Do you spend a lot of time sitting because of your work or hobbies or do you exercise a lot in the gym? Everything was fine before, but now you have frequent back and lower back pain? So maybe you should see a doctor for help? What causes back pain? Which doctor should I go to and how do I deal with a wound? We'll talk about that and a lot more later in the article.
What is causing the pain?
So, "What to do if your back hurts and what can be causing it? "Let's take a closer look at this question. There can be more than enough reasons. The fact is that back pain and lower back pain can indicate a number of diseases, both of the spine itself and of the internal organs. This is becausemany nerve endings that surround all internal organs originate from the spine, so depending on the location of the pain in a certain area of the crest, we can talk about some specific diseases.
Causes of occurrence
What does low back pain mean and which doctor should I contact? Both habits and illnesses can cause lower back pain. The first are:
- Constant sedentary work. IT staff and drivers are at risk.
- Constant working while standing.
- Frequent great physical activity. Athletes, especially weight lifters, are at risk.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Pregnant women and women who have recently given birth are a separate risk group.
- Obesity.
As you can see, everything is easy with habits. In the second case, pain in the lumbar area can often be caused by disease. Here you can also highlight diseases of the spine itself and diseases where pain in the lumbar area is just a symptom. The former include osteochondrosis, spondyloarthrosis, intervertebral hernia, and protrusion.
The second group includes the following possible causes of back pain:
- Fracture of the alveolar ridge due to trauma.
- A fracture caused by osteoporosis.
- A tumor located in the spinal canal.
- Prolonged muscle stress.
- The tight structure of the spinal canal (very rare).
- Various complications during pregnancy.
- Various arthritis like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis.
- Spinal deformities, for example 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 that goes away quickly and is the result of prolonged exertion is the rule. But if the lower back hurts for a long time, or the pain is periodic, it arises on its own, then it disappears, then it is worth sounding the alarm. Even if you have a serious back injury, you must go to the hospital straight away. It should be understood that lower back pain can be accompanied by pain in the foot or lower leg. Also, part of the leg or buttocks can become numb. If so, you have something serious and should be investigated as soon as possible.
You are unlikely to make a diagnosis on your own so you should go to the hospital, but which doctor should you go to? Someone will tell a chiropractor, and someone will say that a neurologist is more experienced. Both options are correct, but it is more correct to contact a neurologist, since he will be able to correctly prescribe and conduct the entire course of diagnosing the disease. And in this case, the cause will be identified in more detail and there will be every chance of successfully coping with it. From a neurologist's point of view, if you have lower back pain, the intensity and severity of the pain can roughly determine the cause of its occurrence.
Sharp pain
Acute back pain in both men and women is the result of a recent injury (fall, muscle strain, shock, sudden movements). The reason can also be prolonged work in an uncomfortable position or prolonged carrying and lifting of heavy objects. Finally, don't forget a cold back due to hypothermia or prolonged drafts. Here you can easily treat back pain with folk remedies.
Lumbago and dislocation of the intervertebral discs can be distinguished separately from the usual. The first ailment is suffered by people whose field of activity is associated with constant heavy physical work, which is why the lower back hurts in men. According to the population, the disease is called "Humbago". It usually stops with rest or on its own after a few days. However, it can easily take up to a month to require treatment for back pain, at least at home.
Acute and severe girdle pain in the lower back also manifests itself when the intervertebral discs are displaced. The disease can be caused by various injuries, heavy physical labor, or a disease such as osteochondrosis. You cannot get medical treatment at home. Hospitalization and full diagnostics are required. It can even go as far as surgery.
Strong pain
Severe pain differs from acute pain in that it lasts longer and is the result of a musculoskeletal disorder. These include sciatica and lumbar osteochondrosis. They feel belt pain in the lower back when sneezing, coughing, sitting, walking, in short, the back hurts with every movement. Also, pain in the lower extremities can occur and they can even become numb. Here it is no longer necessary to run, but to fly to the doctor in charge for an examination.
pain
As a rule, the back can be painful due to excessive tension in the muscles of the spine. You can relieve back pain by simply resting for a few hours. But you shouldn't be flying in the clouds, you have to be on your guard, because your back can hurt from severe hypothermia. This can lead to more chronic myositis, in which the psoas muscles become inflamed. In this case, it will take several days of rest, as well as knowing how to get rid of the pain.
Chronic
Often caused by spondylosis deformans. The main symptoms of this disease are lower back girdle pain that radiates to the buttocks or legs. Lower extremities may also feel numb. Other diseases that cause similar symptoms are: cancer, metabolic disorders, ankylosing spondylitis.
Relocated
Such painful sensations are not the result of back disease, but the result of disease of an organ invading the back region. These include diseases of the pelvic organs of both the male and female halves, as well as diseases of the colon, kidneys, pancreas and various types of tumors.
How is the treatment carried out?
So how do you get rid of back pain? First of all, you should go to the hospital and make an appointment with a specialist for an examination. After the examination, the attending physician should send you for an examination to confirm or deny the suspected diagnosis. To find out what it could be, you may be sent for an x-ray of your spine. A more advanced method is used today, called myelography.
This method allows you to examine the pathways to the spinal cord in detail. Displays all pathologies in the event of a decrease in the patency of the pathways. It is important to know that before the X-ray, you will be injected into the spinal cord with a syringe containing a xenon substance that will highlight everything in the picture. This method is quite expensive but very effective and almost always helps figure out why your back is aching. In addition, MRI, ultrasound, EKG and CT can be prescribed. In other cases, further examinations may be required, such as: B. a complete blood count, etc.
medication
In most cases, medication will help with back pain. It aims to relieve pain, eliminate and further prevent inflammatory processes, improve blood circulation and renew damaged tissues. So after we learn why the lower back hurts, we can get a general picture of how to treat lower back pain.
Conventionally, each treatment can be divided into 3 phases, namely: the beginning of the treatment, the treatment itself and the end of the therapy. At any stage, drugs can act as droppers, as well as in the form of blockages and injections. Treatment of back pain in the first stage should eliminate the pain on its own, reduce swelling and inflammation, relieve cramping, and relax the muscles. In the second stage, you need to completely eliminate the cause of the disease. Here the treatment is mostly done locally. Ointments, mixtures for compresses are used. Physiotherapy is also recommended.
The third stage consists of injections that increase the regeneration of damaged tissue and provide it with all the necessary components. This restores the full functionality of the segment. At all stages, the choice of medication and therapy depends on your diagnosis and the choice of doctor treating you. Self-medication is strongly discouraged.
physical therapy
If the cause of the pain is precisely identified, then physiotherapy methods can be resorted to. Based on their reasons, the following treatment methods can be distinguished:
- Ultrasonic.
- Laser therapy.
- Exposure to electrical current, etc.
Physiotherapy is more focused on treating early back pain. In the later stages of the disease, it can be recommended as a supportive method of treatment. The therapy you need will only be prescribed by the attending physician after the examination.
Surgical intervention
In the vast majority of cases, back pain does not have to be operated on. However, if you have been in pain for a long time and it only gets worse over time and you strictly refuse to see a doctor, then this method of treatment is also possible. In this case, it is most likely that general anesthesia will be used, which uses a lytic mixture to completely immobilize the patient. The operation plan itself is created by the surgeon on the basis of the diagnostic data.
Folk methods
When asked, "How can you relieve lower back pain? ", Traditional medicine can also answer. Depending on the severity of the pain symptoms, various homemade ointments, lotions, etc. are used, the main focus of which is on relieving pain and inflammation. In most cases, treatment of the lower back with folk remedies is justified only as first aid. With prolonged self-medication, without knowing the main cause of the pain, the disease can be greatly aggravated. Next, a couple of folk remedies.
- A compress of grated horseradish and radish mixed with sour cream is placed on the sore 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 scarf. Such a compress perfectly eliminates symptoms of pain and removes muscle spasms.
- If your back is sore, hot compresses from an infusion will help with a mixture of medical injuries. These include 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 folk remedy treatment is based on the healing properties of the horse chestnut. First you need to grind the chestnut into powder. Then it is mixed with camphor oil and melted lard. The ingredients are given in approximately the same amount. The resulting ointment is spread on a slice of black bread and applied to the sore back as a compress. Such an agent can improve blood circulation, has nutritional and anti-inflammatory properties.
But remember, no matter how well the folk remedy shows up, it is still necessary to see a doctor. After all, self-medication is always at your own risk and peril. In addition, the treatment procedures may only provide short-term relief, after which the pain temporarily worsens.
prophylaxis
If the back hurts in the lumbar area, it is too late for prevention. But in order not to face such a problem for as long as possible, you need to think about how to prevent it and what will lead to it. It has already been described above that people who lead a sedentary or sedentary lifestyle, athletes, especially weightlifters and overweight people, are at risk.
Accordingly, the best prevention of the disease is compulsory morning gymnastics, sports, therapeutic exercises, back relief, massage, nutritional control, etc. Also, to get rid of lower back pain, regular scheduled check-ups with the attending physician will be necessary.
First aid
What to do if the lower back is very painful and the way to the hospital is a long one? How to quickly relieve back pain while waiting for the doctor? To do this, you need to know some first aid methods. Of course, they don't have any healing properties, but they help manage pain. So we do everything in stages:
- We lie on our back, on a hard bed, or on the floor. The blanket must be removed from the bed.
- At the same time, the legs are raised and bent at the knees. Place a pillow or rolled-up blanket under your raised legs for comfort.
- We take the usual dose of pain reliever or anti-inflammatory drug that we have.
- We lie down and try not to make sudden movements.
- During the procedure, do not forget to call a doctor at home.
- In most cases, you will need rest and bed rest for the next few days. After your doctor's visit, call work and notify your manager.
- Try to avoid spicy and smoked foods during and after the treatment.