Backache. The back hurts.- Causes, symptoms and treatment. MF.

Back pain is a symptom of diseases, most often, back and spine muscles. In this article we will understand why the back hurts.

The problem in the lower back can be a consequence of diseases of the bone tissue of the spine, lumbar disks between the vertebrae, ligaments around and the spine, spinal cord and nerves, lower back muscles, pelvic internal organs and abdominal cavity, and skin covering the lumbar region. The upper back may be affected by aortic disease, a breast tumor or inflammation of the spine.

Suddenly arisen short pain in the lower back is also called lumbago, and gradually developed chronic - lumbalgia. If it hurts the lower back( coccyx) - it koktsigodiniya.

Causes of back pain

In most cases, the back hurts due to musculoskeletal disorders( microdamages of ligaments and joints of the spine after heavy loads on them, stretching or spasm of muscles).More rarely, the cause of pain is more pronounced changes on the part of the spine, such as herniated intervertebral discs or displacement of the vertebrae( spondylolisthesis).Finally, in rare cases, back pain can be associated with serious diseases( tumors and inflammatory processes in the spine and spinal cord, diseases of the internal organs - kidneys, heart, pancreas, pelvic organs, etc.).

Possible causes of back pain

• Muscle spasms
• Sprain strain
• Muscular trauma
• Pregnancy
• Scoliosis
• Bleeding in the pelvis
• Dissection of the aorta
• Spine and pelvis infections
• Lumbar spinal stenosis of the spinal canal
•Metastases in the spine( cancer that has spread to the spine from other organs)
• Viral infections, including influenza

Diseases in which the back is hurted

• Osteochondrosis
• Aneurysm of the abdominal aomouths
• Ankylosing spondylitis
• Cancer
bones • Koktsidiniya
• Degenerative disease of vertebrate
disks • Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis
• Endometriosis
• Fibromyalgia
• Fracture
• Kidney stones
• Osteoarthritis
• Paget
disease • pancreatitis, pancreatic(shingles)
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Reactive arthritis
• Sciatica
• Shingles( pain and characteristic skin rashes)

What are the dangers of back pain

As a rule, back pain is of a permanent nature, amplified by movements and physical exertion and is accompanied by a restriction of mobility in the spine and a feeling of stiffness in the back. In most cases, a recurrent course is typical in which episodes of exacerbations, usually caused by intense physical exertion, prolonged exposure in an uncomfortable posture or supercooling, are replaced by more or less prolonged periods during which pain is absent or expressed minimally.

In the vast majority of cases, back pains do not pose a direct threat to life and health of a person and often go away on their own( without treatment).Nevertheless, sometimes back pain can be caused by serious diseases of the spine or internal organs.

Below are the features of back pain, which can be associated with severe pathology. In the presence of any of these symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor and in no case do not self-medicate.

• Back pain is permanent and localized in one place.
• Back pain does not decrease in the lying position or occurs at night.
• Back pain is accompanied by an increase in body temperature.
• Back pain is accompanied by muscle tension of the extremities or combined with long stiffness in the morning.

Diagnosis of back pain

• Inspection of a neurologist to assess the state of the nervous system, muscles, spine.
• General analysis of blood and urine to exclude the inflammatory process in the kidneys.
• Radiography of the spine to eliminate osteomyelitis, fractures and other diseases. To clarify the changes revealed by X-ray, the doctor may additionally assign a computer or magnetic resonance tomography of the spine( the first one allows to assess in detail the state of bone structures, the second - the spinal cord and intervertebral disks).

Very often, these studies reveal dystrophic changes in intervertebral discs and vertebral bodies and diagnose "osteochondrosis".It should be noted that osteochondrosis itself is not a disease, but reflects the age-related changes in the spine. These or other changes from the intervertebral disks( including hernias) reveal practically all people of adulthood, including those who have never experienced back pain. In other words, the detection of signs of osteochondrosis during radiography or disc herniation with magnetic resonance imaging still does not give grounds to believe that back pain is associated with them( such a decision can only be made by a doctor based on the results of a clinical examination).

Treatment of back pain

It is often not possible to completely cure back pain, however, the frequency of exacerbations can be minimized with the help of a correct lifestyle and drug therapy. Treatment of pain in the back depends on the cause that caused their appearance. You can choose a course of treatment that is right for you, only a doctor.

The effect of therapeutic measures may not appear immediately, so you need to be patient and patient. The main goal of the treatment is not only to relieve acute pain, but also to prevent the exacerbation of the disease in the future.

How to ease back pain

Bed rest can promote the transition of acute back pain to a chronic one. With this in mind, with moderate pain, there is no need for bed rest, and with intense pains, it is necessary to limit its duration as much as possible( 1-3 days).

If the back hurts, it is necessary to limit physical activity for this moment, in particular to avoid lifting weights and prolonged stay in one position;it is important to correctly move without increasing the burden on the spine.

It is advisable to use a special belt or corset to unload the spine and provide him with a resting state.

Medications for back pain

Treatment depends on the cause of back pain and is appointed by the doctor after the examination.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs( eg diclofenac), available in the form of tablets, ampoule injection forms, creams and gels, and analgesics( eg, paracetamol, metamizole sodium( "Analgin") or combination preparations] are used to relieve pain. Preparations of both groups are prescribed by a short course( usually no more than 3-5 days).In addition, compresses with solutions of local anesthetics [for example, procaine( Novokaina)] and drug blockades( which can be performed only by a doctor) are used to eliminate pain.

For pain associated with muscle tension, use drugs that eliminate muscle spasm( central muscle relaxants - tolperisone, tizanidine for 1-2 weeks).Take these drugs can only be prescribed by a doctor.

Currently, for the treatment of back pain associated with dystrophic changes of the spine( osteochondrosis), it is proposed to use chondroprotectors - drugs that stimulate the production of the main components of the cartilaginous tissue and thereby slow down its destruction. The effectiveness of chondroprotectors in diseases of the spine is not proven, the same can be said about the many widely advertised food additives( usually containing medicinal plants, biologics, vitamins, etc.) and homeopathic remedies. Despite the fact that all of these funds are freely released in pharmacies without a prescription, one should not take them without first consulting a doctor.

Physiotherapy and exercise therapy for back pain

To reduce the severity of pain, you can use dry heat( but not deep heating) and other physiotherapy procedures, but only after consulting a doctor.

After the end of the acute period, exercises of exercise therapy for special complexes( strengthening of the back muscles, abdominals) and massage are useful.

Manual therapy for back pain

Manual therapy can be prescribed only by a doctor after X-rays and / or magnetic resonance imaging, which allows an objective assessment of the condition of the spine and surrounding tissues. When properly performed, manual therapy( impact on the joints of the spine, ligaments and muscles) allows you to correct many local disorders( for example, muscle tension, subluxations in the joints), which sometimes allows you to quickly and effectively eliminate back pain.

Manual therapy has contraindications and limitations:

• In hernia or destruction of intervertebral disks( displacement of fragments can lead to compression of the spinal cord, spinal cord and blood vessels).
• After a heart attack, myocardial infarction, stroke, cancer, spinal tuberculosis, endocrine system dysfunction, with severe osteoporosis.
• In severe exacerbation, accompanied by a sharp restriction of mobility of the spine because of pain and tension of the muscles of the back( possibly increased symptoms).
• For vascular diseases and disorders of the coagulation system.

If improperly performed, manual therapy can lead to serious complications, therefore it should be performed only by a qualified specialist( doctor of the relevant specialization).It is absolutely unacceptable to conduct manual therapy by average medical personnel and persons without medical education!

Acupuncture

Acupuncture( acupuncture) often has a positive effect with moderate back pain, especially caused by muscular tension and combined with psychoemotional disorders. Although, according to the views of Chinese traditional medicine, acupuncture can be used for any diseases, it is considered that acupuncture is contraindicated in the following cases.

For diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
In the presence of benign and malignant tumors( including in the past).
For diseases requiring urgent surgical intervention.
In case of violations of kidney and liver function.
If there is a tendency to bleeding or taking drugs that interfere with blood clotting.
For acute infectious diseases.
When pregnant.

Prophylaxis of back pain

• Use a comfortable bed with a firm and rigid mattress.
• Try to maintain proper posture while walking.
• Observe the right posture at the desk, when working with a computer. Pay attention to the fact that the forearms at work are not on weight, but completely lying on the table. For prolonged use, use a chair with a backrest, a headrest and armrests for rest and relaxation.
• Avoid prolonged stay in one pose( behind the computer, car steering).Try to stretch, stretch, move every possible half hour.
• With a long stay in the standing position, find the support point for the back, hand or head( for example, lean back against the vertical surface in the subway train).
• If you wear high-heeled shoes, remember that you can walk for at least 2 hours in a row without a break.
• Avoid sharp turns and torso of the trunk, always look for support for such actions.
• If necessary, lift something off the floor and crouch, but do not bend over.
• Do not lift or carry weights, carrying them in front of you, avoid jerking and try to keep your back straight.
• Strengthen your back muscles with exercise therapy, swimming, exercising in the gym.
• Maintain a normal body weight

Symptoms similar to back pain: sore back, sore back, nois back