How is lower back pain treated?

Due to your work or play, do you spend a lot of time sitting or exercising a lot at the gym? Everything was fine before, but now you often have back pain and lower back pain? So maybe you should see a doctor for help? What causes back pain? Which doctor should I see and how do I treat a wound? We will talk about this and much more later in the article.

What causes the pain?

So, "What if you have back pain and what could be causing it? "Let's take a closer look at this question. There can be more than enough reasons. The fact is that back pain and lower back pain can signal a number of diseases, both of the spine itself and of internal organs. This is because many nerve endings that surround all internal organs start from the spine. Therefore, depending on the localization of pain in a particular area of the ridge, we can talk about some specific diseases.

Back ache

Causes of occurrence

What does lower back pain say and which doctor should I see? Habits and illnesses can cause lower back pain. The first are:

  • Permanent sedentary work. Computer scientists and drivers are in danger.
  • Permanent permanent work.
  • Great frequent physical activity. Athletes, especially weightlifters, are at risk.
  • Sedentary lifestyle.
  • A separate risk group includes pregnant women and women who have recently given birth.
  • Overweight.

As you can see, everything is simple with the habits. As for the second case, pain in the lumbar region can often be caused by diseases. Here you can also highlight diseases of the spine itself and diseases in which pain in the lumbar region is only a symptom. The former include osteochondrosis, spondylarthrosis, intervertebral hernia, and protrusion.

spinal hernia as a cause of back pain

The second group contains the following possible causes of back pain:

  • Fracture of the ridge due to trauma.
  • A fracture caused by osteoporosis.
  • A tumor located in the spinal canal.
  • Prolonged muscle tension.
  • The narrow structure of the spinal canal (quite rare).
  • Various complications during pregnancy.
  • Various arthritis such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis.
  • Malformations of the spine, for example, kyphosis, scoliosis, Scheuermann-Mau disease, kyphoscoliosis.
  • Spinal tuberculosis, osteomyelitis, discitis.
  • Urolithiasis, pyelonephritis.
  • Ovarian cancer, endometriosis, ovarian cyst.

When to consult a doctor?

Mild back pain, which passes quickly and is the result of prolonged exertion, is the norm. But if the lower back hurts for a long enough time or the pain is periodic, then it appears on its own, then it goes away, then it is worth sounding the alarm. You should also go to the hospital immediately after a serious back injury. It should be understood that low back pain can be accompanied by pain in the foot or lower leg. Also, part of the leg or buttocks may become numb. In this case, you have something serious and you need to be examined as soon as possible.

You are unlikely to make a diagnosis on your own, so you should go to the hospital, but which doctor should you go to? Someone will tell a chiropractor, and someone will say that a neurologist is more experienced. Both options are correct, however, it will be more correct to turn to a neurologist, since it is he who will be able to correctly prescribe and conduct the entire process of diagnosing the disease. And in this case, the cause will be identified more accurately, and there is every chance to successfully cope with it. So, taking the point of view of a neurologist, with pain in the lower back, depending on the intensity and strength of the pain, you can approximately determine the cause of its occurrence.

see a doctor for back pain

Sharp pains

Acute low back pain in men and women is the result of a recent injury (fall, muscle strain, shock, sudden movements). Also, the reason may be long-term work in an awkward position or prolonged carrying and lifting of heavy objects. And, finally, do not forget about the cold back, due to hypothermia or prolonged exposure to a draft. Here you can easily treat lower back pain with folk remedies.

Lumbago and displacement of intervertebral discs can be distinguished separately from currents. The first disease is suffered by people whose area of activity involves heavy and constant physical labor, which is why the lower back hurts in men. According to people, the disease is called "lumbago". It usually stops on its own with rest or after a few days. However, it can easily take up to a month, so at least home treatment for back pain is needed.

pain in the lumbar spine

A sharp and severe belt pain in the lower back also manifests itself when the intervertebral discs are moved. The disease can be caused by various injuries, heavy physical labor, or a disease such as osteochondrosis. You will not be able to undergo medical treatment at home. Hospitalization and a full diagnosis are required. It can even go as far as surgery.

Severe pain

Severe pain differs from acute pain in that it is more prolonged in nature and is the result of some kind of disease associated with the musculoskeletal system. These include sciatica and osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine. In them, the pain of the belt in the lower back is felt when sneezing, coughing, sitting, walking, in short, the back hurts during any movement. Also, pain can be given to the lower extremities and they can even become numb. Here it is no longer necessary to run, but to go to the attending physician for an examination.

lower back pain in a woman

Painful

Usually, the back can be painful due to strong tension in the muscles of the spine. You can relieve lower back pain just by resting for a few hours. But you shouldn't be flying in the clouds, you need to be on your guard because your back can be sore with severe hypothermia. Thus, a more chronic myositis, in which the psoas muscles become inflamed, may develop. In this case, several days of rest are necessary, as well as knowing how to remove the pain.

Chronic

Often caused by spondylosis deformans. The main symptoms of this disease are belt pain in the lower back radiating to the buttocks or legs. Numbness in the lower limbs may also occur. Other diseases that cause similar symptoms include: cancer, impaired metabolism, ankylosing spondylitis.

Moved

Such painful sensations are not the result of a disease of the back, but the result of a disease of an organ entering the dorsal region. This includes diseases of the pelvic organs of the male and female halves, as well as diseases of the colon, kidneys, pancreas and various types of tumors.

How's the treatment going?

So how do you get rid of lower back pain? First of all, you need to go to the hospital and make an appointment with a specialist for an examination. After the examination, the attending physician should give you an examination to confirm or deny the diagnosis he suspects. In order to find out what it might be, you may be sent for an x-ray of your spine. Today, a more advanced method is used, called myelography.

This method allows a detailed examination of the pathways leading to the spinal cord. Reveals all pathologies in the presence of a decrease in the permeability of the pathways. You should know that before the x-ray, you will be injected into your spinal cord with a syringe containing a xenon substance, which will highlight everything in the photo. This method is quite expensive, but very effective and almost always helps to find out why your back is hurting. Additionally, MRI, ultrasound, ECG, and CT may be ordered. In additional cases, other tests may be necessary, such as a complete blood count, etc.

the doctor prescribes treatment for back pain

Medication

In most cases, medications are great for back pain. It aims to relieve pain, further eliminate and prevent inflammatory processes, improve blood circulation and renew damaged tissues. So, after learning why the lower back hurts, we can get a general idea of how to deal with lower back pain.

Conventionally, any treatment can be divided into 3 stages, namely: the start of the treatment, the treatment itself and the end of the therapy. At each stage, the drugs can act as a dropper, as well as in the form of blockages and injections. Treatment of low back pain in the first stage should eliminate the pain itself, reduce swelling and inflammation, relieve spasms, and relax muscles. At the second stage, you need to completely get rid of the cause of the disease. Here, the treatment is carried out mainly locally. Ointments, mixtures for compresses are used. In addition, physiotherapy is recommended.

The third stage consists of injections, which increase the regeneration of damaged tissues and nourish them with all the necessary components. Thus, the full functionality of the segment is restored. At all stages, the choice of medication and therapy depends on your diagnosis and the choice of the attending physician. Self-medication is strongly discouraged.

Physiotherapy

When the cause of the pain is accurately identified, treatment can be resorted to physiotherapy methods. Based on their reasons, the following treatment methods can be distinguished:

  • Ultrasound.
  • Laser therapy.
  • Exposure to electric current, etc.

Physiotherapy is more focused on how to treat back pain in the early stages. In the later stages of the disease, it can be recommended as an auxiliary method of treatment. The treatment you need is prescribed only by the attending physician after examination.

Surgical intervention

In the vast majority of cases, back pain does not require surgery. However, if you have been suffering from pain for a long time, and over time it only worsens, and you categorically refuse to see a doctor, then this method of treatment is also possible. In this case, most likely, general anesthesia will be used, where a lytic mixture is used, in order to completely immobilize the patient. The operating plan itself will be developed by the surgeon on the basis of the diagnostic data.

Folk methods

To the question "How to relieve back pain? " Traditional medicine can also answer. Here, depending on the intensity of the pain symptoms, various ointments, lotions, etc. , homemade, can be used. The main goal of these remedies is to relieve pain and inflammation. In most cases, the treatment of the lower back with folk remedies is justified only as first aid. With prolonged self-medication, without knowing the main cause of the pain, the disease can be sharply aggravated. Then some folk remedies.

compress to treat back pain
  1. A compress of grated horseradish and radish mixed with sour cream is placed on the painful area of the lower back. From above everything is covered with a paper towel, and the entire lower back is tied with a scarf. Such a compress perfectly eliminates the symptoms of pain and removes muscle spasms.
  2. When you have back pain, warm compresses from an infusion prepared with a mixture of medicinal wounds will help. This includes thyme, chamomile, St. John's wort, and black elderberry. The compress is applied at night. The affected area is wrapped in a warm cloth. It is advisable to carry out the treatment at night. An identical compress is prepared from an infusion of dried burdock leaves.
  3. Another treatment with folk remedies is based on the healing properties of horse chestnut. First you need to grind the chestnut into powder. Then it is mixed with camphor oil and melted lard. The ingredients are given in roughly the same amount. The resulting ointment is spread on a slice of black bread and applied to the back pain as a compress. Such a remedy can improve blood circulation, has nutritional and anti-inflammatory properties.

But remember, no matter how well the folk remedy shows itself, it is always necessary to consult a doctor. After all, self-medication is always done at your own risk. In addition, it may turn out that the treatment procedures only provide short-term relief, after which the pain will sometimes intensify.

Prophylaxis

When the back hurts in the lumbar region, it is too late to engage in prevention. But in order not to face such a problem for as long as possible, you need to think about how to prevent it and what leads to it? It has already been described above that people who lead a sedentary or sedentary lifestyle, athletes, especially weightlifters and overweight people are at risk.

Accordingly, the best prevention of the disease will be compulsory morning exercises, sports, therapeutic exercises, reduction of the load on the back, massage, nutritional control, etc. In addition, to eliminate what can cause lower back pain, scheduled periodic check-ups with the attending physician will help.

examination by a doctor for back pain

First aid

What if the lower back hurts badly and it is far from going to the hospital? How to quickly relieve back pain in order to wait for the doctor? To do this, you need to know some first aid methods. Of course, they will not have a healing effect, but they will help to cope with the pain. So, we do everything in stages:

  1. We lie on our backs, on a hard bed or on the floor. The blanket should be removed from the bed.
  2. At the same time, the legs are raised and bent at the knees. For convenience, place a pillow or rolled up blanket under your raised legs.
  3. We take the usual dose of pain reliever or anti-inflammatory medication that we have.
  4. We lie down and try not to make any sudden movements.
  5. During the procedure, do not forget to call a doctor at home.
  6. In most cases, you will need bed rest and rest for the next few days. After the doctor's visit, call work and notify your supervisor.
  7. Try to avoid spicy and smoked foods during and after treatment.