Everyone experienced back pain. For some it is intermittent pain, for others it is constant. To get rid of the discomfort, many people drink painkillers and don’t pay attention to the real causes of the discomfort. This can lead to complications and severe pathologies.
Back pain can be caused by diseases of the internal organs or spine, as well as injuries. Sometimes discomfort is the result of poor posture, physical exertion, or sudden movement.
You need to find out why your back hurts first and only then start treatment.
Types of back pain
The diagnosis can be assumed given the nature of the back pain.
For example, if the pain hurts and worsens due to heavy lifting, physical overload, hypothermia, or prolonged immobility, the cause may be myositis, lumbago, or intervertebral hernia.
Acute pain radiating to the legs or arms may indicate radiculitis, intervertebral hernia, or osteochondrosis. Discomfort is aggravated by walking, bending, or coughing, and weakness is felt in the limbs.
The same intervertebral hernia, lumbago and osteochondrosis, and spondylosis can cause throbbing pain. This is confirmed if the pain does not improve even after the painkillers.
If there is a rupture or squeezing pain in the chest area, it is a sign of a pulmonary embolism or heart attack. Spinal discomfort speaks of spondyloarthrosis, and in the lumbar region - intestinal obstruction. Atherosclerosis can be a cause of painful neck pain.
Back pain after sleep
In the morning, your back can hurt, not just because of a bad mattress or poor posture during sleep. Hypothermia, stress, or heavy lifting the previous day can cause stiffness and pain under the shoulder blades, in the lower back, on the right or left side.
Causes can vary: spinal curvature, osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernia, or obesity. Your pregnancy can also hurt your back in the morning.
Spinal and joint pathologies
Spinal discomfort may be associated with musculoskeletal disorders:
- Ankylosing spondylitis. Due to muscle cramps, the patient leans forward to relieve discomfort. Thereafter, the inflamed vertebrae stiffen and grow together, making the spine less flexible.
- Rheumatoid arthritis. The disease begins in the knee, hip joint, or shoulder and then progresses toward the cervical spine. In the morning, patients have shooting sensations and stiffness: the affected vertebrae put unnecessary pressure on the nerves.
- Spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis. The patient feels discomfort in the lower back: the vertebrae move and tighten the nerve endings.
- Osteomyelitis. Acute muscle pain occurs due to infection of the bone tissue in the spine.
- Osteochondrosis. With this disease, the amortization of the spine becomes worse and worse. The discs between the vertebrae are damaged and the anulus fibrosus is broken: the core of the disc comes out and pinched through the cracks.
- Intervertebral hernia. The protrusion between the vertebrae is compressed during movement, resulting in damage.
Musculoskeletal disorders
The source of discomfort may be cramps and indurations in the spinal cord:
- Fibromyalgia With this disease, the back hurts from the neck to the lower back and the discomfort is exacerbated by the pressure of certain areas.
- Dermatomyositis. The skin around the striped and smooth muscles becomes inflamed.
- Polymyositis. The disease is caused by overload or hypothermia: it hurts to turn and weakness is felt in the muscles.
- Polymyalgia rheumatica. The patient has difficulty recovering without the help of someone, and the asymmetry on his back is clearly visible.
- Charcot's disease. Peripheral nerves along the spine become inflamed. Sensitivity deteriorates, muscles weaken, the patient's gait changes.
Spinal cord diseases
Unpleasant sensations can occur due to the fact that any part of the spinal cord is constricted or inflamed.
The source of pain in this case is:
- compression of spinal membranes due to fracture, hematoma, or abscess;
- inflammation of nearby muscles;
- circulatory disorders;
- bleeding;
- lack of vitamins;
- a complication of HIV or syphilis;
- back cancer of various etiologies;
- multiple sclerosis.
Psychosomatics
The back can also hurt due to psychological factors: depression, nervous tension, chronic stress, or sexual dissatisfaction.
Localization of back pain
Discomfort at different points in the back is caused by various factors.
For example, right pain is caused by lordosis, scoliosis, kyphosis, or displacement of the intervertebral disc. The left side hurts due to spleen, spinal bite, or duodenitis, and the source of lower back pain can be sciatica, osteochondrosis, or intervertebral hernia.
If it hurts above the lower right back - may be myositis, on the left - osteochondrosis.
Discomfort throughout the spine indicates a protrusion that can develop into osteochondrosis.
When should you see a doctor as soon as possible?
If the back pain is caused by exertion or stress, it will subside after a few days. However, in case the pain only gets worse, urgent medical attention is needed.
Immediate medical consultation is required in the following situations:
- does not find a situation in which the pain is weakened;
- had a recent back injury or bruise;
- the condition worsens at night;
- the patient's gait has changed;
- the patient has a fever;
- limbs weak, numb, tingling;
- painkillers do not help.
Back pain diagnostics
You must request an appointment with a neurologist to determine the cause of the back discomfort. If necessary, a blood test should be performed to check for infection or inflammation. Tests prescribed by a specialist may also be required.
Diagnosis of the causes of headache, dizziness, or hypertension requires duplex and triplex ultrasound examinations of the neck and cerebral vessels.
MRI allows the appearance of tumors on the vertebrae, compression of the spinal nerves and spinal cord, herniated intervertebral discs, narrowing of the spinal canal. CT is required to detect vertebral fractures.
X-rays help assess the condition of bone structures to diagnose the extent of fractures, spondylolisthesis, arthritis, and poor posture.
Electromyography detects nerve compression due to spinal stenosis or disc herniation.
How to relieve back pain?
First of all, you need to relax. To do this, lie on your stomach on a flat, hard surface, preferably on the floor. After a few minutes, wrap your back around and lift your legs so that they are at a 90-degree angle. This reduces the load on the spine.
Anti-inflammatory ointments and creams are also useful. When the pain subsides, you should get up carefully and tie the sore area with a scarf or towel.
If painkillers are not available, a cold compress - an ice pack or food from the freezer - will help relieve severe pain. It is not possible to completely get rid of the discomfort, but it can alleviate the condition. The diametrically opposite option will also help - heating pad or heating compress.
A light warm-up or a leisurely walk will help you get rid of unpleasant feelings.
Back pain treatment
After the examination and diagnosis, the doctor will prescribe treatment. To alleviate the discomfort, one skilled in the art will prescribe painkillers, B vitamins and muscle relaxants. Sometimes it is recommended to wear bed rest and a special corset.
An important stage of treatment is physiotherapy. These include electrophoresis with drugs, laser therapy, phonophoresis and magnetic therapy. Electron neurostimulation and acupuncture also help.
For back pain, massage, hand therapy, osteopathy and exercise are effective. They also help rehabilitate the trauma.
Prevention of back pain
You need to move more to avoid discomfort on your back. Morning exercises and yoga, contrast showers and massage courses are effective.
It is important to maintain the health of the collagen-producing liver and strengthen immunity. It is worth monitoring the weight as each additional ten pounds increases the load on the spine.
But above all, you need to avoid stress and create a steady psychological atmosphere around it.