Pain in the lumbar region in men after 35 years is considered quite commonplace. In such a situation, many patients smear the inflamed area with various ointments, give injections and live on, slowly resigning themselves to daily suffering.
However, back pain is formed for various reasons. You will not get rid of the appearance of pain in the lower back with injections or ointments alone.
In such a situation, the patient is diagnosed by a general practitioner, who identifies the causes of lower back ailments and prescribes a specific treatment.
Causes of pain
Why does the lower back hurt in men? Lower back pain in men appears for the following reasons:
- with the formation of a hernia on the spine;
- due to the occurrence of sciatica;
- with osteoporosis;
- due to osteochondrosis;
- due to pinched spinal nerves;
- due to tumor formation in the back. This cause of the disease is also often the result of various ailments in the lumbar region of the back.
Pain also occurs during stressful situations.
Spinal hernia
Males often ignore back pain in the lumbar region. However, such ailments often lead to a hernia on the back.
In such a situation, when the lumbar disc is destroyed, a hernia appears in the back, which sometimes leads to immobilization of a person and disability.
With the formation of an intervertebral hernia, a person feels severe discomfort in the lumbar region of the back (right or left), which is a consequence of damage to various sections in the spinal cord.
sciatica
What causes lower back pain in men? For example, from such an ailment as sciatica. This disease is considered a complex of pain symptoms that occur when pinching or squeezing the roots in the spinal cord.
Such a disease does not occur as an independent disease, but as a pathological process that has a secondary character.
Such sciatica appears after the development of osteochondrosis - the destruction of the intervertebral discs.
The patient has another attack of sciatica in such situations:
- with physical stress;
- due to hypothermia;
- with colds, flu;
- due to general intoxication of the body;
- due to circulatory disorders;
- with sudden or random lumbar movements.
As a result, a man has the following symptoms of lumbar sacral sciatica:
- pain of varying intensity, which is exacerbated by a sharp movement of the back, with a fall. Also, the pain syndrome increases when lifting heavy objects and other physical exercises on the lumbar region of the back;
- back pain in the lumbar region when sneezing, coughing or tension in the abdominal muscles;
- movements are inhibited when the body moves to the sides, forward, backward;
- the patient is unable to stand on the toes or bend them.
Osteoporosis
If a man bends down and feels pain in his back and lower back, then most likely he has osteoporosis. This disease occurs due to calcium deficiency in the tissues.
As a result, osteoporosis occurs for the following reasons:
- with a deficiency of male sex hormones - testosterone;
- due to lack of calcium and vitamin D;
- with a sedentary inactive lifestyle;
- due to the intake of specific medications;
- with complications of various ailments;
- due to bad habits.
First, with osteoporosis, a person suffers from aching lumbar pain. Such attacks are diagnosed by the constant nature of the pain or they occur with a sharp movement, sneezing, coughing or laughing.
Osteoporosis is detrimental to a person in that it destroys the vertebrae from the inside. Therefore, men with such an ailment feel unpleasant ailments when tilted to the left and right.
Also, lower back pain in men is formed when walking. Thus, the back becomes fragile, and spinal fractures occur under heavy loads.
Osteochondrosis
What other causes of back pain in men are there? Pain that appears below the waist may be the result of the development of spinal osteochondrosis. With such an ailment, bone and cartilaginous vertebral tissues grow in a person, which pinch the spinal nerves and form pain.
Osteochondrosis often occurs in athletes with increased physical activity.
With such a disease, a man has a feeling of "stiffness" in the lumbar region and the person cannot fully straighten his back.Thus, the back begins to hurt with a sudden movement or if a person bends low.
Doctors such as an orthopedist or surgeon know how to cure osteochondrosis. In the treatment of such a disease, doctors slow down the rapid growth of cartilage tissue. Thus, the doctor introduces cell division inhibitors into the patient's body, stretches the vertebrae and prescribes him to wear a corset.
In some situations, the surgeon performs back surgery. Then he releases the pinched nerve.
stretching
With a back injury in a man, the back muscles are stretched. A person becomes ill with muscle strain if he lifts weights or exerts too much physically, in a domestic situation or during sports activities.
To remove inflammation when stretching the back, you need to put a cold compress on the sore spot with any product from the freezer. Moreover, under the compress it is necessary to put a layer of fabric. Keep it on for about 30 minutes.
Then the stretching of the muscles is removed by the ambulance doctors. They assess the patient's condition and prescribe a back diagnosis, while preventing the formation of more serious injuries.
Stretching on the back and lower back is treated for several weeks. In such a situation, the patient must be at rest, otherwise the treatment of the lower back will be ineffective, and the pain will become chronic.
pinched nerve
More often, it is a short man who suffers from ailments in the lower back, which are formed when the spinal nerves are pinched. This occurs with sudden movements and exercises with weights, as well as during the lifting of heavy objects in everyday life.
To avoid pinched nerves, the patient must do all physical exercises with a certain technique - in particular, keep a straight back.
With a nervous pinching of the lower back, unpleasant ailments are given to the legs.In such a situation, the patient should lie on a warm bed.The patient should lie in a comfortable position - in one in which the lumbar muscles are completely relaxed.
Also, with such an ailment, a wrapped blanket is placed under the knees of the patient to relax the lower back. Then the lower back is wrapped in a thick fabric - a warming wool belt is put on it.
If the nerve is pinched due to frost or through wind, the above steps must be repeated. Also in a similar situation, you can use various warming gels. If after 2 days the man does not feel better, you should seek medical help from a neurologist.
Low back pain as a symptom of a tumor
When pain in the lower back in men is not removed by any medication, a malignant tumor often appears in the internal organs. When such a tumor occurs on the lumbar spine, severe pain is formed. This occurs when the nerves are pinched after the formation of metastases.
Oncology is considered a serious illness, regardless of location. Almost any carcinoma affects any vertebral segment with metastases.
It should be noted that some tumors cause neurological symptoms that make it difficult for the doctor to identify the primary cause. This applies to tumors that form on the spinal cord.
Tumors such as spinal carcinomas develop rapidly, progress, and destroy adjacent organs. Cancer cells quickly reach the spine, so you can not run your state of health. Even the initial stage of osteochondrosis leads to serious consequences without good treatment.
Stress
The life of men is often filled with the pursuit of success, various victories and defeats. Thus, pain in the lumbar region in men often occurs due to severe fatigue or nervous strain.
A person who is under stress often slouches.Thus, the load on the lower back increases.
Therefore, such a patient needs rest, visiting a new place or changing the type of work. However, the correct diagnosis is made only by a neurologist, who sees exactly what diseases of the spine a person has.
Symptoms
A person often has lower back pain precisely because of the huge stress. Constant pain is formed not only in the lumbar spinal region, but can also radiate to the groin, lower abdomen, passing to the male genital organ and to the legs.
Aching pain in the lower back is formed in a man due to such symptoms: painful urination and impotence.
When men have lower back pain, they experience a variety of side effects. Therefore, each doctor makes a differentiated diagnosis for each patient.
Thus, the therapist excludes possible diseases of the internal organs and focuses on the lumbar pathology.
Diagnostics
When contacting a doctor, many men complain of pain in the lower back, but they do not understand what is wrong. Then the therapist with the help of pain (its type) establishes the cause of the formation of a lumbar ailment and prescribes a specific treatment to the patient.
When undergoing a diagnosis of pain in an unhealthy back below the waist in men, the patient undergoes the following activities:
- computed tomography;
- radiography (X-ray examination);
- resonance magnetic tomography (MRI);
- myelography.
Treatment
After establishing the correct diagnosis, the therapist prescribes a specific treatment for the patient: conservative or surgical.
In the conservative treatment of back pain below the waist in men, the doctor prescribes to the patient the use of various drugs and ointments, the passage of exercise therapy, etc. Thus, the patient performs the following actions:
- uses NSAIDs (injections, tablets, ointments);
- uses steroid drugs (injections, tablets);
- uses means for restoring joints (injections, tablets, ointments);
- uses medicines that improve phosphorus potassium metabolism (injections, tablets);
- uses fortifying preparations, vitamin complexes;
- adjusts your weight, and also changes the diet;
- undergoing necessary physical therapy;
- goes for a massage;
- engaged in physical therapy.
With a conservative approach, alternative methods of treatment are often used: acupuncture, kinesiology and manual therapy.
Medical treatment
How can a man treat his back in the lumbar region? When treating lower back pain, a man smears the inflamed area with various ointments.They are very effective in treating the disease at home.
The ointment relieves lower back pain, muscle strain or warms up the sore spot.
As a result, if the lower back hurts, the man applies the following ointments to the skin:
- analgesics that give an anti-inflammatory effect (menthol, lavender);
- anesthetic ointments;
- various combined preparations that are used for sprains and injuries;
- various chondroprotectors that quickly restore joint cartilage.
Also, the patient drinks such pills:
- anti-inflammatory;
- muscle relaxants;
- various corticosteroids;
- antidepressants (for example, a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (prescribed by a doctor only);
- with chronic pain in the lower back, the patient drinks tricyclic antidepressants;
- makes injections of vitamins from the B-group;
- the doctor injects the patient with a medicine that consists of several vitamins.
exercise therapy
What to do if a man's lower back hurts? Therapeutic gymnastics is considered a good prevention and therapy for spinal ailments.During the passage of exercise therapy, the patient strengthens the muscular corset of the back and corrects posture.
With ailments of the lower back, the patient performs the following exercises:
- lies on his back, alternately raises the lower limbs by 15 cm and keeps his legs on the weight for a certain time;
- lies on the shoulder blades, bends the legs at the knees at a right angle and raises to a great height. After performing such an exercise, the man moves his bent legs to the left and right, and touches the floor with them;
- slowly and smoothly tilts the body in specific directions. During such an exercise, the man does not bend his back at the level of the chest, making it even;
- gets on all fours and then immediately moves the right shin and left arm, or vice versa.
Treatment with folk remedies
How else can you deal with pain in the lower back in a man? For example, you can adopt traditional medicine. When treating an ailment with folk remedies, the patient performs the following actions:
- uses warming horseradish or radish compresses, saline compresses, or applies fly agaric tincture to the skin;
- rubs the sore spot. A man uses vodka tinctures of burdock root or red pepper;
- wraps the lower back in a woolen belt or lies on a heating pad;
- treated with herbs - drinking decoctions or dietary supplements that restore inflamed joints and lower back;
- massages the lower back with honey and various warming agents.
Any folk remedies can be used only after the diagnosis and identification of the cause of lower back pain, as well as in consultation with the attending physician.
Surgery
Lumbar surgery is rarely done and only if the herniated disc causes severe pain or when the disease progresses. This is followed by a long recovery of the patient.
If a man has a severe back pain in the lumbar region due to the pathology of the internal organs, then surgeons first remove the main source of pain.
Prevention
Since any disease is easier to prevent than a few months or years to treat, every man needs to maintain his health every day.Thus, he needs to follow specific methods of prevention.
In the prevention of pain in the lumbar spine, men who do not move much should take small breaks for walking, bending or pulling up during work.
Do not spend all your leisure time at the computer. At least once a week, you should take a walk in the park for 1-2 hours.
When sitting, a man needs to keep a straight posture so that his back does not bend over time and osteochondrosis or scoliosis does not form.
Special exercise therapy strengthens the spinal muscles and increases the flexibility of the spine. Thus, exercise therapy prevents pinching of nerves and squeezing of blood vessels.
Also, a man must correctly lift heavy loads, evenly distributing the load on the entire body and at the same time reducing the load on the spine.
Thus, timely prevention helps men maintain their own health and avoid many lumbar ailments.