Every second person on the planet is familiar with lower back pain – this is confirmed by official statistics.And in fact, everyone has experienced pain in the spinal column of varying intensity, and it’s not even worth talking about attacks in the lower back - they lifted something incorrectly, bent over too sharply, slept in an uncomfortable position, and pain will definitely be present.
Lower back pain can be of an absolutely varied nature: aching and pulling, acute and constant, paroxysmal and cutting, shooting and local.Even the intensity of the syndrome in question is variable - pain can appear suddenly, without visible preconditions, but it can develop constantly “increasingly”.
Lower back pain can be tolerated by a person relatively easily, or it can cause immobility - it all depends on the individual tolerance of the syndrome and the psycho-emotional state of the patient.
Causes of lower back pain in men
Men, more often than women, work in extreme conditions - for example, at regularly low air temperatures, in conditions of high humidity, with the need to lift heavy objects, and so on.It is not surprising that physiological factors are in first place among the causes of pain in the lower back.
Pain in the lumbar spine in men can occur with prostatitis - an inflammatory process in the prostate gland.Please note: prostatitis is manifested not only by pain in the lower back with irradiation to the rectum, there are also disturbances in the process of urination, nagging discomfort in the groin and perineum, hyperthermia (increase in temperature).
If a man develops inflammation of the testicles (epididymitis), then pain in the lower back, coupled with an increase in the size of the testicles and their tumor, may be the main reason for a full examination by an andrologist.
Causes of lower back pain in women
For the female category of patients, lower back pain is typical for certain gynecological diseases/conditions:
- Adnexitis.Inflammation of the ovaries provokes the development of constantly increasing pain in the lower back.It can be unilateral or bilateral - it all depends on the location of the inflammatory process.Low back pain with adnexitis is accompanied by increased body temperature, altered vaginal discharge, general weakness, and increased pain during intimate relationships.
- Pregnancy.This is a physiological condition, which is accompanied by excessive loads on all organs and systems - bearing a child a priori implies the functioning of the body “for wear and tear”.Another factor in the appearance of lower back pain during pregnancy is the threat of miscarriage/spontaneous abortion.
- Climax.During this period, a woman’s body undergoes powerful changes, including in hormonal balance.The level of estrogen in the blood becomes unstable, to which the nerve endings react - lower back pain can be explained by this factor.
Please note: women are characterized by idiopathic lower back pain - their occurrence is unclear; doctors associate the pain with the woman’s psycho-emotional state and her minimal resistance to stress.
Common causes of lower back pain
This classification includes pain in the lumbar spine, which can occur due to internal pathologies in both men and women.The most frequently recorded factors and reasons:
- An attack of acute or chronic appendicitis.Of course, this pathology is characterized by pain in the right hypochondrium, but in some cases (depending on the physiological characteristics of the body and the intensity of the inflammatory process) pain may appear in the lower back on the right side.
- Chronic cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder).The pain syndrome in this case will be localized in the right hypochondrium with strong irradiation to the lower back - this means that the fibers of the spinal nerves are involved in the pathological process.
- Inflammatory/infectious processes in the kidneys.For them, lower back pain is considered the main symptom, to which are added hyperthermia (sustained increase in body temperature), morning swelling of the face, and high blood pressure.
- Diseases of the small intestine.They are characterized by standard digestive disorders (stool problems, increased gas formation, intestinal colic) coupled with lower back pain.
- Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).The pain in this pathology is girdling in nature and is accompanied by nausea and vomiting.Please note: if lower back pain is caused precisely by pancreatitis, then upon palpation of the spinal column there are no changes in the intensity of sensations.
- Infectious pathologies.Not all infectious diseases cause lower back pain - this syndrome is characteristic only in cases where pathological damage to bone tissue occurs.And the lower back hurts most often due to the heavy load on this particular part of the spinal column.
Doctors consider inflammatory processes in the muscles – myositis – to be the main cause of lower back pain in both men and women.They are characterized by aching, constant pain with a gradual increase in intensity - based on this symptom and in the absence of other signs, a preliminary diagnosis can be made.
In addition, the syndrome in question may appear in patients diagnosed with stage 4 obesity - the load on the muscles and bones is too great, so the pain in the lower back will be constant, intensifying, and radiating to the legs.
Please note: pain in the lumbar spine can be caused by the growth of malignant or benign tumors.But in this case there will be no problems with diagnosis - this syndrome does not appear at the first stage of cancer.
Diseases always accompanied by lower back pain
There are a number of pathological conditions in which lower back pain is the main symptom:
- Lumbago.It is characterized by acute, piercing pain, most often diagnosed in male patients and may be the result of pinched sciatic nerve or displacement of several vertebrae.
- Scoliosis.Curvature of the vertebrae, which can be congenital or acquired.The pathological process can affect any part of the spinal column; the following classification of the disease is typical for the lower back:
- habitual scoliosis, which develops in childhood and is a consequence of the child’s incorrect posture;
- rachitic appearance - the final stage of metabolic disorders in childhood;
- rheumatic – more often diagnosed in adult patients, always a consequence of serious pathologies in the joints;
- paralytic scoliosis.
- Osteochondrosis of an intervertebral nature.
- Hernia of the lumbar spinal column.
- Arthritis of rheumatoid type.It is more often diagnosed in menopausal women.
- Osteoporosis.This is the thinning of bone tissue, the causes of which are exclusively age-related.In addition to pain in the lumbar spine, the patient is diagnosed with hernias, deformation of the vertebral joints, and problems with cartilage.
- Phlebothrombosis.This is not an inflammatory process in the vessels, but their blockage - the disease is more common in older people.It is typical that with phlebothrombosis, lower back pain appears only during a long walk.
In addition, lower back pain can be caused by grade 3-4 atherosclerosis, obstructed blood flow through inflamed vessels (various phlebitis), ankylosing spondylitis and other factors and causes.
You definitely need to call a doctor and undergo a full examination - the cause of the syndrome may be the development of severe pathology in the body.
Lower back pain – what to do?
To help yourself when you experience lower back pain, you need to remember a few recommendations from specialists:
- When the syndrome occurs for the first time, take a comfortable position and monitor the nature of the pain:
- at what time it arises, intensifies or subsides;
- is it accompanied by nausea, headaches, changes in physiological processes (urination, defecation);
- Is there an increase in temperature and foreign tastes in the oral cavity?
- If the cause of lower back pain is a bruise, sprain or injury, then you need to do the following:
- take a drug from the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
- take a diuretic - this will help quickly get rid of swelling and speed up the process of getting rid of inflammation;
- tighten the lower back with any fixing material - a special orthopedic belt, towel, scarf, elastic bandage.
In any case, you will need to consult a doctor and have a full examination - even the simplest injury to the spinal column and short-term pain in the lower back can be caused by a serious pathological process.
Actions that are contraindicated for lower back pain
The following manipulations are strictly prohibited:
- heat the area where the pain syndrome is localized without first determining the cause of its occurrence - this can provoke a powerful progression of the inflammatory process;
- take painkillers if the cause of pain in the lumbar spine remains unclear;
- realign the vertebrae - many patients miss this point and believe that professional chiropractors will not cause harm.In fact, displacement of the vertebrae can be caused not only by strong physical stress, but also by various degenerative processes in cartilage and ligaments.The result of forcible repositioning of a vertebra into place due to dystrophy of connective tissue or cartilage can be complete destruction of the latter and immobilization.
Treatment of lower back pain
Professional treatment of the pain syndrome in question is carried out only in a hospital.As a rule, after an examination (x-ray, computed tomography, laboratory tests of blood/urine, etc.), patients are prescribed medications that can quickly and with a long-lasting effect relieve a pain attack.Then, depending on the general state of health, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed, the doctor selects restorative therapy, and the patient undergoes a course of physical therapy and massages.
Please note: you need to learn how to rest properly after heavy physical activity: lying on your back with your legs raised low.If your lower back hurts after sleep, you will need an orthopedic mattress, and if the pain becomes regular and severe, then doctors can make a blockade.But this does not mean that after the disappearance of the syndrome in question, you can calm down and not carry out treatment - attacks will recur more and more often.
Treatment of lower back pain with folk remedies
Any means from the category of traditional medicine, which are intended to restore the function of the spinal column and get rid of lower back pain, can only be used if the etiology of the problem is clarified!Only in this case will they be truly effective and absolutely safe.
Some treatments for lower back pain:
- For osteochondrosis, you need to take wax, melt it and apply it hot to the lower back (at the location of the pain).You need to put a scarf or warm handkerchief on top so that the warming procedure has a greater effect.Please note: the skin in the area where the molten wax is applied should not have any damage or visible pathologies from the field of dermatology.
- With regular stress, nervous breakdowns and lower back pain against the background of psycho-emotional disorders, St. John's wort can be used for treatment.Take 2 tablespoons of dry St. John's wort, pour 400 ml of boiling water and leave overnight.Then strain the infusion and take 100 ml at least 4 times a day.The course of treatment is a week, even if the pain disappeared on the second or third day, it is not recommended to interrupt the intake of St. John's wort infusion.
- When diagnosing habitual pinched nerves (for example, the sciatic nerve), tincture of hot red pepper and fir oil are used.It is necessary to apply these components to the lower back, exactly in the area where the pain syndrome is located, twice a day for a week.Please note: first, tincture of hot pepper is rubbed into the skin, and then fir oil.The number of procedures depends on the intensity of the pain syndrome - as soon as the condition returns to normal, treatment is stopped.
Regular massage helps a lot with habitual lower back pain.Doing it yourself is problematic, but our ancestors used the following method: you need to take a nylon/nylon stocking and make three knots at the same distance.You need to rub your back with this stocking every day - it’s quite possible to do it yourself.
Lower back pain can be a consequence of various pathological conditions.Many habitually “brush off” this syndrome, attributing everything to excessive tension or nerves.But doctors warn: even periodically occurring, not intense pain in the lumbar spine may indicate the development of internal pathology.