Why back pain and how to deal with it

There is no such person who has not experienced back pain at least once in his life, and who restricts and restricts a person's movements for a while. According to medical practice, complaints of back pain or back pain are considered the most common and can be caught at the most inopportune moment. It is worth remembering that with symptoms of constant pain in the back, it is recommended to consult a specialist who can correctly determine the causes of immobilization and prescribe effective treatment. If you do not consult a doctor in time, serious complications can occur.

low back pain at work

Causes of pain

In fact, the causes of back and back pain can be very different, that is, they can be both an independent problem and a signal of new diseases of the spine. The main causes of pain are:

  • Excessive muscle load. About 85% of back pain can occur in the lower back due to excessive physical exertion. The so-called "back fatigue" occurs not only during exercise, but also when constantly sitting at the computer, resulting in heaviness and overload in the muscles.
  • Intervertebral hernia. A fairly common disease occurs mainly in people over 40 years of age and occurs due to flattening of the intervertebral discs. This process helps to compress the nerve roots, which causes severe back pain.
  • Fractures. Such root causes of low back pain are diagnosed in 4% of patients. According to medical statistics, compression fractures are very common in older people suffering from osteochondrosis. The disease is characterized by bone depletion, ie loss of mass and density, so the risk of spinal fractures is high.
  • Congenital defects of the spine. These types of pathologies occur during childbirth and can accompany a person throughout life. Deviations appear in the form of additional or missing vertebrae, and most often in the lumbar spine.
  • Spondylolisthesis. With spinal cord disease, the spine shifts, causing severe painful sensations in the upper back.
  • Gynecological diseases. Inflammation of the female genitals is accompanied by severe back pain.
  • Pregnancy. Attacks of pain can appear both in the early stages of pregnancy and in the second. This is due to a change in the center of gravity, softening or loosening of the ligaments, an increase in body weight, and an increase in body weight.
  • back pain during pregnancy
  • Infectious diseases. Inflammatory processes in the muscles of the back skeleton can cause severe pain that spreads to the shoulders, neck and even forehead. Painful feelings are intensified by various movements, which make it difficult to turn your head and bend.
  • Intercostal neuralgia. With this disease, the pain can be seen precisely in the intercostal space, or it can be localized in the lower back, under the scapula, and in other places where the nerve endings are compressed.
  • Spinal tumors. Often, with this disease, the pain occurs in the lower or middle part of the lower back, which intensifies when you wake up in the morning, and sometimes even at night.
  • Pathology of internal organs. Diseases of a particular organ can be predicted due to the location, intensity and duration of pain in a particular area of the lower back.

Alarms

When is it worth contacting a specialist? What are the serious signals of spinal cord dysfunction? Victims need medical attention if they feel:

  1. sudden sharp pain in the back for no apparent reason;
  2. severe pain while sleeping or at night;
  3. painful sensations felt after injury or rot;
  4. low back pain accompanied by high fever, tingling in the chest, dizziness, numbness and other symptoms;
  5. Acute pain attacks that do not subside within 2-3 days;
  6. Chronic mild pain that does not last for 2-2, 5 weeks;
  7. Painful sensations in the limbs, while significantly restricting a person's movement.
acupuncture for back pain

It is recommended that people diagnosed with cancer or osteoporosis experience back pain for the first time, consult a specialist immediately if they experience pain after drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, taking drugs or taking steroids.

It is important to remember that back pain does not mean that it is a serious illness. Independent diagnosis of spinal diseases and pathologies, even the appointment of treatment without the appointment of a specialist, or physiotherapy exercises are not recommended.

Diagnosis

To accurately determine the cause of back pain, specialists examine the patient, perform a visual examination of the back and assess the victim's ability to walk, sit or lie down. If necessary, a reflex test is performed using a neurological hammer. The information obtained will help to determine the exact source of pain. If doctors suspect a diagnosis or a progressive tumor, the following tests may be performed:

  • Radiography. Images can be used to pinpoint the exact location of the bones, allowing you to see the condition of the arthritis, cracks and fractures. Such a study is not suitable for cases where the patient is suspected of having diseases involving muscle tissue, spinal cord, or nerve endings.
  • MRI and CT. Magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography allows the patient to determine if he or she has problems with hernias, bone and cartilage diseases, blood vessels, nerves and tendons.
  • Osteosyntigraphy. Such a study is rarely assigned. Thanks to osteosyntigraphy, it is possible to identify tumors of bone tissue, compression fractures.
  • Examination of nerves. This analysis measures the electrical impulses triggered by the nerves.
X-ray examination to determine back pain

Methods of treatment

Regardless of the severity of back pain, it is advisable to consult a doctor who can correctly diagnose the cause and accurately determine ways to alleviate the victim's condition. Of course, it is worthwhile to weaken the attack of pain, which can be both acute and sudden, and recurrent from time to time. Attacks of pain are often felt during joint deformities or stretching of the back muscles. When a sharp pain is felt, doctors recommend stretching the victim, which will significantly alleviate the victim's condition and reduce the load on the spine. After that, it is recommended to limit physical activity for a day or two.

The spread of acute pain can be extinguished with a cold ice pack. If this method is seen, it can significantly reduce swelling. Rarely, ice massage is used, ie massaging a painful area with ice cubes for 7-8 minutes. This type of therapy lasts no more than 1-2 days, after which doctors recommend the use of heat compresses made at the expense of a heating pad or towel pre-immersed in warm water. You can relieve spasms in your back muscles by stretching your spine, even when lying down. To do this, you need to press your knees to your chest, put some pressure on them, and then lie down and relax. This exercise should be repeated several times. A painkiller will help get rid of back pain that can reduce inflammation around the sore spot.

physical therapy for back pain

Non-traditional methods to alleviate the victim's condition are rarely used in traditional medicine, but are still considered effective and efficient. It is possible to treat back pain attacks with methods such as acupuncture, vacuum therapy, manual therapy, osteopathy and other folk remedies. It is recommended to keep in mind that these methods of improving the victim's condition are used only for pain caused by diseases of the musculoskeletal system. In any case, it is advisable to consult your doctor before using this or any alternative medicine. In order to get rid of low back pain permanently, it is recommended to eliminate the root cause or disease and only then continue to treat pathologies of the back muscles, bones and joints.

Prevention of back pain

Regardless of the real cause of the appearance, doctors recommend following very simple but effective recommendations to prevent various pains in the lower back:

  • Do not lift weights. When a person lifts a load that is several times higher than normal, there is a sharp contraction of the intervertebral discs and blood vessels. Doctors are not recommended to lift a load of 15 kilograms at the same time and turn more or more body to the right or left with this weight.
  • Not in a sitting position for a long time. If there are pathological changes in the structure of the spine, it is necessary to limit sitting in a chair or chair. With this position of the body, a person begins to bend, often placing one foot on the other, which helps to distribute the load unevenly on the intervertebral discs and joints. If the main activity involves working at a computer for a long time, it is recommended to get up, walk and tilt left and right every hour.
  • Hypothermia should be avoided. Painful sensations are most often caused by lumbar muscle spasm caused by hypothermia. It is recommended to dress warmly, avoid drafts, cold winds and strong air conditioning.
  • You need to move more. For many people, the wrong choice is to significantly limit physical activity to maintain back health. When there is no movement, over time the back muscles atrophy, and as a result, the entire load passes from the muscle corset to the spine. In this condition, the intervertebral discs and articular cartilage tissue are destroyed. An excellent choice to restore back health, strengthen muscles and lengthen the intervertebral space will be a systematic exercise to stretch, swim, walk at medium speed.
  • Timely treatment of diseases. It is not necessary to start the course of spinal diseases such as osteochondrosis or spondyloarthritis, which leads to serious and often irreversible complications. When diagnosing a disease, it is worth starting treatment immediately, which can alleviate the condition.
  • Therapeutic procedures. To prevent spinal diseases, rehabilitation therapists and therapists are recommended to participate in various therapeutic treatment procedures, such as: massage, spa procedures, therapeutic gymnastics, yoga.
Exercises for back pain

Back pain attacks can occur at different ages and in different situations, but also significantly limit a person's movement. To prevent the appearance of cold sores, you need to exercise more, pay attention to your health and do not forget about sports.