Severe back pain in the lower back: possible causes, symptoms, doctor consultation and treatment

It is impossible to independently determine the reason for pain in the lower back.Pain in the back and lower back is medically called low back pain.It is felt in the lumbar region, accompanied by muscle spasms and further unpleasant symptoms.Acute back pain is felt for various reasons and can last from a few minutes to a couple of months.As a result, a person begins to get used to sharp pain in the lower back and back.But if you do not ask your doctor for help in time, the person's health condition will significantly worsen and the chances of recovery will decrease.It is important to consider the causes of low back pain and treatment.

Description of the lesion

Severe pain in the back and lower back, a feeling of tension and stiffness is a common condition that sooner or later appears in many people.

In most cases, pain syndrome appears in the lower back, since the lumbar spine is characterized by its mobility and takes on half the weight of the human body.Back pain in the lumbar region can occur due to lifting heavy objects or sharp rotation.

In some cases, unpleasant symptoms appear in the lumbar region over time due to regular exercise or poor posture.In some cases, it is not possible to determine the cause of the pain syndrome.The pain is strongest at night, when there is a load on the lower back or after staying in an uncomfortable position for a long time, for example after a long car journey.In most cases, back pain in the lumbar region disappears if a person lies down for a while on a hard surface.

Most often, the pain persists for several days or weeks, after which the general well-being of the person improves and the condition of the lower back is restored.Recovery can be accelerated by taking painkillers and optimizing daily physical activity: rest only in the first few days, then gradually return to normality.But in some cases, discomfort and discomfort in the lower back indicate the onset of a chronic disease that will require complex treatment.

A person's mood also plays a special role in this process.Due to pain, the patient's general condition can noticeably worsen, but according to statistics, a person who comes in a good mood recovers faster than one who is depressed.

Main causes of the syndrome

The condition of the back directly depends on the functioning of the bones, nerves, muscles and joints.Very often, finding out exactly the cause of the pain is quite difficult.In rare cases, serious illnesses or injuries to the spinal region occur.

In most cases, back pain at the lumbar level appears due to minor injuries, muscle strains, sprains of ligaments and muscles, pinched nerves and the beginning of the inflammatory process.Unpleasant back symptoms may appear suddenly or develop gradually and intensify.Causes of back and lower back pain:

• too sudden movement: inclination or lateral rotation;
• lifting and carrying heavy objects, long body bends;
• incorrect posture while walking or working at a desk;
• severe back muscle strain;
• long car journeys without rest breaks.

In some cases, pain in this area appears for no particular reason, for example in the morning after waking up.

Main factors

There are factors that can cause severe back and lower back pain.Experts identify a large number of them;can negatively affect the condition of the back.The main ones include:

• High weight: in this case the spine is significantly overloaded.To determine whether body weight affects your spine, you need to calculate your total body mass index.
• Smoking: can have a negative effect on the tissues of the back, causing pain.
• Carrying a child - in this condition, the woman's spine is subjected to severe stress, which only becomes stronger as the size of the abdomen increases.
• Long-term use of drugs that reduce bone density, such as corticosteroids.
• Psycho-emotional overload, stress - regular anxiety leads to severe tension in the muscles of the neck and back, which causes pain.

Main diseases

Diseases that can lead to low back pain and back pain include the following:

1. Osteochondrosis and its complications, for example, spinal hernia, are a degenerative process during which the intervertebral cartilage is destroyed, causing pain.Such diseases appear in older people, especially in those who experience severe stress on their back.
2. Sprain of ligaments and muscles: most often occurs after prolonged physical activity or a sudden movement.
3. Some types of arthritis are an inflammatory disease of the joints, in which, in addition to pain, joint stiffness is felt and mobility problems occur in the morning
4. Kidney disease, such as pyelonephritis, can cause back pain in the right side of the lower back or the left side.

Carrying out diagnostic activities

Severe back and lower back pain can be managed at home by taking special medications that can be purchased at a pharmacy without a prescription.Treatment in the clinic is usually not necessary.

If back pain radiates to the lumbar region and causes severe discomfort, the patient should definitely visit a doctor.He will conduct an examination and prescribe treatment.

If back pain in the left side of the lower back prevents the patient from resting and moving normally, it is necessary to call a doctor at home.

While examining the condition, the doctor will ask the person to sit, stand, walk, raise the legs alternately, and also determine the overall range of motion of the back.He will also ask for information about possible recent illnesses or injuries, learn about lifestyle, job characteristics and will also ask the following questions:

1. When did the pain start?
2. Where is pain common?
3. Have you ever had back pain?
4. How does pain syndrome manifest itself?
5. Why does the pain become stronger or weaker?

During the examination, the doctor will try to exclude possible infections and fractures, since such manifestations occur in rare cases.If there are problems with the diagnosis, the doctor may send the patient further diagnostic measures: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or x-ray of the spine.A urinalysis is done to rule out kidney disease.

In many cases the pain in the spine disappears already on the third day of treatment.If therapy does not improve the condition and the pain continues for six weeks (chronic process) or a serious illness caused the injury, the doctor refers the person to a specialist.In most cases, treatment for back and lower back pain is prescribed by a neurologist.In addition, other doctors can join in examining the patient's condition: an osteopath, a chiropractor and a reflexologist.

Basic treatment methods

Treatment of pain syndrome will depend on its duration and severity, as well as the individual characteristics of the person.In most cases, pain can be relieved with simple medications at home.

Main treatment methods:

• Mobility.Previously, doctors believed that with pain in the lumbar region it was important to ensure peace.It is now established that in patients who start moving earlier, the pain disappears more quickly.Complete rest and bed rest should be observed only in the first days of acute pain, when it is severe and prevents normal movement.In this case, the person should lie down on a hard, flat bed.After the condition has returned to normal, you should gradually return to the normal lifestyle and previous loads, adding more and more mobility every day.As time passes, the person will be able to walk normally around the house or visit public places.But he will have to endure some discomfort and try to avoid anything that could cause him pain again.After a few days, a person can return to work without waiting for the severe pain in the back and lower back to completely disappear (of course, if the person's work does not involve stress on the lumbar region).Early mobility will help restore the condition and reduce the severity of pain.
• Taking painkillers.When dealing with severe back pain over the lower back or directly within it, doctors prescribe painkillers.The products help eliminate pain and inflammation.Depending on the severity of the injury, a specialist can prescribe various forms of these drugs: injections, tablets, local preparations - ointments, gels and creams against back pain.Most often, initial treatment involves injections.Once the pain syndrome has passed, the administration of drugs is stopped and, if necessary, special tablets or ointments are administered.Such drugs have some contraindications, so before you start taking them, you need to consult a doctor and study the instructions.Painkillers are best taken after meals with milk.
• Muscle relaxants- drugs that help eliminate muscle spasms and relax muscles.They are prescribed when strong tension in the spinal muscles increases the pain syndrome, for example, during the acute phase of osteochondrosis or herniated disc.Muscle relaxants also have several side effects;for example, it is prohibited to carry them with you while driving a car.It is important to consult a doctor first.
• Treatment with hot and cold compresses.In some cases, the pain can be eliminated by taking a warm bath or applying heating pads to the painful area of the body.You can also improve your general condition with cold or a bag of frozen vegetables.But you should remember that you should not apply ice to the skin itself, as this may cause frostbite.A previously cold object should be wrapped in a towel and then applied to the affected area of the body.You can also alternate the treatment with cold and heat, applying ice or a heating pad to the body.
• Choose a sleeping position.Changing your sleeping position will help eliminate tension and pain.If the patient is used to sleeping on his side, he should bring his legs closer to his chest and place a pillow between his legs.If he sleeps on his back, then a pillow should be placed under his knees, this will ensure a natural curve of the spine in the lower back.
• Body relaxation– this is a very important component in the fight against severe back pain on the left side above the lower back, since with severe anxiety and overexertion the pain syndrome only worsens.As practice shows, people in a good mood recover much faster, and their pain does not become chronic.There are special techniques that help a person relax and forget about back discomfort for a while.To do this, it is recommended to perform special breathing exercises and perform a series of simple exercises with alternating tension and relaxation of the muscles of the body.
• Physical activity, following a healthy lifestyle.It is important to eliminate the root cause of severe back and lower back pain to prevent it from recurring.The most common causes of pain in this area include excess weight in a person, poor posture, and regular emotional outbursts.In this case, a positive effect can be achieved if you start to lead an active and healthy lifestyle, for example, walking more or visiting the swimming pool.The main thing is to choose the activity that you like the most.In some cases, lessons take place under the guidance of a trainer.Most often, sets of exercises are used that help strengthen the back muscles and ensure straight posture and stretching.
• If the pain syndrome does not disappear within 6 weeks of treatment, it automatically passes to the chronic stage.In addition to painkillers and muscle relaxants, in this case it is necessary to start complex treatment.

Treatment for chronic pain

In this condition, doctors prescribe the following measures to patients:

• Manual therapy is performed by a chiropractor or osteopath and includes the use of various therapy, massage and mobilization methods.
• Alexander technique - helps to eliminate strong tension in the muscles, teaches a person how to correctly take the body position in various situations and move.This technique will help you learn to maintain body balance and an upright posture.
• Acupuncture sessions are an ancient Chinese treatment method, during which thin needles are inserted into various parts of the body, which help reduce pain and normalize a person's condition.
• Taking antidepressants.Such drugs are prescribed to the patient when painkillers and other treatment techniques do not bring a positive result.Doctors recommend taking tricyclic antidepressants in small quantities.Such remedies are initially created to eliminate depression and nervous system problems, but they can also work to suppress certain types of pain.
• Session with a psychiatrist.A positive effect from such a procedure can be achieved when other treatment methods do not help.Severe back pain in the lumbar region is a real condition.The way a person treats it can make it stronger or, conversely, significantly weaken it.Cognitive behavioral therapy can help eliminate back pain in the lumbar region on the right or left by changing your attitude towards it.According to statistics, people who have undergone psychotherapy sessions experience much less severe pain.In this case, a person becomes motivated to lead an active lifestyle and exercise regularly, which leads to a decrease in pain.

Execution of the operation

Most often, surgery is used only when all other methods of treating back and lower back pain produce no effect.The intervention is used when the pain syndrome is so severe or constant that it prevents the patient from working or even resting.The chosen method of surgical intervention will directly depend on the type of pain syndrome and the cause of its occurrence.

For example, in the case of a herniated spine, the doctor prescribes a discectomy.Currently, doctors are able to perform surgery through a minimal incision using specialized microsurgical tools.Such operations are complex, but are characterized by minimal trauma.

Spinal fusion is a complex and rather rare surgery.Its results do not always meet expectations.For example, after surgery, a person may continue to have severe back pain below the lower back.

With spinal fusion, the overall mobility of the spine is significantly reduced, since during the operation several pain-causing vertebrae are fixed to each other in one position by implanting living bone tissue between them.At the end of the rehabilitation period, the bones are completely fused and when a person moves, they do not affect the nerve endings located near them.Helps suppress severe back pain in the left and right lumbar region.Before deciding to undergo surgery, the patient must receive information from the neurosurgeon on all possible complications and the positive effects of the therapy.

Additional treatments

When dealing with acute and chronic low back pain, other alternative treatment methods can be used, the effect of which has not been proven in medical practice.The main non-traditional treatment methods include:

• laser treatment: minimal power lasers target the inflamed area of the body and lead to tissue regeneration;
• treatment with interference currents: the lower back is exposed to medium and low frequency currents, which cause increased production of endorphins (painkilling hormones), as well as active restoration of damaged tissues;
• ultrasound treatment - in this case an ultrasound wave aimed at the surface of the back is used: it ensures tissue restoration and active healing, which eliminates pain;
• electrical stimulation of nerves through the skin - electrodes glued to the surface of the skin provide electrical impulses of a certain strength, which cause the active production of endorphins and help stop the transmission of pain signals along the spine to the brain;
• lumbar braces: for this, special pillows, supports and corsets are used to maintain the condition of the spine;
• spinal traction using specialized devices and sets of exercises;
• injecting special injections into the spine: drugs are injected into the intervertebral spaces.

The specialist may also send the patient to a “pain treatment school,” where people are taught to independently deal with pain, perform special exercises and lead an active, healthy life.Such institutions mainly deal with group therapy, relaxation and psychology.

Prevention measures

A healthy and strong back is the best solution to avoid any pain.It is for this reason that the most effective prevention will be regular physical activity in rational quantities, correct posture and also the avoidance of lifting heavy objects.

If a person suffers from temporary back pain that radiates to the lumbar region, he or she should take the following preventative measures:

• eliminate excess weight, if any: a large number of extra pounds can negatively affect the condition of the lower back, causing additional stress;
• use correct and comfortable shoes with low heels, which will help to evenly distribute the load on the foot and avoid overloading the spine during movement;
• it is also important to stop suddenly, as this can cause muscle fatigue;
• learn to cope with stress, depression, nervous breakdowns, stop worrying too much, as all this can cause pain.

Types of back exercises

A series of exercises is a good way to prevent and relieve lower back pain, but if the pain lasts more than 6 months, it is very important to consult a doctor before starting the exercises.

Walking and strengthening swimming will help improve muscle condition and support the spine without overloading it, eliminating possible sprains.Pilates and yoga will help strengthen your back muscles and develop their flexibility, but they should be performed under the close supervision of a professional trainer.

The most common simple exercises for back pain that can be done at home:

1. Wall squat: to do this you need to straighten up, place your feet shoulder width apart.Next, perform a squat until your body is in a 90-degree bend position.
2. Alternate leg lifts.To perform the exercise, you need to lie on the floor and start lifting your legs one by one without bending them.The exercise is repeated 5 times.
3. Pelvic lifts.The exercise is performed in a supine position.First, the knees bend, then the pelvis rises with the tension of the abdominal muscles.When performing the exercise it is important to keep your back straight.Repeat 5 times.

Initially, the exercises are performed several times a day, over time the number of approaches increases to six, depending on how the person himself feels.This complex helps warm up and strengthen the back muscles.Very often, people injure their lower back while performing daily activities, such as when lifting heavy objects or cleaning the house.Warming up your muscles thoroughly before performing work helps prevent injuries.

Pain due to osteochondrosis

Osteochondrosis is a disease of the articular cartilage that connects the vertebrae.Due to this disease, pinching of the roots of the spinal cord occurs, which causes pain.People over the age of 30 are particularly susceptible to this condition, and recently the lesion is often diagnosed in young people.

The main cause of pain in the back and lower back is lifting heavy objects, monotonous work in an uncomfortable position (for example, in the garden).Osteochondrosis can occur as a result of a long non-stop journey, when a person is constantly sitting.

No person is immune from such a disease.It can be identified by the following symptoms:

• backache;
• pain in the lower back, back pain on the right (or left) side, the pain radiates to the leg;
• pain only intensifies with changes in position and load on the lower back;
• a person may experience a strong burning sensation and painful low back pain;
• after a long stay in an uncomfortable position, it is difficult to change it due to severe discomfort;
• the sensitivity of the buttocks and legs decreases, a sensation of goosebumps occurs;
• Problems with sweating appear, the lower extremities become cold.

If a person is sure that the pain syndrome comes from the spine, then he should carry out the following therapeutic measures:

• use a special woolen belt or scarf, tying it around the lower back;
• lie down on a hard, flat surface;
• start taking anti-inflammatory drugs;
• apply anti-inflammatory ointments for back pain in the lumbar region.

It is important to remember that painkillers should not be taken on an empty stomach, as they irritate the mucosa and can cause ulcers and gastritis.If a person is not sure of the cause of pain in the back and lower back, then it is important to consult a doctor: taking anti-inflammatory drugs for diseases of the stomach and pancreas is very dangerous, as they can only aggravate the general situation.

What is prohibited?

In no case should the patient try to "straighten" his back on his own - this can only increase the pain syndrome and cause serious harm.In case of acute form of osteochondrosis, do not take hot baths or visit baths and saunas.

After warming up, a person may feel an improvement in his condition and relief from pain, but after that the state of health will only worsen.If pain occurs frequently in the back area, it is important to perform an MRI and seek help from a neurologist.