Low back pain is a rather unpleasant phenomenon that can indicate a serious medical condition. Compared to the rest of the spine, the lower back is more loaded and therefore more prone to injury.
Lower back spasms can be a symptom of sciatica, osteochondrosis, scoliosis, and many other conditions.
Lower Back Pain: Possible Causes
This can happen after exercise training, prolonged holding in one position, awkward exercise.
Risk factors:
- obesity;
- maternity/recent delivery;
- Sports Training;
- sedentary jobs (drivers, cashiers, etc. );
- work associated with substantial physical exertion;
- Work standing up.
After overwork, the discomfort will go away on its own - rest is enough. Its periodic appearance indicates the presence of pathology. Without high-quality treatment, the condition can deteriorate significantly: sometimes only surgical intervention is required.
Conditions that accompany lower back discomfort
This symptom is medically divided into primary and secondary.
In the first case, the discomfort is directly caused by back disease, especially spinal disease:
- Osteochondrosis in the area (one-third of all painful cases);
- spondylosis/spondylolisthesis/spondyloarthropathy;
- A herniated disc or herniation.
They talk about secondary pain caused by lesions in other organs:
- fractures caused by osteoporosis;
- Tumors in the spinal canal;
- spinal fractures;
- Muscle strain;
- Anatomical stenosis of the spinal canal;
- kyphosis / scoliosis / kyphosis / Scheuermann-Mau disease;
- Arthritis (rheumatic, psoriasis, osteoarthritis);
- Discitis, osteomyelitis, spinal tuberculosis;
- Urinary system diseases: urolithiasis/pyelonephritis;
- Gynecological diseases: ovarian cancer or cysts, endometriosis;
- complicated pregnancy.
type of pain
severe low back pain
These are observed in osteochondrosis. Discomfort can occur when moving, sitting, lifting heavy objects, and even coughing/sneezing. Unpleasant sensations in the lower extremities. The patient urgently needs to see a neurologist.
Severe discomfort accompanies sciatica. The pain is dull or sharp, painful, and usually unilateral.
May be applied to buttocks, thighs, and even calves; aggravated by changes in posture, coughing, and walking. Radical radiculitis is treated by a neurologist. The patient is advised to rest on a firm mattress that supports the lower back.
acute low back pain
This can be caused by prolonged sitting in uncomfortable positions, carrying/lifting heavy objects, falls, bumps, sudden movements, and drafts and hypothermia.
Acute attacks are accompanied by displacement of the intervertebral disc. The latter is associated with spinal fractures, osteochondrosis, physical labor, and weightlifting.
Displacement may also occur after surgery in this area. In this case, the diagnosis is made by a neurologist. He also prescribed treatments.
lumbar pain
This happens with myositis - inflammation of the muscles in the back. The disease appears after a sharp overvoltage or hypothermia. It is accompanied by stiffness of movement. The pain gets worse with movement.
Chronic (permanent) low back pain
Periodic bouts of spondylosis with deformity. And the affected area may become numb. In addition, leg weakness sometimes occurs.
It should also be considered that chronic pain is characteristic of Bechterew disease, tumor pathology. They may also indicate metabolic disturbances.
the pain of displacement
Sometimes it may appear to one person that low back pain is actually caused by the failure of a completely different part of the body. This occurs in diseases of the pelvic organs, pancreas, kidneys, colon.
Back Pain: When to See a Doctor?
Do not hesitate to see a specialist in the following cases:
- The attack lasts 3 days or more;
- discomfort after injury;
- Also, lower back, calf and foot pain;
- Pain syndrome combined with numbness in one limb.
Severe lumbar spasm
If the cause is unknown, the temperature should be measured. An increase in this indicator indicates infection and inflammation. Other symptoms (stool irregularities, vomiting, pain on one side only) were also identified. Then you need to call a doctor or emergency team.
If the cause is known, such as a muscle strain or bruise, anti-inflammatory medication should be taken first to reduce discomfort.
To reduce swelling and increase fluid circulation to remove harmful substances from the body, a single dose of diuretics can help.
An orthopedic belt or even a regular towel will help keep the muscles and bones in a stable state.
What to do if the waist is uncomfortable
Warm-up procedures are prohibited without diagnosis.
They can cause blood flow, which is not always safe. Do not use pain medication if you experience prolonged discomfort of unknown nature. In this case, the disease still progresses, but there is no discomfort.
A chiropractor can set vertebrae on any part of the back only after examining, diagnosing, and determining the cause of the pathology. Vertebrae are not always displaced due to trauma; it can also be the result of a dystrophic process. Reduction is a process that can squeeze the nerve and destroy the vertebrae.
How to Treat Low Back Pain at Home: Folk Recipes
Alcoholic tinctures of burdock or eucalyptus can help relieve discomfort. It can also be used for compression. For a similar purpose, apply fresh horseradish leaves to the affected area. They are replaced daily as needed.
- Horse chestnut paste. The melted fat is mixed with dried horse chestnut and camphor oil. The ingredients are taken in equal proportions. Spread the medicine on a thin piece of brown bread and apply it to the affected area;
- You can treat it with horse chestnut tincture. Soak a cotton or gauze cloth and apply it to the lower back;
- Effectively relieves discomfort of the golden beard's joint and bone tincture on "Bishofite". It is necessary to add 35-40 grains of plant to ½ l of the latter. The mixture was left for 14 days. Over time it is filtered and used for compression at night.
Nutrition for Back Problems
To strengthen your bone organs, you need to enrich your diet with healthy foods and reduce the amount of harmful substances in it.
Liver and fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel are very helpful. These foods are rich in vitamin D, fatty acids, and niacin.
Dairy, meat, grains, fresh fruit, especially garlic and lemons—all of which should dominate the diet.
Cabbage and spinach are rich in potassium, and citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C.
Vitamin A can be obtained from eggs, dark green leafy vegetables, red, orange and yellow fruits.
You should limit your consumption of caffeinated beverages, as well as sweet, spicy, greasy, and fried foods.
spine exercise
For minor discomfort, and to prevent back discomfort, a set of exercises is recommended:
- Lie on your back with your hands on your body and your legs slightly bent at your knees. Lean your legs to the right and your body in the opposite direction. In this position, they freeze for 5 seconds and then return to their original position. Turn in the other direction in the same way. You need to complete 10 methods;
- Kneel down and place your hands on the chair in front of you. Then bend and arch your back as much as possible. Perform up to 10 approaches;
- Lie on your back with arms/legs straight. First, lift your right leg about 15cm off the ground and keep it elevated until fatigue develops. Repeat the same movement with your left leg. Each leg needs to complete 5 sets.
Prevention of low back pain
To reduce the risk of problems, you need to follow some simple rules:
- less time sitting;
- When working for a long time, warm up your spine and limbs a little every hour;
- Lift/load properly - keep your back straight, don't lift too hard, divide the load into parts;
- perform exercises to strengthen the muscular corset (supports the spine);
- The mattress should be moderate to properly support the lower back;
- Pay attention to your posture, don't be lazy;
- Get closer to the wall more often, touching the wall with your heels, hips, and shoulder blades. You need to stand in this position for 3 minutes;
- Exercises that strengthen the muscles that support the spine are recommended: walking, skiing, martial arts/qigong gymnastics, swimming, yoga;
You should not do running, boxing, tennis, martial arts, skiing, horse riding.