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 pain occurs from time to time, no treatment is required.But if the pain is regular, you should consult a doctor.Therapy is selected depending on the cause of the identified pathology: drug treatment, physiotherapy, and sometimes surgery 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.In most cases, 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 such cases, warm 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 tissue.
- Pain on effort.They occur during a walk, with long walks or, conversely, with a 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, it is necessary 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 appears in the neck towards the end of the work day.They are accompanied by a crunching sound and, after a while, intensify;These are symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.The disease cannot be completely cured.But pain relief can be achieved.In the acute period, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed or, if they do not help, corticosteroids.
With age, intervertebral disc dystrophy develops.This means they lose their shock absorption capacity, which causes back pain.In such cases, chondroprotectors and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs 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 protuberance of a vertebra.In severe cases, surgical treatment is prescribed.
Drug therapy and other conservative hernia treatment methods make it possible 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-inflammatories 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 to the ligaments that support the spine, an injury that can occur during sports and lifting heavy objects.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 location
It is important to determine the location of the pain: in the middle of the back or below.Sometimes this helps to understand where in the spine there are problems and may indicate other pathologies that cause a similar symptom.The back in the middle hurts not only from osteochondrosis, but also from 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 in which it even affects the abdominal organs, causing compression of the nerve endings.In such cases, the stomach begins to hurt.If pain occurs in the lower back, a gynecologist should be consulted.Most of the time, endometriosis should be treated conservatively, but sometimes surgical intervention is necessary.
Back pain occurs during pregnancy.Its appearance can be provoked by an increased load on the spine and hormonal changes, which lead to muscle relaxation.Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are usually contraindicated for pregnant women, and in some cases even massage is excluded.Special therapeutic exercises for pregnant women can have a good effect.The best option is water aerobics and yoga for pregnant women.It is important to eliminate increased tension in the back.
Pain can also be caused by joint problems.The most common are various types of arthritis.Often the disease is infectious in nature, therefore antibiotics are required.
Treatment and prevention
If the pain is caused by physical overload or occurs against the background of hypothermia and an infectious disease, it may disappear on its own.Anti-inflammatory medications can be used to speed recovery.Hot compresses or wool belts should not be used.It is better to replace them with a special elastic corset.
Special bandages are produced for pregnant women that help relieve stress from the back.But if the pain does not disappear within three days, despite all the measures taken, it is necessary to consult a doctor.
Under no circumstances should you self-medicate, especially massages and warming procedures such as a bath or sauna;this only increases swelling and discomfort.
Treatment is carried out comprehensively: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are taken to relieve pain and at the same time reduce the load on the spine.This especially applies to overweight people;They need to follow a diet with reduced energy value.
In addition, doctors often prescribe various physiotherapeutic methods: magnetic therapy, massage.If the pain is caused by the destruction of joint tissue, then 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 need to be strengthened to provide additional support to the spine.
- If you experience intense and prolonged pain you should consult a specialist.