Back pain can occur not only in people who lead a sedentary lifestyle.This can happen with age or during hard work, when there is increased stress on the spinal cord.If pain occurs from time to time, no treatment is required.But if the pain is regular, you should consult a doctor.Therapy is selected depending on the cause of the identified pathology – drug treatment, physiotherapy, and sometimes surgery are used.
Reason
To determine the causes of back pain, you need to analyze when and under what circumstances they occur:
- Morning pain.Usually happens after waking up.A person cannot change position, lift an arm, or turn their neck without severe pain.Often, it has nothing to do with the spine, but is caused by myositis – inflammation of the muscles, which occurs due to hypothermia, excessive stress, and infectious diseases.In such cases, warming ointments are prescribed, including those based on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.If inflammation also affects the joints, doctors prescribe chondroprotectors – agents that restore tissue.
- Pain on exertion.They occur during a walk, with a long walk or, conversely, with a lack of movement.Usually the pain is mild, but quite severe, goes away only after the load is removed, but sometimes it becomes persistent.In such a situation, you need to consult a doctor.The specialist will be able to accurately determine the cause of discomfort – spondylolisthesis, spinal canal stenosis or osteochondrosis.
- There is a pulling pain in the neck at the end of the work day.They are accompanied by crackling sounds, and after some time they become louder - these are symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.This disease cannot be completely cured.But pain can be relieved.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 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 protrusion of the vertebrae.In severe cases, surgical treatment is prescribed.
Drug therapy and other conservative treatment methods for hernia 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, hernia operation is performed.The chance that pain will persist after surgery is no more than 1.5%.
Back pain may be caused by injury.It is caused by a sprain in the ligaments that support the spine; this injury can occur during sports or lifting heavy objects.Injuries to the vertebrae themselves lead to the development of osteoporosis, a disease that causes thinning of bone tissue.The pathology itself does not provoke pain, but leads to vertebral fractures.
depending on location
It is important to determine the location of pain – in the middle or lower back.Sometimes it helps to understand in which part of the spine there are problems, and may indicate other pathologies that cause similar symptoms.Pain in the middle back is caused not only by osteochondrosis, but also by diseases of the stomach or pancreas.
Back pain, localized on the right or left side, is not necessarily associated with diseases of the spine.Sometimes this is a symptom of kidney pathology - an infectious disease or the presence of stones in them.Ultrasound will help to establish an accurate diagnosis.Further treatment depends on the cause of the pathology – the infection is fought with antibiotics, and the 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 when it also affects the abdominal organs, causing compression of nerve endings.In such a situation, stomach ache starts.If lower back pain occurs, you should consult a gynecologist.Often, endometriosis should be treated with conservative methods, but sometimes surgical intervention is necessary.
Back pain occurs during pregnancy.Their appearance may be due to increased load on the spine and hormonal changes, leading to muscle relaxation.Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are generally prohibited for expectant mothers, and even massage is excluded in some cases.Special therapeutic exercises for pregnant women can have a good effect.Water aerobics and yoga are the best options for expectant mothers.It is important to remove increased stress from your back.
Pain can also occur due to joint problems.The most common of these are the various types of arthritis.Often the disease is infectious in nature, so antibiotics are required.
treatment and prevention
If the pain is caused by physical overload or occurs against the background of hypothermia and infectious disease, it may go away on its own.Anti-inflammatory medications may be used to speed recovery.Warming compresses and woolen belts should not be worn.It is better to replace them with a special elastic corset.
Special straps are made for expectant mothers that help relieve back strain.But if despite taking all measures the pain does not go away within three days, you need to consult a doctor.
Under no circumstances should you engage in self-medication, especially massage and warming procedures such as bath or sauna - this only increases inflammation and discomfort.
The treatment is carried out comprehensively: they take anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drugs to relieve pain, as well as reduce the load on the spine.This applies most of all to overweight people;They need to follow a diet with low energy value.
In addition, doctors often prescribe various physiotherapeutic methods – magnetic therapy, massage.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 joints and promote collagen production.
To prevent the disease it is important to follow the recommendations:
- You cannot sit without moving for a long time.In this position there is a lot of load on the spine.
- Vertical load on the spine 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.