The human body often reacts sharply to overload and stress, especially after 30 years. The feeling of heaviness in the lumbar region, acute back pain are all signs of stress or the onset of serious pathologies, so you should simply ignore them. Why does back pain and how to treat it?
Symptoms
The difficulty of a correct diagnosis is that many diseases can manifest themselves in this way, and this can be a reaction of the body to various external and internal irritants.
Finding out why your back hurts and making the right diagnosis will help you properly analyze the very different symptoms.
Where is the waist? This is the back, which contains many nerve endings and covers the area from the coccyx to the ribs, which is divided into two halves by the spine.
To make a correct diagnosis, it is necessary to assess the location of unpleasant feelings:
- Above the waist, right or left - such a symptom may be an indication of inflammation of the internal organs: the liver (on the right) and kidneys (slightly above the right or left waist). They can also cause hepatitis, liver failure, polycystic ovary disease, cancer, pyelonephritis. In the case of inflammation of the kidneys, the discomfort can spread to the abdominal cavity and hypochondrium.
- Below the waist - such symptoms characterize problems with the spine (lumbago, hernia, curvature), menstrual cramps and diseases of the genitals in women, inflammation of the intestines, appendix and urogenital system in men.
It is important! Unpleasant sensations in the back can move as a result of inflammation and serious problems in the body.
It is also important to assess the nature of painful feelings:
- Shooting is a sign of a compressed sciatic nerve. Inflammation of this nerve process in the back can cause a burning sensation, fever, or tingling, and their duration and intensity can vary. They are especially aggravated by changes in body position, so a person can often remain in only one position.
- Acute pain in the lower back, most shooting. In addition, a person experiences pulling sensations in the back area and is unable to move normally by choosing a comfortable position. Such feelings may be symptoms: diseases of the lungs and genitourinary system, displacement of the intervertebral discs, renal colic, muscle tension.
- Chronic - a constant discomfort in the back area that disappears shortly after taking painkillers, but then returns. They show spondylosis, osteomyelitis, tumors and metabolic disorders.
- Pain in the lower back - occurs suddenly, but lasts a long time. Weak pain sensations are signs of myositis, muscle tension, or hypothermia;
- Transplanted - occurs with diseases of the colon, pelvic organs, pancreas or tumors.
It is important! Lower back heaviness is also a sign of an inflammatory process in the internal organs or muscles.
If the back pain is localized in one area, becomes chronic, and at the same time there is numbness and weakness in the limbs, it is necessary to consult a doctor immediately.
Reasons
There are several groups of different causes that can cause back pain. They are divided into natural and pathological or acquired.
Natural ones include:
- severe physical exertion - muscle tissue loses elasticity and begins to swell due to the accumulation of lactic acid;
- sedentary work - low back heaviness due to lack of movement and consequent circulatory disorders;
- disorders of the digestive system, can spread to the back;
- staying in the cold for a long time - low temperature causes narrowing of blood vessels and slows blood flow, which is also a concern;
- Stress - with this phenomenon, the spinal muscles are exposed to spasms that cause a feeling of tightness and discomfort.
Pathological causes include:
- diseases of the spine - the negative processes in them cause serious diseases accompanied by constant anxiety;
- vascular disease and heart disease - if cramps are concentrated in and under the shoulder blades and are also accompanied by a feeling of tightness, drop in pressure and shortness of breath, these are signs of atherosclerosis and ischemia;
- inflammation of the sciatic nerve - if there is severe pain in the lower back and a person may be in only one position, it is likely that the nerve is cold;
- Inflammation of the genitourinary system - nephritis, colpitis, endometritis and other diseases cause swelling of the organs and their tissues in the lumbar region;
- muscle inflammation;
- trauma;
- diseases of the bronchopulmonary system.
It is important! Due to the different structure and characteristics of the body in women and men, back pain can be a symptom of completely different processes.
In men, back pain may be associated with:
- pathologies of the kidneys;
- problems of the reproductive system;
- consequences of trauma.
Back pain is very common in men over the age of 35, because at this age they are at risk, so you should go to the clinic with the slightest symptoms. The risk group also includes men:
- to engage in physical labor;
- lead a sedentary lifestyle;
- overweight and have bad habits;
- has weak immunity.
Which doctor should be consulted in case of problems? First of all, the therapist and he, after receiving the initial data and analysis, refer the patient to an infectious disease specialist, gastroenterologist, cardiologist, urologist, nephrologist, neuropathologist or proctologist.
Women also often have back pain, but the reasons for this may be completely different from men.
There is no single answer, it can be:
- Premenstrual syndrome or cramps during menstruation - delays, hormonal deficiencies, uterine contractions, tension and swelling of the tissues of the genitourinary system, there is tension in the pelvis and back pain in the lower back.
- Pregnancy - Increased pressure on a woman's spine due to weight gain, which causes tension in the lower back in women. It should be noted that weight and pain in the lower back in the early stages can be a signal for the danger of falling, so consult a doctor immediately when it appears;
- Postpartum - if a girl has problems with the spine before birth, they do not disappear after birth, but rather have the property of strengthening due to possible displacement or compression of the spinal discs.
- Gynecological diseases - in women, pain in the lower back, which accompanies all inflammatory processes in the organs of the genitourinary system, occurs regardless of the load. According to them, there is heaviness and aching pain in the lower back. If there is severe pain in the lower back, it is a sign of ovarian rupture or ectopic pregnancy.
- Problems with internal organs and spine.
The women's risk group includes the following women:
- infections of the genitourinary system;
- the intestines are unstable;
- have tumors;
- sedentary work;
- complications after a cold;
- physiological changes;
- excessive physical activity;
- increased body weight;
- experience with epidural anesthesia in the past.
In addition to diseases and inflammatory processes in the body, there are a number of triggers that cause pain in the lower back:
- hypothermia;
- sedentary lifestyle and rare physical activity;
- excessive physical activity;
- Those who are engaged in professional sports, physical education, bodybuilders, weightlifters should be especially careful.
If you are in one of the risk groups, you should train regularly under the supervision of a qualified coach, as well as under the supervision of a doctor, take preventive measures to prevent back problems.
Treatment
If back problems have already occurred, preventive measures will not help. You need to see a doctor, find out the exact cause and start treatment. You can use traditional medicine or refer to a traditional one, but any action should be agreed with your doctor. Which doctor should I see? To begin, after learning the therapist and the reasons - a narrow specialist.
Folk remedies
Traditional medicine involves the use of several methods of struggle:
- Massage - A stiff back massage will help relieve tension and swelling. You can do a self-massage or contact a specialist, but a proven specialist, so that he does not aggravate the problems that have already arisen.
- Exercise - Regular exercise and warm-up exercises are performed throughout the day to relax the muscles and relieve muscle tension.
- Compresses - compresses should be made from cabbage, burdock leaves and plantain leaves to eliminate swelling of the tissues. After wearing them and covering your back with a warm scarf, you should rest for half an hour.
Traditional medicine can also be used as a prophylaxis to prevent serious problems. However, if back pain increases in the lower back and massage, compresses and exercises do not bring relief, you should immediately consult a therapist.
Contact a doctor
How can it be treated if the discomfort and aching pain in the lower back do not go away and traditional medicine and massage do not help? You should first consult a therapist and find out their cause. The back is examined in several ways for diagnosis:
- X-rays are performed to check for damage.
- Ultrasound examinations are performed to rule out diseases and inflammation of the internal organs. CT and MRI can also be performed for this purpose.
- General and biochemical analyzes.
- ECG and gastroscopy are performed to rule out heart disease and disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.
After accurate diagnosis, the patient is prescribed appropriate treatment:
- problems with the spine, joints and muscles are treated with non-steroidal medications, therapeutic exercises and massage courses;
- cardiovascular diseases are treated by limiting physical activity and prescribing appropriate medications;
- diseases of the digestive system involve a strict diet and courses of medication involving the intestines;
- bronchopulmonary pathologies are treated with antibacterial and antiviral drugs;
- Problems of the pelvic organs - antimicrobial agents and physiotherapy.
In addition, you should deal with prevention:
- do not carry weight;
- always keep your back straight;
- sleep on a hard mattress;
- avoid hypothermia, stress and overeating;
- Treat acute diseases in a timely manner.
Back pain can be easily prevented in a timely manner: a healthy lifestyle, regular moderate exercise - all this will help prevent back problems and alleviate existing ones.