At the age of 25, a modern person begins to feel lower back pain with frequency and intensity from time to time. Over time, the frequency of unpleasant symptoms increases, the feeling of pain increases. The period of exacerbation is getting longer. This is a clinical picture of the development of lumbar osteochondrosis - a disease in which the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral discs is gradually destroyed. They become thinner, deformed, and protrusions penetrate. In advanced cases, in the absence of proper treatment, lower back pain becomes unbearable and interferes with normal movements. At this stage, as a rule, a diagnosis of spinal hernia is made.
This is a kind of punishment for a person's upright posture and vertical position of the body. During the transition to the upright position, the center of gravity changed, which is in the lumbar region. This means that all the weight of the body puts pressure on the vertebrae of the lumbar spine during walking, running, jumping, bending the body and other movements. Destruction of intervertebral discs, the appearance of osteophytes and other pathological formations occur with an underdeveloped muscle frame of the back and abdominal press. And these are common causes of back pain.
Other causes of back pain
In addition to osteochondrosis and its complications, there are other causes of back pain. First of all, various injuries must be ruled out, as a result of which both the integrity of the cartilage lining and the vertebral body can be affected. These can be fractures of the spine, fractures of the spinous processes, compression fractures of the spine with the displacement of spinal cord structures.
Low back injuries can be caused by frontal and tangential blows, falls from heights, traffic accidents. Athletes who are professionally involved in weightlifting often with injuries apply for a meeting.
In women, back pain can be caused by inflammatory diseases of the pelvic organs. The leading among them is adnexitis. In second place is cystic disease of the ovaries, which causes low back pain and excruciating pain that worsens during certain periods of the menstrual cycle. It is not uncommon for back pain in women after the age of 45 to be caused by tumor processes - uterine fibroids, oncological neoplasms of the ovaries and cervix.
In both sexes, back pain has causes such as inguinal hernia and kidney disease: pyelonephritis, polycystic, amyloidosis, glomerulonephritis. To rule out renal pathology, it is necessary to consult a nephrologist and undergo urine tests, according to Zimnitsky and Nechiporenko. Helps differentiate the diagnosis of renal ultrasound.
In some cases, the cause of pain in the upper back is intercostal neuralgia or shingles. The first condition can be distinguished by palpation of the intercostal spaces. Usually, with intercostal neuralgia, it causes a sharp increase in pain and is characterized by unilateral localization. With shingles, rashes appear on the skin in the form of small blisters filled with clear liquid.
More dangerous causes of back pain can be tuberculosis and sarcoma. These diseases have little chance of recovery. Sometimes they are initially masked as ankylosing spondylitis, in which there is stiffness of movements in the morning and severe pain in the lower back. Then all the symptoms disappear.
Low back pain: what to do?
If you have low back pain - what to do in this situation, which doctor to consult? After a careful examination, you can make an appointment with a therapist who will make an initial diagnosis and schedule additional examinations. Mandatory: general urinalysis, general blood test, ultrasound of the kidneys and urinary tract, exclusion of tumor processes in the abdominal cavity. A neurologist, gynecologist (for women) and a phthisiologist may then be consulted. X-ray and tomographic examinations can be used to clarify the location of the destructive process in the spine.
The appointment of treatment depends on the diagnosis. Complete treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis is possible only with manual therapy. In the initial stage, the pain is relieved with the help of traction, osteopathy and therapeutic massage. Then doctors try to restore the cartilage structure. Reflexology, acupuncture and application of minimal doses of drugs to biologically active points in the human body can be used to enhance regeneration processes.
After the restoration of physiological mobility, a complex of rehabilitation treatment should be continued. This includes physiotherapy and massage. You should also listen to the advice of experts on the organization of diet, work and rest, the organization of your work and where you sleep. In some cases, it may be necessary to use a temporary brace to support the spine.