Pain at the bottom of the spine, that is, in the lower back, is one of the most common complaints when visiting a doctor. The greatest load falls on the lumbar compared to the rest of the spine, and therefore the lower back is subject to injury. If it hurts at the bottom of the spine, this is often a symptom of sciatica, osteochondrosis and other diseases. In no case should you leave them unattended. In the article, we will take a closer look at what it means when the spine hurts in the lower back.
Causes of lower back pain
The appearance of pain in the lower part of the spine is noted after a long stay in a certain position, awkward movement or strenuous exercise. Risk factors for low back pain include:
- computer work or constant driving;
- work that is stressful andstrenuous exercise;
- strengthened human training in the gym;
- overweight;
- recent childbirth and pregnancy;
- work standing or sitting.
Why the spine hurts, detailed below.
Pain often goes away on its own. If the lower back hurts constantly or periodically, this may be a symptom of the disease. Without proper therapy, lower back pain can cause serious consequences that may even require spinal surgery to eliminate. So, why does the spine hurt in the lower back?
Diseases that cause low back pain
Low back pain is classified into primary and secondary. The cause of the primary pain syndrome is directly the pathology of the spine:
- intervertebral hernia and protrusion of the intervertebral disc;
- osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine (in a third of cases);
- spondylolisthesis, spondylosis, spondylarthrosis.
Why the back hurts at the bottom of the spine, the doctor should find out.
Secondary pain syndrome appears due to other disorders in the body. There are various reasons for it:
- tumor in the lumen of the spinal canal;
- fracture due to osteoporosis;
- prolonged muscle tension;
- fracture after injury;
- anatomically narrow channel in the spine;
- Scheuermann-Mau disease, kyphoscoliosis, kyphosis, scoliosis;
- osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis;
- tuberculosis of the spine, discitis,osteomyelitis;
- urolithiasis, pyelonephritis;
- complicated pregnancy;
- cancer and ovarian cyst, endometriosis.
How does your lower back usually hurt?
Let's consider what the nature of pain can be.
Severe pain
Sciatica. In this case, a person has pain in the lumbar region. Dull or sharp, aching, most often one-sided, it gives to the lower leg, thigh or buttock. Increases with a change in body position, coughing, walking.
Osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine. A person feels pain in the lower back when sneezing, coughing, lifting weights, sitting, walking. Low back pain sometimes radiates to the leg. It happens that the spine hurts on the right below or on the left.
Spicy
Muscle strain, long work in an uncomfortable position, carrying or lifting heavy objects, hitting or falling, draft, hypothermia and sudden movements.
Shooting or lumbago. They suffer from people who are engaged in serious physical labor. Lower back pain usually goes away after a few days, but may linger for a couple of weeks.
Lumbar displacement of the intervertebral discs caused by osteochondrosis, fracture of the spine, heavy physical labor and weight lifting, surgery. At the same time, a person in the lumbar region has a strong back pain.
Chronic
Spondylosis of the deforming type. When the disease is very sore back in the lumbar region. Aching pain in the lower back can be accompanied by weaknessin the legs and numbness.
Ankylosing spondylitis, metabolic disorders, oncological diseases.
Aching pains
Inflammation of the muscles of the lower back, or myositis. The disease appears after a sharp muscle tension or hypothermia. The patient feels stiffness of the lumbar region and sharp pain when moving.
Moved
The patient seems to have back pain in the area of the spine below, but in fact there is a violation in other organs. Displaced pain occurs due to diseases of the pelvic organs, pancreas, colon, kidneys or tumors.
When do I need to see a doctor?
A visit to the doctor cannot be postponed if:
- patient feels severe back pain for more than three days;
- feet pain in the foot, lower leg and lower back at the same time;
- pain after injury;
- combination of pain in the lower back with numbness in the groin, foot, leg, thigh, buttock.
Specific diagnostics
In order to determine the course of action for lower back pain, you need to undergo a thorough examination, which includes the following procedures:
- Analysis in the laboratory of blood and urine. In addition, a biochemical blood test will be required.
- X-ray of the lumbar region.
- Ultrasound of the internal organs of the peritoneal cavity and heart (if there is a possibility that the dull pain was caused by pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract or kidneys).
- CT and MRI. These studies become the most informative and make it possible to determine the cause of the pain syndrome, as well as the condition of the soft tissues and the spine itself.
- Dopplerography - the study of blood vessels.
Thanks to such an examination, it is possible to establish what caused the disease, when it began to develop and how to get rid of it.
If the spine hurts in the lower back, this symptom should not be ignored.
Do's and Don'ts for Pain?
Dull or throbbing low back pain is a rather unpleasant phenomenon that not only interferes with normal movement and work, but also does not allow a person to rest. In case of sudden onset of pain, the following measures should be taken:
It is advisable to take a horizontal position, while the mattress should be semi-rigid to maintain the correct position of the spine. Now you need to try to calm down and relax your muscles. Psychosomatics can also determine the state of the body. Thus, any situations of stress should be excluded
- You can take painkillers, but it is advisable to try to do without them before the doctor arrives so that the clinical picture of the patient's condition is not smoothed out.
- If necessary, fix the lumbar region to limit its movement. In addition, it is very important to take measurements of basal temperature. With its increase, we can talk about the beginning of the process of inflammation. You should also try to fix accompanying signs that you need to tell your doctor about.
It is also important to remember what to do is prohibited:
- Heat cannot be used to eliminate lumbar pain. A heating pad can only aggravate the process of pathology and cause it to aggravate.
- It is not recommended to drink pills with an unclear cause of the pain syndrome or its protracted nature.
Manipulation is banned
It is strictly forbidden to treat the lower back through manual therapy or adjust the vertebrae. The thing is that pain can occur not only due to disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
You need to see a doctor in a timely manner. The patient may need to consult the following specialists: an orthopedist, a general practitioner, an infectious disease specialist, a vertebrologist, a surgeon, a pulmonologist, a chiropractor, a traumatologist, and even a cardiologist.
What should I do if my back hurts in the area of the spine below?
Treating back pain with medicines
If a person feels aching lumbar pain when moving or sitting, and it does not matter at all whether they are localized on the left or right, he seeks to get rid of them as soon as possible. First, you should determine why the pain syndrome arose. In addition, it is not always possible to cope with it with home remedies. Medical attention is often needed.
When the back hurts at the bottom of the spine, how to treat?
The following medications are used to eliminate stabbing and other types of lumbar pain:
- Anti-inflammatory nonsteroidal drugs: Meloxicam, Movalis, Ibuprofen, Naproxen, Diclofenac.
- Muscle relaxants: Tizanidin, Baclofen. However, they should be used only when NSAIDs have not given the desired effect.
- Narcotic analgesics: Codeine, Vicodin, Tylenol. They can only be appointed by a specialist. It is undesirable to treat pain on your own in this way, since these drugs can become addictive. Also, the presented drugs are dispensed only by prescription.
- Corticosteroids: Dexamethasone, Prednisone, Methylprednisolone.
- Chondroprotector "Teraflex". This tool helps to restore cartilage tissue, slowing down its destruction.
- Creams, gels or ointments. These drugs eliminate discomfort if applied directly to the site of pain:
- Ointments, the main active ingredient of which is diclofenac - Voltaren, Diclovit.
- NSAIDs: Finalgel, Fastum Gel, Ketonal.
- Combined preparations: Dolobene, DIP relief.
- Locally irritating ointments: "Finalgon", "Apizartron". These are indispensable remedies in the treatment of muscle pain, as they can act on the blood vessels and dilate them. As a result, metabolic processes and tissue nutrition are improved.
- Chondroprotector "Chondroxide".
- Injections are used only when the previous groups of funds could not provide the necessary assistance. Make a blockade directly in the lumbar region. For this, the followingdrugs: "Chondrogard", "Pyridoxine", "Milgamma".
- Medical patches. This tool has become very popular in recent years. The fact is that this patch is impregnated with a drug that is necessary in a certain situation. You can use them at home. Among other things, the patch is very easy to use. You can do this both in winter and in summer. The patch is not visible under clothes at all. It doesn't take up much space in the bag. With the help of a patch, pain can be quickly eliminated. The risk of drug overdose or irritation is very low.
There are such medical patches: "Voltaren", "Ketonal thermo", "Nanoplast Forte". However, there are other types of products. For example, in China, plant analogues of healing plasters are produced: ZB PAIN RELIEF, Black Jade, Miaozheng.
If your back hurts at the bottom of the spine, what to do, it is better to find out at the doctor's consultation. You can treat lumbar pain with various medications, but they are only part of the complex therapy that the doctor must prescribe.
Physiotherapy treatments
If a person has pain in the spine, gives in the leg or lower abdomen, his life is deprived of comfort. Naturally, such a problem must be de alt with. Not only medicines are used.
The effectiveness of physical therapy cannot be overestimated. It enhances the effect of drugs. So, the following physiotherapy methods will be useful:
Paraffin applications thanks towhich can warm up the affected area of the back well. This procedure is not difficult. Warm wax is applied to the skin in layers. In general, the thickness of the application should be one centimeter. Then it must be covered with polyethylene and woolen cloth. Such an application should be kept for at least an hour, the duration of the course is from ten to thirty days, depending on the degree and type of severity of the disease.
Therapeutic exercise. Helps strengthen muscle tissue and speed up recovery. Also, exercise is invaluable in preventing the recurrence of seizures. The following actions will be effective: arching up and down the lower back, standing on all fours; bending to the side; twisting.
Massage for low back pain can be wonderful, but it must be done very carefully. Massage is not used at the stage of exacerbation of the disease. The area that is located to the left or right of the source of pain is treated. There should be soft movements. It is better to choose an experienced massage therapist, because of which the discomfort will not be increased. During massage, the following techniques are used: rubbing with fingertips, kneading muscles.
Treatment with mud. It produces a clear anti-inflammatory effect and can eliminate pain syndrome.
Among other things, pathology can be treated through non-traditional methods. For example, acupuncture, manual therapy can relieve muscle tension and spasm, as well as strengthen the skeleton.
We looked at why it hurts at the bottom of the spine.
