What to do if the lower back hurts is an urgent problem for many modern people. Most of them have serious problems with spinal health. Currently, osteochondrosis is no longer a disease inherent in old age. Today, degenerative dystrophic changes in the cartilage tissues of the intervertebral discs develop at a fairly young age. They are also found in patients between the ages of 20 and 25. Lumbosacral osteochondrosis is the most common cause of back pain. But not only him.
It is imperative to consult an experienced doctor. Choose the right specialist. The first thing to remember in this case: the local therapist does not cure low back pain. According to medical and economic standards, he eliminates the symptom only in the allotted number of days. His job is to get the patient back to work as soon as possible. He does not pay attention to the fact that the disease will continue to develop intensively. Therefore, many patients lose time during which they could restore spinal health without surgery.
We recommend that you request a comprehensive treatment in the manual therapy clinic. They use completely different methods and approaches. They do not use symptomatic treatments. Doctors working in chiropractic clinics aim to restore the patient's full health and not mask existing symptoms.
To understand what to do if the lower back hurts a lot, you need to know how this part of the body works and what can cause an unpleasant symptom. We offer you the opportunity to learn about some aspects of the anatomy and physiology of the lumbar region.
At the center of this part of the body is the lumbosacral spine. The sacrum in an adult is a single triangular bone, consisting of five fused vertebral bodies. Between the first and fifth lumbar vertebrae lies the conditional center of gravity of the human body. This explains the main mechanical and depreciation load from the lower extremities.
This is due to the fact that the iliac-sacral joints are located on the lateral surfaces of the sacrum. With their help, the pelvic ring is attached to the spine. In the lower lateral part of the pelvic ring are the hip joints. Thus, the entire load from the lower extremities through the hip and iliac-sacral joints is transferred to the L5-S1 intervertebral disc.
Due to these anatomical features in a modern person, due to his sedentary lifestyle, at a fairly early age, the L5-S1 intervertebral disc and iliac-sacral joints are destroyed. And this is a serious reason for the appearance of acute pain in the lumbar region.
The lumbar spine is made up of individual vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs. They are quite massive. Within the lumbar and sacral sections of the spine are the segments of the spinal cord of the same name. Paired radicular nerves depart from them, forming the lumbosacral nerve plexus and large nerves. In the lower part of the sacrum the terminal threads of the spinal cord come out, forming another large nerve plexus: the "ponytail".
Long anterior and posterior ligaments run along the spine. They begin in the coccyx region and end in the occipital bone region. There are also short transverse and interspinous ligaments. They are found between adjacent vertebral bodies. The paravertebral muscles located along the spine provide widespread nourishment to the cartilage tissues of the intervertebral discs. If they work incorrectly, osteochondrosis and its complications develop.
It is difficult to independently determine which tissues are destroyed. The help of an experienced doctor is needed. An experienced doctor will conduct an examination and make a preliminary diagnosis. Develop a personalized treatment plan.
Reasons why the lower back hurts
The first thing to do if the lower back hurts is to find out the causes of this pathological condition. It is necessary to exclude the possibility of kidney pathology. Most often, urolithiasis, pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis and polycystic kidney disease are manifested by a characteristic pain syndrome in the upper lower back. Other urological symptoms may also be present. These are cramps when urinating, a change in the color and transparency of urine, an increase in body temperature, general malaise, intoxication and edematous nephrotic syndrome, increased blood pressure, etc.
If you have these symptoms, we recommend that you see a nephrologist or therapist as soon as possible. You will receive professional medical treatment.
If on the eve of the onset of pain syndrome you fell, injured yourself, had an accident, then you need to contact a traumatologist for an appointment. The cause of pain can be a crack or fracture of the vertebral body or its process, the lower costal arch. In addition, with a traumatic effect, damage to the tissues of the kidneys is possible.
The following diseases and conditions can be potential causes of pain in the lower back:
- traumatic violation of the integrity of the ligament, tendon and muscle apparatus (strains, microscopic ruptures, defibrations, scar deformities, etc. );
- degenerative dystrophic process in the cartilage tissues of the intervertebral discs, leading to the development of osteochondrosis and dorsopathy;
- protrusion (reduction in height and increase in the occupied area) of the intervertebral discs;
- extrusion (rupture) of the fibrous ring and exit of the intervertebral hernia;
- unstable position of the vertebral bodies and their periodic displacement with respect to each other by type of laterolisthesis, antelisthesis and retrolisthesis;
- well-targeted destruction and inflammation of the intervertebral joints;
- curvature of the spine and distortion of the pelvic bones;
- deforming osteoarthritis of the iliac-sacral joints;
- stenosis of the spinal canal;
- pinching of the root nerves and their branches (sciatica, sciatica, radiculopathy);
- cauda equina syndrome, piriformis muscle;
- plexitis of the lumbosacral nerve plexus and many others.
It is very difficult to independently determine the real reason why the lower back hurts. To do this, it is necessary to have extensive practical experience and specific knowledge. Therefore, you should not engage in self-diagnosis and treatment. It is best to consult an experienced doctor in a timely manner and undergo comprehensive treatment.
Very sore in the lower back: what to do at home
If the lower back hurts a lot, the first thing to do is to ensure complete physical rest. You need to lie on your back on a hard, flat surface and try to relax your back muscles. If within 30 - 40 minutes the pain syndrome does not begin to subside, an ambulance should be called. This can be a condition that requires immediate surgery.
The next thing to do at home if your lower back hurts is to rule out all possible risk factors. They include the following aspects:
- overweight - each extra kilogram repeatedly increases the pressure on the cartilaginous intervertebral discs and causes their premature destruction;
- violation of posture (round or curved back, withers, etc. ) - a violation of the processes of distribution of the load of depreciation, displacement of the vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs is possible;
- heavy physical work associated with lifting and carrying heavy loads;
- domestic, sports and industrial injuries in the lower back;
- improper organization of the place of rest and work;
- sedentary work associated with prolonged static tension of the muscle structure of the body;
- selection of low-quality clothes and shoes;
- incorrect foot positioning when walking and running (flat feet or clubfoot);
- smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages (causes a decrease in the intensity of the microcirculation process of lymphatic fluid and blood, which is fraught with the development of ischemia and dystrophy of the tissues of the spine);
- malnutrition and insufficient intake of clean water.
If your lower back hurts a lot and you don't know what to do, see a doctor right away. Only a specialist will be able to find a potential cause, eliminate it and develop an individual course of treatment.
Back pain: how to deal with manual therapy methods
So, what to do if the lower back hurts - there are currently several options for how to treat. The first is to request an appointment with a local therapist at a city clinic. In this case, symptomatic treatment will be carried out. All unpleasant symptoms will be eliminated, but the process of destruction of the tissues of the spine will continue. And it can even increase, because by using symptomatic remedies for the treatment of pain, the doctor completely disables the natural defense mechanisms of the human body.
For example, with the protrusion of the intervertebral discs, the pain syndrome in most cases is associated with the fact that the paravertebral muscles compensate for the load of depreciation, if they take it on themselves. This is accompanied by severe tension of the muscle fiber and pain. But if muscle relaxants are used, the muscles become paralyzed and all the depreciation and mechanical load begin to be fully applied to the already damaged intervertebral discs. In some cases, this causes the fibrous ring to rupture and the appearance of an intervertebral hernia.
You can also visit a manual therapist. This specialist practices a completely different approach to treatment. He will try to detect all risk factors and provide the patient with individual recommendations for their elimination. Then he will develop an individual course of treatment. It will be based on the principle of complete restoration of the disturbed process of diffuse nutrition of the cartilage tissues of the intervertebral discs.
To restore the normal shape of the intervertebral disc, several manual traction sessions of the spine are performed. During this procedure, the doctor increases the degree of elasticity of the soft tissues surrounding the spine. Then it spreads the vertebral bodies close to a normal distance. Disks have room to fully expand. After 2-3 procedures, the acute pain syndrome completely disappears.
In the future, a full course of treatment is performed. It can include osteopathy, therapeutic exercises, kinesitherapy, laser exposure, physiotherapy, and much more.