Complaints about back pain are one of the most common reasons for visiting a doctor. Pain in this part of the body can be a manifestation of both normal fatigue caused by excessive physical exertion, or it can indicate the presence of serious health problems that require competent treatment.
Back pain is an unpleasant manifestation of many diseases or a strong overstrain of the back muscles for other reasons.
In most cases, this pathology occurs against the background of various changes in the structure of the joints of the spine, as well as adjacent muscles, nerve endings, or skin over the spine. In addition, such a symptom accompanies some diseases or dysfunctions of the internal organs.
Causes of back pain
The back can hurt in cases where there is a pathology from:
- spine;
- musculoskeletal apparatus;
- internal organs.
Pain can also occur in a healthy person due to muscle pain due to significant physical exertion.
Pathology of the spine
Further, frequent pathologies of the spine, against which a pain syndrome occurs, are considered.
Osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis is the most common answer to the question: "why does my back hurt? "With this pathology, degenerative changes occur in the intervertebral cartilage, from which the cartilage becomes thinner, the space between the vertebrae decreases, and the nerve roots can be pinched. For pain in osteochondrosis, the following symptoms are characteristic:
- occur during or after physical exertion, as well as a long stay in a static position;
- may have a shooting or aching character;
- movement makes the pain worse.
If the sciatic nerve is pinched and sciatica develops, then the pain is given to the buttocks, radiating along the surface of the thigh from behind. There may be a violation of sensitivity (numbness, tingling, burning). With lumbago, there is often a shooting or throbbing pain that causes the patient to literally freeze in place. Patients complain that they have shot or twisted their back.
Injuries
Injuries occur more often during falls (during icy conditions, while playing sports) or back blows during road accidents. Pain can cause both bruises and more serious injuries - fractures and dislocations of the vertebral bodies. Pain in an injury can be of the most diverse nature:
- aching,
- burning,
- shooting,
- stupid.
Pain sensations can disturb constantly, occur with certain movements, or be felt as a pulsation, depending on the nature and location of the damage. It is important to know that serious injuries are not always caused by significant blows.
For example, a compression fracture of the spine in the elderly can be caused by a slight mechanical load, and on the first day after the injury, the vertebra does not hurt much. In the future, if measures for immobilization and treatment are not taken, the pain will increase, and damage to the nerves and spinal cord is possible.
Any spinal injury, even minor, at first glance, requires a medical examination.
Intervertebral hernia
A herniated disc is a protrusion of a fragment of an intervertebral disc into the spinal canal. A hernia is most often the result of degenerative changes in the spine or is the result of an injury. A protrusion of the disc can occur in any part of the spinal column, but much more often it happens in the lumbar region, since it is he who bears the main load.
At the initial stages of the formation of a hernia, back pain is provoked by physical activity, occurs from time to time and is of a low intensity. With the progression of the disease or a sharp loss of a disk fragment, the pain can be very intense, shooting in nature with irradiation to the legs.
Often, patients complain of a feeling of numbness or burning in the problem area, as well as in the lower or upper limbs. This indicates that there was an infringement of the nerve endings. Severe pain provokes muscle spasm, which leads to a violation of posture, pathological kyphosis or lordosis develops.
Curvature of the spine (kyphosis, lordosis, scoliosis)
With the curvature of the spine, in order to compensate for the pathological bend, there is a significant muscle tension, leading to frequent and sometimes constant dull aching pain in the back.
Muscle pain
85% of cases of chronic or recurrent pain in the back muscles are associated with excessive stress on the lower back. Even for those who do not carry significant sports loads and do not carry heavy loads, the back muscles experience daily tension. This is especially true for long-term static loads during sedentary work at a computer.
Unheated muscles can be easily injured when making a sharp turn, lifting a heavy object, or a bad move. Pain can occur due to inflammatory diseases of the muscles (myositis) or due to severe stress, leading to reflex spasm of muscle fibers.
infectious diseases
Tuberculosis most often affects the spine. In the vertebrae, the infection penetrates the hematogenous (through the blood) route and causes inflammation, and then bone necrosis. Pain in the lumbar and thoracic region is a characteristic sign of spinal tuberculosis, and neurological symptoms appear in half of the patients - there is a feeling of numbness and weakness in the limbs.
In addition, common manifestations are characteristic of spinal tuberculosis:
- weakness,
- sweating,
- increase in body temperature,
- fast fatiguability,
- poor appetite.
Oncological diseases
In most cases, a malignant tumor does not develop in the spine itself. Cancer cells get here with the flow of blood or lymph from other foci. Most often, metastases to the spine gives cancer of the mammary glands, lungs, and prostate. At first, the pains may resemble manifestations of ordinary osteochondrosis, but then the back hurts constantly, with increasing intensity.
It is not always possible to remove pain with conventional painkillers; only the introduction of narcotic drugs brings relief. With multiple metastases, the pain is wandering in nature, covering different parts of the spine. In addition to back pain, the patient feels weakness, unreasonable weight loss, fever to subfebrile figures. The prognosis is unfavorable.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
The most common back pain occurs with pancreatitis. It is encircling in nature and is quite intense. In acute pancreatitis, pain may be accompanied by a drop in blood pressure and loss of consciousness. Acute pancreatitis is an indication for emergency hospitalization of the patient in a surgical hospital.
In addition to pancreatitis, pain can radiate to the back with a peptic ulcer or an attack of biliary colic.
Diseases of the genitourinary system
Kidney diseases, especially urolithiasis, during exacerbation often give pain in the lumbar region. If the lower back aches, the pain is accompanied by a violation of urination or is given to the inguinal region, then a surgeon's consultation is necessary, and women need to undergo an examination by a gynecologist to exclude inflammation of the appendages or the presence of an ectopic pregnancy.
Back pain in pregnant women
Pregnant women often complain of breaking or aching pain in the back and lower back, especially in the later stages. This is due to the fact that in the second half of pregnancy, due to a significant increase in the uterus, the center of gravity shifts and the load on the muscles of the lower back increases. The pains are usually dull aching, aggravated by changing the position of the body, in particular, when getting up from a chair or armchair.
What to do if your back hurts
If your back hurts for more than three days, you should consult a doctor. Seek immediate medical attention if your back pain is accompanied by:
- poor general health;
- a decrease or a sharp increase in blood pressure;
- an increase in body temperature;
- malfunction of any internal organs.
In addition, you need to call a doctor if the pain was preceded by an injury or with a high intensity of pain.
Diagnostics
In most cases, the doctor will be able to make a preliminary diagnosis at the initial examination. However, in order to determine exactly what causes back pain, additional studies are mandatory. In most cases, these are x-rays in two projections, computed tomography of the spine (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
If necessary, the doctor may prescribe a general blood and urine test, an electrocardiogram, an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity or small pelvis, and a picture of the lungs. An examination must be completed without fail, since even the most serious diseases in the early stages of detection with proper treatment have a favorable prognosis.
Treatment
How to get rid of back pain, only a doctor can recommend based on the examination data and the results of the examination. The main principles of therapy: the elimination of severe pain and inflammation, the impact on the cause that caused the pain, rehabilitation measures aimed at accelerating the processes of tissue regeneration and restoring normal life (physiotherapy, exercise therapy, massage, proper nutrition).
How to ease the pain
To relieve pain, it is first necessary to limit physical activity. Of the pharmacological drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are most often prescribed. These drugs can be taken as tablets or injections, and they are also included in topical ointments. Treatment of back pain caused by muscle spasm is carried out with warming ointments, alcohol compresses, and a warm bath. With severe spasm, muscle relaxants are prescribed.
It is important to remember that in case of inflammatory diseases of the internal organs and on the first day after the injury, any thermal procedures are contraindicated. They cause deterioration of health and progression of pathology. After the removal of acute manifestations of the disease, physiotherapeutic procedures, massage and therapeutic exercises are prescribed. If the back of a pregnant woman hurts, then the use of medicines is undesirable.
Wearing a special bandage and limiting physical activity will help pregnant women relieve back pain.
Physiotherapy
Exercise therapy (therapeutic gymnastics) is the basis for the successful treatment of back pain in any localization. A set of exercises can be recommended by a specialist in physiotherapy exercises or a rehabilitation doctor. Classes begin with simple exercises, gradually increasing the load on the muscles and ligaments of the back and lower back.
This leads to strengthening of the muscular corset that supports the spine, alignment of posture, activation of blood circulation and metabolism in tissues, improvement of general well-being and mood. It is illiterate to treat a back with medicines without regular exercise therapy and proper nutrition. This will only give a temporary effect.
Physiotherapy
Such procedures as phonophoresis with medicinal substances, magnetotherapy, laser therapy will help speed up recovery. During the period of remission, it is effective to undergo mud therapy and paraffin therapy.
Prevention
To avoid back pain, it is very important to lead a healthy lifestyle, including:
- a balanced diet with enough vitamins and minerals;
- maintaining normal body weight;
- regular physical education classes aimed at strengthening the muscles of the back and abdominals;
- contacting a doctor if any diseases appear and their timely treatment.
Back pain requires mandatory diagnostics to determine the cause of their occurrence and long-term treatment, based primarily on changing the patient's lifestyle. In the acute period of the disease, the patient is assisted by pharmacological preparations. If you follow all the recommendations of the doctor, the prognosis in most cases is favorable.