Back pain is a very common symptom at any age. Often it indicates the defeat of various systems - the musculoskeletal system, breathing, the digestive system. If your back hurts, do not self-medicate. Only a doctor can quickly determine the cause and treatment tactics.
back pain
Back pain is very different. It can be associated with eating or coughing, psycho-emotional experiences. The causes of this symptom are gastroduodenitis and cholecystitis, bronchitis and pneumonia, angina and acute coronary syndrome. However, these diseases are often accompanied by other characteristic symptoms that allow the doctor to make a correct differential diagnosis.
Back pain is much more often a sign of damage to the musculoskeletal system. It occurs with such diseases:
- Osteochondrosis (thoracic, lumbar or joint).
- scoliosis.
- Head Start.
- intervertebral hernia.
- spinal stenosis.
As such, these degenerative diseases rarely present with pain. However, as the pathology progresses, nerve roots and fibers are involved in the process. Their violation, compression leads to the appearance of neurological symptoms:
- Pain in the back, chest, lower back.
- Unusual sensations - burning, tingling, numbness.
- movement disorders.
Back pain can be chronic or acute. As a rule, there is a clear connection between the symptoms and physical activity, movement or breathing in diseases of the musculoskeletal system. To remove them, doctors resort to prescribing ointments, tablets and painkillers.
treatment
Injections for back and lower back pain are a highly effective treatment method. Often it is with them that the therapy of pain syndrome begins, especially if the patient's complaints are very pronounced.
Sometimes, in addition to injections, other forms of anti-inflammatory drugs are used:
- gels and ointments.
- tablets, capsules, powder.
- Rectal suppositories.
Very often the same drug is available in different forms. And the doctor selects the optimal option for the patient and relieves pain, taking into account its characteristics, tolerability and concomitant diseases. Some people cannot tolerate injections for fear of pain, and the mere sight of a sharp needle can make them panic. Others, on the other hand, distrust local forms and consider them insufficiently effective.
Even more commonly, injections for lower back or chest pain are the most popular and best-selling medications.
injections
Anesthetic injections for back pain are used in moderate and severe forms of musculoskeletal disorders. They are also prescribed when there is a need to get a very quick or long-term stable effect.
Some anti-inflammatory shots are prescribed as pain relievers after surgery. The following medicines are available in the form of injections:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs or NSAIDs).
- steroids.
- muscle relaxants.
- vitamins.
NSAIDs
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are a large and very popular group of drugs among doctors of various specialties. NSAIDs are widely used in the following medical areas:
- Rheumatology;
- traumatology
- orthopedics;
- Therapy.
The most common indications for their appointment are:
- osteochondrosis;
- protrusions and intervertebral hernias;
- intercostal neuralgia;
- various radiculopathy;
- bruises and sprains.
steroids
Steroid hormones are a special class of drugs. They have a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect. But there are many side effects of these drugs.
Hormone injections are used for back pain with hernia, rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, radiculopathy. The main indications for their appointment are:
- Intense pain syndrome.
- A strong inflammatory process, especially of autoimmune and allergic origin.
- The need for a stable analgesic effect.
Hormones can be made in tablets, but with pain in the spine, back and joints, intramuscular and intravenous injections are prescribed. This allows you to quickly relieve pain and stop inflammation.
Steroid hormones can be prescribed along with NSAIDs, but this combination requires careful monitoring of the patient's health.
muscle relaxants
Muscle relaxants in the treatment of back pain have only been used relatively recently. However, due to their high effectiveness, they have firmly established themselves in the prescription lists of doctors for dystrophic and degenerative diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
The mechanism of action of muscle relaxants is fundamentally different from that of NSAIDs. They do not affect the inflammatory process in any way, do not eliminate pathological edema and the pain associated with it.
These drugs, as the name suggests, relax the muscles. The mechanism of back pain is quite complex. It not only distinguishes the neuropathic component associated with nerve root injury. Of great practical importance are muscle spasms, which occur as a reflex reaction to degenerative processes in the spine and joints. It is not only accompanied by severe pain, but also aggravates the inflammation in the lesion.
Because of this, the appointment of muscle relaxants along with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs allows you to stop the pain syndrome in less time. What muscle relaxant injections are usually prescribed by doctors?
vitamins
Vitamin supplements alone are not painkillers. However, therapists and neuropathologists almost always prescribe them for back pain. What are the reasons for these recommendations?
The fact is that pain in the chest or behind - between the shoulder blades and in the lower back - in degenerative lesions is always associated with the involvement of nerve roots. It is their violation that leads to the appearance of unpleasant symptoms. However, the compression of nerve fibers is not only fraught with pain, but also their sheath suffers. As the process progresses, the nerves themselves are destroyed, and the manifestations of radiculopathies intensify.
Group B vitamins have reparative properties in relation to nerve fibers.
Group B
Vitamins of this group are available in the form of tablets, dragees and injections. In the acute phase, neuropathologists usually prescribe injections according to the established scheme - usually for a period of 10 days - and in the future recommend switching to oral forms. They should be taken within a month.
Previously, such vitamins came in three separate injections - B1, B6, B12. Considering that each injection is painful in itself, the administration of such a cocktail caused the patient a lot of suffering.
However, pharmacies today offer a huge selection of combination preparations, one ampoule of which already contains all the necessary B vitamins.
B vitamins are now an essential part of the established treatment regimen for various radiculopathies and neuropathies. That's why these injections are always on the prescription list for acute back pain, alongside NSAIDs and muscle relaxants.
gels and ointments
Although the numbing shot is fast-acting and effective in relieving discomfort, many patients prefer topical forms of medication. These include gels, creams and ointments.
Special skills are not required for the application of these products - even a child can apply the gel to the affected area. In addition, topical forms are safer since the active substance is practically not absorbed through the skin. This minimizes the risk of systemic side effects from the drug.
This is especially true of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which have an impressive list of toxic effects.
Ointments, gels and creams often help with mild forms of back pain. They are also preferred in the following situations:
- In children and elderly patients.
- With bruises and sprains of the ligaments.
- With concomitant pathology - diseases of the blood coagulation system, gastrointestinal tract, with bleeding hemorrhoids.
The use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory ointments and gels, even with uncontrolled use, rarely leads to the development of complications. This is often the sin of elderly patients with chronic pain and severe forgetfulness. In this case, the safest anti-inflammatory drugs become the means of choice.
tablets, capsules, powder
Tablets and capsules are an excellent alternative to injections for back pain. The name of the drug can be either the same or different.
Most nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are available in both oral and injectable forms. In addition, there are a large number of medicinal analogues. That is why you should not replace the drug yourself if it suddenly turns out to be ineffective, because there is always an opportunity to buy a drug with the same active substance, but in the form of injections or under a different name.
Tablets are the most common oral form of anti-inflammatory medication. Almost every nonsteroidal drug is available, including in pill form. They are easy to use, share and dose. Tablets are suitable for patients of any age group, except for children under 4-6 years old, who can choke on them.
Oral forms of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are preferred for treating spinal disorders because they are much more convenient to use.
In addition, some medications are sometimes as strong as injections.
Rectal suppositories
Rectal suppositories with an anti-inflammatory drug in the composition are widely available in every pharmacy. They serve as an alternative to oral forms and injections for back pain.
This form of release provides faster attainment of an analgesic effect than tablets and capsules. This is due to the accelerated absorption of the analgesic substance in the rectum. But at the same time, their action develops more slowly than with intramuscular and intravenous injections. Although the portability of rectal suppositories is much better.
As a rule, doctors prescribe this form for mild and moderate damage to the spine after surgery, in order to achieve an anesthetic effect.
Because of the way they are used, rectal suppositories are not suitable for all patients, but they remain a safe, effective, and popular pain reliever.
The choice of the form of the drug for low back pain syndrome is the prerogative of the doctor. He decides on injections or tablets, gels or suppositories - depending on the patient's illness and concomitant illnesses. Most often, therapy is carried out according to a certain scheme - injections in the first days of the disease to relieve acute pain, and pills or other forms - in the recovery period.