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 more stress.If pain occurs occasionally, no treatment is necessary.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, you need to analyze when and under what conditions they occur:
- Morning pain.This usually happens after waking up.A person cannot change position, lift an arm or turn their neck without severe pain.Most often, this 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 those based on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.If the inflammation also affects the joints, the doctor prescribes chondroprotectors - agents that restore the tissue.
- Pain on exertion.They occur during a walk, when walking for a long time or, conversely, when there is a lack of exercise.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 can 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 grinding sound, and after some time they become more intense - these are symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.The disease cannot be completely cured.But pain relief can be performed.In the acute period, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed or, if they do not help, corticosteroids.
Intervertebral disc dystrophy develops with age.This means that they lose their shock-absorbing capacity, resulting in back pain.In such cases, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and chondroprotectors are prescribed.The doctor may recommend special therapeutic exercises that help strengthen the muscles in the back.Intervertebral disc dystrophy should not be confused with a herniated disc;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 for 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 pain with anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids and dysfunction of the urogenital system occurs, the hernia is operated on.The chance that the pain will persist even after the operation is no more than 1.5%.
Back pain can be caused by an injury.This happens due to sprains in 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 the 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 in which part of the spine there are problems, and it 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, localized on the right or left, is not necessarily associated with diseases of the spine.Sometimes this is a symptom of kidney pathology - an infectious disease or the appearance of stones in it.Ultrasound will help make an accurate diagnosis.Further treatment depends on the cause of the pathology: the infection is fought with antibiotics and kidney stones are surgically removed.
Sometimes back pain can be caused by gynecological conditions, such as endometriosis - the growth of the endometrium outside the uterine cavity.But there are cases when it affects even the abdominal organs, leading to compression of the nerve endings.In such cases, the stomach begins to hurt.If pain in the lower back occurs, you should consult a gynecologist.Most often, endometriosis should be treated with conservative methods, but sometimes surgical intervention is necessary.
Back pain occurs during pregnancy.Their appearance may be caused by increased load on the spine and hormonal changes, which lead to muscle relaxation.Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are usually contraindicated for expectant mothers, 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 expectant mothers.It is important to remove the increased strain on your 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 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.Heating pads and woolen belts should not be worn.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, despite all the measures taken, the pain does not disappear within three days, you should consult a doctor.
In no case should you self-medicate, especially with massage and warming procedures such as a bath or sauna - this will only increase swelling and discomfort.
The treatment is carried out comprehensively: they take anti-inflammatory nonsteroidal drugs to relieve pain and at the same time reduce the load on the spine.This is especially true for overweight people;they must follow a diet with a lower energy value.
In addition, doctors often prescribe various physiotherapeutic methods: magnetic therapy, massages.If the pain is caused by the destruction of joint tissue, you should take additional chondroprotectors - drugs based on chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine, which restore the joints and promote the production of collagen.
To prevent the disease, it is important to follow the recommendations:
- You cannot sit for long periods of time 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 so that they provide additional support to the spine.
- If you have severe, long-lasting pain, you should consult a specialist.