There is probably no person who has never had lower back pain.Moreover, discomfort can manifest itself at any age, regardless of gender, work activity and other factors.
Back pain in the lumbar region, varying in nature and causes, makes life significantly more difficult.Neglecting obvious symptoms of pathology can worsen the situation.
Types of pain syndrome
The main classification of pain syndrome is as follows:
- Primary.
- Secondary.
The first option is characterized by pathology of the spine and the entire musculoskeletal system.The muscles, ligaments and tendons undergo a number of changes, resulting in a person's back pain.
Discomfort of a secondary nature is not directly related to the lumbar region.Usually its development is influenced by indirect pathologies.
Depending on the cause of the occurrence, lower back pain varies in different ways.The discomfort can be acute and sharp, or vice versa, aching and dull.It is necessary to understand in more detail the nature of each of the options.
Sharp and sharp pain
It cannot be considered an independent pathology.Typically, acute lower back pain is a sign of some disease.Most often people encounter them after the age of 30.
Severe lower back pain can occur for a number of reasons.One of them is hypothermia of the specified area.Muscles weaken and are easily susceptible to negative effects.Pain in the lower back hinders movement, depriving the patient of mobility.It is hardly possible to do anything on your own if your back hurts badly.The right thing to do would be to call a specialist.
Abrupt can be caused by a number of reasons:
- Intervertebral hernia.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Excessive loads.
- Injury.
What to do if there is a sharp pain in the lower back?The best option is to see a doctor.If this cannot be done immediately, you will need to relieve the symptoms of inflammation with medication.
Dull and aching pain
The causes of aching pain in the lower back are varied.To establish them, a full examination of the body will be required.The accuracy of the diagnosis depends on many signs.Here are the main ones:
- Place where discomfort is concentrated.
- Age category of the patient.
- The patient's diet.
- The presence of bad habits (smoking, addiction to alcohol, etc.).
- Patient's body weight.
Throbbing pain in the lower back often occurs in women of reproductive age.There is a pulling in the lower back due to the following reasons:
- Fatigue.Reducing physical activity will help relieve discomfort.Warming the problem area with a heating pad or ointments has a positive effect.
- Pregnancy.A special bandage will come to the woman’s aid, reducing the load.
- Menstruation.Medicines will help alleviate the situation and relieve dull pain.
- Incorrect posture, osteochondrosis, osteoporosis.
- Intervertebral hernia, arthrosis.
- Pathologies of the genitourinary system.
- Radiculitis.
- Any injuries.
To understand why your lower back ache, you should conduct a small experiment.The patient needs to stand with his back straight and lean against the wall.Next, slowly lower your chin, pressing it to your chest.The resulting pain or pulsation on any side (top, bottom, side) will help determine the root cause of the aching pain.
Causes of illness in women
In addition to the general ones, there are a number of reasons that apply only to representatives of the fairer sex.
This may include:
- Pregnancy.
- Problems in gynecology.
- Menses.
- Mechanical abortion.
Women usually do not know what to do if they experience back pain due to severe shock or unnecessary worries.The situation can only be improved through psychological therapy.
Problems in gynecology
The presence of gynecological diseases in a woman often becomes the starting point for the development of pain.
Problems may be the following:
- Inflammation of the external genitalia (vulvitis).
- Tumor of any nodes of the genitourinary system.
- Adnexitis (in other words, inflammation of the appendages).
- Myoma.
The symptoms of the pathology are as follows:
- The presence of copious discharge.
- An infection whose foci are concentrated in the vagina.
- Problems conceiving a child.
Often a woman complains of soreness in the lower abdomen.Sometimes the pain radiates to the lumbar region.
Pregnancy
The gestation period for the female body does not pass without a trace.In the last trimester of pregnancy, the load on the bones of the spine increases significantly, which is explained by an increase in the size and weight of the fetus.
Due to its physiological structure, the lumbar spine suffers most.Pain in the lower back is natural and quite noticeable.Typically, lower back pain goes away after the baby is born.
Menses
Such a familiar phenomenon for a woman can be accompanied by lower back pain.
This is explained by the following factors:
- Release of the follicle from the ovary.
- Enlargement of the uterus.
- Pathologies of the reproductive system.
Moreover, pain can also appear during menopause.This is usually due to hormonal changes and imbalances.With the onset of menopause, a woman's bones become more fragile and brittle, which is characteristic of osteoporosis.
Abortion
Mechanical termination of pregnancy also does not pass without a trace, being a serious stress for the body.During the contraction of the uterus, an inflammatory process begins.The latter focuses on the inner surface of the organ.
Please note: women are more susceptible to lumbar pain than men.
Causes of illness in men
Men, like women, suffer from lumbar pain.
The most obvious reasons are:
- Prostatitis.At first it only hurts in the anus.As intoxication progresses, the patient begins to experience discomfort in the lower back.
- Epididymitis, in other words, is an inflammatory process in the epididymis.As such, the back does not hurt, but sometimes unpleasant sensations appear.
- Oncology of the genitourinary system.It often affects men of pre-retirement age (over 50 years old).
- Bodybuilding, bodybuilding.
- Injuries to the muscular system.Pain in the lumbar region is caused by a strain in the latissimus muscle.
Professional activity plays an important role in identifying the cause of lower back pain.
Causes of illness in children
Pathology in children develops due to the following factors:
- Spinal hernia.
- Incorrect posture.
Usually the cause of the latter is flat feet.Although choosing a comfortable briefcase and the right shoes are also important.
Please note: in the early stages, a child’s spinal curvature can be corrected.Physical therapy helps a lot with this.
Connection with diseases
The above classification is not the only one.Soreness can be periodic or constant.
In the first case, malaise is directly related to factors such as:
- Excessive physical activity.
- Exacerbation of existing diseases.
- Some features of physiology.
Periodic pain subsides when the symptoms of the underlying pathology are relieved.
Serious lesions of deep vessels and injuries to the musculoskeletal system can provoke permanent malaise.Treatment alleviates the situation somewhat, but does not completely solve it.
Spinal diseases
The causes of constant pain in the lumbar region are as follows:
- Curvature of the spine.The disease is characterized by skeletal deformation, poor posture, and the appearance of a hump in the costal region.Sometimes scoliosis is asymptomatic for quite a long period.
- Intervertebral osteochondrosis of the lumbar region.The pathology destroys bones and cartilage, and affects nerve fibers.Sometimes the disease becomes a catalyst for the development of protrusion, sciatica, radiculitis of the lumbar region, and herniated intervertebral discs.
- Destructive changes in the vertebrae.They cause lumbago (lumbago).Typically, acute pain occurs in men with excessive exercise.Lack of proper treatment entails irreversible consequences.
- Spondylosis.The joint apparatus of the lumbar region ages, becomes thinner and loses its mobility.This process is quite natural.
- Inflammation of all bone tissue nodes (osteomyelitis).The nature of the process is infectious.
- Osteoporosis (increased bone fragility).Usually diagnosed in children and women during menopause.
- Thrombophlebitis, phlebothrombosis.In the deep veins, blood flow completely or partially stops.This leads to pain after long walking.
- Rheumatoid arthritis.Chronic inflammation begins in the joints of the lumbar region, affecting muscles, cartilage and ligaments.This systemic disease is often observed in women.The cause of the pathology is problems with the immune system.
- Atherosclerosis in the last stage.It is often diagnosed in older men.
Some people have lower limbs of different lengths.A wide range of values (more than 1-3 cm) is one of the causes of pain in the lumbar region.
Diseases of internal organs
The development of illness is influenced not only by problems with the spine.
Pain syndrome manifests itself in the following diseases:
- Inflammation of the appendix.A person is bothered by discomfort in the lower abdomen on the right, sometimes the pain radiates to the back.
- Cholecystitis (inflammation of the walls of the gallbladder).
- Pathologies of the small intestine.The lower back hurts because the disease affects the nerve fibers of this area.
- Spikes.Usually the result of surgery.
- Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).The pathology is accompanied by a pain syndrome of a shingles nature.Signs of the disease are vomiting, bowel problems (diarrhea or constipation), coating on the tongue, and nausea.Low back pain is not diagnosed by palpation.
- Kidney pathologies.
- Tuberculosis of bones.
- Inflammatory processes in the muscular system.The nature of tissue damage is different (infectious, bacterial, viral).Sometimes inflammation develops due to hypothermia.The process is accompanied by an increase in body temperature and general malaise.
- A tumor in the lumbar region, growing along the nerve fibers.
Excess body weight and obesity also cause discomfort.Pain occurs due to excessive stress on the lower back.
Additional symptoms
To determine why your lower back hurts, you should take into account all possible signs of the disease.
Here they are:
- Sprains are accompanied by painful spasms, and the damaged muscles are limited in movement.Discomfort sometimes extends to the back of the lower limbs and the gluteal region.
- Numbness of the limbs occurs if the nerve roots of the lower back have been injured.
- Pupil dilation.
- Excessive sweating.
- Increased heart rate.
- Fever.
If lower back pain is the result of some pathology, symptoms will appear gradually.
Diagnosis of the problem
What to do if your lower back hurts?First, it is necessary to conduct a complete examination of the patient.
Diagnosis is based on procedures such as:
- Analysis of urine and blood in a laboratory.Biochemistry will also be required.
- Ultrasound examination of the heart, internal organs of the abdominal cavity.This is relevant if you suspect kidney or gastrointestinal pathologies.
- X-ray of the lumbar region.
- CT AND MRI.With their help, you can determine the cause of pain.
- Dopplerography (vascular examination).
Carrying out all of these activities makes it possible to establish a catalyst for the development of pathology and determine methods for its elimination.
Treatment
Getting rid of pathology must be comprehensive and can be carried out in different ways.
To avoid making the situation worse, you should not:
- Heat the lumbar region.
- Take medications at your own discretion.
- Adjust the vertebrae yourself, contact a chiropractor.
Please note: without identifying the root cause of discomfort, self-medication is dangerous.
Physiotherapy and massage
Treatment of lower back pain is possible using physical therapy.
If the patient cannot move due to severe pain, he is shown:
- Massage.Applicable if the patient is bothered by pain in the lower back or finds it difficult to bend.
- Mud therapy.
- Paraffin applications.
- Therapeutic gymnastics.
Sometimes acupuncture and manual therapy are beneficial.They strengthen the bone apparatus, relieving muscle tension.
Medicines
If a patient experiences pain in the lumbar region after any physical activity, drug therapy is indicated.
The following groups of drugs will help alleviate the condition and relieve pain:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
- Muscle relaxants.
- Narcotic pain reliever.
- Corticosteroids.
- Chondroprotectors.
It is permissible to use ointments locally.If the effect is not achieved, injections are used.Only a specialist has the right to prescribe how to treat the lower back.
Folk remedies
Together with medications, you can treat a sore lower back using traditional methods.
The following recipes are applicable:
- Grind the head of garlic, add a little Vaseline and 1 tsp.lemon juice.Apply the resulting ointment to the inflamed areas.
- Take a bath with mustard (200 grams of powder).Afterwards, rinse your body with clean water, dry yourself and dress warmly.
- If it hurts to walk, make a compress of horseradish.Grate it (can be replaced with radish), add sour cream and place on a thin cloth.Apply to the sore area, secure, and wrap.
The dosage for taking any folk remedy or medication should be prescribed by your attending physician.
You can cure your lower back with alcohol tincture of eucalyptus.You will need to thoroughly rub the inflamed area.
Preventive measures
Heaviness in the lower back can be prevented through prevention.
To do this you need:
- Do gymnastics regularly.
- Control your posture.
- Strengthen your immune system, exercise, give up bad habits.
- Get annual checkups.
- Drink at least 1.5 liters of water regularly.
Remember that even nervous shocks and experiences can provoke the development of illness.It is important not to start self-medication, but to turn to competent specialists.Time spent on unskilled therapy can sometimes be decisive.