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 exacerbations 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
Acute pain is defined as pain that lasts less than 6 weeks.For most it goes away within 2 weeks.Although it is impossible to predict initially how long it will last.However, in almost half of the cases, similar or more severe attacks are repeated in the future and become chronic pain.
Acute pain can have varying intensity, be dull, burning, etc. Sometimes it radiates to the arms, legs, buttocks.So-called lumbago in the back often occurs after hypothermia, excessive physical exertion and as a result of sprains.Several days may pass between the impact of the traumatic factor and the immediate manifestation of the pain syndrome, and it will manifest itself under the influence of minor physical effort, for example, bending over.
They can also be a consequence of a back injury or be the first manifestations of spinal diseases, including:
- osteochondrosis;
- intervertebral hernia;
- spondyloarthrosis;
- spinal canal stenosis, etc.
Increase the likelihood of back problems:
- frequent stress;
- regular increased physical activity;
- excess weight;
- frequent and prolonged standing.
In addition to severe back discomfort, headaches, a burning sensation in the legs, and dizziness may be present.All these symptoms must be reported to your doctor at your appointment.
Regardless of which anatomical structure was damaged first, this entails a whole chain of sequential changes that increase discomfort.Initially, inflammatory factors are formed in the lesion, causing swelling and irritating nerve fibers.In response to this, muscle spasm often occurs, which further aggravates the situation and provokes poor circulation in the affected area.This leads to a decrease in the amount of nutrients and oxygen supplied to the lesion, as well as retention of metabolic products in it.
Treatment of acute back pain
To relieve pain, lie on your back on a hard surface.This will allow the back muscles to relax and relieve stress from the spine.To enhance the effect, you can place orthopedic pillows under your knees and head, but it is important to avoid arching in the lower back.For severe pain, short-term use of NSAIDs is allowed.In the future, you should definitely contact a neurologist or spinal surgeon to determine the cause of the pain syndrome.
You should visit a doctor as soon as possible if there is no improvement within a week, a recurrence of the attack or pain radiating to the feet or knees, or 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 symptoms, the doctor makes a diagnosis and develops treatment tactics.In case of acute pain that deprives a person of his ability to work, he may be offered a spinal blockade, which relieves the pain syndrome in a few minutes.
After the discomfort subsides, it is important not to linger in bed.Moderate physical activity, supplemented by special therapeutic exercises, is the best prevention of recurrence of such attacks in the future.
By going to the hospital, you will definitely receive high-quality treatment for pain and the causes that cause it.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
People suffer from nagging chronic back pain no less often.They can worsen and turn into an attack of acute pain, which completely switches a person off from his usual rhythm.Most often it is a consequence of:
- A sedentary lifestyle, which leads to weakening of the muscle corset.This provokes an increase in the load on the spinal column and compression of the vertebrae.The result is osteochondrosis, protrusion of intervertebral discs and herniated intervertebral discs, spondyloarthrosis.
- Posture disorders.Long-term preservation of any body position in which the natural curves of the spine are disrupted provokes its curvature and the development of scoliosis or kyphosis.This entails degenerative changes in 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 lordosis and provokes chronic pain.In addition to a sedentary lifestyle, weakening abdominal muscles can be a consequence of pregnancy or obesity.
- Age-related changes.Over the years, the intervertebral discs gradually become dehydrated, which causes a decrease in their elasticity, strength and size.The annulus fibrosus surrounding the jelly-like nucleus pulposus dries out and becomes more fragile.Loads provoke the formation of cracks in it, which leads to the formation of protrusions and hernias.The resulting protrusion can compress nearby blood vessels, nerve roots, and the spinal cord, which provokes the appearance of pain.
Diseases accompanied by 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 of the facet joints.The cartilages located in them are also prone to thinning under excessive loads on the spine.As a result, when moving, they cease to perform a shock-absorbing function, which provokes friction of bone fragments and the development of inflammation.
Treatment of back pain
Treatment tactics are developed based on what disorders were discovered during diagnostic studies.When spinal diseases are detected, conservative therapy is initially prescribed, including:
- drug therapy;
- physiotherapy;
- massage;
- Exercise therapy.
Conservative therapy
When treating back pain, a comprehensive individual approach is important.Depending on the cause of their occurrence, patients are prescribed a number of medications, in particular:
- NSAIDs - drugs in this group have an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect, but with long-term use they negatively affect the condition of the gastrointestinal tract;
- corticosteroids – drugs with pronounced anti-inflammatory properties, prescribed in moderate to severe cases;
- muscle relaxants – help eliminate increased muscle tone and spasms;
- antidepressants – help eliminate psychological discomfort, which often reduces the effectiveness of conservative therapy;
- topical 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 cartilage tissue, increase its elasticity and help restore normal thickness.
In mild cases, oral medication is sufficient.But in more complex situations, patients may be prescribed intra-articular injections.For severe pain, it is recommended to do blockades once or as a whole course, which can include up to 10 procedures.
To increase the effectiveness of drug therapy, patients are prescribed massage sessions and physiotherapy.Proper impact on the back muscles helps to activate blood and lymph flow, improve metabolic processes and eliminate muscle spasms.Manual therapy is very effective for spinal column deformities, especially grade 1-2 scoliosis.Regular sessions help restore the normal position of the spine and eliminate pressure on the internal organs.
As part of physiotherapeutic treatment, patients are prescribed sessions:
- UHF;
- magnetic therapy;
- Bernard currents;
- laser therapy;
- electrophoresis;
- Ural Federal District;
- balneological treatment.
If within six months it is not possible to achieve improvement in the condition 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 allow you 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 when patients turn to spinal surgeons in the early stages of the disease.
Indications for surgical treatment are:
- progressive herniated intervertebral discs;
- spinal canal stenosis;
- sequestered hernias;
- spinal fractures;
- scoliosis grade 3–4;
- severe forms of spondyloarthrosis;
- compression of the spinal cord or its nerve roots;
- hemangiomas of the vertebral bodies;
- instability of individual segments of the spine;
- cauda equina compression syndrome.
The surgeon determines the type of operation based on the severity of the patient’s condition.For the same diagnosis, surgical treatment can be performed in different ways, differing in the degree of invasiveness, effectiveness, duration of rehabilitation and cost.
Recently, minimally invasive methods of surgical treatment have become very popular.With their help, intervertebral protrusions, herniated intervertebral discs, hemangiomas and a number of other diseases are treated.Minimally invasive surgery takes no more than an hour, and after it is performed, the patient can walk almost immediately and leave the clinic on the same or the next day.
The huge advantages of the method are a good cosmetic effect (in most cases, all the necessary surgical instruments are inserted through pinpoint punctures of soft tissue), ease of rehabilitation and an affordable price.In the case of intervertebral hernias, only cold plasma nucleoplasty or hydroplasty (hydrodiscectomy) can be considered a more promising method.
In situations where microsurgical techniques cannot be used, surgeons perform open operations.During them, it is possible to completely remove pathologically altered formations, level out severe deformities of the spine, replace structures that cannot be restored with implants, and achieve normal functioning of the spine by mounting metal titanium structures.
Modern spinal surgery can treat almost any back problem.All the latest methods of surgical treatment of spinal diseases are available in many institutions.A team of doctors of different profiles will help you get rid of acute or painful chronic back pain in the shortest possible time.
Preventing back pain
After the attack is over and the pain has dulled, in order to avoid a repeat episode, it is recommended:
- do not lift too heavy objects;
- do not bend over;
- walk more;
- refuse heavy physical labor;
- When working sedentarily, take regular breaks to warm up.