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Low back pain - causes and treatment

Back pain in the lower back

Various diseases can cause back pain in the lower back.

The most important diseases that cause back pain are joint injuries in the spine or hip joint.

Most often, this symptom is due to diseases of the lumbosacral spine.

The lumbar spine is mobile, causing more frequent injuries in this particular area.

Causes of back pain in the lower back

Back pain is a signal that there is a problem in the body with the spine, hip joint or internal organs near the lower back.

If your back hurts in the lower back, the reasons may be as follows:

  • pain may occur as a result of osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral spine;
  • painful sensations may be due to intervertebral hernia;
  • ankylosing spondylitis;
  • displacement of the vertebrae;
  • arthritis;
  • inflammation of the back muscles (myositis);
  • sciatica;
  • spinal fracture;
  • osteoarthritis of the hip joint and other diseases of the spine and hip joints.

Low back pain can also occur due to a muscle tension or muscle spasms. Muscle spasms can occur if you make sudden movements with a load on the lower back:

  • make sharp turns;
  • sudden weight lifting;
  • when playing sports.

Osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral spine

With lumbosacral osteochondrosis, low back pain can be combined with symptoms such as:

  • increased urination;
  • involuntary urination;
  • chronic and often worsening diseases of the bladder;
  • diseases of the genitals;
  • rectal problems.

Most often, back pain with osteochondrosis is:

  • sore;
  • blasting;
  • drag;
  • at times the pain is burning.

Often, low back pain in this case disappears while standing or lying down and intensifies when sitting, especially on a hard surface, with coughing and physical exertion.

Causes of back pain with lumbosacral osteochondrosis

The lumbar spine is characterized by great mobility and can withstand heavy loads in daily life.

This is the main cause of the development of lumbar osteochondrosis, manifested by dystrophy and deformation of the intervertebral discs.

The group at high risk of developing lumbosacral osteochondrosis includes:

  • overweight people;
  • to lead an inactive lifestyle;
  • have wrong attitude.

Also, this disease can develop with excessive exertion in professional athletes and even with improper training at home.

Frequent stress and lack of sleep can contribute to the development of osteochondrosis.

People suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and other inflammatory diseases of the joints often get sick with osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral spine.

Treatment of osteochondrosis

Treatment of osteochondrosis of the sacro-lumbar spine is aimed at slowing down the process of destruction of intervertebral discs, restoring nerve root functions and eliminating pain.

To do this, use:

  • medicines;
  • manual therapy;
  • physiotherapy methods;
  • physiotherapy;
  • surgical methods.

In the treatment of osteochondrosis of lumbar-sacral osteochondrosis, such drugs are used as:

  • chondroprotectors (to restore cartilage tissue);
  • non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
  • immune modulators;
  • steroid hormones;
  • vitamin complexes.

It is necessary to use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and steroid hormones with great care as they have many contraindications and side effects.

There are several more methods of treating osteochondrosis:

  1. Manual therapy helps restore the functions of the lumbar spine and its anatomical structure. Massage for osteochondrosis helps to strengthen the muscles in the lower back and improve metabolic processes in the tissues.
  2. Physiotherapy is performed after the acute period of the disease has been stopped with the help of drugs. The most useful for osteochondrosis will be: electrophoresis, paraffin therapy, phonophoresis and magnetotherapy. To achieve a tangible effect, it is recommended to perform 3 courses of 10 physiotherapy procedures with a two-week break between them.
  3. One of the most effective methods of treating osteochondrosis is physical therapy exercises. Physical training should be performed after appropriate consultation with a physician and preferably under the supervision of a specialist. A set of exercises designed specifically to treat lumbosacral osteochondrosis will help strengthen the muscles in the back, which will relieve some of the strain from the intervertebral discs.
  4. Spa treatment (radon baths, therapeutic mud, etc. ) has a good effect on osteochondrosis.

If you ignore the symptoms of osteochondrosis and do not seek medical attention, this will lead to the development of the disease and soon the back pain will become so severe that you will still need to consult a doctor for help.

Prevention of osteochondrosis

For the sake of spinal health, you need to eat right, monitor your posture and lead an active lifestyle.

When carrying weights and playing sports, be careful not to overstretch your back and damage your spine.

Back pain with intervertebral hernia

A spinal hernia, or intervertebral hernia, is a disease in which the intervertebral disc is deformed, the outer part of the disc ruptures simultaneously with the protrusion of the inner part of the disc outside the vertebral body.

Lumbago

Often back pain occurs in the lower back with lumbago.

Lumbago is the sudden appearance of acute low back pain at the time of physical exertion, lifting weights.

Back pain in this case has a tearing, stinging, shooting nature. It is associated with a sharp prolapse of the intervertebral disc and irritation of the nerve endings located in the annulus fibrosus.

A reflex is triggered as a result of the tone in the lumbar muscles increasing sharply. The patient freezes in a monotonous position, can not straighten his back and turn.

This manifestation of disc herniation in the lumbar spine is most commonly found in men aged 30-40 years.

Sciatica

Sciatica (sciatica) - irritation of the sciatic nerve due to squeezing of the hernial protrusion of the spinal cord roots.

Sciatica causes pain, burning, tingling and numbness that spreads from the lower back and down the back of the leg.

These symptoms usually occur on one side, depending on the position of the disc herniation.

Symptoms of back pain with intervertebral hernia

Table - Symptoms of disc herniation

The main symptoms Peculiarities
Prolonged pain in the lower back. Can last up to several months. They carry a painful, pulling, burning character.
Dysfunction of the pelvic organs. Incontinence or urinary retention. Violation of stool. In men, hernia can affect strength.
Weakness in the leg muscles, a decrease in their tone, a decrease in reflexes. Compression of the motor nerves in the spinal roots.
Paralysis (complete lack of movement) or paresis (partial lack of movement) in the legs. Compression and damage to the spinal cord.
Pale skin, increased sweating, white or red spots. Compression of the nerves in the spinal cord roots, which regulate blood vessels, sweat glands and other autonomic functions.

With intervertebral hernia, in most cases, pathological changes develop in the lumbar spine.

Identification of disc herniation

Statistics for the detection of intervertebral hernia:

  • 48% of disc herniation occurs between the last lumbar vertebra (fifth) and the sacrum.
  • 46% are between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae.

Causes of the development of intervertebral hernia

A herniated disc develops due to:

  1. Degenerative changes in the vertebrae and intervertebral discs. Disc herniation is often a complication of osteochondrosis.
  2. Postponed injuries to the spine: compression fractures of the vertebrae, subluxation.
  3. Increased load on the spine: with constant work sitting or standing in a monotonous position, incorrect carrying of weights, excessive physical exertion, overtraining in athletes.
  4. Sedentary lifestyle.
  5. Infectious diseases in which the spine is affected.
  6. Overweight.
  7. Congenital malformations of the spine.
  8. Vibration action. Most often this is due to industrial hazards. Under the influence of vibrations, the structure of the intervertebral disc is disturbed, it is weakened.
  9. Poor posture, scoliosis.

Disc herniation treatment

According to statistics, in most cases of intervertebral hernia, all symptoms disappear 6 weeks after the first attack and remission occurs.

The body is able to recover spontaneously after 24 weeks. Therefore, there are not always indications for surgery.

Disc herniation medication is aimed at relieving back pain.

Hernia is mainly treated with the following drugs:

  • non-steroidal analgesics;
  • steroid hormones.

Physiotherapy for intervertebral hernia is used as directed by a physician.

There are other methods of treating intervertebral hernia without surgery:

  1. Manual therapy. The chiropractor tries to remove the disc herniation with his hands.
  2. Chinese therapy. This is a kind of physiotherapy exercises. It normalizes muscle tone, restores blood circulation and increases tissue regeneration.
  3. Hirudotherapy.
  4. Cryotherapy. This is a low temperature treatment technique. Liquid nitrogen is placed on the affected area. This improves blood circulation in the tissues.

Disc herniation surgery

Surgical treatment of intervertebral hernia is prescribed in the presence of:

  • severe back pain in the lower back that does not go away for a long time, despite the ongoing conservative treatment;
  • severe neurological disorders: decreased sensitivity, muscle tone and strength, paralysis and paresis;
  • urinary incontinence, impotence in men (if it is caused by compression of a hernia in the spinal cord).

Back pain treatment with blockade

Hernia repair is a procedure that aims to numb the affected area and relieve muscle spasms.

The blocking is performed by injecting anesthetics.

The therapeutic effect of the blockade is characterized by:

  • rapid pain relief - relief comes in 1-2 minutes;
  • elimination of muscle spasms, which intensify painful sensations;
  • relief of inflammation, especially by administration of corticosteroids;
  • reduction of soft tissue edema, which causes squeezing of nerve fibers.

Contraindications to blockade:

  • an infectious lesion of the spine;
  • fever;
  • mental illness;
  • cardiovascular failure stage 2-3;
  • weakness;
  • blood coagulation disorders;
  • impaired renal and hepatic function;
  • tendency to seizures;
  • pregnancy.

Diagnosis of the disease for back pain

If your back hurts in the lower back, then the first step is to consult a doctor and undergo an examination.

Your doctor may prescribe spinal cord examinations using:

  • computed tomography;
  • X-ray of the lumbosacral spine;
  • MRI scanning;
  • electroneuromyography;
  • vascular dopplerography, etc.

An examination and palpation of the lower back and spine is mandatory. Consultation of a neurologist or vertebrologist is required.

Thus, almost always the cause of low back pain is displacement of the vertebrae, muscle spasms or intercostal neuralgia.