Low back pain - causes and treatment

Various diseases can cause back pain in the lumbar region.

The main diseases that cause back pain are injuries to the joints in the spine or the hip joint.

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

The lumbar spine is mobile, which causes more frequent injury in this area.

Causes of back pain in the lumbar region

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 lumbar region, the reasons may be:

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

Also, lower back pain can occur due to muscle strain or muscle spasm. Muscle spasm can occur if you make sudden movements with a load on the lower back:

• making sharp turns.
• sudden weight lifting;
• when they exercise.

Osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine

With lumbar osteochondrosis, back pain in the lumbar region can be combined with symptoms such as:

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

Most often, back pain with osteochondrosis is:

• painful;
• pops?
• pulling?
• at times the pain burns.

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

Causes of back pain with lumbar osteochondrosis

The lumbar spine is characterized by high mobility and can withstand large loads on a daily basis.

This is the main reason for the development of lumbar osteochondrosis, which is manifested by dystrophy and deformity of the intervertebral discs.

The high risk group for developing lumbar osteochondrosis includes:

• overweight people;
• leading an inactive lifestyle.
• having an inappropriate attitude.

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

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

People with rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and other inflammatory diseases of the joints often get osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine.

Treatment of osteochondrosis

The treatment of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine aims to slow down the process of destruction of the intervertebral discs, to restore the functions of the nerve roots and to eliminate the pain.

To do this, apply:

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

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

• chondroprotective (for the restoration of cartilage tissue).
• non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
• immunomodulators;
• 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 many other methods for treating osteochondrosis:

1. Manual therapy helps to restore the functions of the lumbar spine and its anatomical structure. Massage for osteochondrosis helps strengthen the back muscles and improve metabolic processes in the tissues.
2. Physiotherapy is performed after the cessation of the acute period of the disease with the help of drugs. The most useful for osteochondrosis will be: electrophoresis, paraffin therapy, phonophoresis and magnetotherapy. To achieve a tangible result, it is recommended to conduct 3 courses of 10 physiotherapy procedures with a break of two weeks between them.
3. One of the most effective methods of treating osteochondrosis is physiotherapy exercises. Physical therapy should be performed after appropriate consultation with a physician and, preferably, under the supervision of a specialist. A set of exercises designed specifically for the treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis will help strengthen the back muscles, which will relieve some of the load 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 help, then this will lead to the development of the disease and soon the back pain will become so severe that you still need to consult a doctor for help.

Prevention of osteochondrosis

For spine health, you need to eat right, monitor your posture and lead an active lifestyle.

When carrying weights and doing sports, you must be careful not to strain your back and damage your spine.

Back pain with intervertebral hernia

Spinal hernia or intervertebral hernia is a disease in which the intervertebral disc is deformed, the outer part of the disc rupturing at the same time as the protrusion of the inner part of the disc outside the vertebral body.

Lumbago

Often, back pain in the lumbar region occurs with back pain.

Back pain is the sudden onset of acute back pain at the time of exercise, weight lifting.

The back pain in this case has a tearing, stabbing, shooting character. It is associated with abrupt prolapse of the intervertebral disc and irritation of the nerve endings located in the fibrous ring.

A reflex is triggered, resulting in a significant increase in lumbar muscle tone. The patient freezes in a monotonous position, can not straighten his back and turn.

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

Sciatica

Sciatica (sciatica) - irritation of the sciatic nerve due to a sting of the hernia protrusion of the roots of the spine.

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

These symptoms usually appear on one side, depending on the location of the disc herniation.

Symptoms of low back pain with intervertebral hernia

Table - Symptoms for disc herniation

The main symptoms	Specific features
Long-term pain in the lumbar region.	It can take up to several months. They wear a aching, pulling, burning character.
Dysfunction of the pelvic organs.	Urinary incontinence or retention. Violation of defecation. In men, a hernia can affect strength.
Weakness of the leg muscles, reduction of their tone, reduction of reflexes.	Compression of the motor nerves in the vertebral roots.
Paralysis (complete lack of movement) or paralysis (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 at the roots of the spine, which regulate blood vessels, sweat glands and other autonomic functions.

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

Disc herniation recognition

Statistics for intervertebral hernia detection:

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

Reasons for the development of intervertebral hernia

A disc herniation develops due to:

1. Degenerative changes in the vertebrae and intervertebral discs. Disc herniation is often a complication of osteochondrosis.
2. Delayed spinal injuries: compression fractures of the vertebrae, subluxation.
3. Increased loads on the spine: with continuous work sitting or standing posture in a monotonous posture, improper weight transfer, excessive physical exertion, overtraining in athletes.
4. Sedentary life.
5. Infectious diseases affecting the spine.
6. Overweight.
7. Congenital malformations of the spine.
8. Vibration action. Most of the time this is due to industrial hazards. Under the influence of vibration, the structure of the intervertebral disc is disturbed, weakens.
9. Poor posture, scoliosis.

Disc herniation treatment

According to statistics, in most cases with intervertebral hernia, all symptoms disappear 6 weeks after the first infection and relapse occurs.

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

Disc herniation medication aims to relieve back pain.

The hernia is mainly treated with the following drugs:

• non-steroidal analgesics.
• steroid hormones.

Physiotherapy for intervertebral hernias is used according to the doctor's instructions.

There are other methods of treating intervertebral hernia without surgery:

1. Manual therapy. The chiropractor tries to eliminate the disc herniation with his hands.
2. Kinesiotherapy. This is a type of physiotherapy exercise. Normalizes muscle tone, restores blood circulation and increases tissue regeneration.
3. Hirudotherapy.
4. Cryotherapy. This is a low temperature processing technique. Liquid nitrogen is applied to the affected area. This improves blood circulation to the tissues.

Disc herniation surgery

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

• severe back pain in the lumbar region that does not subside for a long time, despite continued conservative treatment.
• Severe neurological disorders: decreased sensitivity, muscle tone and strength, paralysis and paralysis.
• urinary incontinence, impotence in men (if caused by spinal hernia compression).

Treatment of back pain with exclusion

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

The blockade is performed by injecting anesthetics.

The therapeutic effect of exclusion is characterized by:

• Quick pain relief - relief comes in 1-2 minutes.
• elimination of muscle spasm, which intensifies the painful sensations.
• relief from inflammation, especially with corticosteroids.
• reduction of soft tissue edema, which causes stinging of nerve fibers.

Contraindications to exclusion:

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

Diagnosis of the disease for back pain

If your back hurts in the lumbar region, then the first step is to consult a doctor and get tested.

Your doctor may prescribe a spinal exam with the help of:

• Computed Tomography?
• X-ray of the lumbar spine.
• magnetic resonance imaging?
• electroneuromyography?
• vascular dopplerography etc.

Examination and palpation of the lumbar region and the spine is mandatory. A consultation with a neurologist or vertebrate is required.

Thus, almost always the cause of the pain in the waist is the displacement of the vertebrae, the muscle spasm or the intercostal neuralgia.