Back pain can occur not only in people who lead a sedentary lifestyle.This can occur with age or during hard work, when the spine experiences increased stress.If pain occurs from time to time, then treatment is not necessary.However, if the pain is regular, you should consult a doctor.Therapy is selected depending on the identified cause of the pathology - drug treatment, physiotherapy, and sometimes surgery are used.
Reason
To determine the cause of back pain, you need to analyze when and under what circumstances it occurs:
- Morning pain.Usually occurs after waking up.A person cannot change position, raise an arm, or rotate the neck without severe pain.Most often, it has nothing to do with the spine, but is caused by myositis - inflammation of the muscles, which is caused by hypothermia, excessive stress and infectious diseases.In such cases, warming ointments are prescribed, including ointments based on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.If the inflammation also affects the joints, the doctor prescribes chondroprotectors - agents that restore tissue.
- Pain during activity.They occur when walking, when walking long distances or, conversely, with lack of movement.Usually the pain is dull, but quite strong, it disappears only after the load is removed, 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, spinal canal stenosis or osteochondrosis.
- Pulling pain occurs in the neck towards the end of the working day.They are accompanied by a crunching sound, and after some time they become stronger - these are symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.This disease cannot be completely cured.But pain relief is possible.In the acute period, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or, if they do not help, corticosteroids are prescribed.
With age, intervertebral disc dystrophy develops.This means they lose their ability to absorb shock, thereby causing back pain.In such cases, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and chondroprotectors are prescribed.Your doctor may recommend special therapeutic exercises that will help strengthen your back muscles.Intervertebral disc dystrophy is not the same as a hernia;the latter is characterized by spinal protrusion.In severe cases, surgical treatment is prescribed.
Drug therapy and other conservative methods of treating hernias can maintain the patient's quality of life at a high level.But in the most advanced cases, when it is not possible to relieve pain with anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids and dysfunction of the genitourinary system occurs, the hernia is operated on.The chance that pain will remain even after surgery is no more than 1.5%.
Back pain can be caused by injury.This occurs due to sprains of the ligaments that support the spine, an injury that can occur during exercise and heavy lifting.Injury to the spine itself causes the development of osteoporosis, a disease that causes thinning of bone tissue.The pathology itself does not provoke pain, but it causes spinal fractures.
Depends on location
It is important to determine the location of the pain - in the middle of the back or below.Sometimes this helps to understand which part of the spine is problematic, and may indicate other pathologies that cause similar symptoms.The middle of the back hurts not only because of osteochondrosis, but also because of stomach or pancreatic diseases.
Back pain, localized on the right or left, is not necessarily associated with spinal disease.Sometimes this is a symptom of kidney pathology - an infectious disease or the appearance of stones in it.Ultrasound will help establish an accurate diagnosis.Further treatment depends on the cause of the pathology - the infection is treated with antibiotics, and 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 times when it even affects the abdominal organs, leading to compression of the nerve endings.In such cases, the stomach starts to hurt.If pain occurs in the lower back, you should consult a gynecologist.Most often, endometriosis has to be treated with conservative methods, but sometimes surgical intervention is necessary.
Back pain occurs during pregnancy.Their appearance can be triggered by increased load on the spine and hormonal changes that cause muscle relaxation.Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are usually contraindicated for pregnant women, and even massage is excluded in some cases.Special therapeutic exercises for pregnant women can have a good effect.The best options are water aerobics and yoga for pregnant women.It is important to remove increased stress from your back.
Pain can also be caused by joint problems.The most common are various types of arthritis.Often this disease is infectious, so antibiotics are needed.
Treatment and prevention
If the pain is caused by physical overload or occurs due to hypothermia and infectious diseases, it can go away on its own.Anti-inflammatory drugs may be used to speed recovery.Warming compresses and wool belts should not be used.It is better to replace it with a special elastic corset.
Special bandages are produced for pregnant women that help relieve stress from the back.However, if the pain does not go away within three days, even after all measures have been taken, you need to consult a doctor.
Under no circumstances should you self-medicate, especially massage and warming procedures such as a bath or sauna - this will only increase swelling and discomfort.
Treatment is carried out comprehensively: they take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain while reducing the load on the spine.This is especially true in people who are overweight;they need to follow a diet with reduced energy value.
Additionally, doctors often prescribe various physiotherapy methods - magnetic therapy, massage.If the pain is caused by damage to the joint tissue, then you need to additionally take chondroprotectors - drugs based on chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine, which restore the joint and increase collagen production.
To prevent this 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 must be strengthened to provide additional support to the spine.
- If you experience severe and prolonged pain, you should consult a specialist.