Back pain can occur not only in people with a sedentary lifestyle.This can happen with age or during hard work, when there is increased stress on the spinal column.If pain occurs from time to time, no treatment is required.But if the pain is regular, you should consult a doctor.Therapy is chosen 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 they occur:
- Pain in the morning.Usually occurs after waking up.A person cannot change position, lift an arm or turn their neck without severe pain.Most often, this has nothing to do with the spine, but it 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 tissue.
- Pain on exertion.They occur during a walk, with a long walk or, on the contrary, a lack of movement.Usually the pain is dull, but strong enough, it disappears only after the load is removed, but sometimes it is constant.In this case, you must consult a doctor.The specialist will be able to accurately determine the cause of the discomfort - spondylolisthesis, stenosis of the spinal canal or osteochondrosis.
- A pulling pain in the neck occurs towards 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 done.In the acute period, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or, if they do not help, corticosteroids are prescribed.
With age, intervertebral disc dystrophy develops.This means they lose their shock-absorbing ability, resulting in back pain.In such cases, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and chondroprotectors are prescribed.The doctor may recommend special therapeutic exercises that will help strengthen the back muscles.Intervertebral disc dystrophy should not be confused with hernia;the latter is characterized by vertebra protrusion.In severe cases, surgical treatment is prescribed.
With drug therapy and other conservative treatment methods for hernia it is 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 a malfunction of the genitourinary system occurs, the hernia is operated.The probability of pain remaining even after surgery is no more than 1.5%.
Back pain can be the result of an injury.This occurs due to sprains in the ligaments that support the spine, an injury that can occur during sports and heavy 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 causes vertebral fractures.
Depending on the 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 has problems, and it can indicate other pathologies that cause a similar symptom.The axis in the middle hurts not only because of osteochondrosis, but also because of diseases of the stomach or pancreas.
Back pain, localized to the right or left, is not necessarily related to diseases of the spine.Sometimes this is a sign 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 surgically removed.
Back pain can sometimes be caused by gynecological diseases, such as endometriosis - the growth of the endometrium outside the uterine cavity.But there are cases when it even affects the abdominal organs, causing compression of the nerve endings.In such cases, the stomach starts 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 surgical intervention is necessary.
Back pain occurs during pregnancy.Their appearance can be triggered by an increased load on the spine and hormonal changes, which 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 choice is water aerobics and yoga for expectant mothers.It is important to take increased stress off your back.
Joint problems can also lead to pain.The most common of these are different types of arthritis.Often the disease is infectious in nature, so antibiotics are needed.
Treatment and prevention
If the pain occurs due to physical overload or occurs against the background of hypothermia and infectious disease, it may go away on its own.Anti-inflammatory medications can be used to speed recovery.Heating compresses and wool belts should not be worn.It is better to replace them with a special elastic corset.
Special bandages are produced for expectant mothers that help relieve stress from the back.But if the pain does not go away within three days, despite all the measures taken, you must consult a doctor.
You should not self-medicate in any case, especially massage and heating procedures such as a bath or sauna - this only increases swelling and discomfort.
Treatment is comprehensive: they take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain, while reducing the load on the spine.This mainly applies to overweight people;they 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, then you need 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 following recommendations:
- You cannot sit for a long time without moving.In this position, there is a great load on the spine.
- Vertical loads on the spinal column should be avoided.
- The back muscles should be strengthened so that they provide additional support to the spine.
- If you have severe, prolonged pain, you should consult a specialist.