How to deal with low back pain is an urgent problem for many modern people. Most of them have serious problems with spinal health. At present, osteochondrosis is no longer an inherent disease of the elderly. Today, degenerative dystrophic changes in the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral disc appear at a relatively young age. They are even found in patients aged 20-25. Lumbosacral osteochondrosis is the most common cause of back pain. But it's not just him.
Must see an experienced doctor. Choose the right specialist. The first thing to remember in this situation: Local therapists do not treat low back pain. According to medical and economic standards, it will only clear up symptoms within a prescribed number of days. His mission is to get patients back to work as quickly as possible. He did not notice the fact that the disease would continue to develop intensively. As a result, many patients lose the time they can restore their spinal health without surgery.
We recommend that you apply for comprehensive treatment at a manual therapy clinic. They use completely different methods and methods. They do not use symptomatic treatment. Doctors working in chiropractic clinics aim to restore a patient's overall health, not to mask existing symptoms.
To understand what to do if your lower back hurts, you need to know how this part of the body works and what can cause unpleasant symptoms. We familiarize you with certain aspects of the anatomy and physiology of the lumbar region.
The heart of this part of the body is the lumbosacral spine. The adult sacrum is a triangular-shaped bone that consists of five fused vertebral bodies. Between the first sacral vertebra and the fifth lumbar vertebra is the conditional center of gravity of the human body. This accounts for the main mechanical and depreciation loads from the lower extremities.
This is because the ilio-sacral joint is on the side of the sacrum. With their help, the pelvic ring connects to the spine. In the lower lateral part of the pelvic ring is the hip joint. Therefore, the entire load from the lower extremities is transferred to the intervertebral disc L5-S1 through the hip and ilio-sacral joints.
Due to these anatomical features of modern humans, due to their sedentary lifestyle, the intervertebral disc L5-S1 and the ilio-sacral joint were destroyed at a fairly early age. This is a serious cause of acute pain in the lower back.
The lumbar spine consists of a single vertebral body and an intervertebral disc. They are huge. Inside the lumbar and sacral parts of the spine are the spinal cord segments of the same name. Paired root nerves leave them, forming the lumbosacral plexus and the great nerves. At the base of the sacrum, the filaments terminal of the spinal cord protrude to form another large plexus, the "cauda equina. "
Long anterior and posterior ligaments run along the spine. They start in the coccyx region and end in the occipital region. There are also short transverse ligaments and interspinous ligaments. They are located between adjacent vertebral bodies. The paraspinal muscles located in the spine provide diffuse nutrition to the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral disc. If they do not function properly, osteochondrosis and its complications develop.
It is difficult to independently determine which organizations are being breached. Need the help of an experienced doctor. An experienced doctor will perform tests and make an initial diagnosis. Create an individualized treatment plan.
Causes of low back pain
If you have lower back pain, the first thing to do is to find out the cause of this pathological condition. It is necessary to rule out the possibility of renal disease. Very often, urolithiasis, pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis, and polycystic kidney disease present as characteristic pain syndromes in the upper lower back. Other urinary symptoms may also be present. These are spasms during urination, changes in urine color and clarity, increased body temperature, general malaise, toxic and edematous nephrotic syndrome, increased blood pressure, etc.
If you have these symptoms, we recommend that you see a nephrologist or therapist as soon as possible. You will receive professional medical care.
If you fall, get injured, or have an accident on the eve of your pain syndrome, you will need to contact your trauma doctor to make an appointment. The cause of the pain may be a vertebral body or its process, a crack or fracture in the subcostal arch. Additionally, kidney tissue may be damaged due to traumatic effects.
The following diseases and conditions may be potential causes of lower back pain:
- Traumatic disruption of the integrity of ligaments, tendons and muscular organs (stretching, microscopic rupture, defibrillation, scarring deformities, etc. );
- Degenerative dystrophic process of the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral disc, leading to the development of osteochondrosis and back disease;
- Disc herniation (decreased height and increased footprint);
- Compression (rupture) of the annulus fibrosus and outlet of intervertebral hernia;
- The unstable positions of the vertebral bodies and their periodic displacements relative to each other, caused by the types of lateral, anterior and posterior slips;
- Destruction and inflammation of well-targeted intervertebral joints;
- curvature of the spine and deformation of the pelvis;
- Deformative osteoarthritis of the ilio-sacral joint;
- spinal stenosis;
- Clamping of root nerves and their branches (sciatica, sciatica, radiculopathy);
- cauda equina syndrome, piriformis;
- Lumbosacral plexus and many other plexitis.
It is difficult to independently determine the real cause of lower back pain. To do this, you need extensive practical experience and specific knowledge. Therefore, you should not self-diagnose and treat. It is best to consult an experienced doctor in time for comprehensive treatment.
Very painful lower back - what to do at home
If you have pain in your lower back, the first thing to do is to ensure adequate physical rest. It is necessary to lie on your back on a hard flat surface and try to relax your back muscles. If the pain syndrome does not begin to subside within 30-40 minutes, it is necessary to call an ambulance. This may be a condition that requires immediate surgical treatment.
If you have lower back pain, the next thing to do is rule out all possible risk factors. They include the following aspects:
- Being overweight - every kilogram added repeatedly increases the pressure on the cartilaginous discs and triggers their premature destruction;
- Violation of posture (circular or stooped, withers, etc. ) - there is a violation of the depreciation load distribution process, displacement of vertebral bodies and discs is possible;
- Heavy physical labor associated with lifting and carrying heavy objects;
- Family, sports and work injuries of the lower back;
- Improper organization of sleep and workplace;
- Sedentary work is associated with prolonged static tension in the body's muscle structures;
- choose poor quality clothes and shoes;
- Incorrect foot position when walking and running (flat feet or club feet);
- smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages (it reduces the intensity of lymphatic and blood microcirculation processes, which are full of the development of ischemia and malnutrition in the spinal tissue);
- Malnutrition and insufficient clean water intake.
If you have pain in your lower back and you don't know what to do, see your doctor right away. Only a specialist can find the underlying cause, eliminate it and develop a personalized treatment plan.
Low back pain - how to treat it with manual therapy
So, what to do if your lower back is injured - there are several treatments available. The first is to apply for an appointment with a local therapist at a city clinic. In this case, symptomatic treatment will be administered. All unpleasant symptoms will disappear, but the process of destruction of the spinal tissue will continue. It may even increase because using symptomatic therapy to treat pain, doctors disable the body's natural defense mechanisms entirely.
For example, due to a herniated disc, the pain syndrome is in most cases related to the fact that the paravertebral muscles compensate for the depreciated load, on their own. This is accompanied by intense tension and pain in the muscle fibers. However, with muscle relaxants, the muscles are paralyzed and all the depreciation and mechanical load begins to be fully applied to the already damaged disc. In some cases, this can lead to rupture of the annulus fibrosus and the appearance of intervertebral hernias.
You can also visit a manual therapist. This specialist takes a completely different approach to treatment. He will try to detect all risk factors and provide patients with personal advice on eliminating those risks. He will then develop an individual treatment plan. It will be based on the principle of completely restoring the disordered process of diffuse nutrition of the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral disc.
Several manual spinal distractions are required to restore the normal shape of the disc. During this procedure, the doctor increases the degree of elasticity of the soft tissue around the spine. He then spreads the adjacent vertebral bodies to the normal distance. The disc has room to fully expand. After 2-3 operations, the acute pain syndrome disappeared completely.
In the future, a full course of treatment will be performed. It may include osteopathy, therapeutic exercise, exercise therapy, laser irradiation, physical therapy, and more.