Back pain can occur not only in people who lead a sedentary lifestyle.This can happen with age or during heavy work when the spine experiences increased stress.If pain occurs from time to time, 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, it is necessary to analyze when and under what conditions they occur:
- Morning pain.It usually happens after waking up.A person cannot change position, raise an arm or turn the neck without severe pain.Most often, it has nothing to do with the spine, but is caused by myositis - muscle inflammation caused by hypothermia, excessive stress, infectious diseases.In such cases, warming 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 tissues.
- Pain on exertion.They occur during a walk, with a long walk or, on the contrary, a lack of movement.Usually the pain is dull, but quite strong, it goes away only after removing the load, but sometimes it becomes constant.In this case, you should consult a doctor.The specialist will be able to accurately determine the cause of the discomfort - spondylolisthesis, stenosis of the spinal canal or osteochondrosis.
- At the end of the working day, there is a pulling pain in the neck.They are accompanied by a crunching sound, 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, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or, if they do not help, corticosteroids are prescribed.
Intervertebral disc dystrophy develops with age.This means they lose their ability to absorb shocks, resulting in back pain.In such cases, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and chondroprotectors are prescribed.The doctor can recommend special therapeutic exercises that will help strengthen the back muscles.Intervertebral disc dystrophy should not be confused with herniation;the latter is characterized by a protrusion of the vertebra.In severe cases, surgical treatment is prescribed.
Drug therapy and other conservative methods of hernia treatment allow maintaining the patient's quality of life at a high level.But in the most advanced cases, when it is not possible to relieve the pain with anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids and dysfunction of the urogenital system occurs, the hernia is operated.The probability that the pain will remain even after surgery is no more than 1.5%.
Back pain can be caused by injuries.This occurs due to sprains of the ligaments that support the spine, which can occur during sports and weight 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 the 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 that cause a similar symptom.The middle of the back hurts not only from osteochondrosis, but also from diseases of the stomach or pancreas.
Back pain localized on the right or left side is not always associated with spinal diseases.Sometimes it is a symptom of kidney pathology - an infectious disease or the appearance of stones in them.Ultrasound will help to make 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 when it even affects the organs of the abdominal cavity, which leads to compression of the nerve endings.In such cases, the stomach starts to hurt.If the pain occurs in the lower back, you should consult a gynecologist.Most often, endometriosis should be treated with conservative methods, but sometimes surgical intervention is required.
Back pain occurs during pregnancy.Their appearance can be caused by increased load on the spine and hormonal changes that lead to muscle relaxation.Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are usually contraindicated in expectant mothers, and in some cases even massage is excluded.Special therapeutic exercise for pregnant women can have a good effect.The best option is water aerobics and yoga for expectant mothers.It is important to remove increased stress from the back.
Pain can also be caused by joint problems.The most common of these are different types of arthritis.Often the disease is infectious, so antibiotics are needed.
Treatment and prevention
If the pain occurs due to physical overload or occurs against the background of hypothermia and an infectious disease, it may pass by itself.Anti-inflammatory drugs can be used to speed recovery.Do not use heating compresses and woolen belts.It is better to replace them with a special elastic corset.
Special bandages are produced for expectant mothers, which help to reduce the strain on the back.But if the pain does not go away within three days, despite all the measures taken, you should consult a doctor.
In no case should you self-medicate, especially massage and heating procedures, such as a bath or sauna - this only increases swelling and discomfort.
Treatment is comprehensive: they use anti-inflammatory nonsteroidal drugs to reduce pain while reducing the load on the spine.This is most true for people who are overweight;they must follow an energy-reduced diet.
In addition, doctors often prescribe various physiotherapeutic methods - magnetic therapy, massages.If the pain is caused by the destruction of joint tissue, then you should additionally use 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 a long time without moving.In this position, there is a heavy load on the spine.
- Vertical strain on the spine should be avoided.
- The back muscles should be strengthened to provide additional support to the spine.
- If you have severe, long-lasting pain, you should consult a specialist.