Low back pain - causes, symptoms and treatment

When a person is in pain, his only wish is that the pain disappears and never appears again. The back is an important part of our body's "working" because it houses the main organ - the spine. Frequent back pain is a symptom of a variety of illnesses. Almost everyone will experience lumbar pain, especially after the age of 40. The most common cause is osteochondrosis, but this pathology does not explain the nature, severity, and duration of back pain. Lower back pain indicates damage to the spine, disease in the nerve endings, muscle tissue, and internal organs. Observed during fever. It can be sharp or dull, continuous or cyclical, explosive or explosive. Pain can be periodic, localized, painful or constant, and for some it is related to the weather, for others physical activity, and for others long-termRelated to spending time in uncomfortable positions.

Why does my lower back hurt?

Frequent low back pain can be caused by muscle tissue disorders, bone and disc injuries. They appear against the background of lesions of the abdominal organs, pelvis and chest.

spinal disease

Common causes of low back pain are congenital anomalies and acquired spinal disorders. Pain is sometimes related to changes in weather and sometimes to physical activity.low back pain– Severe pain with limited movement due to muscle spasm. With the pathological process of the spine, lumbar pain occurs - pain or stabbing pain in the lower back, radiating to the back of the thigh. The pain occurs in the context of radiculopathy syndrome. Pain is detected through spinal lesions:

• degenerative disease: Osteochondrosis, disc herniation, intervertebral hernia, spondylosis, spondyloarthropathy.
• congenital anomalies: Sacred, lumbar.
• Multiple etiological conditions: Spondylolysis, spondylolisthesis.
• vascular disease: Spinal circulation disorder.
• Other diseases: diseasesForestier.

Secondary lesions of neurological structures: lumbosacral radiculitis, lumbosacral plexitis, myelopathy of various origins.

spinal curvature

Mild pain caused by spinal curvature is related to improper distribution of physical activity and excessive tension in the ligaments and muscles of the lower back. The pain is caused by uncomfortable positions while sleeping on a hard or soft mattress.This symptom is accompanied by:

• Lordosis;
• Kyphosis;
• Scoliosis;
• kyphoscoliosis;
• Flat back syndrome.

osteoporosis

If your lower back feels chronically tight or painful, you may have osteoporosis. Stress and changes in weather can worsen pain. Osteoporosis can be:

• postmenopausal;
• juvenile;
• idiopathic;
• senescence.

Patients with hereditary diseases, endocrine gland diseases, and drug poisoning also experience the same pain. Secondary osteoporosis may be caused by this syndromeMalabsorption, kidney and liver disease, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus.Increased and prolonged pain is associated with injuries and fractures.

spinal injury

A common injury to the lumbar spine is a contusion, which presents with moderate pain and is accompanied by swelling, hematoma, and bleeding during movement. In severe cases, it may also be accompanied by neurological disease.Compression fractures of the lower back, which occur when the spine is forced to bend, are characterized by respiratory arrest and severe pain. Pain worsens when turning the body, and muscles and tissues swell. Lower back pain on palpation.People with spondylolisthesis and vertebral dislocation may experience episodic pain, along with heaviness in the lower back and numbness in the legs.

Soft tissue and kidney damage

Soft tissue bruising causes moderate and subsided pain with bleeding or swelling. Kidney bruising can cause pain that radiates to the lower abdomen, genitals, and lumbar area. Hematoma and hematuria may sometimes be seen. If the bruise is severe, painful shock, blood in the urine, and prolonged, severe pain may occur.

Spinal and spinal cord infections

osteomyelitisSymptoms include increased pain in the lower back accompanied by chills and fever. It can be hematogenous, post-traumatic, contact, post-operative. Severe pain immobilizes you, forcing you to freeze. In chronic osteomyelitis, fistula tracts with pus are formed, as a result of which the painful manifestations disappear.spinal tuberculosisIt develops gradually, first with periodic pain, intensified by pressure, and then with stiffness of movement. Due to destruction of the vertebrae and compression of the nerve roots, the pain becomes burning and radiates into the legs, along with paresthesia and numbness.among patientsspinal epidural abscessSevere pain accompanied by muscle tension, chills, and high body temperature. As the disease progresses, radiculopathy and paresis develop.

local inflammation

Boils,carbuncle– Against the background of a purulent process, purple or blue skin compaction with a diameter of 1 cm appears with one or more rods in the center, accompanied by increased pain in the lower back. The pain can be throbbing, throbbing, and may prevent you from sleeping. Hyperthermia noted.existparanephritisFever appears first, followed by local edema, congestion, and hyperthermia. Severe pain will appear on the third day, radiating to the stomach and under the ribs, and worsening with movement and even breathing. In the context of paranephritis, due to severe pain, the patient is forced to assume a bent position in order to avoid straining the lumbar muscles. The medical condition is serious.

infectious diseases

existARVI,influenzaandsore throatAs body temperature rises and the body becomes intoxicated, myositis is characterized by soreness in the lower back, leading to a desire to change postures. Sometimes low back pain is caused by a kidney infection. Infectious diseases associated with lower back pain:

• Hemorrhagic fever;
• Japanese mosquito encephalitis;
• Ebola fever;
• hand, foot and mouth disease;
• coronavirus;
• Bacterial, fungal, viral infections.

Lower back pain due to severe infection is observed during cytokine storm. Epidemiological myalgia is accompanied by episodes of severe pain in the waist, lasting up to 10 minutes, with intervals of half an hour to an hour, and appearing in the limbs, chest and abdominal wall. Rhinitis, conjunctivitis and numbness may occur. Myalgia may decrease with rest, worsen with exercise, and may disappear in a few days after the muscles are warmed up.

Other muscle disorders

Lower back soreness can occur after strenuous physical activity, strength training of the back muscles, or prolonged postures that strain the lower back muscles. Myositis occurs not only in the context of infection, but can also be caused by hypothermia, intoxication, overexertion, metabolic disorders, and is accompanied by long-term pain.formMyositis:

• for syphilis and tuberculosis;
• Idiopathic, adolescent;
• for oncology;
• For use in connective tissue diseases.

Chronic pain with weakness, sleep disturbance, and neurosis is observed in fibromyalgia.

other illnesses

Lower back pain is a problem in pathological conditions:

• tumorSpine and spinal cord: sarcomas, hemangiomas, metastases, spinal cord tumors.
• kidney disease: Pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis, urolithiasis, renal infarction, renal vein thrombosis, renal cyst, renal cancer.
• Hereditary diseases:Pierre-Marie Hereditary Cerebellar Ataxia.
• exogenous poisoning: Adrenergic drug abuse.
• Pathology of the heart and blood vessels: Loeffler endocarditis, abdominal aortic aneurysm.
• Emergency situations: Transfusion shock.

Pain syndromes radiate to the waist in the context of pelvic diseases, female diseases, as well as prostate cancer, proctitis, sigmoiditis.

type of pain

Duration must be considered when diagnosing low back pain. The muscle pain lasts about two weeks and then goes away.Pain caused by spinal changes lasts longer and radiates to the legs, perineum, and may be accompanied by pins and needles, numbness, and burning.Pain caused by cardiovascular system diseases and abdominal organ diseases is characterized by high intensity and long duration.

diagnosis

The medical history is very important in making the diagnosis because low back pain can be caused by a variety of conditions.The initial diagnosis is made by an orthopedic traumatologist. When diagnosing, doctors consider the following symptoms: bowel and urinary disturbances, orthopedic defects, leg weakness and numbness. An examination is performed to identify pain points and muscle spasms.The timing of pain onset and its relationship to pressure, cramping, coughing, fever, and bladder or bowel dysfunction are also important.If neurological symptoms develop, patients see a neurologist. The doctor meets with the patient and performs a visual examination, then sends the patient for hardware and instrumentation. Consultation with surgeons, rheumatologists, urologists and other specialists is required as directed by the doctor.Diagnosis may include:

• Neurological examination.Neurologists evaluate patients' reflexes, sensitivity, muscle strength, and motor coordination.
• X-rays.X-rays are the initial test that allow you to identify changes in the bone tissue. Images of the lower back show fractures, degenerative changes in the discs, signs of inflammatory processes and spondylolisthesis.
• CT scan.CT scans examine the detailed structure of solid structures.
• MRI– An informative method that allows you to diagnose morphological changes in ligament and disc conditions. To rule out stenosis, a myelogram is performed.
• DensitometryNecessary for osteoporosis.
• EMG,electroneurogramThese tests evaluate muscle function and nerve conduction.
• ultrasoundKidneys, prostate, abdominal and pelvic organs.
• dollar goldabdominal aorta.
• Electromyography (ENMG)Used to determine conduction disorders along nerve fibers.
• lab testing.To determine the causative agent of the infection, urine and blood tests are required for microbiological examination. Detect nerve infections - use serological tests.

Low back pain treatment

first aid

For spinal injuries, place the patient on a hard, flat surface and bring them to the clinic. To reduce pain, you need to optimize your body posture while working and resting to take the load off your back. You can take painkillers before being examined by your doctor. For spinal degenerative diseases, low back pain, and lumbar vertebrae pain, creams, ointments, and gels with warming and analgesic effects can be used. Their use is prohibited in the event of infectious processes.The basis of treatment is physical therapy and medication. Use the following method:

• NSAIDsAvailable in tablet and topical form for the treatment of chronic and acute pain in the lumbar spine muscles.
• Neurotrophic B vitamins, enhances the effect of medicinal analgesics.
• Local anesthetic.They use narcotics and analgesics in combination with corticosteroids to treat acute pain.

physiotherapy

• ultrasound,
• magnet therapy,
• transcutaneous electrical stimulation,
• Laser Treatment,
• electrophoresis,
• massage,
• manual therapy,
• acupuncture.

Surgery

Depending on the pathological characteristics, surgical intervention may be performed:

• For instability: interbody fusion, transpedicular fixation, plate fixation.
• For tuberculosis, tumors, osteoporosis, osteomyelitis: sequestrectomy, vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty, corpectomy.
• For intervertebral hernia: discectomy, microdiscectomy, nucleoplasty.
• For spinal stenosis: laminectomy, facetectomy, disc puncture and decompression.

prevention

Massage is very effective in cases where muscle blockage and joint subluxation are present, and can reduce muscle spasms and lower back pain.Physical therapy can reduce pain and inflammation and improve circulation.Exercise Therapy - Physical exercise is effective in strengthening muscle bundles and improving the biomechanics of the spine. Exercises are chosen by the doctor. Implementation of the system allows you to maintain function and reduce lower back pain."Be prepared and you'll be safe! " But only a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis.