According to medical statistics, acute back pain is the second most common cause of disability.At least 80% of people have suffered from it at least once.They can occur sporadically or can be observed with exacerbations of spinal diseases.But in any case, acute and chronic back pain requires competent treatment and targeted action on the causes of its occurrence.
Acute back pain: causes
Acute pain is defined as pain that lasts less than 6 weeks.For most it goes away within 2 weeks.Although initially it is impossible to predict how long it will last.However, in almost half of cases, similar or more severe attacks repeat in the future and become chronic pain.
Acute pain can vary in intensity, dull, burning, etc. Sometimes it also radiates into the arms, legs, buttocks.The so-called lumbago in the back often occurs after hypothermia, excessive physical exertion and as a result of sprains.Several days may pass between the exposure to the traumatic factor and the immediate manifestation of the pain syndrome, and it manifests itself under the influence of small physical exertion, for example, when bending over.
They can also be the result of a back injury or be the first manifestations of spinal diseases, including:
- osteochondrosis;
- intervertebral hernia;
- spondyloarthrosis;
- spinal canal stenosis etc.
Increase the likelihood of back problems:
- frequent stress;
- regular increased physical activity;
- obesity;
- frequent and prolonged standing.
In addition to severe back pain, headaches, burning in the legs and dizziness can occur.All of these symptoms must be reported to your doctor at your appointment.
Regardless of which anatomical structure was damaged first, this entails a whole chain of successive changes that increase the symptoms.Initially, inflammatory factors form in the lesion, leading to swelling and irritation of the nerve fibers.In response, muscle spasms often occur, further aggravating the situation and leading to poor blood circulation to the affected area.This leads to a reduction in the amount of nutrients and oxygen delivered to the lesion, as well as retention of metabolic products in it.
Treatment of acute back pain
To relieve pain, lie on your back on a hard surface.This relaxes the back muscles and takes the strain off the spine.To enhance the effect, you can place orthopedic pillows under your knees and head, but it is important to avoid arching in the lower back.If the pain is severe, short-term use of NSAIDs is permitted.In the future, you should definitely contact a neurologist or spine surgeon to clarify the cause of the pain syndrome.
You should see a doctor as soon as possible if there is no improvement within a week, the attack recurs, pain radiating to the feet or knees, or problems with urination and bowel movements.To diagnose existing disorders, patients are shown:
- MRI;
- CT;
- Roentgen;
- biochemical blood test;
- UAC.
Based on the research results and symptoms, the doctor makes a diagnosis and develops treatment tactics.In case of acute pain that makes a person unable to work, he can be offered a spinal block, which relieves the pain syndrome in a few minutes.
After the symptoms have subsided, it is important not to stay in bed any longer.Moderate physical activity, supplemented with special therapeutic exercises, is the best prevention against the recurrence of such attacks in the future.
If you go to the hospital, you will definitely receive quality treatment for your pain and its causes.With the help of a well-made, affordable block, specialists can develop the most effective treatment tactics and quickly relieve pain.
Chronic back pain: causes
It is not uncommon for people to suffer from excruciating chronic back pain.They can worsen and turn into an acute attack of pain that completely throws the person out of their usual rhythm.Most often it is a consequence of:
- A sedentary lifestyle that leads to a weakening of the muscle corset.This leads to increased stress on the spine and compression of the vertebrae.The result is osteochondrosis, herniated and herniated discs, spondyloarthrosis.
- Postural disorders.Long-term maintenance of any posture in which the natural curvatures of the spine are disturbed leads to its curvature and the development of scoliosis or kyphosis.This leads to degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs, a redistribution of the load on the muscles and pinching of the nerve roots.
- Weakening of the abdominal muscles.Since they serve as support for the internal organs and partially relieve the spine, when they are weak, the load on the lower back increases, which increases lordosis and causes chronic pain.In addition to a sedentary lifestyle, weakening of the abdominal muscles can be a result of pregnancy or obesity.
- Age-related changes.Over the years, the intervertebral discs gradually dry out, causing their elasticity, strength and size to decrease.The annulus fibrosus surrounding the gelatinous nucleus pulposus dries out and becomes more brittle.Stresses lead to the formation of cracks, which leads to the formation of protrusions and hernias.The resulting protrusion can compress adjacent blood vessels, nerve roots and the spinal cord, provoking the appearance of pain.
The diseases that are associated with chronic back pain include:
- osteochondrosis;
- spondyloarthrosis;
- Osteoporosis;
- intervertebral hernia;
- facet syndrome;
- Bechterew's disease;
- spondylolisthesis;
- rheumatoid arthritis;
- intercostal neuralgia;
- oncological diseases and others.
A common cause of chronic pain is wear and tear of the facet joints.The cartilage in it also tends to thin out when the spine is put under excessive strain.As a result, they lose their shock-absorbing function when moving, which leads to friction between bone fragments and the development of inflammation.
Treatment of back pain
Treatment tactics are developed based on the disorders discovered during diagnostic studies.If diseases of the spine are identified, conservative therapy is initially prescribed, which includes:
- drug therapy;
- physiotherapy;
- Massage;
- Movement therapy.
Conservative therapy
When treating back pain, a comprehensive, individual approach is important.Depending on the cause of their occurrence, patients are prescribed a number of medications, in particular:
- NSAIDs - drugs in this group have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, but with prolonged use they have a negative effect on the condition of the gastrointestinal tract;
- Corticosteroids – drugs with pronounced anti-inflammatory properties, prescribed in moderate to severe cases;
- muscle relaxants – help eliminate increased muscle tone and spasms;
- Antidepressants – help to eliminate psychological complaints, which often reduce the effectiveness of conservative therapy;
- topical preparations - ointments or gels with anti-inflammatory, warming or cooling ingredients can help reduce the severity of pain and cause virtually no side effects;
- Chondroprotectors – preparations containing glucosamine and chondroitin have a positive effect on the condition of cartilage tissue, increasing its elasticity and helping to restore normal thickness.
In mild cases, oral medication is sufficient.However, in more complex situations, patients may be prescribed intra-articular injections.If the pain is severe, it is recommended to perform blocks once or as a whole course, which can include up to 10 procedures.
To increase the effectiveness of drug therapy, patients are prescribed massage sessions and physiotherapy.Proper impact on the back muscles helps to activate blood and lymph flow, improve metabolic processes and eliminate muscle spasms.Manual therapy is very effective for spinal deformities, especially for grade 1-2 scoliosis.Regular sessions will help restore the normal position of the spine and eliminate pressure on internal organs.
As part of physiotherapeutic treatment, patients are prescribed sessions:
- UHF;
- magnetic field therapy;
- Bernard Currents;
- laser therapy;
- electrophoresis;
- Ural Federal District;
- balneological treatment.
If improvement in the condition cannot be achieved within six months or there is a risk of complications, patients may be offered surgical treatment of existing diseases.
Surgical treatment
Modern surgical intervention methods are characterized by a high level of efficiency and safety.They allow the pathological cause of pain to be eliminated quickly and often do not require hospitalization.However, most minimally invasive and microsurgical methods can only be used when patients turn to spine surgeons in the early stages of the disease.
Indications for surgical treatment are:
- progressive disc herniation;
- spinal canal stenosis;
- sequestered hernias;
- spinal fractures;
- scoliosis grade 3-4;
- severe forms of spondyloarthrosis;
- Compression of the spinal cord or its nerve roots;
- Hemangiomas of the vertebral bodies;
- Instability of individual spinal segments;
- Cauda equina compression syndrome.
The surgeon determines the type of operation based on the severity of the patient's condition.With the same diagnosis, surgical treatment can be carried out in different ways, differing in the degree of invasiveness, effectiveness, duration of rehabilitation and cost.
Recently, minimally invasive methods of surgical treatment have become very popular.With their help, intervertebral bulges, herniated discs, hemangiomas and a number of other diseases are treated.Minimally invasive surgery takes no more than an hour, and after its performance the patient can walk almost immediately and leave the clinic the same or the next day.
The big advantages of the method are a good cosmetic effect (in most cases, all the necessary surgical instruments are introduced through punctual punctures in the soft tissue), easy rehabilitation and an affordable price.For intervertebral hernias, only cold plasma nucleoplasty or hydroplasty (hydrodiscectomy) can be considered as a more promising method.
In situations where microsurgical techniques cannot be used, surgeons perform open operations.It is possible to completely remove pathologically changed formations, to compensate for severe deformations of the spine, to replace structures that cannot be restored with implants, and to achieve normal function of the spine through the installation of metallic titanium structures.
Modern spine surgery can treat almost any back problem.Many facilities offer the most modern methods for the surgical treatment of spinal diseases.A team of doctors with different specialties will help you get rid of acute or painful chronic back pain in the shortest possible time.
Prevent back pain
After the attack has passed and the pain has subsided, the following are recommended to avoid a recurrence:
- Do not lift objects that are too heavy;
- do not bow down;
- walk more;
- refuse heavy physical work;
- If you are sedentary, take regular breaks to warm up.