Back pain can occur not only in people who lead a sedentary lifestyle.This can happen with age or during strenuous work, when the spine experiences increased stress.If the pain occurs from time to time, no treatment is necessary.But if the pain is regular, you should consult a doctor.Treatment is chosen depending on the cause of the identified pathology - drug treatment, physiotherapy and sometimes surgical intervention are used.
Reasons
In order to determine the causes of back pain, it is necessary to analyze when and under what circumstances they occur:
- Morning pain.This 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 - inflammation of the muscles caused by hypothermia, excessive stress and infectious diseases.In such cases, warming ointments are prescribed, including those based on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.If the inflammation also affects the joints, the doctor prescribes chondroprotectors, agents that restore tissues.
- Pain on exertion.They occur during a walk, a long walk or, conversely, 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, you should consult a doctor.The specialist will be able to accurately determine the cause of discomfort - spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis or osteochondrosis.
- Pulling pains occur in the neck towards the end of the working day.They are accompanied by a crunch, and after a while they intensify - these are symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.The disease cannot be completely cured.But pain relief can be done.In the acute period, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or, if they do not help, corticosteroids are prescribed.
With age, dystrophy of the intervertebral discs develops.This means they lose their shock absorption capacity, leading to back pain.In such cases, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and chondroprotectors are prescribed.The doctor may recommend special therapeutic exercises that will help strengthen the back muscles.Intervertebral disc dystrophy should not be confused with a herniation;the latter is characterized by the protrusion of a vertebra.In severe cases, surgical treatment is prescribed.
Drug therapy and other conservative methods of treatment of hernia make it possible to maintain the patient's quality of life at a high level.But in the most advanced cases, when it is impossible to relieve the 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 does not exceed 1.5%.
Back pain can be caused by an injury.This is 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 location
It is important to determine the location of the pain - in the middle of the back or below.Sometimes it helps to understand in which part of the spine there are problems and can indicate other pathologies provoking 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.Ultrasound will help make an accurate diagnosis.Further treatment depends on the cause of the pathology - the infection is fought with antibiotics and the kidney stones are surgically removed.
Sometimes back pain can be caused by gynecological diseases, such as endometriosis, which is the growth of the endometrium outside the uterine cavity.But there are cases when it even affects the abdominal organs, which leads to compression of the nerve endings.In such cases, the stomach begins to hurt.If pain occurs in the lower back, you should consult a gynecologist.Most often, endometriosis must be treated with conservative methods, but sometimes surgery is necessary.
Back pain occurs during pregnancy.Their appearance can be provoked by increased load on the spine and hormonal changes, which lead to muscle relaxation.Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are generally contraindicated for pregnant women and even massages are excluded in some cases.Special therapeutic exercises for pregnant women can have a beneficial effect.The best option is water aerobics and yoga for pregnant women.It is important to eliminate increased stress from your back.
Pain can also be caused by joint problems.The most common are various types of arthritis.The disease is often infectious in nature and therefore antibiotics are necessary.
Treatment and prevention
If the pain is caused by physical overload or occurs against the background of hypothermia and infectious disease, it may disappear on its own.Anti-inflammatory medications may be used to speed recovery.Heating pads and woolen belts should not be worn.It is better to replace them with a special elastic corset.
Special bandages are produced for pregnant women that help relieve back stress.But if the pain does not disappear after three days, despite all the measures taken, you should consult a doctor.
In no case should you self-medicate, especially massage and warming procedures like a bath or sauna - this only increases swelling and discomfort.
Treatment is carried out comprehensively: they take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain, while simultaneously reducing the load on the spine.This especially applies to overweight people;they must follow an energy-reduced diet.
In addition, doctors often prescribe various physiotherapeutic methods - magnetic therapy, massage.If the pain is caused by the destruction of joint tissue, then you need to take additional chondroprotectors - drugs based on chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine, which restore joints and promote the production of collagen.
To prevent the disease, it is important to follow the recommendations:
- You can't sit still for long.In this position, the spine is subjected to a significant load.
- 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 severe and prolonged pain, you should consult a specialist.