Everyone, at least once in their life, has encountered a problem when their back hurts in the lumbar region. This symptom usually appears after sitting for a long time in an uncomfortable position. The pain is safe for health and disappears after a good rest.
Treatment can be prescribed only after a full diagnosis and determination of the cause and nature of the disease. No action can be taken on your own without a medical examination.
Multiple reasons
The most common causes that lead to pain syndrome: osteochondrosis, scoliosis, herniated disc. Tumors and tissue infections are much less common.
Pain manifests itself in different ways depending on the disease. If the cause of the pain is kidney colic or a stomach ulcer, then the sensations are constant regardless of the nature of the activity (a person is lying down or doing vigorous activity).
If there is osteochondrosis of the thoracic region, then the pain radiates to the heart, then the patient mistakenly believes that he has angina pectoris.
If your lower back hurts while lying down
When pain appears and a person does not know what to do with it, he prefers to lie down, hoping that the discomfort will disappear. But if the pain intensifies while lying down, then most likely there is a disease of the musculoskeletal system, which is called ankylosing spondylitis.
The disease affects young men, changes occur in the vertebrae and they grow together, while the flexibility of the spine decreases.
Due to the fact that the spine cannot assume its natural position, a person feels pain while lying down.
Ankylosing spondylitis is inherited; chronic infectious diseases drive their development. The pain increases if you lead a sedentary lifestyle.
The first sign is a feeling of stiffness in the spine, and if you are lying down, the back pain worsens. Early diagnosis can completely cure the disease.
Primary pain syndrome
Doctors distinguish between primary and secondary pain syndromes when it comes to back pain and low back pain.
Primary low back pain syndrome involves musculoskeletal changes that are morphofunctional in nature.
These are the most common causes of pain:
- osteochondrosis (damage to bone and cartilage tissue, intervertebral disc);
- spondyloptrosis (damage to the intervertebral joints that affects the mobility of the spine).
Secondary pain syndrome
The secondary syndrome includes a wider variety of diseases that cause back pain in the lower back:
- scoliosis (curvature of the spine);
- reflected pain;
- osteoporosis and osteomalacia (damage to bone tissue);
- ankylosing spondylitis (inflammation of a non-infectious nature);
- rheumatoid arthritis;
- isolated tumor or metastases formed;
- tuberculosis, epidural abscess, brucellosis (infectious diseases);
- stroke condition, leading to impaired cerebrospinal circulation;
- gastrointestinal diseases (in particular, appendicitis or intestinal disease);
- diseases in the pelvic area (renal colic, venereal diseases);
- fracture of spinal vertebrae (the most dangerous and serious cause).
Acute pain
Low back pain is also classified as acute and chronic. Each of them points to different reasons.
A harmless but painful manifestation of acute pain is a muscle sprain. It occurs due to the formation of spasms in the long muscles.
Athletes and people in occupational specialties suffer more often. The pain is localized in the lower back, but it is clearly felt in other parts of the body, while a person's mobility is limited, the pain when lying down subsides.
Spinal injuries also cause severe pain. The most dangerous injury is a spinal fracture.
The fracture can be caused by a fall or it can go completely unnoticed, for example if the person has Paget's disease, osteoporosis, hyperparathyroidism, or has a tumor.
Displacement of the intervertebral discs in the lumbar region also causes pain. In this case, the mobility of a person will be very limited.
The pain itself is caused by compression of the nerve roots. Additional symptoms:
- sensitivity violation;
- decreased or total absence of Achilles and knee reflexes;
- root pain.
The displacement of the vertebrae can lead to the pathology of the nearby ones, which were healthy to the end. Disorders of the lower vertebrae cause diseases of the bladder and intestines.
Another reason for acute pain is facet syndrome. In this case, the intervertebral disc is not affected, only the compression of the root occurs, which exits the spinal canal. The intervertebral foramen narrows due to the narrowing of the intervertebral foramen.
A serious condition, such as an epidural abscess, can also cause pain. What to do in this case?
The disease should not be delayed, as it can have tragic consequences. It is necessary to take all measures immediately to eliminate the compression of the spinal cord, sometimes surgical intervention is required.
In the area from the lower back to the knees, pain caused by diseases of the hip joint can be managed.
Chronic pain
If the back is sick in the lumbar region and the pain is constantly present, aching or pulling in nature, this indicates other diseases in addition to acute pain.
The first reason is deforming spondylosis. The vertebrae of the lumbar spine undergo dystrophic changes, the ligaments weaken, and bone growth begins.
As a result, the bony outgrowths begin to put pressure on the nerve roots and pain occurs. Symptoms can be compounded by numbness and weakness in the legs.
Chronic low back pain can be caused by cancer or metabolic disorders.
In this case, you need to do cancer therapy, change the daily regimen and diet to eliminate the root cause, everything else will be ineffective.
Another reason is osteomyelitis, when an infection enters the bone and causes inflammation.
Diseases that cause low back pain
Other conditions that cause low back pain
- facet arthropathy;
- spinal stenosis;
- herniated disc;
- myogenic pain;
- rupture of the annulus fibrosus.
In women, pain can be caused by diseases of the pelvis, such as endometriosis, uterine and ovarian carcinoma. In men: prostatitis or carcinoma of the prostate.
Diseased kidneys, a tumor in the stomach, the duodenum can also hit the lumbar region. Pain occurs with ulcerative colitis, colon tumors, diverticulitis.
If the pain extends not only to the lower back, but also to the thoracic region, it is important to exclude the possibility of aortic dissection.
Harmless causes can be physiological changes, for example, the postpartum period or a sudden increase in mass, the effect of epidural anesthesia.
Treatment of such pain is not carried out, the patient cannot do anything, the pain will disappear on its own after a certain time.
Treatment of the lumbar spine
Before starting treatment, you must make a correct diagnosis. First, the doctor conducts a clinical examination of the patient, then relies on the results of ultrasound and MRI examinations.
Based on the diagnosis, a treatment program that combines several methods is already being selected.
First, the treatment aims to eliminate the pain syndrome to return the patient to a comfortable life. After all, a complete cure of the disease (if possible) can last for years.
If a hematoma is the cause of the disease, the orthopedist will treat it. Depending on the cause of the pain, which the therapist / family doctor must identify, an orthopedist, nephrologist, urologist, proctologist, gynecologist, cardiologist, gastroenterologist, pulmonologist, infectious disease specialist can keep additional medical history.
Previously, back pain was treated exclusively with antibiotics. Now there are so many treatment methods that only an experienced doctor will help you choose the right one.
To alleviate the patient's condition, it is recommended to change the mattress for an orthopedic one. The pain will be removed with warming anesthetic ointments and gels, which also contain anti-inflammatory components.
The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is also recommended. Muscle spasms will relieve muscle relaxants, nerve root edema will eliminate diuretics and vascular drugs.
When the patient can return to normal life, treatment continues with physiotherapy, massages and therapeutic exercises.
Treatment is carried out using the following non-pharmacological methods:
- vacuum therapy;
- acupuncture;
- laser therapy;
- manual therapy;
- dry traction;
- pharmacopuncture;
- electrical stimulation;
- magnetopuncture.
This treatment provides quick pain relief and also eliminates the cause itself, thus ensuring long-term results.