According to medical statistics, acute back pain is the second most common cause of disability.At least 80% of people have experienced it at least once.They can occur sporadically or be observed during the exacerbation of spinal diseases.But in any case, acute and chronic back pain requires efficient treatment and action aimed at the cause of its occurrence.
Acute back pain: causes
Acute pain is defined as pain lasting less than 6 weeks.For most it goes away within 2 weeks.Although it is impossible to predict in the beginning how long it will last.However, in almost half of the cases, similar or worse attacks recur in the future and become chronic pain.
Acute pain can vary in intensity, be dull, burning, etc.Sometimes it radiates to the arms, legs, back.The so-called lumbago in the back often occurs after hypothermia, excessive physical exercise and as a result of sprains.Several days may pass between the impact of the traumatic factor and the immediate manifestation of the pain syndrome, and it will manifest itself under the influence of minor physical exertion, for example, bending over.
It can also be the result of a back injury or be the first manifestation of a spinal disease, including:
- osteochondrosis;
- intervertebral hernia;
- spondyloarthrosis;
- spinal canal stenosis, etc.
Increases the likelihood of back problems:
- frequent stress;
- increased regular physical activity;
- overweight;
- stand frequently and for prolonged periods.
In addition to severe back discomfort, headaches, burning sensations in the legs, and dizziness may be present.All of these symptoms must be reported to your doctor at your appointment.
Regardless of which anatomical structure is damaged first, this entails a whole chain of sequential changes that increase the discomfort.Initially, inflammatory factors build up in the lesion, causing swelling and irritating nerve fibers.In response to this, muscle spasms often occur, which worsens the situation and causes poor circulation in the affected area.This leads to a decrease in the amount of nutrients and oxygen supplied to the lesion, as well as the retention of metabolic products in it.
Treatment of acute back pain
To relieve pain, lie on your back on a hard surface.This will allow the back muscles to relax and relieve pressure from the spine.To enhance the effect, you can place an orthopedic pillow under your knees and head, but it is important to avoid arching in the lower back.For severe pain, short-term use of NSAIDs is allowed.In the future, you will definitely need to contact a neurologist or spine surgeon to determine the cause of the pain syndrome.
You should see a doctor as soon as possible if there is no improvement within a week, repeated attacks or pain that spreads to the legs or knees, or problems urinating and defecating.To diagnose an existing disorder, the patient is shown:
- MRI;
- CT;
- X-rays;
- biochemical blood tests;
- UAC.
Based on the results of research and symptoms, the doctor makes a diagnosis and develops treatment tactics.In the case of acute pain that prevents a person from his ability to work, he may be offered a spinal block, which relieves the pain syndrome in a few minutes.
After the discomfort subsides, it is important not to stay in bed for too long.Moderate physical activity, coupled with special therapeutic exercises, is the best prevention of future recurrence of such attacks.
By going to the hospital, you will definitely receive high quality treatment for the pain and the cause of it.Specialists will be able to develop the most effective treatment tactics and quickly relieve pain with the help of well-made and affordable restrictions.
Chronic back pain: causes
People suffer from chronic back pain not less often.They can get worse and turn into an attack of acute pain, which completely turns off a person from the normal rhythm.Often it is a result of:
- An inactive lifestyle, which leads to the weakness of the muscle corset.This causes increased load on the spinal column and vertebral compression.The result is osteochondrosis, protrusion of the intervertebral disc and herniated intervertebral disc, spondyloarthrosis.
- Postural disorders.Long-term maintenance of any body position in which the natural curve of the spine is disturbed causes its curvature and the development of scoliosis or kyphosis.This involves degenerative changes in the intervertebral disc, redistributing the load on the muscles and pinching the nerve roots.
- Abdominal muscle weakness.Since they act as a support for internal organs and partially relieve the spine, when they are weak, the load on the lower back increases, which increases the 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, intervertebral discs gradually become dehydrated, which causes a decrease in elasticity, strength and size.The annulus fibrosus surrounding the jelly-like nucleus pulposus dries up and becomes more fragile.The load provokes the formation of cracks in it, which leads to the formation of protrusions and hernias.The resulting protrusion can compress nearby blood vessels, nerve roots, and the spinal cord, causing pain.
Diseases associated with chronic back pain include:
- osteochondrosis;
- spondyloarthrosis;
- osteoporosis;
- intervertebral hernia;
- facet syndrome;
- Bekhterev's disease;
- spondylolisthesis;
- rheumatoid arthritis;
- intercostal neuralgia;
- oncological diseases and others.
A common cause of chronic pain is wear and tear on the facet joints.The underlying cartilage is also prone to thinning under excessive load on the spine.As a result, when moving, they stop performing the function of absorbing shock, which causes friction of bone fragments and the development of inflammation.
Back pain treatment
Treatment tactics are developed based on the disorders found during diagnostic studies.When spinal disease is detected, conservative therapy is initially prescribed, including:
- drug therapy;
- physiotherapy;
- massage;
- Exercise therapy.
Conservative therapy
When treating back pain, a comprehensive individual approach is important.Depending on the cause of their occurrence, patients are prescribed several drugs, in particular:
- NSAIDs - drugs in this group have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, but with long-term 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 eliminate psychological discomfort, which often reduces the effectiveness of conservative therapy;
- topical preparations - ointments or gels containing anti-inflammatory, heating or cooling components can help reduce the severity of pain and practically do not cause side effects;
- chondroprotectors - preparations containing glucosamine and chondroitin have a beneficial effect on the condition of cartilage tissue, increase its elasticity and help restore normal thickness.
In mild cases, oral medication is sufficient.But in more complex situations, the patient may be given an intra-articular injection.For severe pain, it is recommended to perform a one-time or total blockade, which can include up to 10 procedures.
To improve the effectiveness of drug therapy, patients are prescribed massage and physiotherapy sessions.The correct effect 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 grade 1-2 scoliosis.Regular sessions help restore the normal position of the spine and relieve pressure on internal organs.
As part of physiotherapeutic treatment, patients are prescribed sessions:
- UHF;
- magnetic therapy;
- Bernard current;
- laser therapy;
- electrophoresis;
- Ural Federal District;
- balneological treatment.
If within six months it is not possible to achieve an improvement in the condition or there is a risk of complications, the patient may be offered surgical treatment of the existing disease.
Surgical treatment
Modern methods of surgical intervention are characterized by a high level of efficiency and safety.They allow you to quickly eliminate the pathological cause of pain and often do not require a hospital stay.But most minimally invasive methods and microsurgery can only be used when the patient turns to a spine surgeon in the early stages of the disease.
Indications for surgical treatment are:
- progressive herniated intervertebral disc;
- spinal canal stenosis;
- incarcerated hernia;
- spinal fracture;
- grade 3–4 scoliosis;
- severe form of spondyloarthrosis;
- compression of the spinal cord or its nerve roots;
- vertebral body hemangioma;
- instability of individual segments of the spine;
- cauda equina compression syndrome.
The surgeon determines the type of operation based on the severity of the patient's condition.For the same diagnosis, surgical treatment can be performed in different ways, differing in the level of invasiveness, effectiveness, recovery period and cost.
Recently, minimally invasive methods of surgical treatment have become very popular.With their help, intervertebral protrusion, herniated intervertebral disc, hemangioma and some other diseases are treated.Minimally invasive surgery takes no more than an hour, and after it is performed, the patient can walk almost immediately and leave the clinic the same day or the next day.
The great advantage of this method is a good cosmetic effect (in most cases, all the necessary surgical instruments are inserted through punctures right in the soft tissue), ease of recovery and reasonable price.In the case of intervertebral hernia, 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.During them, it is possible to completely remove pathologically altered formations, flatten severe spinal deformities, replace irreparable structures with implants, and achieve normal function of the spine by installing metal titanium structures.
Modern spine surgery can treat almost any back problem.All the latest methods of surgical treatment of spinal diseases are available in many institutions.A group of doctors with different profiles will help you get rid of acute or painful chronic back pain in the shortest possible time.
Prevent back pain
After the attack is over and the pain has subsided, to prevent repeated episodes, it is recommended:
- do not lift too heavy objects;
- don't bend over;
- walk more;
- refusing heavy physical work;
- When working inactively, take frequent breaks to warm up.