Back pain: causes and treatment

Almost every person in the course of life, it happens in pain a minimum of a prolonged Episode of back, and in one-third of the adult people these complaints can be repeated on a regular basis. The urgency of the problem illustrates, at least, the fact that the treatment of back pain a year to be spent three times more funds as a therapy for cancer patients.

The duration of the Episode of pain, usually about 2 weeks, but in many patients, residual symptoms remain for more than a month. In the case of

Part of such patients disc herniation diagnosed, the disease of the vertebral canal, the disease of the kidneys, the ovaries and other internal organs, and sometimes malignant tumors, or their metastases.

In our article, we briefly describe the main causes for pain in the back and their characteristic properties, which help people to understand, what with his health problems and it is time to see a doctor.

Possible causes for back pain:

• the defeat of the spine, its ligaments and muscles;
• Entrapment of the nerve roots, and other diseases of the spinal cord;
• Diseases of the internal organs;
• Disease of the connective tissue;
• Depression and psychogenic disorders.

It is proved that the back pain is often the case with low mobility, obesity, Smoking, heavy physical work, stay in an uncomfortable Position, long-term action of vibration, as well as the sharp curves of the hull.

Diseases of the spine, ligaments and joints

Most people complain of pain in the back, they are the result of lesions of the intervertebral discs, the joints between the peaks, and also of the bony vertebral body. With age, the discs between the vertebrae lose water, they lose their strength. In consequence of the mobility of the individual elements of the spine, joints, nerves pain receptors between the vertebrae is increased. It should be said that often in people with a pronounced "age-related" changes in the spine back pain. Often a herniated disc combined with pain coincidence.

In recent years, increasingly greater importance in the development of the constant back pain, the so-called syndrome of the joints with the "small face" — a private Form of osteoarthritis, the articular apparatus of the spine.

The pain in this syndrome may be one-sided or two-sided, localized around the spine, often in the lumbar region radiating to the hip. The pain often appears in the morning, but in the course of the day, and again reinforced to the load until the evening. For the first time it appears in the rule after a strong uncomfortable rotation or inclination of the trunk. The pain is worse during standing and in the straightening of the back, is reduced in the sitting or lying down, in the case of slight Flexion, the use of props. Syndrome of the joints with the "small face" often recurs.

Often cause pain in the back with lesions of the spine the following States:

• Spondylolisthesis – displacement of vertebrae relative to each other;
• Spinal canal stenosis;
• ankylosing Spondylitis (Bechterew's disease);
• Osteoporosis with fractures of the vertebral body (often in the elderly, especially in women);
• a large disc herniation (about 5 mm);
• Diseases of the cervical spine.

Lack of exercise during the working day — a special feature of the work in the office. No movements over a longer period of time in an uncomfortable Position to provoke excessive strain on the joints and cause pain, discomfort, and the gradual destruction of the cartilage. Therefore, employees of the offices, it is advisable to do gymnastics regularly, and it is needed, taking the means of protecting and righting cartilage.

To rarer, but more dangerous reasons pain syndrome is a Tumor, it is usually the metastases in the spine. The danger increases if the Patient has any cancer (often lung cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer), weight loss, fever, duration of complaints longer than a month, older than 50 years. Metastases more frequently than other affected the thoracic spine.

Another cause for back pain in connection with the cancer, myeloma. Rare, but there are benign and primary malignant tumors of the spine, for example, a benign Tumor that arises from bone tissue, Ewing's sarcoma.

Ankylosing spondylitis should be suspected in a young age of the patient, morning stiffness of the spine and large joints, improvement of the condition after the warm-up. The pain often appears in the gluteal region. Its chief characteristic is the gain of the night, so that the Patient can not sleep in the morning because of the unpleasant sensations.

Back pain and other symptoms that are observed in the following diseases:

• Psoriatic Arthritis;

• rheumatic disease;
• Juvenile rheumatoid Arthritis;
• Crohn's disease, Whipple's, ulcerative colitis;
• shigellosis, salmonellosis.

An important part of the complex treatment, the intake of drugs, whose efficacy is directed to the preservation and normalization of the States of joints and cartilage tissue. The injection allows maximum bioavailability and quick effect of the drug, to stop the helps the progression of the destruction of cartilage, relieves inflammation, and stimulates the synthesis of hyaluronic acid. Thanks to the rapid onset of action, no need for long courses of the drug-only 20 injections 2 times a year. Complement the treatment of pain in the back reduced the dosage and duration of use of NSAIDs.

Osteomyelitis of the spine, Spondylitis or we have to assume after a prolonged fever, the injection of drugs or narcotics, Preconstruction infectious disease or injury, intake of immunosuppressants. Inflammatory diseases of the spine can have and the specific type, arising in the case of Syphilis, tuberculosis.

So-called indicators of serious defined problems, a thorough examination of the patient:

• suddenly, for the first time in my life, caused pain;
• very severe pain;
• no pain depending on the Position of the body;
• Pain in the night more than the day;
• The patient's age younger than 20 years of age and older 55 years;
• recently transferred injury of the back;
• the probability of infection (inflammation in the urogenital tract, taking immunosuppressive drugs, acquired Immune deficiency Syndrome);
• this oncological disease;
• unexplained weight loss and fever;
• General Weakness;
• Incontinence of urine or feces;
• gait disturbance;
• Progressive neurological disorders.

The defeat of the muscles

The defeat of the muscles of the back may be secondary: strain in diseases of the spine, the muscles, creating a "protective corset", keep the spine, but from the constant tension and the spasm itself a cause of pain. Often muscle cramps primarily arises, for example, in the case of a prolonged stay in an uncomfortable Position, or increased anxiety. This pain syndrome has a relatively benign course and is well suited for drug therapy.

Some systemic diseases of the muscles manifest themselves even pain in the back. These include:

• Polymyalgia rheumatica;
• Fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is a common disease, more common in women, occurring in middle age. It is characterized by diffuse pain in the muscles of the body, weakness, sleep disorders, skin sensitivity, anxiety, unstable chair.

Pathology of the spinal cord and its nerve roots

The compression of the nerve roots of the spinal cord, through the openings between the transverse processes of the vertebrae, is another rare cause of pain at every 10-th patient. But in this pain syndrome stronger and longer treatment for about 2 months.

Compression (compression) of the nerve roots cause:

• Herniated disc;
• Hypertrophy of the Ligamentum flavum;
• bony growths;
• Narrowing of the spinal canal (e.g. because of injury).

Pattern of lesions of the nerve roots (radiculopathy): acute "stabbing" pain in the back, violation of the sensitivity in the distribution area of the spine, decreased reflexes, weakness of the relevant muscles. If the compression of the spine is demonstrated with the help of modern methods of research and drug treatment is ineffective, sometimes resorting to surgery.

Diseases of the internal organs

Back pain not only in diseases of the spine or the spinal cord, but accompanies many diseases of the internal organs:

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• Cardiovascular diseases (myocardial infarction, stable and unstable Angina, infective endocarditis, aortic aneurysm);
• Diseases of the lungs (pulmonary embolism, Pneumothorax, pleurisy);
• Pathology of the esophagus and of the stomach (gastric ulcers, spasm of esophagus, esophagitis);
• inflammatory processes in the kidneys, the liver, the pancreas, the gallbladder.

In General, these diseases differ in two moments:

• sudden and very strong pain in the back;
• Signs of the defeat of the competent organs (dyspnea, rales in the lungs, pain on Palpation of the abdomen, and so on).

In the case of back pain, especially unexpectedly encountered and not accompanied by signs of disease of the spine, is always to register ECG for exclusion of acute myocardial infarction. Especially in such an atypical localization of pain in coronary heart disease is characteristic for older people.

Psychogenic Disorders

Transition pain syndrome in the chronic Form, contribute to the social and behavior factors:

• financial difficulties;
• emotional Stress;
• confidence in the inevitability of pain because of their apparent connection with the daily work;
• Thoughts about a possible serious illness and inability to work;
• Depression;
• the dependence of other people;
• the strategy of prevention of the disease, if the Patient is taking any steps for the diagnosis and treatment of your condition.

To consult the doctor

So the causes of back pain are many and varied. As most of you with diseases of the spine and spinal cord, when they appear, you should consult a neurologist. In addition, you may need the advice of other specialists: neurosurgeons, oncologists, gastroenterologists, cardiologists, surgeons, and psychologists. In order to properly choose a specialist, you can first consult a doctor, after the examination of the situation, a preliminary diagnosis.