Back pain can occur not only in people who lead a sedentary life.This can happen with age or during hard work, when the spine experiences increased stress.If the pain occurs from time to time, then no treatment is required.But if the pain is regular, you should consult a doctor.The treatment is selected depending on the cause of the identified pathology - drug therapy, physiotherapy and sometimes surgery are used.
Reasons
To determine the causes of back pain, you need to analyze when and under what conditions they appear:
- Morning pain.It usually happens after waking up.A person cannot change position, raise an arm or turn their neck without severe pain.Most often, this has nothing to do with the spine, but is caused by myositis - inflammation of the muscles, which is caused by hypothermia, excessive stress and infectious diseases.In such cases, warming ointments are prescribed, including those based on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.If the inflammation also affects the joints, the doctor prescribes chondroprotectors - agents that restore the tissue.
- Pain on exertion.They appear during a walk, with a lot of walking or, conversely, a lack of movement.Usually the pain is dull, but quite strong, it subsides only after removing the load, but sometimes it becomes constant.In this case, you should consult a doctor.The specialist will be able to accurately determine the cause of the discomfort - spondylolisthesis, spinal canal stenosis or osteochondrosis.
- The pulling pain occurs in the neck towards the end of the working day.They are accompanied by a cracking sound and after some time intensify - these are symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.The disease cannot be completely cured.But pain relief can be done.In the acute period, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or, if they do not help, corticosteroids are prescribed.
With age, dystrophy of the intervertebral disc develops.This means they lose their ability to absorb shock, resulting in back pain.In such cases, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and chondroprotectors are prescribed.The doctor may recommend special therapeutic exercises to help strengthen the muscles in the back.Dystrophy of the intervertebral disc should not be confused with herniation.the latter is characterized by vertebral protrusion.In severe cases, surgical treatment is prescribed.
Drug therapy and other conservative methods of hernia treatment 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 the pain with anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids and dysfunction of the genitourinary system occurs, the hernia is operated.The probability that the pain will remain even after the operation is no more than 1.5%.
Back pain can be caused by an injury.This occurs due to sprains in the ligaments that support the spine, an injury that can occur during sports and heavy lifting.Vertebral injuries themselves lead to the development of osteoporosis, a disease that causes thinning of bone tissue.The pathology itself does not cause pain, but leads to vertebral fractures.
Depending on the location
It is important to determine the location of the pain - in the middle of the back or below.Sometimes this helps to understand in which part of the spine there are problems and may indicate other pathologies that cause a similar symptom.The back in the middle hurts not only because of osteochondrosis, but also because of diseases of the stomach or pancreas.
Back pain, located on the right or left, is not necessarily related to spinal diseases.Sometimes this is a symptom of kidney pathology - an infectious disease or the appearance of stones in them.Ultrasound will help establish an accurate diagnosis.Further treatment depends on the cause of the pathology - the infection is fought with antibiotics and the kidney stones are surgically removed.
Sometimes back pain can be caused by gynecological conditions, such as endometriosis - the growth of the endometrium outside the uterine cavity.But there are cases where it even affects the organs of the abdomen, which leads to compression of the nerve endings.In such cases, the stomach starts to hurt.If lower back pain occurs, you should consult a gynecologist.Most of the time, endometriosis should be treated with conservative methods, but sometimes surgery is required.
Back pain occurs during pregnancy.Their appearance can be caused by increased load on the spine and hormonal changes, which lead to muscle relaxation.Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are usually contraindicated for expectant mothers, and in some cases even massage is excluded.Special therapeutic exercises for pregnant women can have a good effect.The best option is water aerobics and yoga for expectant mothers.It is important to take the increased stress off your back.
Pain can also be caused by joint problems.The most common of these are 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 subside on its own.Anti-inflammatory drugs may be used to speed recovery.You should not wear heating compresses and woolen belts.It is better to replace them with a special elastic corset.
Special bandages are produced for expectant mothers to help relieve back stress.But if the pain does not subside within three days, despite all the measures taken, you should consult a doctor.
In no case should you do self-treatment, especially massage and heating procedures, such as a bath or sauna - this only increases swelling and discomfort.
The treatment is carried out comprehensively: they take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain, while at the same time reducing the load on the spine.This is especially true for overweight people.they must follow a diet with reduced energy value.
In addition, doctors often prescribe various physical therapy methods - magnetic therapy, massage.If the pain is caused by the destruction of joint tissue, then you need to take additional chondroprotectors - drugs based on chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine, which restore the joints and promote collagen production.
To prevent the disease, it is important to follow the recommendations:
- You cannot sit for a long time without moving.In this position, there is a large load on the spine.
- Vertical loads on the spine should be avoided.
- The back muscles need to be strengthened to provide additional support to the spine.
- If you have severe, prolonged pain, you should consult a specialist.