Low back pain is a clinical symptom of various tissue lesions. At a young age, muscle spasms and overexertion appear in this way, and at a more mature age - osteochondrosis and its complications. In the elderly, any pain can be considered a sign of a vertebral compression fracture in the context of developing osteoporosis.
The causes and methods of treating low back pain discussed in the article are fact-finding information. It only gives a rough idea of what might be going on in your body. But it is not a substitute for expert advice. If you have any discomfort in the lower back and sacrum, seek medical attention immediately. It is best to make an appointment with a chiropractor or neurologist. These physicians have the necessary level of professional competence in treating spinal disorders.
For these purposes, we recommend that you choose a manual therapy clinic in your area of residence. The physicians who typically work there have extensive practical experience working with patients with spinal disorders and other parts of the musculoskeletal system.
Before starting to treat low back pain at home, it is necessary to establish an accurate diagnosis. In fact, pain syndromes can be caused by a variety of pathological reactions. The most common types of violations are:
- Consequences of traumatic effects on bone tissue - fractures and cracks of the vertebral body and its processes;
- Stretching and microscopic rupture of ligaments, tendons, and paraspinal muscle fibers;
- Hematomas form after soft tissue damage - they put pressure on nerve fibers;
- Inflammation - possibly due to prolapse of intervertebral hernia, sterile response to trauma, introduction of infectious agents (eg, spinal tuberculosis);
- Degenerative dystrophic process of disc destruction;
- Rupture of the annulus fibrosus of the intervertebral disc;
- Tissue ischemia that is disturbed in the process of blood supply and innervation;
- Compression (eg, due to instability in the position of the vertebral bodies or their displacement).
The spine is an anatomically complex structure. It consists of a vertebral body, an intervertebral disc, and a separating endplate. Surrounding the spine are the longitudinal and transverse ligaments and the paraspinal muscles. Inside the spinal canal formed by the vertebral bodies and the arcuate processes is the spinal cord. This is the central structure of the autonomic nervous system and is responsible for the functioning of the entire body. Innervation is due to root nerves extending from the spinal cord through lateral openings in the vertebral body.
The discs hold the vertebral bodies at a distance and separate them. Due to this, there is no compressive effect on the root nerve and its branches. They do not become inflamed and do not experience ischemia due to impaired blood supply. If the activity of the muscle fibers in the disc area is reduced, the quality of diffusing nutrients can be drastically reduced. And cartilage discs don't have their own blood vessels. This causes them to decrease in height, compressing nerve fibers and other soft tissues near the spine. Naturally, this process is accompanied by a syndrome of intense pain in the lumbar region.
Next, let's talk about the underlying causes of pain -- diseases, and risk factors for their development.
Main causes of low back pain
So, let's start with the fact that there are a lot of big muscles in the waist. Some of them are responsible for bipedal movement, supporting the body in an upright position and allowing various body movements (leaning, twisting, turning, etc. ).
These muscles are made up of muscle cells. Which cell does the nerve ending and its own blood vessels -- capillaries -- fit into. With any violation of innervation or blood supply, the performance of the muscle decreases dramatically. For example, if a person engages in excessive physical activity in the lower back, the muscle fibers will spasm. In this state, it cannot conduct nerve impulses and has a compressive effect on capillaries. There are ischemic foci and trigger points (where mismatches in muscle cell contraction and relaxation occur). These conditions may go away on their own. But in most cases, fibromyalgia syndrome can last for years and requires the help of an experienced chiropractor.
Other potential causes of low back pain include:
- Degenerative dystrophic destruction of the cartilage fibers of the intervertebral disc (osteochondropathy);
- Osteochondrosis complications in the form of disc herniation and extrusion, hernia prolapse and its isolation;
- Instability of the position of the disc and vertebral body relative to each other, manifested by weakness or deformity of the ligament and tendon apparatus;
- Vertebral displacement caused by anterior, posterior or lateral slip types;
- Spinal curvature, postural violations, including thoracic scoliosis, complicated by pelvic twisting and skewing;
- Spinal stenosis, including due to dorsal herniation or vertebral displacement;
- Vertebral body compression fractures or their fissures;
- Stretch and rupture of longitudinal or transverse ligaments;
- Deforming spondyloarthropathies, in which the range of motion of the projections of the intervertebral joints may be reduced;
- Destruction of the ilio-sacral joint;
- Destruction of the joint between the coccyx and sacrum;
- Tumors and infectious diseases of the spinal cord and spinal tissue;
- Inflammatory processes in the abdominal and pelvic organs;
- Piriformis and cauda equina syndrome.
These are just some of the possible causes of lower back pain. Remember, only an experienced doctor can make an accurate diagnosis based on the examination and additional clinical examination. Therefore, you should not self-diagnose and treat. This can have tragic consequences for your body.
Be sure to contact an experienced doctor who will determine the cause of your lower back pain and prescribe a treatment that will allow you to restore damaged tissue without compromising your health.
What are the symptoms to watch out for?
Every condition that causes low back pain can cause other symptoms. You should pay attention to them so as not to waste time and contact a specialist who handles the treatment of such diseases.
So, let's start with the most common. This is osteochondrosis and its consequences. For this disease, in addition to pain, there is stiffness of movement, muscle strain in the lower back. Difficulty sitting or standing for long periods of time. I want to take a forced position. With these performances, it's worth making an appointment with a chiropractor.
If pain spreads along the lower extremities, radiates to the groin area, anterior abdominal wall, has bowel disease, has areas of skin numbness, then it is recommended to see a neurologist. This means that pinched nerve fibers have occurred. Only a neurologist can determine the extent of nerve damage and how to quickly and safely remove this compression.
If back and lower back pain is due to damage to tissue integrity, it is treated by a traumatologist. After restoring tissue integrity, a rehabilitation session with a manual therapist is necessary. Therefore, if there is a traumatic effect followed by a pain syndrome, then contact the emergency room first.
If you experience frequent urination, fever, muscle aches, and headaches, you should contact your local therapist to rule out urinary problems. If possible, make an appointment with a nephrologist.
In women, low back pain may be associated with damage to the reproductive organs, necessitating consultation with a gynecologist. Men are advised to see an andrologist or urologist. It is also always worthwhile to rule out damage to the rectal tissue and lower part of the large intestine.
If you have back pain in your lower back, you will need an X-ray of the lumbosacral region. On it, doctors can see indirect signs of osteochondrosis, spondyloarthropathy, herniated discs, and more. MRI is required to confirm or disprove the diagnosis. Based on his conclusions, doctors can establish a diagnosis of intervertebral hernia, spinal stenosis, etc. Ultrasound and colonoscopy were performed to exclude lesions in the abdominal cavity and small pelvis.
Back Pain Treatment in the Lumbar Region
It is necessary to start treating back pain in the lumbar region by eliminating negative influencing factors. If this is a reduction in disc height, it is necessary to stop compressing the nerve fibers and the soft tissues around the spine. The easiest way to achieve this effect is during manual traction on the spine. Already after the 2nd course of treatment, patients feel that their condition has improved significantly. But that doesn't mean full recovery.
In order to fully recover the damaged cartilage tissue of the intervertebral disc, a complete course of treatment should be performed. It may include the following types of therapeutic effects:
- Massage of the musculature of the back and lower back - allows you to restore the tone of the muscle fibers, restore their performance, increase capillary blood supply and nutrition;
- Osteopathic therapy for low back pain can eliminate infiltrative swelling of soft tissue by enhancing the microcirculation process of blood and lymph;
- Reflexology uses the hidden reserves of the body to start the regeneration process;
- Therapeutic exercises and exercise therapy play an important role in the treatment of low back pain, allowing you to fully restore the performance of all muscles;
- Physical therapy is used to enhance metabolism at the cellular level.
We recommend treating low back pain in a manual therapy clinic. The doctors there have accumulated a wealth of practical experience in treating such patients. If you have low back pain, do not treat yourself under any circumstances. This is bad for your health.