Low back pain is a common phenomenon that occurs regardless of age, but more often in adults. There can be many reasons - from physiological factors to diseases. Sometimes, back pain appears briefly and passes quickly. However, pain in the lower back can be a sign of serious illness and, in such cases, an urgent need to see a doctor.
Reasons
There are many causes for acute low back pain, they are strictly individual for each patient. The most important of these are diseases and changes in the spine, which can respond with irreversible consequences.
Main (most common)
The most common reasons are:
- Osteochondrosis. The awkward movement causes pressure on the roots of the nerve trunk of the spinal cord. Burning and discomfort do not stop during the day, if you lift something heavy, there is simply an infernal pain in your lower back.
- Herniated disk. The hernia is usually located in the lower back and any sudden movement of the trunk leads to compression of the nerve roots.
- Radiculite. In lumbosacral radiculitis, an acute pain syndrome occurs. It causes weight lifting or unsuccessful movements. Acute pain restricts the patient's movements so much that he cannot straighten up and remains in the same position he was in when the attack occurred.
- Displacement of the vertebrae. This problem is characterized by acute pain in the lower back and slightly lower, stiffness of movement. This pathology is accompanied by disorders of urination and bowel function.
- Facet syndrome. When the facets of the intervertebral discs expand above and below, the intervertebral foramen decreases. In that case, unpleasant sensations appear that come suddenly and occur more than once a month. Leaning back, the patient feels discomfort in the back.
- Epidural abscess. The accumulation of pus in the spinal cord occurs due to infectious diseases of the urinary tract. In addition to pain, fever, weakness and increased body temperature occur.
These are the causes - consequences of diseases in the spinal trunk.
The lower back can get sick due to the 2 to 3 cm length difference in the legs. It is difficult for a person to move, a pain is felt in the back due to the constant curvature of the spine.
Overload and physical fatigue
In addition to serious illnesses, the severe pain in the lumbar spine is also due to heavy overloads and a steep inclination of the trunk forward. In addition, this problem occurs when the temperature effect on the body is violated. The sources of these pains are:
- Muscle stretching. The exacerbation of muscle tension in the lumbar region occurs due to physical overload. Muscle compression causes pain and reduces mobility. This problem occurs in athletes and people who do intensive work.
- Neuralgia. Hypothermia in the back leads to neuralgia - irritation or compression of the nerves. The pathology manifests itself in different ways: sometimes in the form of seizures, accompanied by redness of the affected area, tremors, edema of the tissues and intense sweating.
- Myositis. Lumbar pain and discomfort start at night, as well as a sudden increase, with changing weather conditions, after hypothermia and overexertion.
Frequent colds, decreased immunity, spinal trauma after a recent or old stroke or fall, can cause an attack.
Diseases of Organs internal organs
Sometimes it hurts in the lumbar area due to damage to other organs: heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, gallbladder. During inhalation, low back pain syndrome differs across all nerve channels. Often, the causes of this pathology are:
- Pyelonephritis. It is an infectious inflammation of the kidneys and urinary tract. Usually the pain is deaf, but the attacks come with chills, weakness, nausea and vomiting, fever.
- Urolithiasis. The problem reveals itself as a sharp and sudden pain that becomes unbearable with a long walk and hard work. The attack is accompanied by nausea, vomiting and blood in the urine.
- Ectopic pregnancy. If there is a rupture of the fallopian tube with a miscarriage, acute pain occurs, which radiates into the groin and rectum. The rupture is accompanied by loss of consciousness and, with tubal abortion, a hematoma is formed in the peritoneal cavity.
- Pelvioperitonitis. This is a transient inflammatory process of the uterine appendages. A woman has terrible pain in the groin and back. In addition to the existing unpleasant sensations, chills, fever and palpitations are added.
- Tumors of different origins. Metastatic cancer causes painful attacks when pressure is applied to nerve endings. Often, there are no early signs of the disease.
Injuries to internal organs with severe pain attacks in the lower back are more difficult to diagnose. Therefore, you should immediately contact a specialist or call an ambulance. In some cases, the delay can lead to serious health problems and even death.
Pain in the lower back is felt in almost all pregnant women. This is due to the restructuring of the body and the increased load on it. In addition, a difficult or complicated delivery can be the cause.
Symptoms of potential diseases
Pain syndrome appears most frequently in the context of a compressed nerve, osteochondrosis, deformity and degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs, irritation of nerve roots. Muscle spasms can also cause back discomfort in the lower back. Characteristics of symptomatology for different diseases:
- With the lumbago, changes begin in the lumbar vertebrae. In the beginning, acute pain can be controlled with medication. However, mobility remains restricted.
- In sciatica, symptoms move downward - to the upper surface of the legs and buttocks. If there is no timely treatment, the disease becomes a constant companion and can cause other illnesses.
- Osteochondrosis causes the development of other diseases of the spine. Therefore, pain can occur not only in the lower back, but also spread throughout the spine.
- Scoliosis is characterized by curvature of the skeleton, degenerative changes. The chronic form can be asymptomatic, in other cases, there is pain in the bones.
- Dull and painful pains are typical of diseases of Organs internal organs (mainly of the genitourinary system and kidneys), benign and malignant tumors.
- In spondylitis, the pain is deaf, painful, very weak at first. In the beginning of the disease, it starts to hurt in the lumbar region and the movements are limited. Gradually, the state of health worsens, the inflammation becomes more pronounced, it becomes difficult to move, even minimal loads are difficult to manage.
- In spinal tuberculosis, in addition to pain, body temperature increases. The person feels tired, weak, weak, appetite worsens. At night, there is intense sweating and frequent urge to urinate.
Views
The pain can be located in only one place or "spread" through the abdomen, spine and lower back. The symptoms are acute, in the form of lumbago, opaque and painful, surrounding. It depends on the disease or pathological process.
The pain can be intermittent. This is usually due to physical activity, physiological characteristics, exacerbation of chronic pathologies. Constant chronic pain occurs in the context of various diseases of Organs internal organs, with vascular lesions, deformation of the musculoskeletal system.
Sharp
Acute and severe pains cause mobility difficulties. During these attacks, the person freezes in one position and cannot move. Even a slight stirring increases the already unbearable pain. This syndrome is called lumbago. These symptoms can occur after intense massage or hypothermia.
Whining
Sore pains accompany chronic diseases, usually appear with spondyloarthrosis. Symptoms usually occur at night, immediately after waking up or after sitting in a position for a long time.
Extreme and dumb
These painful sensations can last a long time, exhaust the person. Most of the time, they can be tolerated. Uncomfortable and painful pain is uncommon in osteochondrosis, more so in the pathologies of the spine or in damage to Organs internal organs.
For example, with pyelonephritis, the kidney tissue swells a lot, the capsule stretches, which causes back pain.
Tiles
Symptoms can appear in one place and spread throughout the peritoneal region, "spreading" along the back. Waist pain also affects the entire lower back. Without additional diagnoses, symptoms can be confused with diseases of the spine and joints. However, pain in the waist usually causes pathology of Organs internal organs.
Pain location
In ankylosing spondyloarthritis, symptoms appear mainly in the lower back. Basically, the pain occurs in the morning, it can start until late at night and gradually increase, giving in the lower back. In addition, discomfort in the lumbar region accompanies diseases of Organs pelvic organs, trauma to the coccyx, urological and gynecological pathologies, with the threat of spontaneous abortion, after delivery.
In the upper part, the symptoms occur with kyphosis, trauma, muscle myositis, osteochondrosis, infectious processes or tumors. In addition, the cause can be pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, gynecological, kidney and heart diseases, pneumonia, pleurisy, flu, ARVI.
Pain in the left or right side of the lower back appears due to disorders of the central nervous system, diseases of the spine and internal organs. The symptoms will appear on the side of the affected area. The appearance of negative sensations immediately in the left and right parts accompanies pleurisy, hepatitis, pneumonia, cholecystitis, inflammation of the prostate and in women - the appendages.
Resources in women and men
Some types of pain may appear only in women. For example, with gynecological diseases. Annexitis is characterized by the appearance of discomfort in the lower abdominal region. In that case, the pain sometimes radiates to the lower back. During pregnancy, the primary symptomatology occurs in the groin area and radiates to the lower back due to an increased load on the spine. 
Low back pain occurs during labor, with the threat of spontaneous abortion, at the end of the gestation period.
Menopause can be the cause of back pain in the lower back when menstruation stops. The appearance of symptoms in the lower back is affected by leaps in the level of estrogens, circulatory disorders, early stage of osteochondrosis, hernia and other diseases of the spine. Pain also arises from stress, to which women are more exposed than men. In this case, the symptoms are periodic.
In men, back pain is most often associated with professional activities, risks - heavy physical exertion, hypothermia, working in a draft. There are several diseases that cause the appearance of negative symptoms in the lower back. In prostatitis, pain appears first in the anal area, but it can radiate to the back. Epididymitis is characterized by an inflammatory process. Initially, the pain appears in the groin area, then radiates to the lower back. At the same time, this is accompanied by an increase in temperature and swelling of the scrotum.
First aid
What to do if infernal low back pain spontaneously appears? The following steps must be performed immediately:
- Give your back complete rest.
- Stay in a comfortable position, it is best to lie on a hard surface.
- You can put ice on your lower back, but first put it on gauze folded in 3-4 layers. This can only be done if the cause of the pain is not an organ infection.
- Apply a relaxing analgesic gel to the affected area.
- Take painkillers.
All of these activities will help you get rid of severe low back pain quickly. But specialist consultation and examination is necessary to identify the true cause of this attack and to prescribe the appropriate treatment.
What not to do
If there is a sudden pain in the back, doctors advise against the use of ointments and warming gels immediately. They stimulate blood flow to the sore spot, which contributes to increased swelling and then increased pain. Before visiting a doctor or the arrival of an ambulance, you are completely and categorically excluded:
- Performing exercises of your choice.
- Wash in a dry or steam sauna, do not use contrast showers.
- Drinking alcohol to relieve pain.
Only a doctor, after examination and diagnosis, has the right to prescribe treatment for low back pain.
What to do next, which doctor should I consult?
First you need to see a therapist. He does an initial examination, prescribes the necessary tests and, with the results obtained, sends him to a restricted specialist - a traumatologist, surgeon, neuropathologist. If the pain is associated with a malignant formation, consultation with an oncologist is required. When pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract become the cause - a gastroenterologist, with female diseases - a gynecologist, a man - a urologist or proctologist.
Inspection and inspection
To find out why the lower back hurts, an initial visual examination is performed, followed by palpation. With its help, you can determine the location of the symptom. The patient describes the nature of the pain, the duration of the attacks, after which it may appear (falling, physical activity). In addition, a number of studies are carried out:
- Blood test. It may show inflammation, presence of infection, tumors.
- Urinalysis. Allows you to exclude kidney disease. If the analysis is poor, an ultrasound is also prescribed.
- X-rays. It allows identifying inflammatory processes, spinal diseases, trauma, fissures, fractures, compressed nerve. Ideally, an x-ray of the spine and pelvic bones should be done.
- CT. Tomography is more informative than X-ray, it can show small defects, a 3D image is created. In this case, all bone structures are clearly visible.
- Magnetic resonance imaging. Provides the ability to explore soft tissues within or near the spine. At the same time, the condition of the spinal cord, nerve roots, ligaments and muscles is checked. Hernias and vascular changes are clearly visible.
However, CT and MRI are only indicated for severe symptoms. Usually, an x-ray or ultrasound, laboratory tests of blood and urine are sufficient.
Basic therapy
If low back pain is caused by spinal problems, then comprehensive treatment of the pathology will be applied. It includes the following activities:
- organization of a column-friendly regime;
- performing manual therapy;
- application of massage therapy;
- physiotherapy and reflexology sessions: acupuncture, UHF and others;
- drug therapy: medications, ointments, blockage;
- wearing a special corset, if necessary;
- doing corrective gymnastics.
The main focus is drug therapy, which mainly aims to eliminate negative symptoms and relieve inflammation. As additional funds, physiotherapy, massage and exercise therapy are prescribed. In difficult cases, surgery may be necessary.
Treatment with medication
Anti-inflammatories are the first choice for back pain. They also relieve pain. Painkillers can be prescribed at the same time. Muscle relaxants are also prescribed. To reduce the degenerative processes in the cartilage, chondroprotectors are prescribed. To relieve pain, medication blocks are sometimes made on the basis of pain medications.
Ointments and topical gels are grouped into the following types:
- Means based on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory components.
- Combined preparations with anti-inflammatory effect and restoration of tissue cells.
- Anesthetic and irritating agents.
- Homeopathic remedies.
- Chondroprotectors that promote the restoration of cartilaginous tissue.
- Massage products (cosmetics).
It is important to know that these methods can relieve pain, but they cannot cure the root cause. For example, damage to internal organs, if low back pain appeared due to this reason. In that case, you must have an exam and a specialist will prescribe an effective treatment for that specific condition.
Exercise and massage
Exercise therapy (therapeutic gymnastics) and massage are recommended to strengthen the muscular structure of the back, normalize blood circulation and increase tone. Exercise avoids back and lower back pain. The exercise therapy complex is individually selected. Massage reinforces the effectiveness of the exercises, restores the elasticity and flexibility of the ligaments. Combining it with a bath or sauna can only be allowed with medical advice.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy methods are prescribed only after relieving acute attacks of low back pain. Then, the procedures help to reduce it or prevent an exacerbation. The following are used as physical therapy:
- mud therapy; electrophoresis
- ; balneotherapy; muscle electrical stimulation
- ;
- phonophoresis (ultrasound);
- paraffin treatment; reflexology; amplipulse therapy
- .
The procedures help to reduce swelling, have an analgesic effect, improve blood circulation, relax muscles and normalize metabolic processes and lymphatic flow.
Surgical
An absolute indication for surgery is cauda equina syndrome, when urinary and fecal incontinence occurs and numbness appears in the perineum. In addition, intervention is necessary if drug treatment is ineffective, low back pain persists for more than six months and begins to radiate to the legs. Surgical operations are also performed in the presence of hernias.
Folk remedies
In addition, folk remedies can be used - infusions, decoctions of medicinal herbs. The compresses are made (for example, chopped onions, fresh burdock leaves, boiled potatoes with horseradish, mustard). It is used by rubbing with eucalyptus and burdock tincture, hot honey, a mixture of cologne, red pepper, iodine and valerian. For internal use, a tincture of vodka with saber or a decoction of wheat with coriander and milk is recommended.
Expert recommendations
If the pain is felt for at least 3 months, it is considered acute pain. The following tips will help you speed recovery from acute low back pain and reduce its intensity:
- It is important to give the patient absolute rest for 2 to 3 days. You need to go to bed and take a comfortable position: lie on your side and put a pillow between your knees, or lie on your back and put a pillow under your knees. You cannot stand still all day - it is recommended to get out of bed every 2-3 hours and warm up for 10-15 minutes.
- If pain is not tolerated, analgesics and anti-inflammatories should be taken regularly. If you take them only when the pain increases, you may not get the desired effect.
- Taking a hot bath every 3 hours or applying a hot compress for 10-15 minutes, or even cold, helps - it improves blood circulation, reduces pain and inflammation.
When you feel better, you should gradually return to your normal lifestyle. Lying in bed for a long time contributes to muscle atrophy and worsens the disease. You can train your body by walking or walking on the simulator - this is the simplest exercise for low back pain.
If low back pain is not an independent disease, it is a consequence of a serious illness that is present in the body. Therefore, you should contact a medical institution immediately to identify the pathology and competent treatment.