What to do if the lower back hurts is a burning question for many modern people. Most of them have serious problems with the health of the spinal column. Currently, osteochondrosis is no longer a disease characteristic of old age. Today, degenerative dystrophic changes in the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral discs develop at a fairly young age. They are found even in patients aged 20-25 years. Lumbosacral osteochondrosis is the most common cause of back pain. But not only him.
It is necessary to visit an experienced doctor. Choose the right expert. The first thing to remember in this case: a local therapist does not treat lower back pain. According to medical and economic standards, it eliminates only the symptom in the prescribed number of days. His task is to return the patient to work as soon as possible. He does not pay attention to the fact that the disease will continue to develop intensively. Because of this, many patients waste time during which they could restore the health of the spine without surgery.
We advise you to sign up for a complete treatment at the manual therapy office. They use completely different methods and approaches. They do not use symptomatic treatments. Doctors who work in chiropractic clinics aim to restore the patient's full health, not mask existing symptoms.
To understand what to do if the lower back hurts a lot, you need to know how this part of the body works and what can cause an unpleasant symptom. We offer you to familiarize yourself with some aspects of the anatomy and physiology of the lumbar region.
At the heart of this part of the body is the lumbosacral spine. The sacrum in an adult is one triangular bone, consisting of five fused vertebral bodies. Between the first sacral and the fifth lumbar vertebra is the conditional center of gravity of the human body. This represents the main mechanical and amortization load of the lower extremities.
This is due to the fact that the iliac-sacral joints are located on the lateral surfaces of the sacrum. With their help, the pelvic ring is attached to the spinal column. In the lower lateral part of the pelvic ring are the hip joints. Thus, the entire load from the lower extremities is transferred to the L5-S1 intervertebral disc via the hip and iliac-sacral joints.
Due to these anatomical characteristics in a modern person, due to a sedentary lifestyle, the destruction of the intervertebral disc L5-S1 and the iliac-sacral joints occurs at a fairly early age. And this is a serious reason for the appearance of acute pain in the lumbar region.
The lumbar spine consists of individual vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs. They are quite massive. Within the lumbar and sacral parts of the spinal column are the spinal cord segments of the same name. Paired radicular nerves depart from them, forming the lumbosacral nerve plexus and large nerves. At the bottom of the sacrum, the final strands of the spinal cord emerge, forming another large nerve plexus - the "horse tail".
Long anterior and posterior ligaments run along the spinal column. They start in the area of the coccyx and end in the area of the occipital bone. There are also short transverse and interspinous ligaments. They are located between adjacent vertebral bodies. The paravertebral muscles located along the spine provide diffuse nutrition to the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral discs. If they function improperly, osteochondrosis and its complications develop.
It is difficult to independently determine which tissues are destroyed. The help of an experienced doctor is needed. An experienced doctor will perform an examination and make a preliminary diagnosis. Create a personalized treatment plan.
Reasons why the lower back hurts
The first thing you should do if your lower back hurts is to find out the causes of this pathological condition. It is necessary to exclude the possibility of kidney pathology. Very often, urolithiasis, pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis and polycystic kidney disease are manifested by a characteristic syndrome of pain in the upper part of the lower back. Other urological symptoms may also be present. These are spasms during urination, change in color and transparency of urine, increase in body temperature, general weakness, intoxication and edematous nephrotic syndrome, increase in blood pressure, etc.
If you have these symptoms, we recommend that you consult a nephrologist or therapist as soon as possible. You will receive professional medical care.
If you have fallen, injured yourself, had an accident before the onset of pain syndrome, you should contact a traumatologist for an appointment. The cause of the pain may be a crack or fracture of the vertebral body or its process, the lower costal arch. Also, with the traumatic effect, kidney tissue damage is possible.
The following diseases and conditions can be potential causes of pain in the lumbar region:
- traumatic injury to the integrity of the ligament, tendon and muscle apparatus (stretching, microscopic ruptures, defibration, cicatricial deformities, etc. );
- degenerative dystrophic process in the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral discs, which leads to the development of osteochondrosis and dorsopathy;
- protrusion (reduction in height and increase in occupied area) of intervertebral discs;
- extrusion (rupture) of the fibrous ring and exit of intervertebral hernia;
- unstable position of the vertebral bodies and their periodic movement in relation to each other according to the type of lateroslisthesis, antelisthesis and retrolisthesis;
- destruction and inflammation of well-aligned intervertebral joints;
- curvature of the spine and distortion of the pelvic bones;
- deforming osteoarthritis of the iliac-sacral joints;
- spinal canal stenosis;
- pinching of radicular nerves and their branches (sciatica, sciatica, radiculopathy);
- cauda equina syndrome, piriformis muscle;
- plexitis of the lumbosacral nerve plexus and many others.
It is very difficult to independently determine the real reason why the lower back hurts. To do this, you must have extensive practical experience and specific knowledge. Therefore, you should not engage in self-diagnosis and treatment. It is better to consult an experienced doctor in time and undergo a full treatment.
The lower back hurts a lot - what to do at home
If your lower back hurts a lot, the first thing you should do is ensure complete physical rest. It is necessary to lie on your back on a hard, flat surface and try to relax your back muscles. If within 30 - 40 minutes the pain syndrome does not begin to decrease, it is necessary to call an ambulance. This may be a condition that requires immediate surgical attention.
The next thing to do at home if you have lower back pain is to rule out all possible risk factors. They include the following aspects:
- overweight - each additional kilogram repeatedly increases the pressure on the cartilaginous intervertebral discs and causes their premature destruction;
- violation of posture (rounded or hunched back, ridge, etc. ) - there is a violation of the process of distributing the cushioning load, it is possible to move the bodies of the vertebrae and intervertebral discs;
- heavy physical work associated with lifting and carrying heavy loads;
- domestic, sports and industrial injuries in the lower back;
- improper organization of sleep and workplace;
- sedentary work associated with prolonged static tension of the muscular framework of the body;
- choice of low-quality clothes and shoes;
- incorrect foot positioning when walking and running (flat feet or club feet);
- smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages (provokes a decrease in the intensity of the process of microcirculation of lymphatic fluid and blood, which is fraught with the development of ischemia and dystrophy of the spinal column tissue);
- malnutrition and insufficient intake of clean water.
If your lower back hurts a lot and you don't know what to do, see your doctor right away. Only a specialist will be able to find the potential cause, remove it and develop an individual course of treatment.
Pain in the lower back - how to treat with manual therapeutic methods
So what to do if your lower back hurts - there are currently several treatment options. The first is to sign up for an appointment with a local therapist at the city clinic. In this case, symptomatic treatment will be carried out. All unpleasant symptoms will be eliminated, but the process of destruction of the tissue of the spinal column will continue. And it can even increase, because by using symptomatic drugs to treat pain, the doctor completely disables the natural defense mechanisms of the human body.
For example, with the protrusion of the intervertebral discs, the pain syndrome in most cases is associated with the fact that the paravertebral muscles compensate for the cushioning load, taking it upon themselves. This is accompanied by severe muscle fiber tension and pain. But, if muscle relaxants are used, then the muscles become paralyzed and all cushioning and mechanical loading begin to be fully applied to the already damaged intervertebral discs. In some cases, this causes a rupture of the fibrous ring and the appearance of an intervertebral hernia.
You can also visit a manual therapist. This specialist practices a completely different approach to treatment. He will try to discover all the risk factors and give the patient individual recommendations for their elimination. They will then develop an individual course of treatment. It will be based on the principle of complete restoration of the disturbed process of diffuse nutrition of the cartilaginous tissue of the intervertebral discs.
In order to restore the normal shape of the intervertebral disc, several sessions of manual spinal traction are performed. During this procedure, the doctor increases the degree of elasticity of the soft tissues surrounding the spinal column. It then spreads the adjacent vertebral bodies to a normal distance. The drives have room for full expansion. After 2-3 procedures, the acute pain syndrome disappears completely.
In the future, the full course of treatment is carried out. It can include osteopathy, therapeutic exercises, kinesiotherapy, laser exposure, physiotherapy and more.