How is lumbar spine pain treated?

Due to work or hobbies, do you spend a lot of time in a sitting position, or do you exercise a lot in the gym? Everything was fine before, but now you have frequent back and lower back pains? So maybe you should see a doctor for help? What Causes Back Pain? Which doctor should I go to and how to deal with a sore? We will talk about this and much more later in the article.

What causes the pain?

So, "What to do if your back hurts and what can cause it? ", Let's take a closer look at this question. There may be more than enough reasons. The fact is that back and lower back pain can signal a number of diseases, both of the spine itself and of internal organs. This is due to the fact that many nerve endings that surround all the internal organs leave the spine. Therefore, according to the localization of pain in a particular area of the ridge, we can talk about some specific diseases.

Causes of occurrence

What do lower back pains say and which doctor should I contact with them? Both habits and illnesses can cause pain in the lower back. The first are:

• Permanent sedentary work. IT workers and drivers are at risk.
• Constant standing work.
• Frequent great physical activity. Athletes, especially weightlifters, are at risk.
• Sedentary lifestyle.
• A separate risk group includes pregnant women and women who have recently given birth.
• Overweight.

As you can see, everything is simple with habits. As for the second case, often pain in the lumbar region can be caused by diseases. Here you can also highlight diseases of the spine itself and diseases in which pain in the lumbar region is only a symptom. The former include osteochondrosis, spondyloarthrosis, intervertebral hernia and protrusion.

The second group contains the following possible causes of back pain:

• Fracture of the ridge due to trauma.
• A fracture caused by osteoporosis.
• A tumor localized in the spinal canal.
• Prolonged muscle strain.
• The narrow structure of the spinal canal (quite rare).
• Various complications during pregnancy.
• Various arthritis such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis.
• Spine deformities, for example, kyphosis, scoliosis, Scheuermann-Mau disease, kyphoscoliosis.
• Spinal tuberculosis, osteomyelitis, discitis.
• Urolithiasis, pyelonephritis.
• Ovarian cancer, endometriosis, ovarian cyst.

When should you see a doctor?

Slight pain in the back, which quickly pass and are the result of prolonged exertion, is the norm. But if the lower back hurts for a rather long period or the pain is periodic, then it arises by itself, then it disappears, then it is worth sounding the alarm. You also need to immediately go to the hospital after a severe back injury. It should be understood that low back pain can be accompanied by pain in the foot or lower leg. Also, part of the leg or buttocks may become numb. In this case, you have something serious and should be examined as soon as possible.

You yourself are unlikely to diagnose yourself, so you should go to the hospital, but which doctor should you go to? Someone will say to a chiropractor, and someone says that a neurologist is more experienced. Both options are correct, however, it will be more correct to turn to a neurologist, because it is he who will be able to correctly prescribe and conduct the entire course of diagnosing the disease. And in this case, the cause will be identified more accurately and there is every chance to successfully cope with it. So, taking the point of view of a neurologist, with pain in the lower back, based on the intensity and strength of pain, you can roughly determine the cause of its occurrence.

Sharp pains

Acute lower back pain in men and women is the result of a recent injury (fall, muscle strain, shock, sudden movements). Also, the reason may be long-term work in one uncomfortable position or prolonged carrying and lifting of heavy things. And, finally, do not forget about a cold back, due to hypothermia or prolonged exposure to a draft. Here you can easily treat low back pain with folk remedies.

Lumbago and displacement of the intervertebral discs can be distinguished separately from the common ones. The first ailment affects people whose field of activity involves constant hard physical labor, which is why men have lower back pain. According to the people, the disease is called "lumbago". It usually stops on its own with rest or after a few days. However, it can easily take up to a month, so it requires at least home treatment for back pain.

Acute and severe girdle pain in the lower back also occurs when the intervertebral discs are displaced. The disease can be caused by various injuries, hard physical labor or a disease such as osteochondrosis. You won't get medical treatment at home. Hospitalization and full diagnostics are required. It may even go as far as surgical intervention.

Severe pain

Severe pains differ from acute ones in that they are of a more prolonged nature and are the result of some kind of disease associated with the musculoskeletal system. These include sciatica and osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine. With them, girdle pain in the lower back is felt during sneezing, coughing, sitting, walking, in a word, the back hurts during any movement. Also, pain can be given to the lower extremities and they can even go numb. Here it is no longer necessary to run, but to fly to the attending physician for an examination.

Aching

As a rule, the back can ache from a sharp strong tension of the spinal muscles. You can relieve low back pain simply by resting for a couple of hours. But you should not fly in the clouds, you need to be on the alert, because your back can ache through severe hypothermia. Thus, a more chronic disease of myositis, in which the psoas muscles become inflamed, may develop. In this case, several days of rest are required, as well as knowing how to remove the pain.

Chronic

Often caused by spondylosis deformans. The main symptoms of this disease are girdle pain in the lower back radiating to the buttocks or legs. Numbness of the lower extremities may also occur. Other diseases that cause similar symptoms include: cancer, impaired metabolism, ankylosing spondylitis.

Displaced

Such painful sensations are not a consequence of a back disease, but the result of a disease of some organ entering the dorsal region. This includes diseases of the pelvic organs of both the male and female halves, as well as diseases of the colon, kidneys, pancreas and various types of tumors.

How is the treatment carried out?

So how to get rid of low back pain? First, you should go to the hospital and make an appointment with a specialist for an examination. After the examination, the attending physician should send you for an examination to confirm or deny the diagnosis he suspects. In order to find out what it might be, you may be sent to have an x-ray of your spine. Today, a more advanced method is used, called myelography.

This method allows you to examine in detail the pathways leading to the spinal cord. Reveals all pathologies in the presence of a decrease in the patency of the pathways. It is worth knowing that before the X-ray, you will be injected into the spinal cord with a syringe with a xenon substance, which will highlight everything in the picture. This method is quite expensive, but very effective and almost always helps to find out why your back hurts. In addition, MRI, ultrasound, ECG and CT can be prescribed. In additional cases, other tests may be required, such as a complete blood count, etc.

Medication

In most cases, medication is great for back pain. It is aimed at relieving pain, eliminating and further preventing inflammatory processes, improving blood circulation and renewing damaged tissues. Thus, after we have learned why the lower back hurts, we can get a general picture of how to treat lower back pain.

Conventionally, all treatment can be divided into 3 stages, namely: the start of treatment, the treatment itself and the end of therapy. At each of the stages, drugs can act both in the form of droppers and in the form of blockages and injections. Treatment of lower back pain in the first stage should eliminate the pain itself, reduce swelling and inflammation, relieve spasms and relax muscles. At the second stage, you need to completely get rid of the cause of the disease. Here, the treatment is carried out mostly locally. Ointments, mixtures for compresses are used. In addition, physiotherapy is recommended.

The third stage consists of injections, which increase the regeneration of damaged tissues and nourish them with all the necessary components. Thus, the full functionality of the segment is restored. At all stages, the choice of medication and therapy depends on your diagnosis and the choice of your doctor. Self-medication is strongly discouraged.

Physiotherapy

When the cause of the pain is accurately identified, you can resort to treatment using physiotherapy methods. Based on their reasons, the following treatment methods can be distinguished:

• Ultrasound.
• Laser therapy.
• Exposure to electric current, etc.

Physical therapy is more focused on how to treat back pain in the early stages. In the later stages of the disease, it can be recommended as an auxiliary method of treatment. The therapy you need is prescribed only by the attending physician after examination.

Surgical intervention

In the vast majority of cases, back pain will not require surgery. However, if you have had pain for a long time and over time they only intensify, and you flatly refuse to consult a doctor, then this method of treatment is also possible. In this case, most likely, general anesthesia will be used, where a lytic mixture is used, in order to completely immobilize the patient. The surgery plan itself will be developed by the surgeon based on diagnostic data.

Folk methods

To the question "How to relieve lower back pain? "traditional medicine can also answer. Here, depending on how strong the pain symptoms are, various homemade ointments, lotions, etc. can be used. The main focus of such remedies is to relieve pain and inflammation. In most cases, treatment of the lower back with folk remedies justifies itself only as first aid. With prolonged self-medication, without knowing the main cause of the pain, the disease can be greatly aggravated. Next, a few folk remedies.

1. A compress of grated horseradish and radish mixed with sour cream is placed on the sore area of the lower back. From above, this is all covered with a paper napkin, and the entire lower back is tied with a scarf. Such a compress perfectly eliminates pain symptoms and removes muscle spasms.
2. When your back hurts, hot compresses from an infusion prepared with a mixture of medicinal injuries will help. This includes thyme, chamomile, St. John's wort, and black elderberry. The compress is applied at night. The affected area is wrapped in warm cloth. It is advisable to carry out the treatment at night. An identical compress is prepared from an infusion of dried burdock leaves.
3. Another treatment with folk remedies is based on the healing properties of horse chestnut. First you need to grind the chestnut into powder. Then it is mixed with camphor oil and melted lard. The ingredients are given in roughly the same amount. The resulting ointment is spread on a slice of brown bread and applied to the sore back as a compress. Such a remedy can improve blood circulation, has nourishing and anti-inflammatory properties.

But remember, no matter how well the folk remedy shows itself, it is still necessary to consult a doctor. After all, self-medication is always carried out at your own peril and risk. In addition, it may turn out that treatment procedures bring only short-term relief, after which the pain will intensify at times.

Prophylaxis

When the back hurts in the lumbar region, it is too late to engage in prevention. But in order not to face such a problem as long as possible, you need to think about how to prevent it and what leads to it? It has already been described above that people who lead a sedentary or sedentary lifestyle, athletes, especially weightlifters and overweight people are at risk.

Accordingly, the best prevention of the disease will be compulsory morning exercises, sports, therapeutic exercises, reducing the load on the back, massage, nutritional control, etc. Also, to remove what may cause lower back pain, periodic scheduled checks with the attending physician will help.

First aid

What to do if the lower back hurts very badly, and it is far to get to the hospital? How to quickly relieve back pain in order to wait for a doctor? To do this, you need to know some methods of first aid. Of course, they will not have a healing effect, but they will help to cope with pain. So, we do everything in stages:

1. We lie on our backs, on a hard bed or on the floor. The blanket must be removed from the bed.
2. At the same time, the legs are raised and bent at the knees. For greater convenience, put a pillow or rolled blanket under your raised legs.
3. We take the usual dose of the pain reliever or anti-inflammatory drug we have.
4. We lie down and try not to make sudden movements.
5. During the procedure, do not forget to call a doctor at home.
6. In most cases, you will need rest and bed rest for the next few days. After the doctor's visit, call work and notify your supervisor.
7. Try to avoid spicy and smoked foods during and after treatment.