Lower back pain radiating to the right leg and other parts of the body is a common complaint of modern people. Most often, old people and expectant mothers suffer from unpleasant sensations, although recently cases of the appearance of a problem at an earlier age have become much more frequent. Initially, such a symptom is eliminated quite easily, but as it progresses, it can lead to disruption of the internal organs, paralysis, or even death.
Where is the problem area
It just so happens that most people do not know the cause of pain in the back, in the lumbar region and do not consider them quite serious, but in vain. Such symptoms can be quite dangerous.
This section is the end of the spine and connects the upper and lower half of the human body.
As medical practice shows, this part of the back is most often disturbed, because it bears the maximum load. There are many nerve endings collected here, which can be pinched and inflamed undervarious causes.
Problems with the musculoskeletal system
It is not possible to determine the presence of any disease by the presence of pain syndrome.
Causes of pain in the back, in the lumbar region, may be as follows:
- Problems with the sciatic nerve (sciatica, sciatica).
- Pathologies of the vertebrae (lumbarization).
- Illnesses associated with defective discs (lumbalgia).
- Inflammation of the nerve roots and problems with the spinal column throughout (radicular sciatica).
- Neoplasms (hernias, protrusions, benign and malignant tumors).
- Complex ailments (osteochondrosis).
Pathologies of internal organs
In some cases, lower back pain radiates to the right leg and may be a symptom of disease:
- gastrointestinal tract (colitis, hemorrhoids, tumors, fistulas, necrosis, intestinal obstruction);
- liver and biliary tract (hepatitis, cholecystitis, dyskinesia, gallstones);
- urinary system (cystitis, cysts, pyelonephritis, kidney stones, ureter);
- genital organs (prostatitis, inflammation of the ovaries, malignant neoplasms, cysts).
It is not uncommon for a symptom to be caused by a combination of the above.
Other factors
It is not uncommon for back pain radiating to the leg to be caused by:
- lack of vitamins and minerals;
- systembone tissue damage (osteoporosis);
- pregnancy;
- strong physical exertion or lack of physical activity;
- stress;
- overweight;
- staying in an uncomfortable position for a long time;
- viral diseases;
- vegetovascular dystonia;
- inflammation of nerve endings.
The list of factors one way or another related to the development of pain syndrome is quite extensive, so you should not make a diagnosis yourself. You can voice your assumptions about the root cause of the pain to the doctor, whom they may help to understand the situation.
When to watch out
If the lower back pain radiates to the right leg, it worries many people. But few people go to the doctor, especially if it is minor and well eliminated with painkillers from the home medicine cabinet.
For this reason, most of the detected diseases are already in advanced form and difficult to treat. Therefore, all patients need to monitor their condition and without fail visit a doctor, if present:
- severe penetrating or prolonged sluggish pain;
- numbness of limbs;
- loss of sensation;
- goosebumps;
- lumbago in the right or left leg, buttocks, shoulder blades;
- migraine, dizziness;
- appearance of black dots before the eyes.
Such conditions can be very dangerous, so do notshould take any medication. In most cases, they relieve only symptomatic manifestations, while the cause remains and is often aggravated.
Diagnosis
What to do with back pain is of interest to many. To find out the cause and make an accurate diagnosis, you need to come for a consultation with a general practitioner, who, after a preliminary examination, will give a further referral to:
- x-ray of the problem area;
- general blood and urine tests.
If he has additional suspicions, the list can be supplemented:
- MRI and CT;
- Ultrasound and others.
After receiving all the necessary data, the patient will be referred to the following specialists:
- neurologist;
- traumatologist;
- nephrologist;
- venereologist;
- urologist;
- gynecologist;
- gastroenterologist;
- surgeon;
- oncologist.
Most often there is a need to visit several doctors at once, especially when the diagnosis is in doubt.
Medication treatment
Treatment of lower back pain radiating to the leg requires an integrated approach and is selected depending on many factors:
- main disease;
- severity of condition;
- presence of severe pain and inflammation;
- age and gender;
- pregnancy, lactation, etc.
Main goals of treatment:
- eliminate the cause of the disease;
- discomfort relief;
- reduce pain;
- removing inflammation;
- restoration of joint mobility;
- prevention of nervous tension.
If the reason lies in the pathologies of the spine, then most often prescribed:
- anti-inflammatory drugs (oral and in the form of gels, ointments);
- pain medications;
- vitamins and minerals;
- drugs that help restore cartilage.
In the presence of pathology of internal organs, treatment is selected individually and requires an integrated approach.
It is strictly forbidden to use traditional medicine methods, because many pathologies are rapidly progressing (for example, cancer), and a patient who does not see a doctor in a timely manner loses precious time.
Therapeutic gymnastics
If there are back pains, they can be perfectly eliminated with the help of a set of special exercises.
Their main action is aimed at restoring the metabolic processes occurring in the problem area.
Properly selected gymnastics allows you to:
- establish nutrition of the affected department;
- ensure proper blood supply;
- increase the elasticity of the muscles whose main task is to maintain the skeleton.
It should be borne in mind that the attending physician should select a set of exercises, because incorrect and abrupt movements can greatly aggravate the problem, up to the needcarry out the operation.
During therapeutic exercise, you need to know that:
- The first classes are carried out under the supervision of a trainer, then home treatment is acceptable.
- In cases of exacerbation of the disease, exercises are not done - this is very harmful. To begin with, analgesic and anti-inflammatory treatment is carried out, and then they return to gymnastics. Sometimes, with the permission of the attending physician, you can do simple exercises that do not cause discomfort.
- You cannot add or remove moves from the recommended list.
- If pain occurs during exercise, you should tell your doctor about it, and until then postpone the exercise.
- Sharp jerks, turns can be very harmful, so all exercises are done slowly and smoothly.
- Don't let your shortness of breath occur.
- Loads should be alternated with rest. Between each approach, a break of about 30-60 seconds.
- Extremely useful for the spine hanging on the horizontal bar. It allows you to form the correct posture, and in some cases eliminate the pain associated with the infringement of the lumbar nerve.
Massages
These procedures can be performed as an additional therapy for osteochondrosis of the final part of the back and other degenerative changes in this area.
Indications for using the method are:
- chronic diseases of the terminal spine;
- state of remission;
- pinched nerves;
- muscle pain localized in the pathological area.
An absolute contraindication to such treatment is exacerbation. In this case, symptomatic therapy is first prescribed, and then they move on to massage.
It is forbidden to hold it at:
- osteomyelitis;
- oncological and other tumors;
- cardiovascular pathologies;
- active TB;
- acute viral and bacterial infections accompanied by fever;
- pathologies of the lymphatic system;
- varicose veins.
The procedure is carried out by one of the methods recommended by the doctor.
The following types of massage are used:
- vacuum;
- canned;
- classic;
- dot;
- Thai;
- honey.
This type of treatment can be an excellent preparation for a daily exercise routine.
Operation
"What to do with lower back pain, if complex treatment has not given positive results?" - Patients who have undergone a course of ineffective therapy often ask. In this case, surgery can be performed, but doctors resort to this method as a last resort, when it cannot be dispensed with.
Indications for surgery on the final spine can be:
- Complications in the form of disruption of the internal organs.
- Paralysis.
- Paresis of the legs.
- Intolerable pain not relieved by medication.
In cases where a herniated disc is found, the operationis not always carried out. If possible, conservative methods, physiotherapy, etc. are used first.
Such an intervention is quite dangerous for the patient, because there is always the possibility of complications that can cause negative consequences.
Possible Complications
In the absence of timely diagnosis, nagging pain in the lower back and right leg can result in the following consequences for the patient:
- various paralysis, paresis;
- impaired functioning of the internal organs of the small pelvis;
- the appearance of hernias;
- serious bone marrow problems;
- spondylosis;
- spondylarthrosis;
- osteophytosis;
- limping.
These are very serious diseases, so you should seriously think about ignoring the next signal from your body.
Prevention measures
In most cases, if lower back pain radiates to the right leg, it occurs as a result of an unhe althy lifestyle, so a few simple tips should be followed to prevent an unpleasant symptom:
- Include more foods containing calcium in your diet, such as whole milk, cottage cheese, kefir, etc. You can periodically drink a course of vitamins and minerals. It is this substance that is one of the most important building blocks of the human skeleton.
- Regularly eat meat with cartilage and tendons. Such products help restore your own spinal tissue. There are many pharmaceutical preparationssimilar action.
- Be active. Walk more, do light daily exercises, swim in the pool, etc. This is necessary to strengthen the back muscles that support the spine.
- Say goodbye to bad habits. Alcohol and nicotine are extremely detrimental to the human body, gradually destroying it from the inside. A person who drinks and smokes thinks less about physical activity, because extra movements cause severe fatigue.
- Avoid strenuous exercise. Lifting weights can lead to serious illnesses.
Based on all of the above, we can conclude: if the patient has pain in the lower back and the right leg goes numb, as well as other parts of the body, this can be a rather dangerous symptom. Self-medication in this case is contraindicated. In order to prevent serious problems in the future, it is necessary to take care of the he alth of your back from an early age, otherwise you will later have to pay for an unhe althy lifestyle with osteochondrosis, radiculitis and other things.
