What to do if the back hurts is a pressing issue for many modern people. Most of them have serious problems with the health of the spine. Currently, osteochondrosis is no longer a disease inherent in older age. Today, degenerative dystrophic changes in the cartilaginous tissues of the intervertebral discs develop at a fairly young age. They are detected even in patients 20-25 years old. Lumbosacral osteochondrosis is the most common cause of back pain. But not only him.
It is imperative that you see an experienced doctor. Choose the right specialist. The first thing to remember in this case: the local healer does not treat lower back pain. According to medical and economic standards, it eliminates the symptom only in the specified number of days. His task is to return the patient to work as soon as possible. He does not pay attention to the fact that the disease will continue to develop intensively. As a result, many patients lose time when they could restore spinal health without surgery.
We advise you to apply for a full treatment at the manual therapy clinic. They use completely different methods and approaches. They do not use symptomatic treatments. Doctors working in chiropractic clinics aim to restore the patient's full health, not hide existing symptoms.
To understand what to do if the lower back hurts a lot, you need to know how this part of the body works and what can cause an unpleasant symptom. We offer you to familiarize yourself with some aspects of the anatomy and physiology of the lumbar region.
At the heart of this body part is the lumbosacral spine. The sacrum in an adult is a single triangular bone, consisting of five fused vertebral bodies. Between the first sacrum and the fifth lumbar vertebra is the conditional center of gravity of the human body. This represents the main mechanical load and damping from the lower extremities.
This is due to the fact that the iliac joints are located on the lateral surfaces of the sacrum. With their help, the pelvic ring is connected to the spine. In the lower lateral part of the pelvic ring are the hip joints. Thus, the entire load from the lower extremities through the hip and sacroiliac joints is transferred to the L5-S1 intervertebral disc.
Due to these anatomical features in a modern person, due to his sedentary life, at a fairly young age, the L5-S1 intervertebral disc and the sacroiliac joints are destroyed. And this is a serious reason for the appearance of acute pain in the lumbar region.
The lumbar spine consists of individual vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs. They are quite bulky. Within the lumbar and sacral sections of the spine are the sections of the spinal cord of the same name. Paired root nerves depart from them, which form the lumbosacral nerve plexus and the large nerves. At the bottom of the sacrum, the terminal fibers of the spinal cord come out, which form another large nerve plexus - the "horse's tail".
Long anterior and posterior ligaments run along the spine. They start in the region of the coccyx and end in the region of the occipital bone. There are also short transverse and intermediate links. They are located between adjacent vertebral bodies. The paraspinal muscles located along the spine provide diffuse nourishment for the cartilaginous tissues of the intervertebral discs. If they work incorrectly, then osteochondrosis and its complications develop.
It is difficult to independently determine which tissues are damaged. The help of an experienced doctor is required. An experienced doctor will carry out an examination and make a preliminary diagnosis. Develop an individualized treatment plan.
Reasons why the back hurts
The first thing you should do if your lower back hurts is to find out the causes of this pathological condition. It is necessary to exclude the possibility of kidney pathology. Very often urolithiasis, pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis and polycystic kidney disease manifest with a characteristic pain syndrome in the upper back. Other urological symptoms may also be present. These are cramps during urination, change in color and transparency of urine, increase in body temperature, general malaise, intoxication and edematous nephrotic syndrome, increase in 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 on the eve of the onset of the pain syndrome you fell, injured yourself, had an accident, then you need to contact a traumatologist for an appointment. The cause of the pain may be a crack or fracture of the vertebral body or its process, lateral lower arch. Also, with a traumatic effect, damage to the tissues of the kidneys is possible.
The following diseases and conditions can be possible causes of pain in the lumbar region:
- traumatic violation of the integrity of the ligament, tendon and muscular apparatus (strain, microscopic tears, defibrillation, rostral deformations, etc. ).
- degenerative dystrophic process in the cartilaginous tissues of the intervertebral discs, leading to the development of osteochondrosis and spinal disease.
- protrusion (reduction in height and increase in occupied area) of the intervertebral discs.
- extrusion (rupture) of the annulus fibrosus and the exit of the intervertebral hernia.
- unstable position of the vertebral bodies and their periodic displacement among themselves by the type of pleuroslide, antilithia and posterior ossification.
- destruction and inflammation of targeted intervertebral joints.
- curvature of the spine and deformation of the pelvic bones.
- deforming osteoarthritis of the iliac-sacral joints.
- stenosis of the spinal canal;
- pinching of the root nerves and their branches (sciatica, sciatica, radiculopathy).
- cauda equina syndrome, apioid muscle.
- plexitis of the lumbosacral nerve and many others.
It is very difficult to independently determine the real reason why the lower back hurts. To do this, you need to have extensive practical experience and specific knowledge. Therefore, you should not engage in self-diagnosis and treatment. It is better to consult an experienced doctor in time and undergo complete treatment.
Very painful lower back - what to do at home
If your back hurts a lot, the first thing you should do is to ensure complete physical rest. It is necessary to lie on your back on a hard, flat surface and try to relax your back muscles. If within 30 - 40 minutes the pain syndrome does not begin to decrease, then it is necessary to call an ambulance. This may be a condition that requires immediate surgical care.
The next thing to do at home if your back hurts is to rule out all possible risk factors. They include the following aspects:
- overweight - each extra kilogram repeatedly increases the pressure on the cartilaginous intervertebral discs and causes their premature destruction.
- violation of body posture (rounded or bent back, acromion, etc. ) - there is a violation of the processes of distribution of the damping load, displacement of the vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs is possible.
- heavy physical work associated with lifting and carrying heavy loads.
- domestic, sports and industrial lower back injuries.
- improper organization of the sleeping and working space.
- sedentary work associated with prolonged static tension of the muscular framework of the body.
- selection of low-quality clothing and footwear.
- incorrect positioning of the foot when walking and running (flatfoot or clubfoot).
- smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages (causes a decrease in the intensity of the process of lymphatic fluid and blood microcirculation, which is fraught with the development of ischemia and dystrophy of the spinal tissues).
- malnutrition and inadequate clean water intake.
If your back hurts a lot and you don't know what to do, then consult a doctor immediately. Only a specialist will be able to find a possible cause, eliminate it and develop an individual course of treatment.
Lower back pain - how to treat with manual therapy methods
So, what to do if the lower back hurts - there are currently several options for how to treat it. The first is to apply for an appointment with a local therapist at a clinic in town. In this case, symptomatic treatment will be carried out. All unpleasant symptoms will be eliminated, but the process of destruction of the spinal tissues will continue. And it can even increase, because by using symptomatic drugs to treat pain, the doctor completely disables the natural defense mechanisms of the human body.
For example, with the protrusion of the intervertebral discs, the pain syndrome in most cases is associated with the fact that the paravertebral muscles compensate for the damping load, take it over. This is accompanied by intense muscle tension and pain. But if muscle relaxants are used, then the muscles become paralyzed and all the damping and mechanical load begins to be fully applied to the already damaged intervertebral discs. In some cases, this causes a rupture of the annulus fibrosus and the appearance of an intervertebral hernia.
You can also visit a manual therapist. This specialist applies a completely different approach to treatment. He will try to identify all risk factors and give the patient individual recommendations for their elimination. He will then develop an individual course of treatment. It will be based on the principle of complete restoration of the disturbed process of diffuse nutrition of the cartilaginous tissues of the intervertebral discs.
To restore the normal shape of the intervertebral disc, several sessions of manual spinal traction are performed. During this procedure, the doctor increases the degree of elasticity of the soft tissues surrounding the spine. It then spreads the adjacent vertebral bodies to a normal distance. The trays have room for full expansion. After 2-3 procedures, the acute pain syndrome disappears completely.
In the future, a full course of treatment is carried out. It can include osteopathy, therapeutic exercises, physiotherapy, laser exposure, physiotherapy and more.