Back pain can occur not only in people who lead a sedentary lifestyle.This can happen with age or during heavy work when the spine is exposed to increased stress.If pain occurs from time to time, no treatment is necessary.However, if the pain occurs regularly, 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, you need to analyze when and under what circumstances it occurs:
- Morning pain.Usually occurs after waking up.A person cannot change position, raise an arm, or turn their neck without severe 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 the tissue.
- Pain on exertion.They occur when walking, walking for long periods or, conversely, when there is a lack of exercise.Usually the pain is dull, but quite strong, it disappears only after the load is removed, but sometimes it becomes constant.In this case you need to consult a doctor.The specialist can accurately determine the cause of the complaint - spondylolisthesis, spinal canal stenosis or osteochondrosis.
- Towards the end of the working day, aching pain occurs in the neck.They are accompanied by a crunching sound and intensify after a while - these are symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.The disease cannot be completely cured.However, pain relief can be provided.In the acute phase, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or, if they do not help, corticosteroids are prescribed.
Intervertebral disc dystrophy develops with increasing age.This causes them to lose their ability to absorb shock, which leads to back pain.In such cases, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and chondroprotectors are prescribed.The doctor may recommend special therapeutic exercises that help strengthen the back muscles.Disc dystrophy should not be confused with a 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 make it possible to maintain the patient's quality of life at a high level.But in the most advanced cases, when it is impossible to relieve pain with anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids and there is dysfunction of the genitourinary system, the hernia is operated on.The probability that the pain will persist after the operation is a maximum of 1.5%.
Back pain can be caused by injuries.This occurs due to a sprain of the ligaments that support the spine, an injury that can occur during sports and lifting heavy loads.Injuries to the vertebrae themselves lead to the development of osteoporosis, a disease that leads to thinning of bone tissue.The pathology itself does not cause pain, but 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 in which part of the spine there are problems and may indicate other pathologies that cause a similar symptom.The back in the middle hurts not only from osteochondrosis, but also from diseases of the stomach or pancreas.
Back pain, whether localized 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 it.Ultrasound helps make 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 uterine lining outside the uterine cavity.However, there are cases when even the abdominal organs are affected, causing compression of the nerve endings.In such cases, the stomach begins to hurt.If pain occurs in the lower back, you should consult a gynecologist.Most often, endometriosis must be treated with conservative methods, but sometimes surgery is necessary.
Back pain occurs during pregnancy.Their occurrence can be caused by increased load on the spine and hormonal changes that lead to muscle relaxation.Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are usually contraindicated for expectant mothers, 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 expectant mothers.It is important to eliminate the increased strain on your back.
Pain can also be caused by joint problems.The most common of these are various types of arthritis.Often the disease is contagious in nature, requiring antibiotics.
Treatment and prevention
If the pain is caused by physical overload or occurs against the background of hypothermia and an infectious disease, it may go away on its own.To speed recovery, anti-inflammatory medications can be used.Wearing warming compresses and wool belts should be avoided.It is better to replace them with a special elastic corset.
Special bandages are made for expectant mothers that help relieve the strain on the back.If the pain does not go away within three days despite all measures, a visit to the doctor is necessary.
Under no circumstances should you self-medicate, especially massage and heat treatments such as a bath or sauna - this will only increase swelling and discomfort.
Treatment is comprehensive: you take anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drugs to relieve pain while reducing the load on the spine.This is especially true for overweight people;You must follow a diet with reduced energy value.
In addition, doctors often prescribe various physiotherapeutic methods – magnetic therapy, massages.If the pain is caused by the destruction of joint tissue, you need to take additional chondroprotectors - drugs based on chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine, which restore the joints and promote collagen production.
To prevent the disease, it is important to follow the following recommendations:
- You cannot sit for long periods of time without moving.In this position the spine is put under a lot of strain.
- Vertical stress on the spine should be avoided.
- The back muscles should be strengthened so that they provide additional support for the spine.
- If the pain is severe and persistent, you should consult a specialist.