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 increased stress.If pain occurs from time to time, no treatment is needed.But if the pain is regular, consult a doctor.Therapy is selected depending on the cause of the identified pathology - medication, 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 their position, raise their arms 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, caused by hypothermia, excessive stress and infectious diseases.In such cases, warming ointments are prescribed, including ointments based on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.If the inflammation also affects the joints, the doctor prescribes chondroprotectors - drugs that restore tissues.
- Pain on exertion.They occur while walking, with a long walk or, on the contrary, with a lack of movement.Usually the pain is dull, but strong enough, 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, spinal canal narrowing or osteochondrosis.
- Towards the end of the working day, a lingering pain appears in the neck.They are accompanied by a crunching sound and become louder after a while - 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.
As age progresses, intervertebral disc dystrophy develops.This means they lose their ability to absorb shock, which causes back pain.In such cases, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and chondroprotectors are prescribed.Your doctor may recommend specific therapeutic exercises to help strengthen your back muscles.Dystrophy of the intervertebral disc should not be confused with 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 hernia treatment make it possible to maintain the patient's quality of life at a high level.But in the most advanced cases, when the pain cannot be relieved with anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids, and dysfunction of the urogenital system occurs, the hernia is operated on.The probability that the pain will remain after the operation is no more than 1.5%.
Back pain can be caused by an injury.This is caused by a sprain 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 the 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 this helps to understand which part of the spine has problems and can indicate other pathologies that cause a similar symptom.The middle back hurts not only because of osteochondrosis, but also because of diseases of the stomach or pancreas.
Back pain localized on the right or left side is not necessarily related to diseases of the spine.Sometimes this is a symptom of kidney pathology - an infectious disease or the appearance of stones in them.Ultrasound helps to establish 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 - 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 nerve endings.In such cases, the stomach starts to hurt.If pain occurs in the lower back, 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 can be provoked by increased stress on the spine and hormonal changes, which lead to muscle relaxation.Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are generally contraindicated for expectant mothers, and in some cases massage is also excluded.Special physical therapy for expectant mothers can have a positive effect.The best options for expectant mothers are water aerobics and yoga.It is important to take the increased stress off 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, so antibiotics are needed.
Treatment and prevention
If the pain is caused by physical overload or occurs against the background of hypothermia and an infectious disease, it will go away on its own.Anti-inflammatory medications can be used to speed healing.Warming compresses and wool belts should not be worn.It is better to replace them with a special elastic lace.
Special bandages are made for expectant mothers to help relieve back stress.But if the pain does not go away within three days, despite all the measures taken, you should see a doctor.
In no case should you self-medicate, especially massage and heating procedures, such as a bath or sauna - this will only increase swelling and discomfort.
The treatment is carried out comprehensively: anti-inflammatory, non-steroidal drugs are taken to relieve pain, while reducing the load on the spine.This applies mostly to overweight people;they must follow a diet with a reduced energy content.
In addition, doctors often prescribe various physiotherapy methods - magnetic therapy, massage.If the pain is caused by the destruction of joint tissues, then you need to take additional chondroprotectors - drugs based on chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine, which restore the joints and promote collagen production.
In order to prevent the disease, it is important to follow the recommendations:
- You can't sit for long without moving.In this position, there is a heavy load on the spine.
- Vertical loading of the spine should be avoided.
- The back muscles need to be strengthened to provide additional support to the spine.
- If you have severe, long-lasting pain, you should see a specialist.