If a person experiences pain in the spine, the symptoms indicate irritation of the nerve endings. Degenerative-dystrophic lesions often develop between the vertebrae, which compress the muscles, blood vessels and fibers of the NS. If a patient has back pain in the lumbar region, a neuropathologist, vertebrologist, and chiropractor will help determine the causes and treatment.
There are several main factors that affect the onset of discomfort in the lower back area. These include:
- Any type of curvature of the spine;
- Hypothermia of the back, legs;
- Overload of muscle tissue (lifting weights, working in the same position);
- Insufficient physical condition of the musculoskeletal system;
- Lack of vitamins, malnutrition;
- Overweight;
- Smoking, alcohol abuse and other bad habits.
Pain in the lower back is the most common complaint of patients seeing a doctor. According to statistics, about 70% of all people who have reached the age of 30 are already facing such problems. Since the lumbar region is located below the thoracic and above the sacral, the central area of the spine takes the maximum load.
The pain can be of a different nature. It depends on the reason for the appearance. Pain sensations are described as pain, burning, cuts, spikes, blurs. Sometimes the pain spreads to other parts of the back and even to the lower limbs. It happens gradually or suddenly. There is unbearable pain, but it often also depends on the psycho-emotional state and age-related changes.
There are the following types of lower back pain:
- Lumbago- characterized as acute lumbago (appears as a result of hypothermia or physical overload);
- Lumbodynia- characterized by aching pain of a chronic nature (people often suffer from sedentary activity);
- Lumboischialgia- is determined by the spread of pain in the legs (often a sign of a hernia).
CT or MRI is used to diagnose the cause of spinal discomfort. Sometimes it is enough to take an x-ray of the affected area of inflammation. In addition, doctors make a diagnosis based on complaints and an external examination of the patient's body.
Causes of back pain in the lumbar region: common pathologies
Basically uncomfortable sensations are manifested due to pathologies of the lumbar spine. If they appear, you should definitely consult a specialist and not allow the disease to progress. Osteochondrosis, hernia, protrusion often become the cause of pain. All of them are characterized by an increase in symptoms during movements, turns and turns.
Much less often, the causes of back pain in the lumbar region are more serious and even fatal. For example, there are disorders of the lumbar spine due to metastasis from cancerous tumors, infections of the vertebrae, internal organs, metabolic disorders in bone and muscle tissue, and fractures.
Studies have shown that 90% of low back pain is associated with myofascial disorders, that is, the tightening or overloading of the muscles surrounding the vertebrae. And only 10% are pathologies caused by real vertebrogenic changes. It has been proven that the formation of osteochondrosis is associated with early displacement of the vertebrae.
The most common causes of pain are:
- Injuries;
- Stretching of muscles, ligaments;
- Displacement of the vertebrae;
- Compression of nerve endings due to hernia, osteochondrosis, stenosis;
- Fractures, deformities of the spine;
- Pregnancy.
Pain occurs much less often after infectious injury, spondylitis, deformity changes and diseases of the abdominal organs.
If pain persists for more than three days, see a doctor. Since most often the discomfort is felt against the background of an overload of the muscles of the spine, the problem can be corrected in a short time with the right choice of treatment methods.
Back pain in the lumbar region on the left: what's behind it?
If a person feels discomfort or severe pain in the lower part of the lumbar spine, most likely the cause of this phenomenon is irritation of nerve fibers, tight muscles or irradiation of a symptom of the organinternal affected. But mainly back pain in the lumbar region on the left develops by disorders of the functions of the musculoskeletal system.
In terms of frequency, pain on both sides of the spine occurs in roughly the same percentage. But patients usually turn to a specialist even when diseases are neglected and require long-term treatment.
If the pain radiates to the left side, it is usually caused by inflammation of internal organs. The left lumbar area projects diseases of the kidneys, intestines, stomach, pancreas, ovaries. If the disease is acute, it is accompanied not only by the spread of pain to the left side of the lumbosacral region, but also by fever, discomfort in the abdominal cavity, disturbances in defecation or urination. and menstrual irregularities.
Women who complain of lower back pain should see a gynecologist. If the problem occurs in men, see the urologist. It is imperative that you get examined by a therapist, have the organs ultrasound and get tested. If no abnormalities are detected during the diagnosis, an examination of the spine is prescribed. The most reliable method is MRI, which can determine the cause of back pain on the left.
By the spread of pain, you can determine which part of the lumbar spine is affected and what the consequences of the pathology will be.
- If the painful sensations on the left side of the lower back pass to the lower limb or gluteal muscle, the nerve roots in the lower section of the section are affected. Distant pains indicate a neglected disease that affects the entire root.
- When the pain radiates to the groin or abdomen, the pathology is in the upper part of the lumbar vertebrae.
- If distant pain affects the appearance of numbness in the limbs, over time such a violation can cause paralysis.
- If the discomfort spreads to the leg while walking, the sciatic nerve may be inflamed.
A precise diagnosis will be made by a specialist who will direct the patient to all the necessary research methods.
How to treat lower back pain? Efficient methods
After the diagnosis, doctors will prescribe drugs or physical procedures that will help eliminate the symptoms of pathology caused by disorders in the lumbosacral region. The exact prescriptions depend on the real cause of the pain. Consider the most basic methods of treating symptoms of various diseases or pathologies.
Ointments
This type of medicine is effective mainly because it can be used at home without help from other people. The ointment relieves local inflammation caused by sprains or compression of the nerve roots. It also warms the muscle tissue in case of pain due to hypothermia of the back.
There are several types of ointments:
- Anti-inflammatory analgesics,which relieve irritation, pain and have a cooling effect.
- Combined funds,used for back injuries. They can have healing, analgesic, cooling and anti-inflammatory effects.
- Irritant drugs,aimed at vasodilation in the affected area to improve blood circulation.
- chondroprotectorsare used to treat pathologies of cartilage tissue.
Only a doctor can tell how to treat lower back pain. What type of ointment should be used, the specialist will determine only after the diagnosis of the spine.
Injections
With the help of injections, the pain in the lower back can be relieved in a very short time. Intramuscular or intravenous solutions are more effective than oral drugs, as they bypass the gastrointestinal tract and enter the bloodstream directly at the site of the inflammatory process. But getting injections is not always convenient, so the patient will have to go to the clinic every day or call the medical staff at home. Almost all lumbar injections are available by prescription.
Warm-up
This method of therapy is more related to folk recipes and is only used for non-inflammatory pain in the back. It is used for osteochondrosis, hernia, muscle fatigue, curvature of the spine. If the pain is caused by an infectious lesion, rewarming will only intensify the symptoms and worsen the patient's health. To achieve a positive effect, apply dry heating pads or warm compresses up to 10 times a day.
Physiotherapy exercises
Must be appointed by a physiotherapist who, after diagnosing the cause of low back pain, will be able to select the optimal exercises. The purpose of these exercises is to strengthen the back muscles to correct posture and reduce muscle soreness during physical activity.
Massage
Well relieves pain in the lumbar spine, but should only be done by an experienced specialist. With the help of effective massage movements, it is possible to improve blood circulation in the area of the affected area and make the muscles more elastic and flexible. Massage relieves acute pain, removes toxic substances from cells and stimulates nerve endings. It is good to combine massages with a visit to the sauna.