Back pain can occur not only in people with a sedentary lifestyle.This can happen with age or with hard work, when the stress on the spine increases.If the pain occurs frequently, treatment is not needed.But if the pain occurs frequently, you should consult a doctor.Therapy is selected depending on the cause of the identified pathology - treatment with drugs, physiotherapy and sometimes surgery is used.
Reason
To determine the cause of back pain, you need to analyze when and under what circumstances they occur:
- Morning pain.Usually occurs after waking up.A person cannot change position, raise their arms, or rotate their neck without experiencing severe pain.Most often, this has nothing to do with the spine, but with myositis - inflammation of the muscles, caused by hypothermia, excessive stress and infectious diseases.In such cases, warming ointments are prescribed, including ointments based on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.If inflammation also affects the joints, the doctor prescribes chondroprotectors - tissue repair agents.
- Pain during exertion.They occur when walking, long walks or, conversely, lack of exercise.Usually the pain is dull but quite intense, it disappears only after removing the load, but sometimes it becomes constant.In this case, you need to consult your doctor.The specialist will be able to accurately determine the cause of the discomfort - spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis or osteoarthritis.
- Pulling pain occurs in the neck at the end of the workday.They are accompanied by crunching sounds and after a while they intensify - these are symptoms of cervical spondylosis.The disease cannot be completely cured.But pain relief can be achieved.In the acute phase, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or, if not helpful, corticosteroids.
With age, disc dystrophy develops.This means they lose their ability to absorb shock, leading to back pain.In such cases, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and chondroprotectors are prescribed.Your doctor may recommend special therapeutic exercises to help strengthen the muscles in your back.Disc dystrophy should not be confused with herniation;the latter is characterized by the protrusion of a vertebra.In severe cases, surgical treatment is indicated.
Medical treatment and other conservative treatments for hernia help maintain a high level of patient quality of life.But in the most severe cases, when pain cannot be relieved with anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids and genitourinary system dysfunction occurs, the hernia will be surgically treated.The chance that pain will remain even after surgery is no more than 1.5%.
Back pain can be caused by injury.This occurs due to a sprain in the ligaments that support the spine, an injury that can occur during sports and heavy lifting.Damage to the vertebrae itself leads to the development of osteoporosis, a disease that thins bone tissue.The disease itself does not cause pain but leads to vertebral fractures.
Depends on location
It is important to determine the location of the pain - in the middle of the back or below.Sometimes this helps understand which part of the spine is problematic and can point to other conditions that cause similar symptoms.Middle back pain is not only caused by osteoarthritis but also by diseases of the stomach or pancreas.
Back pain localized to the right or left side is not necessarily related to diseases of the spine.Sometimes this is a symptom of kidney pathology - an infectious disease or the appearance of stones in it.Ultrasound will help establish an accurate diagnosis.Further treatment depends on the cause of the disease - infections are fought with antibiotics and kidney stones are removed with surgery.
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 where it also affects the organs in the abdomen, leading to compression of nerve endings.In such cases, the stomach begins to hurt.If pain occurs in the lower back area, you should consult a gynecologist.Typically, endometriosis must be treated with conservative methods, but sometimes surgical intervention is required.
Back pain occurs during pregnancy.Their appearance can be provoked by an increase in the load on the spine and hormonal changes, leading to muscle relaxation.Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are often contraindicated for expectant mothers, and even massage is excluded in some cases.Special therapeutic exercises for pregnant women can be effective.The best options are water aerobics and yoga for expectant mothers.It is important to remove increased stress from your back.
Pain can also be caused by joint problems.The most common of these are different types of arthritis.Usually the disease is infectious and requires antibiotics.
Treatment and prevention
If the pain is due to physical overload or occurs due to hypothermia and an infectious disease, it may disappear on its own.Anti-inflammatory medications may be used to speed recovery.Do not wear warm packs and wool belts.It is better to replace them with a special elastic corset.
Special tape produced for expectant mothers helps relieve stress on the back.But if the pain does not disappear within three days, despite all the measures taken, you need to consult a doctor.
In no case should you self-medicate, especially with massage and warming procedures such as baths or saunas - this only increases swelling and discomfort.
Treatment is comprehensive: they use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain, and at the same time reduce the load on the spine.This applies mostly to overweight people;they need to follow a diet with reduced energy value.
In addition, doctors often prescribe various physiotherapy methods - magnetic therapy, massage.If the pain is caused by the destruction of joint tissue, then you need to additionally take chondroprotectors - drugs based on chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine, which help restore joints and promote collagen production.
To prevent the disease, it is important to follow recommendations:
- You cannot sit for a long time without moving.In this position, a large load is placed on the spine.
- Vertical loads on the spine should be avoided.
- The back muscles need to be strengthened so that they provide additional support to the spine.
- If you experience severe, prolonged pain, you should consult a specialist.