Many of us are familiar with pain in the lumbar spine. It is enough to spend a few minutes in an uncomfortable position, and the uncomfortable sensations do not leave for a long time. What causes back pain in the lumbar region? We will consider the reasons for them today, because often such a symptom is a signal of the development of an ailment.
Determine the nature of the pain syndrome
Before we find out the reasons why the back hurts in the lumbar region, let's take a closer look at the classification of pain syndromes. As you know, the human spine has several sections, one of which is the lumbar. This area occupies the interval of the back from the coccygeal part to the beginning of the ribs.
Pain syndromes in this spinal segment may appear even after prolonged sitting in an uncomfortable position or exhausting physical activity. If the discomfort immediately disappears, then there is no reason for concern. But what if the pain attacks come back again and again, and over time this condition interferes with living and developing fully?
There is only one way out - contact a treating specialist. If the pain is not associated with injury, then the initial consultation should be sent to a therapist. He will determine which specialty doctor will help you. If trauma has become a prerequisite for the appearance of pain, then you can immediately contact a traumatologist.
Pain syndromes in the lumbar segment of the spinal column can have a different character:
- whining;
- binding;
- shooting.
Specialists divide all types of lumbar pain into two broad categories:
- primary;
- secondary.
Primary pain sensations are diagnosed in cases where pathology develops. This may be due to deformation of the articular or intervertebral tissue, ligaments or tendons.
Secondary pain syndrome occurs in the case of previous injuries or the development of pathological processes associated with one or another ailment, for example, with osteoporosis, osteochondrosis, the appearance of a malignant or benign neoplasm.
Learn more about the causes of pain
In medical practice, there are a wide variety of cases when patients complain of pain in the lumbar segment of the spine. It is practically impossible to diagnose the disease by visual examination, since in nature there are many reasons for the appearance of such symptoms.
Lower back pain may be associated with the development of pathology of the spine or internal organs. Often, representatives of the beautiful half of humanity have a pain in the lumbar segment of the spine on the eve or during menstrual bleeding.
What are the causes of acute pain in the lower back? In fact, there are a huge number of them and it will not be possible to compile an exhaustive list. However, you can choose the main and most common causes of acute pain. These include:
- protrusion of the intervertebral disc;
- a hernia between the vertebral segments;
- spondyloarthritis;
- osteochondrosis;
- pathology of the urinary system, in particular, the presence of stones;
- dysfunction of blood circulation in the spinal part;
- intestinal obstruction;
- pyelonephritis developing in the acute stage;
- uncharacteristic development of inflammatory processes in the appendix;
- stretching;
- violation of the integrity of the vertebral segments;
- pathological processes in the hip joint tissues.
If the pain syndrome is of a periodic nature, then, perhaps, we are talking about chronic pathologies. Chronic pain attacks in the lumbar segment of the spinal column can be caused by the influence of the following factors:
- ankylosing spondylitis;
- deforming spondylosis;
- bone tissue ailments;
- osteomyelitis;
- development of neoplasms;
- the appearance of metastases;
- scoliosis;
- development of infectious processes in the vertebral segments (epidural abscesses, brucellosis, etc. );
- arthritis;
- spondylitis;
- tumor processes in the kidneys;
- atherosclerosis;
- Reiter's syndromes.
We often encounter so-called wandering pains in our daily life. This condition misleads even the treating specialists, since the localization of pain does not correspond to the place of the real development of pathology. Doctors call such pains radiating. The reasons for the appearance of a similar syndrome in the lumbar segment of the spinal column can be:
- pathology of the digestive tract;
- ailments of the pancreas;
- inflammatory or infectious processes in the small pelvic organs;
- development of inflammation in the accessory part in the fair sex;
- oncological pathologies of the uterine organ;
- gonorrhea;
- renal colic;
- ulcerative colitis;
- prostatitis;
- ovarian pathology;
- formation of stones in the kidney cavity.
A variety of reasons can provoke back pain on the left in the lumbar region. Often, such localization of pain is determined by the course of inflammatory or infectious processes in the internal organs. If pain syndrome surrounds both parts of the lumbar segment, then this may signal the development of the following ailments:
- hepatitis;
- pyelonephritis;
- prostatitis;
- adnexal inflammation;
- appendicitis;
- pneumonia.
Which doctor should I go to?
As you know, the spinal column is the most powerful support for our body. If its functioning is impaired, you should immediately go to the attending specialist. But which doctor should you go to? If you are injured or severely bruised, then you can safely go to the traumatologist. It is the doctor of this specialization who will deal with the treatment.
If pain in the lumbar segment of the spinal column appears as a result of the development of an ailment and is its main symptom, then first contact the leading therapist. The attending specialist will conduct a full-scale examination and, based on the results of ultrasound diagnostics and magnetic resonance imaging, will write out the appropriate direction.
Depending on the reasons for the onset of pain in the lumbar segment of the spinal column, the following specialists can be treated:
- cardiologist;
- obstetrician-gynecologist;
- nephrologist;
- pulmonologist;
- orthopedist;
- gastroenterologist;
- infectious disease specialist.
Before starting a treatment course, the doctor must take all measures to eliminate pain and relieve the patient's condition. To begin with, a person is advised to change the sleeping mattress, take antispasmodic or analgesic pharmacological drugs, and do gentle gymnastics.
Treating an ailment: main aspects
When the back hurts in the lumbar region, only a doctor can identify the true causes of this condition and prescribe a full and effective treatment. Self-treatment will help to eliminate the symptom that has appeared for a while, but later the pain will overtake you again with unprecedented force.
The treatment course is prescribed individually in accordance with the diagnosis. At the initial stage, the patient may be prescribed the use of anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical agents, as well as the use of ointments that have a warming effect.
Treatment can be carried out through physiotherapy procedures, in particular:
- acupuncture;
- laser therapy;
- vacuum therapy;
- manual manipulations;
- electrostimulation;
- pharmacopuncture.
Pain in the lumbar segment of the spine can not only cause disruption of the usual way of life and the appearance of discomfort, but also provoke the development of complicated consequences and serious pathologies. To avoid this, you need to promptly seek qualified medical help and strictly follow all the doctor's prescriptions. Be healthy!