According to medical statistics, acute back pain is the second most common cause of disability.At least 80% of people have suffered from them at least once.They can occur sporadically or be observed during the exacerbation of spinal diseases.But in any case, acute and chronic back pain requires competent treatment and targeted action on the causes of their occurrence.
Acute back pain: causes
Pain that lasts less than 6 weeks is called acute pain.In most cases, it goes away within 2 weeks.Although initially it is impossible to predict how long it will last.However, in almost half of the cases, similar or more severe attacks will recur in the future and become chronic pain.
Acute pain can vary in intensity, it can be dull, burning, etc.Sometimes it radiates to the arms, legs and buttocks.The so-called back lumbago often occurs as a result of hypothermia, excessive physical exertion and sprains.Several days may pass between the impact of the traumatic factor and the immediate manifestation of the pain syndrome, and it is manifested by minor physical exertion, such as bending.
They can also be the result of a back injury or the first signs of spinal conditions, including:
- osteochondrosis;
- intervertebral hernia;
- spondyloarthrosis;
- spinal canal stenosis, etc.
Increase the likelihood of back problems:
- frequent stress;
- regular increased physical activity;
- overweight;
- frequent and prolonged standing.
In addition to severe back discomfort, headaches, burning sensations in the legs and dizziness may occur.All these symptoms must be reported to your doctor during the appointment.
Regardless of which anatomical structure is damaged first, it involves a whole chain of successive changes that increase the discomfort.In the beginning, inflammatory factors are formed in the lesion, which causes swelling and irritation of the nerve fibers.In response to this, muscle spasms often occur, which further worsens the situation and causes poor circulation in the affected area.This leads to a reduction in the amount of nutrients and oxygen delivered to the lesion, as well as retention of metabolic products.
Treatment of acute back pain
Lie on your back on a hard surface to ease the pain.This allows the back muscles to relax and relieves stress on the spine.To enhance the effect, you can place orthopedic pillows under the knees and head, but it is important not to arch the lower back.In case of severe pain, short-term use of NSAIDs is allowed.In the future, be sure to consult a neurologist or spine surgeon to determine the cause of the pain syndrome.
You should consult a doctor as soon as possible if there is no improvement within a week, if the attack recurs or if pain radiates to the leg or knee, problems with urination and defecation.In order to diagnose existing disorders, patients are shown:
- MRI;
- CT;
- x-ray;
- biochemical blood test;
- UAC.
Based on the research results and the symptoms, the doctor makes a diagnosis and develops a treatment strategy.In case of acute pain, which deprives a person of his ability to work, he is recommended a spinal block, which relieves the pain syndrome in a few minutes.
After the discomfort subsides, it is important not to stay in bed.Moderate physical activity, supplemented by special therapeutic exercises, is the best prevention of the recurrence of such attacks in the future.
Once admitted to the hospital, you will certainly receive quality treatment for your pain and its causes.Specialists will be able to develop the most effective treatment tactics and quickly relieve pain with the help of a well-made, affordable blockade.
Chronic back pain: causes
It is not uncommon for people to suffer from chronic back pain.These can get worse and become an attack of acute pain, which completely disconnects the person from his usual rhythm.Most often, it has the following consequences:
- Sedentary lifestyle, which leads to weakening of the ligament.This causes an increase in the load on the spinal column and compression of the vertebrae.The result is osteochondrosis, protrusion of intervertebral discs and disc herniation, spondyloarthrosis.
- Postural disorders.Long-term maintenance of any posture in which the natural curvature of the spinal column is interrupted causes curvature of the spine and the development of scoliosis or kyphosis.This results in degenerative changes of the intervertebral discs, redistribution of the load on the muscles and pinching of the nerve roots.
- Weakening of the abdominal muscles.Since they act as a support for the internal organs and partially relieve the spine, when they are weak, the load on the lower back increases, which increases the lordosis and causes chronic pain.In addition to a sedentary lifestyle, abdominal muscle weakness can also be the result of pregnancy or obesity.
- Age-related changes.Over the years, the intervertebral discs gradually dry out, which causes a decrease in their flexibility, strength and size.The annulus fibrosus surrounding the jelly-like nucleus pulposus dries out and becomes more fragile.The loads cause cracks to form, leading to protrusions and hernias.The resulting protrusion can compress nearby blood vessels, nerve roots, and the spinal cord, causing pain.
Diseases associated with chronic back pain include:
- osteochondrosis;
- spondyloarthrosis;
- osteoporosis;
- intervertebral hernia;
- facet syndrome;
- Bekhterev's disease;
- spondylolisthesis;
- rheumatoid arthritis;
- intercostal neuralgia;
- oncological diseases and others.
A common cause of chronic pain is wear and tear on the facet joints.The cartilages in them also tend to thin out when the spine is overloaded.As a result, when they move, they stop their shock-absorbing function, which causes friction between bone fragments and the development of inflammation.
Treatment of back pain
Treatment tactics are developed based on abnormalities discovered during diagnostic tests.When spinal diseases are detected, conservative therapy is initially prescribed, including:
- drug therapy;
- physiotherapy;
- massage;
- Exercise therapy.
Conservative therapy
A comprehensive individual approach is important in the treatment of back pain.Depending on the cause of their occurrence, patients are prescribed a number of drugs, in particular:
- NSAIDs - drugs belonging to this group have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects, but with long-term use they negatively affect the condition of the gastrointestinal tract;
- corticosteroids - drugs with pronounced anti-inflammatory properties, which are prescribed in moderate to severe cases;
- muscle relaxants - help eliminate increased muscle tone and spasms;
- antidepressants - help to eliminate psychological discomfort, which often reduces the effectiveness of conservative therapy;
- local preparations - ointments or gels containing anti-inflammatory, warming or cooling components can help reduce the severity of pain and practically do not cause side effects;
- chondroprotectors – preparations containing glucosamine and chondroitin have a beneficial effect on the condition of the cartilage tissue, increase its elasticity and help restore normal thickness.
In mild cases, oral medication is also sufficient.But in more complicated situations, patients may be prescribed intra-articular injections.In case of severe pain, it is recommended to perform blockades once or as a whole course, which can include up to 10 procedures.
In order to increase the effectiveness of drug therapy, patients are prescribed massage treatments and physiotherapy.The appropriate effect on the back muscles promotes the activation of blood and lymph flow, improves metabolic processes and eliminates muscle spasms.Manual therapy is very effective for spinal column deformities, especially 1-2.degree scoliosis.Regular sittings help to restore the normal position of the spine and eliminate pressure on the internal organs.
As part of the physiotherapy treatment, patients are prescribed sessions:
- UHF;
- magnet therapy;
- Bernard currents;
- laser therapy;
- electrophoresis;
- Ural Federal District;
- balneological treatment.
If improvement is not achieved within six months or there is a risk of complications, patients may be offered surgical treatment of existing diseases.
Surgical treatment
Modern methods of surgical intervention are characterized by a high level of efficiency and safety.They make it possible to quickly eliminate the pathological cause of pain and often do not require a hospital stay.But most minimally invasive and microsurgical methods can only be used if patients turn to a spine surgeon in the early stages of the disease.
The indications for surgical treatment are as follows:
- progressive intervertebral disc herniation;
- spinal canal stenosis;
- occluded hernias;
- spinal fractures;
- scoliosis 3-4 degrees;
- severe forms of spondyloarthrosis;
- compression of the spinal cord or nerve roots;
- hemangiomas of the vertebral bodies;
- instability of certain segments of the spine;
- cauda equina compression syndrome.
The type of surgery is determined by the surgeon based on the severity of the patient's condition.In the case of the same diagnosis, surgical treatment can be performed in different ways, the degree of invasiveness, efficiency, duration and cost of rehabilitation are different.
Recently, minimally invasive methods of surgical treatment have become very popular.With their help, intervertebral protrusions, intervertebral disc herniations, hemangiomas and many other diseases are treated.The minimally invasive surgery takes no more than an hour, and after its completion, the patient can walk almost immediately and leave the clinic the same day or the next day.
The great advantage of the method is a good cosmetic effect (in most cases, all the necessary surgical instruments must be inserted by precise puncture of the soft tissues), easy rehabilitation and an affordable price.In the case of intervertebral hernia, only cold plasma nucleoplasty or hydroplasty (hydrodiscectomy) can be considered more promising methods.
In situations where microsurgical techniques cannot be used, surgeons perform open surgeries.During these, it is possible to completely remove the pathologically changed formations, to compensate for severe deformations of the spine, to replace structures that cannot be repaired with an implant, and to achieve the normal functioning of the spine by installing metal titanium structures.
Modern spine surgery can treat almost all back problems.All the latest methods of surgical treatment of spinal diseases are available in many institutions.A team of doctors with different profiles will help you get rid of acute or painful chronic back pain in the shortest possible time.
Prevention of back pain
After the attack has passed and the pain subsides, to avoid a recurrence of the episode, it is recommended:
- do not lift too heavy objects;
- don't bend down;
- to walk more;
- rejects heavy physical work;
- In case of sedentary work, take regular breaks to warm up.