Back pain can occur not only in people who lead a sedentary lifestyle.This can happen with age or during hard work, when the spine experiences greater stress.If pain occurs from time to time, no treatment is necessary.But if the pain is regular, you should see a doctor.Therapy is selected depending on the cause of the identified pathology - drug treatment, physiotherapy, and sometimes surgery are used.
Reasons
To determine the causes of back pain, it is necessary to analyze when and under what circumstances they occur:
- Morning pain.It usually happens after waking up.A person cannot change position, raise an arm or turn their neck without experiencing intense pain.Most often, this has nothing to do with the spine, but is caused by myositis - inflammation of the muscles caused by hypothermia, excessive stress and infectious diseases.In such cases, warming ointments are prescribed, including those based on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.If the inflammation also affects the joints, the doctor prescribes chondroprotectors - agents that restore tissues.
- Pain on exertion.They occur during walking, with long walking or, conversely, with a lack of movement.Usually the pain is dull, but quite strong, it only passes after the load is removed, but sometimes it becomes constant.In this case, you need to consult a doctor.The specialist will be able to accurately determine the cause of discomfort - spondylolisthesis, spinal canal stenosis or osteochondrosis.
- Pulling pain occurs in the neck at the end of the working day.They are accompanied by a crunching sound and after some time they intensify - these are symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.The disease cannot be completely cured.But pain relief can be achieved.In the acute period, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed or, if they do not help, corticosteroids.
With age, intervertebral disc dystrophy develops.This means they lose their shock-absorbing ability, resulting in back pain.In these cases, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and chondroprotective drugs are prescribed.Your doctor may recommend special therapeutic exercises that will help strengthen your back muscles.Intervertebral disc dystrophy should not be confused with hernia;the latter is characterized by the protrusion of a vertebra.In severe cases, surgical treatment is prescribed.
Drug therapy and other conservative methods of hernia treatment allow maintaining a high level of the patient's quality of life.But in more advanced cases, when it is not possible to alleviate the pain with anti-inflammatories or corticosteroids and there is dysfunction of the genitourinary system, the hernia is operated on.The probability of pain remaining even after surgery is no more than 1.5%.
Back pain can be caused by injury.This occurs due to sprains in the ligaments that support the spine, an injury that can occur during sports and weight lifting.Injuries to the vertebrae themselves lead to the development of osteoporosis, a disease that causes thinning of bone tissue.The pathology itself does not cause pain, but it leads to vertebral fractures.
Depending on location
It is important to determine the location of the pain - in the middle of the back or below.Sometimes this helps to understand which part of the spine there are problems and may indicate other pathologies that cause similar symptoms.The central part of the back hurts not only because of osteochondrosis, but also because of diseases of the stomach or pancreas.
Back pain, located on the right or left, is not necessarily associated with spinal diseases.Sometimes this is a symptom of kidney pathology - an infectious disease or the appearance of stones in them.Ultrasound will help establish an accurate diagnosis.Further treatment depends on the cause of the pathology - the infection is fought with antibiotics and kidney stones are removed surgically.
Sometimes back pain can be caused by gynecological diseases such as endometriosis - the growth of the endometrium outside the uterine cavity.But there are cases where it even affects the abdominal organs, which leads to compression of the nerve endings.In these cases, the stomach starts to hurt.If pain occurs in the lower back, you should consult a gynecologist.Most of the time, endometriosis must be treated with conservative methods, but sometimes surgical intervention is necessary.
Back pain occurs during pregnancy.Its appearance can be caused by increased load on the spine and hormonal changes, which lead to muscle relaxation.Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are usually contraindicated for pregnant women and even massage is excluded in some cases.Special therapeutic exercises for pregnant women can have a good effect.The best option is water aerobics and yoga for pregnant women.It is important to remove increased stress on the back.
Pain can also be caused by joint problems.The most common are various types of arthritis.Often the disease is infectious in nature, so antibiotics are needed.
Treatment and prevention
If the pain is caused by physical overload or occurs against the background of hypothermia and an infectious disease, it may disappear on its own.Anti-inflammatory medications can be used to speed recovery.Heating pads and woolen belts should not be used.It is better to replace them with a special elastic corset.
Special bandages for pregnant women are produced that help relieve stress on the back.But if the pain does not go away within three days, despite all the measures taken, you need to see a doctor.
Under no circumstances should you self-medicate, especially massages and warming procedures like a bath or sauna - this will only increase swelling and discomfort.
The treatment is carried out comprehensively: they take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain and, at the same time, reduce the load on the spine.This mainly applies to overweight people;they need to follow a reduced energy diet.
Also, doctors often prescribe various physiotherapeutic methods - magnetic therapy, massages.If the pain is caused by the destruction of joint tissue, it will be necessary to take additional chondroprotectors - drugs based on chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine, which restore joints and promote collagen production.
To prevent the disease, it is important to follow the recommendations:
- You can't sit for long without moving.In this position, there is a large load on the spine.
- Vertical loads on the spine should be avoided.
- The back muscles must be strengthened to provide additional support to the spine.
- If you experience severe and prolonged pain, consult a specialist.