Back pain: causes, diagnosis, treatment and prevention

According to statistics, 80% of people know back pain themselves. More than a third of all "medical permits" issued are related to this problem. The reason can be considered the weakness of fragile muscles and their rapid growth. To identify the problem, in addition to visual inspection, hardware diagnostics (X-ray, myography, CT, etc. ), laboratory blood tests are performed. Treatment is prescribed only after the diagnosis has been made.

Why does my back hurt?

Pain in the spine can occur immediately after injuries, pathologies of the vertebrae, ligaments and discs, soft tissue damage. It depends on the position of the body, the level of physical activity, but can also be reflected for example in diseases of the internal organs. To some extent, the back itself is vulnerable due to its structure.

It is based on the spine, which offers support, protection, motor and suction functions. This is due to the cartilage of the intervertebral discs, muscles and ligaments, which tend to be consumed over time with an improper lifestyle and cause degenerative diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

Inside the spine is the spinal cord, its paired roots innervate almost all organs and tissues. Any disturbance in this complex system can cause pain. More often than others, the cervical and lumbar region suffers due to its greater loads and mobility.

What to do with back pain?

An examination by the doctor is mandatory to discover the cause, especially if the pain has become frequent. Only a specialist can make the correct diagnosis and prescribe treatment. You can not engage in self-diagnosis.

First, you can contact a therapist who will identify a range of symptoms and refer you to the right specialist with a narrow profile. If the cause is known and apparent, prescribed therapy may be continued. Back problems are treated by neurologists, orthopedists and vertebrologists.

Causes of back pain

Back pain is a nonspecific symptom that can have a variety of causes.

Physiological causes (common):

• added weight;
• last birth or pregnancy;
• hypodynamic work - in the office, on the computer, driving a car;
• walking jobs - hairdressers, waiters and salesmen, street advertisers, surgeons, teachers;
• heavy physical activity in combination with sharp body curves;
• training overload;
• after menopause prone to osteoporosis.

Pathological causes:

• diseases of the spine (osteochondrosis, spondylosis, ankylosing spondylitis, tumors, arthritis, osteomyelitis, Reiter's syndrome) and spinal cord;
• increased pain - scoliosis and kyphosis;
• infectious spinal lesions;
• osteoporosis, osteomalacia;
• diseases of internal organs - kidneys, pancreas, stomach, spleen, liver;
• atherosclerosis of the abdominal aorta.

Acute pain can occur with disc lengthening, spondyloarthritis, spinal cord epiduritis, osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernia, atypical appendicitis and intestinal obstruction, kidney stones, fractures and sprains, stroke in the spinal cord, inflammation of the prostate appendages in cancer. and women, and.

Variety of diseases by the nature of back pain

Causes of painful pain:

• hypothermia;
• Creek;
• mioziti;
• prolonged uncomfortable posture during sleep or work;
• lumbago (work becomes cause);
• osteochondrosis;
• intervertebral hernia or displacement of intervertebral discs due to a sharp weight lifting or a sharp twist of the body;
• kidney disease - cause back pain due to the proximity of the kidneys to the lower back;
• stomach diseases.

Causes of shooting pain:

• intervertebral hernia - with them, the condition worsens with any physical stress;
• sciatica - such back pain often occurs on one side, radiates to the thighs or buttocks, causes numbness in the legs and also depends on physical effort;
• osteochondrosis - the patient may experience traction pain radiating to the legs and aggravated by coughing, sneezing, straining, walking, bending.

Etiology of throbbing pain:

• osteochondrosis;
• intervertebral hernia;
• lumbago;
• spondylosis - are acute and can not be relieved by analgesics.

Outbreak of back pain:

• ischemia;
• heart attack;
• TELA;
• inflammation of the gallbladder;
• a sharp increase in pressure;
• atherosclerosis.

Why does my back hurt after sleep?

Most people often experience back pain in the morning after sleep, which may be due to:

• overload the day before, if you lifted weights and moved hard;
• weak back muscles;
• hypothermia;
• vertebral hernia or osteochondrosis;
• scoliosis - curvature of the spine leads to uneven muscle contraction;
• pregnancy - with it moves the center of the body;
• obesity - the load on the spine is also uneven.

Sleep conditions are also important. The bed should not be too firm or soft - in any case, a person is forced to assume an uncomfortable, non-physiological position during sleep, which causes the muscles to overwork and not rest at night. Attitude is so important that even an orthopedic mattress does not help. It is recommended to sleep on your back with your legs raised.

Also, the causes of pain after sleep can be diseases of the spine and internal organs (urological tract, gastrointestinal tract, including oncological ones).

Diseases related to the joints and spine

All pathologies in which back pain occurs have a common basis - uneven load on the spine. This includes:

1. Ankylosing spondylitis - persistent inflammation of the ligaments and joints causes chronic spasms of the surrounding muscles. The process is autoimmune, over time, the vertebrae begin to grow together, which significantly interrupts the work of the spine.
2. Spondylolisthesis - the vertebrae are in an abnormal position. They move and touch the brain or roots.
3. Osteochondrosis - intervertebral discs become thinner, cracked, replaced by bone tissue. Depreciation becomes impossible.
4. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune inflammation of the joints. Most often it affects the cervical spine.
5. Osteomyelitis is an inflammation of the bone marrow and surrounding soft tissues. It causes severe pain.
6. Reiter's disease is a simultaneous rheumatic lesion of the urogenital tract, joints and conjunctiva of the eye. The small back muscles are affected. Most often typical of young people, it develops gradually. The pain is strong in the morning and diminishes in the evening.
7. Spinal canal stenosis - the cause may be a disc herniation, elongation (exit to the spinal canal). Most often, the process involves the lower roots of the spinal cord, which innervate the legs. The pain is felt from the lower back to the legs and intensifies both at rest and while walking.
8. Facet syndrome is a lesion of the intervertebral joints (facet). The pain may be local, or radiate to the groin, tail, thighs. Physically addicted. In the evening, the condition worsens, after resting improves. It is more common in the elderly.

Diseases related to musculature

Muscle tissue is secondarily affected, against the background of pathology of bone tissue or joints. Painful spasms and contractions appear in the muscles, mobility is impaired:

1. Fibromyalgia is a pain syndrome from the neck to the lower back. Neurological symptoms may be combined: increased sensitivity when pressing on certain points of the back, stiffness and stiffness.
2. Polymyositis - occurs with hypothermia, trauma, sprains or severe physical exertion. Muscle weakness appears, in which even turning sideways is painful and problematic.
3. Dermatomyositis is a chronic disease of the muscles, organs, skin, often of an autoimmune nature.
4. Charcot's disease is an inflammation of the peripheral nerves that run along the spine. This leads to changes in gait, muscle weakness and increased sensitivity of nerve roots.
5. Polymyalgia rheumatica is an environmental negativity in the form of hypothermia, overload, uncomfortable posture, etc. It leads to spasms in individual muscles and the appearance of pain. The so-called stimulus points appear, pressing on which the muscle reacts with acute pain. Neurologists know this. Pain of this type is eliminated with warming ointment and a needle applicator.

Spinal cord pathologies

These include damage to the spinal cord, which has 31 paired branches, where each nerve is responsible for innervating its site. This condition occurs when:

• trauma (spinal fracture);
• tumors;
• osteochondrosis or disc herniation;
• inflammation as a result of an abscess, hematoma;
• cerebral hemorrhage;
• mioziti;
• lack of minerals and vitamins;
• complications of HIV or neurosyphilis;
• sclerosis.

Back pain due to psychosomatics

In recent years, back pain has begun to appear in psychosomatics. In this case, with complaints of back pain, the examination does not reveal pathology. This condition manifests itself with chronic stress, depression, lack of libido. The result can be not only pain, but also a change in gait, lumbar deterioration, and sensory disturbances.

Causes of back pain by localization

Pain can occur in a number of areas of the back. Then they talk about its localization.

Pain in the right side

The right side of the back can ache due to curvature of the spine, kyphosis, lordosis, myositis, displacement of the intervertebral disc, obesity.

Somatic pathologies can also cause pain in this area:

• formation of stones in the organs of the urinary system;
• inflammation of the appendix of the cecum (appendix);
• inflammation of the gallbladder;
• nephritis;
• inflammation of the ovaries;
• salpingit.

Pain in the left side

This area of the back may hurt when:

• splenitis;
• ICD;
• root tightening;
• duodenitis;
• ooforitis.

Localized pain on the lower back may be associated with inflammation of the serous membranes covering the lungs, bronchial damage, intercostal neuralgia, ischemia.

Low back pain

The lower back suffers very often, as there is a large load. This section is inflamed with nerve root damage, osteochondrosis or hernial extension. Rarely, the cause may be spinal tuberculosis, arthritis, lumboscialgia, decreased density and disruption of bone tissue structure, Reiter syndrome - a combination of urethritis and prostatitis.

Low back pain is usually chronic.

In the middle region on the right

Low back pain appears with scoliosis, tuberculosis, myositis, neuralgia, tumors, osteomyelitis, spondylitis. An acute attack can be caused by urolithiasis or pyelonephritis.

Lumbago is characteristic of diseases of the lower back with frequent involvement of spinal roots in the process (radiculitis). Persistent dull and monotonous pain is more characteristic of an organ such as the liver.

In the middle region on the left

Most often, the left side begins to hurt after physical exercise. The condition improves after rest. Also, pain can occur with diabetes, tightening of the root. If he does not leave in peace, the reasons may be:

• scoliosis;
• osteochondrosis (with a sedentary lifestyle or improper posture);
• vertebral infections;
• circulatory disorders.

Suppressed nerve

Most often the sciatic nerve is suppressed - the sciatic nerve. In this case, its myelin sheath is not disturbed. This is usually a consequence of osteochondrosis. When caught, a sharp, sharp pain appears, which radiates to the legs, sacrum, to the lower back.

With compression radiculopathy, the roots of the spinal nerves are also compressed due to a disc herniation or reduction in its height and, as a result, the distance between the vertebral bodies. This pain feels like "superficial", significantly increased by coughing, straining or sneezing.

Intervertebral hernia

Hernia is the extraction of the nucleus of the intervertebral disc into the spinal canal. It most often occurs as a result of untreated osteochondrosis. The central part extends towards the spinal cord, squeezing it. Even a small load in such cases leads to a decrease in cartilage height and an even greater extension of the hernia. The pain is sharp and sharp, with a turn in the arm or leg.

In the area of the shoulder blades

A characteristic of pain may indicate a diagnosis:

1. Stomach ulcer - dull growing pain. Eliminated by medication.
2. Intercostal neuralgia - the disease is characterized by acute pain with every physical effort.
3. Osteochondrosis - dizziness, pressure changes, numbness of the hands.
4. Worsening of angina pectoris - the pain is localized in the region of the left scapula, radiating to the chest and under the clavicle bone.

Pain along the spine and back

Most often it occurs when the nerve endings are tight. Exacerbations are associated with curvature of the spine. If the pain is not pronounced, we can talk about prolongation. With added pain, you can think of osteochondrosis. Pain along the spine is typical of myositis, fractures, thinning and consumption of intervertebral discs, spondyloarthritis. They are always sharp and constant.

Causes of back pain

Such pain is most often associated with osteochondrosis and spondyloarthritis. Rarely, such sensations may occur when:

• diseases of the genital area in women (endometritis, adnexitis, vulvitis, cervicitis, oophoritis);
• pregnancy;
• menstruation;
• ulcerative colitis;
• appendicitis;
• diseases of the prostate or bladder - in men.

Related symptoms

Manifestations of spinal pain vary depending on the location. With the loss of the cervical spine, migraines and dizziness, weakness and numbness of the hands, increased pressure, flies and flushing in the eyes will be noticed. With involvement of the chest region, there is a burning sensation and stiffness in the chest, difficulty breathing, pain in the shoulder area.

Situations that require urgent medical attention

An urgent visit to the doctor requires back pain, which appears in the following cases:

• injury;
• neurological symptoms in the form of tingling and numbness in the limbs;
• fever combined with back pain;
• numbness in the hands and feet, weakness and tingling sensation;
• gait has changed or legs removed;
• a history of cancer;
• weight loss for no apparent reason;
• impaired urination and defecation - a person can not control these processes;
• back pain radiates to chest, jaw and neck;
• consciousness is confused and dizzy;
• numbness in the genitals and weakness, "cotton" in the legs;
• leg cramps;
• problems with conception or erection;
• problems with the gastrointestinal tract, in which treatment by a gastroenterologist does not help;
• pain in the coccyx, small pelvis, aggravated by a change in body position;
• increased pain with a long sitting or standing position.

Experts will help you discover the cause of the pain.

Diagnosing

To identify the cause of back pain, a neurologist prescribes a comprehensive examination:

1. Blood tests. They help identify the presence of infection and inflammation in the form of leukocytosis and increased ESR. Decreased hemoglobin will indicate anemia, which can have many causes and one of the possible ones is cancer.
2. MRI. . .Visualizes the condition of all spine components. Helps to distinguish the type and nature of the tumor, to determine the distance between the vertebrae and the degree of root compression.
3. CT. Identifies fractures, allows you to find smaller fragments after injuries. All this is in 3D.
4. Radiography. The most cost effective way to diagnose back pain and identify bone tissue condition. It is prescribed for suspected fractures, arthritis, scoliosis, osteoporosis, spondyloarthritis.
5. Electromyography (EMG). Determines indicators of bioelectrical activity of muscles and peripheral nerve endings.
6. Ultrasound of the vessels of the neck and brain. In triplex or duplex mode, it is used to assess the permeability of blood flow through arteries and vessels. Their condition is checked - wall thickness, permeability, etc.

Treatment of back pain

There are several treatments for back pain. A neurologist will choose the optimal treatment for you, taking into account the patient's age, lifestyle, level of physical mobility and clinical manifestations.

NSAIDs, analgesics, muscle relaxants, B vitamins are commonly used in the medical treatment of back pain. Physiotherapy, exercise therapy, IRT, massage, spinal traction, muscle relaxation are prescribed along the way.

For back pain, in order for the treatment to be quality, it is advisable to go to a doctor.

Prophylaxis

Preventive measures:

• learn to maintain your attitude and stay upright;
• do not bend;
• keep your back straight while sitting, place a stand under your feet;
• organize the sleeping area correctly;
• do not jump suddenly after waking up - lie down slowly, do simple exercises with arms and legs;
• distribute weights in both hands - do not hold everything in one hand, reject a shoulder bag - a backpack is better;
• do not hold the baby in your arms with a back bend;
• lift weights while sitting;
• do not wash floors without cloth, leaning forward or kneeling;
• balance your diet with a sufficient amount of minerals and vitamins;
• quit smoking and alcohol;
• do not forget about physical exercises - swimming, Nordic walking, yoga;
• take a contrast shower in the morning;
• protects the liver, produces collagen for spinal ligaments and vertebral bodies;
• strengthening immunity;
• check the weight;
• it is advisable to undergo a course of manual therapy for 5-10 sessions every 6 months (as recommended by a specialist);
• avoid stress;
• do not forget about medical examinations.

If you have back pain, see a doctor who can offer you the right help. Remember, any disease is easier to treat in the initial stages.