Due to work or hobbies, do you spend a lot of time sitting or exercising a lot in the gym? Everything was fine before, but now do you have back and lower back pain often? So maybe you should see a doctor for help? What causes back pain? Which doctor should I see and how to deal with a wound? We'll talk about that and more later in this article.
What causes the pain?
So, "What to do if your back hurts and what can cause it? ", let's examine this question more closely. There may be more than enough reasons. The fact is that back and lower back pain can signal a range of diseases, both in the spine and internal organs. This is due to the fact that many nerve endings that surround all the internal organs start from the spine. Therefore, according to the location of pain in a certain area of the crest, we can talk about some specific diseases.
Occurrence causes
What does low back pain say and which doctor should I contact to treat it? Both habits and illnesses can cause pain in the lower back. The first are:
- Permanent sedentary work. IT employees and drivers are at risk.
- Permanent work standing up.
- Great frequent physical activity. Athletes, especially weight lifters, are at risk.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- A separate risk group includes pregnant and postpartum women.
- Overweight.
As you can see, everything is simple with habits. In the second case, pain in the lower back can often be caused by diseases. Here you can also highlight diseases of the spine itself and diseases where pain in the lower back is just a symptom. The former include osteochondrosis, spondyloarthrosis, intervertebral hernia, and protrusion.
The second group contains the following possible causes of back pain:
- Crest fracture due to trauma.
- Fracture caused by osteoporosis.
- A tumor located in the spinal canal.
- Prolonged muscle tension.
- The narrow structure of the spinal canal (rather rare).
- Various complications during pregnancy.
- Various arthritises such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis.
- Spine deformities, eg kyphosis, scoliosis, Scheuermann-Mau disease, kyphoscoliosis.
- Spinal tuberculosis, osteomyelitis, discitis.
- Urolithiasis, pyelonephritis.
- Ovarian cancer, endometriosis, ovarian cyst.
When should you see a doctor?
Mild back pain, which passes quickly and is the result of prolonged exertion, is the norm. But if the lower back hurts for a very long time or the pain is periodic, then it comes on its own, then it goes away, then it's worth sounding the alarm. You also need to go to the hospital immediately after a serious back injury. It should be understood that low back pain may be accompanied by foot or leg pain. Also, part of the leg or buttocks may become numb. In this case, you have something serious and should be examined as soon as possible.
It is unlikely that you will self-diagnose yourself, so you should go to the hospital, but which doctor should you go to? Someone will tell a chiropractor, and someone will say a neurologist is more experienced. Both options are correct, however, it will be more correct to resort to a neurologist, as he is the one who will be able to correctly prescribe and conduct the entire course of diagnosis of the disease. And in this case, the cause will be identified more accurately and there will be every chance of dealing with it successfully. So, from a neurologist's point of view, with pain in the lower back, based on the intensity and strength of the pain, one can roughly determine the cause of its occurrence.
sharp pains
Acute low back pain in men and women is the result of a recent injury (fall, muscle tension, shock, sudden movements). Also, the reason could be long-term work in an uncomfortable position or prolonged carrying and lifting of heavy things. And finally, don't forget about a cold in your back due to hypothermia or prolonged exposure to a draft. Here, you can easily treat lower back pain with folk remedies.
Lumbago and intervertebral disc displacement can be distinguished separately from the common ones. The first disease is suffered by people whose field of activity involves constant and arduous physical work, which is why the lower back hurts in men. According to the population, the disease is called "lumbago". It usually ceases on its own with rest or after a few days. However, it can easily take up to a month, so it requires at least home treatment for back pain.
Sharp, severe waist pain in the lower back also manifests when the intervertebral discs are displaced. The disease can be caused by multiple injuries, heavy physical work or an illness such as osteochondrosis. You will not be able to undergo medical treatment at home. Hospitalization and full diagnosis are required. It may even reach a surgical intervention.
Strong pain
Intense pains differ from acute ones in that they are more prolonged and result from some type of disease associated with the musculoskeletal system. This includes sciatica and osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine. With them, the pain in the waist in the lumbar region is felt when sneezing, coughing, sitting, walking, in short, the spine hurts during any movement. Also, there may be pain in the lower extremities and they may even go numb. Here it is no longer necessary to run, but to fly to the attending physician for an examination.
Sore
As a rule, the back can be painful due to severe acute tension in the spinal muscles. You can relieve lower back pain simply by resting for a few hours. But you shouldn't fly in the clouds, you need to be alert, because your back can hurt from severe hypothermia. Thus, a more chronic disease, myositis, can develop in which the psoas muscles become inflamed. In this case, several days of rest are needed, in addition to knowing how to relieve the pain.
Chronicle
Often caused by deforming spondylosis. The main symptoms of this disease are pain in the waist, lower back, radiating to the buttocks or legs. Numbness of the lower extremities can also occur. Other illnesses that cause similar symptoms include: cancer, impaired metabolism, ankylosing spondylitis.
Displaced
These painful sensations are not the result of an illness in the back, but the result of an illness of some organ entering the dorsal region. This includes diseases of the pelvic organs of the male and female halves, as well as diseases of the colon, kidneys, pancreas, and various types of tumors.
How is the treatment done?
So how to get rid of lower back pain? First, you must go to the hospital and make an appointment with a specialist for an examination. After the exam, the treating physician should refer you for an exam to confirm or deny the diagnosis he suspects. To find out what it might be, you may be sent for an x-ray of your spine. Today, a more advanced method is used, called myelography.
This method allows you to examine in detail the pathways that lead to the spinal cord. It reveals all pathologies in the presence of decreased patency of the pathways. It's good to know that before the x-ray, you will be injected into the spinal cord with a syringe with a xenon substance, which will highlight everything in the photo. This method is quite expensive, but very effective, and it almost always helps you find out why your back hurts. Additionally, MRI, ultrasound, ECG and CT may be prescribed. In additional cases, other tests may be needed, such as a complete blood count, etc.
medicine
In most cases, medication is great for back pain. Its objective is to relieve pain, eliminating and preventing further inflammatory processes, improving blood circulation and renewing damaged tissues. So, once we learn why the lower back hurts, we can get a general idea of how to treat lower back pain.
Conventionally, every treatment can be divided into 3 stages, namely: the beginning of the treatment, the treatment itself and the end of the therapy. At each stage, medications can act as droppers as well as in the form of blockages and injections. Treatment of low back pain in the first phase should eliminate the pain itself, reduce swelling and inflammation, relieve spasms, and relax the muscles. In the second stage, you need to completely get rid of the cause of the illness. Here, treatment is carried out mainly locally. Ointments, compress mixes are used. Also, physical therapy is recommended.
The third step consists of injections, which increase the regeneration of damaged tissues and nourish them with all the necessary components. Thus, the full functionality of the segment is restored. At all stages, the choice of medication and therapy depends on your diagnosis and the choice of the treating physician. Self-medication is strongly discouraged.
Physiotherapy
When the cause of pain is accurately identified, treatment can be resorted to by physical therapy methods. Based on your reasons, the following treatment methods can be distinguished:
- Ultrasound.
- Laser therapy.
- Exposure to electrical current, etc.
Physical therapy is more focused on how to treat back pain in the early stages. In the more advanced stages of the disease, it can be recommended as an auxiliary method of treatment. The therapy you need is prescribed only by the treating physician after the exam.
Surgical intervention
In the vast majority of cases, back pain does not require surgery. However, if you have been in pain for a long time and over time it only gets worse, and you absolutely refuse to see a doctor, then this method of treatment is also possible. In this case, most likely, general anesthesia will be used, where a lytic mixture is used to completely immobilize the patient. The operating plan itself will be developed by the surgeon based on diagnostic data.
popular methods
To the question "How to relieve low back pain? "traditional medicine can also answer. Here, depending on the intensity of the pain symptoms, various ointments, lotions, etc. can be used. The main focus of these remedies is pain and inflammation relief. In most cases, treating the lower back with folk remedies is justifiable as first aid. With prolonged self-medication, without knowing the main cause of pain, the disease can be greatly aggravated. Here are some folk remedies.
- A compress of grated horseradish and radish mixed with heavy cream is placed on the painful area of the lower back. From above, all of this is covered with a paper napkin and the entire lower back is tied with a handkerchief. This compress perfectly eliminates pain symptoms and removes muscle spasms.
- When your back hurts, warm compresses from an infusion prepared with a mixture of medicinal wounds will help. This includes thyme, chamomile, St. John's wort and black elderberry. The compress is applied at night. The affected area is wrapped in a warm cloth. It is advisable to carry out the treatment at night. An identical compress is made from an infusion of dried burdock leaves.
- Another treatment with folk remedies is based on the healing properties of horse chestnut. First you need to grind the chestnut into powder. It is then mixed with camphor oil and melted lard. Ingredients are provided in approximately the same amount. The resulting ointment is spread on a slice of black bread and applied to the aching back as a compress. This remedy can improve blood circulation, has nutritional and anti-inflammatory properties.
But remember, no matter how well the folk remedy turns out, you still need to see a doctor. After all, self-medication is always done at your own risk. In addition, it may be that treatment procedures bring only short-term relief, after which the pain sometimes intensifies.
Prophylaxis
When your back hurts in your lower back, it's too late to engage in prevention. But in order not to face this problem for as long as possible, you need to think about how to avoid it and what leads to it? It has already been described above that people who lead a sedentary or sedentary life, athletes, especially weight lifters and overweight people are at risk.
Thus, the best prevention of the disease will be mandatory morning exercises, sports, therapeutic exercises, reducing the load on the back, massage, nutritional control, etc. doctor will help.
First aid
What to do if the lower back hurts a lot and it is difficult to get to the hospital? How to quickly relieve back pain to wait for the doctor? To do this, you need to know some first aid methods. Of course, they won't have a healing effect, but they will help you deal with the pain. So, we do everything in stages:
- We lie on our backs, on a hard bed or on the floor. The blanket must be removed from the bed.
- At the same time, the legs are lifted and bent at the knees. For added convenience, place a pillow or rolled blanket under raised legs.
- We take the usual dose of the analgesic or anti-inflammatory that we have.
- We lay down and tried not to make any sudden movements.
- During the procedure, be sure to call the doctor at home.
- In most cases, you will need rest and complete rest for the next few days. After the doctor's appointment, call work and let your supervisor know.
- Try to avoid spicy and smoked foods during and after treatment.