve pain with anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids and dysfunction of the genitourinary system occurs, the hernia is operated on.The probability that pain will persist even after surgery is no more than 1.5%.
Back pain can be caused by an injury.This occurs due to sprains of the ligaments that support the spine, an injury that can occur during sports and heavy lifting.Injuries to the vertebrae themselves lead to the development of osteoporosis, a disease that causes thinning of bone tissue.The pathology itself does not cause pain, but leads to vertebral fractures.
Depending on the location
It is important to determine the location of the pain: in the middle of the back or below.Sometimes this helps to understand in which part of the spine there are problems and may indicate other pathologies that cause a similar symptom.The back in the middle hurts not only due to osteochondrosis, but also due to diseases of the stomach or pancreas.
Back pain, located on the right or left, is not necessarily associated with spinal diseases.Sometimes this is a symptom of kidney pathology: an infectious disease or the appearance of stones in them.Ultrasound will help establish an accurate diagnosis.Further treatment depends on the cause of the pathology: the infection is fought with antibiotics, and the kidney stones are removed surgically.
Sometimes back pain can be caused by gynecological diseases, such as endometriosis, the growth of the endometrium outside the uterine cavity.But there are cases when it also affects the abdominal organs, which leads to compression of the nerve endings.In these cases, the stomach starts to hurt.If you experience pain in the lower back, you should consult a gynecologist.Most often, endometriosis must be treated with conservative methods, but sometimes surgical intervention is necessary.
Back pain occurs during pregnancy.Their appearance can be provoked by an increased load on the spine and hormonal changes that lead to muscle relaxation.Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are generally contraindicated for expectant mothers, and in some cases massage is also excluded.Special therapeutic exercises for pregnant women can have a good effect.The best option is water aerobics and yoga for expectant mothers.It is important to remove increased stress from the back.
Pain can also be caused by joint problems.The most common of these are various types of arthritis.Often the disease is infectious in nature, so antibiotics are needed.
Treatment and prevention
If the pain is caused by physical overload or occurs against a background of hypothermia and infectious diseases, it may disappear on its own.Anti-inflammatory drugs can be used to speed recovery.Do not wear heating compresses and woolen belts.It is better to replace them with a special elastic corset.
For expectant mothers, special bandages are produced that help relieve stress from the back.But if the pain does not go away within three days, despite all the measures taken, you need to consult a doctor.
In no case should you self-medicate, especially massage and warming procedures such as a bath or sauna - this only increases swelling and discomfort.
Treatment is carried out comprehensively: they take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain, while simultaneously reducing the load on the spine.This is especially true for overweight people;they need to follow a low-energy diet.
In addition, doctors often prescribe various physiotherapeutic methods: magnetic therapy, massage.If the pain is caused by the destruction of joint tissue, it is necessary to take additional chondroprotectors: drugs based on chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine, which restore joints and promote collagen production.
To prevent the disease, it is important to follow the recommendations:
- You can't sit for long without moving.In this position there is a large load on the spine.
- Vertical loads on the spine should be avoided.
- The back muscles should be strengthened to provide additional support to the spine.
- If you suffer from intense and prolonged pain, you should consult a specialist.