What to do if your lower back hurts is an urgent issue for most modern people. Most of them have serious problems with spinal health. Currently, osteochondrosis is no longer a disease that exists in older age. Today, degenerative dystrophic changes in the cartilaginous tissue of the intervertebral disc develop at a relatively 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 important to see an experienced doctor. Choose the right specialist. The first thing to keep in mind in this case: local therapists do not treat back pain. According to medical and economic standards, it only eliminates symptoms in the allotted number of days. His job is to get the patient back to work as soon as possible. He did not pay attention to the fact that the disease would continue to develop intensively. As a result, many patients lose time in which they can restore spinal health without surgery.
We advise you to apply for full treatment in a manual therapy clinic. They use different methods and approaches. They do not use symptomatic treatment. Doctors who work in chiropractic clinics aim to restore the full health of patients, and do not cover up existing symptoms.
To understand what to do if the lower back is very sore, you need to know how this part of the body works and what can cause unpleasant symptoms. We offer you to get acquainted with some aspects of the anatomy and physiology of the lumbar region.
In the center of this part of the body is the lumbosacral spine. The sacrum in adults is a single triangular bone, made up of five vertebral bodies united. Between the first and fifth sacral lumbar vertebrae is the conditional center of gravity of the human body. This contributes to the mechanical load and major depreciation of the bottom of the foot.
This is due to the fact that the iliac-sacral joint is located on the lateral surface of the sacrum. With their help, the pelvic ring is attached to the spinal column. On the lower side of the pelvic ring is the hip joint. Thus, the entire load from the lower part of the leg through the hip and iliac-sacral joints is transferred to the L5-S1 intervertebral disc.
Due to these anatomical features in modern people, due to their inactive lifestyle, at a relatively early age, the L5-S1 intervertebral disc and iliac-sacral joint are destroyed. And this is a serious reason for the appearance of acute pain in the lumbar region.
The lumbar spine is made up of individual vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs. They are a bit big. In the lumbar and sacral parts of the spinal column are segments of the spinal cord of the same name. Paired radicular nerves depart from them, forming the lumbosacral nerve plexus and the large nerve. At the bottom of the sacrum, the terminal thread of the spinal cord comes out, which forms another large nerve plexus - the "ponytail".
The long anterior and posterior ligaments run along the spinal column. They start in the coccyx area and end in the occipital bone area. 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 for the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral disc. If they function incorrectly, then osteochondrosis and its complications develop.
It is difficult to determine independently which tissues are being destroyed. The help of an experienced doctor is needed. An experienced doctor will conduct an examination and make an initial diagnosis. Develop a personalized treatment plan.
The reason why the lower back hurts
The first thing to do if your lower back hurts is to find out the causes of this pathological condition. It is necessary to exclude the possibility of renal pathology. Often, urolithiasis, pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis and polycystic kidney disease are indicated by a characteristic pain syndrome in the upper part of the lower back. Other urological symptoms may also be present. These are cramps during urination, discoloration and transparency of urine, increased body temperature, general lethargy, intoxication, and edematous nephrotic syndrome, increased blood pressure, etc.
If you are experiencing these symptoms, we recommend that you see a nephrologist or therapist as soon as possible. You will receive professional medical treatment.
If on the night before the onset of pain syndrome you fell, injured yourself, had an accident, then you need to 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 traumatic effects, damage to the kidney tissue is possible.
The following diseases and conditions can be the cause of pain in the lumbar region:
- traumatic violations of the integrity of ligaments, tendons and muscles (stretching, microscopic rupture, defibration, cicatricial deformity, etc. );
- degenerative dystrophic processes in the cartilaginous tissue of the intervertebral disc, leading to the development of osteochondrosis and dorsopathy;
- protrusion (reduction in height and increase in occupied area) of the intervertebral disc;
- extrusion (rupture) of the fibrous ring in and out of the intervertebral hernia;
- unstable vertebral body position and its periodic displacement relative to each other according to types of laterolistesis, antelistesis and retrolisthesis;
- well -intentioned destruction and inflammation of the intervertebral joints;
- curvature of the spinal column and distortion of the pelvic bones;
- osteoarthritis of the iliac-sacral joint;
- spinal canal stenosis;
- pinching of the radicular nerve and its branches (sciatica, sciatica, radiculopathy);
- cauda equina syndrome, piriformis muscle;
- lumbosacral nerve plexitis plexitis and more.
It is very difficult to independently determine the real reason why the lower back hurts. To do this, you need to have extensive practical experience and specialized knowledge. Therefore, you should not engage in self -diagnosis and treatment. It is better to consult an experienced doctor in a timely manner and undergo full treatment.
Very low back pain - what to do at home
If your lower back is very sore, the first thing to do is ensure complete physical rest. It should lie on its 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 subside, then 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 your lower back hurts is to exclude all possible risk factors. They include the following aspects:
- overweight - each extra kilogram repeatedly increases the pressure on the cartilaginous intervertebral discs and provokes their premature destruction;
- violation of posture (round or bent backwards, withering, etc. ) - there is a violation of the process of load distribution of depreciation, displacement of the vertebral body and intervertebral discs is possible;
- heavy physical work associated with lifting and carrying heavy loads;
- domestic, sports and industrial injuries in the lower back;
- improper bed and workplace organization;
- sedentary work associated with prolonged static tension on the muscular skeleton of the body;
- selection of low quality clothing and footwear;
- incorrect foot position while walking and running (flat foot or club foot);
- smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages (it 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 spinal tissues);
- malnutrition and inadequate intake of clean water.
If your lower back is very sore and you do not know what to do, seek medical advice immediately. Only a specialist will be able to find potential causes, eliminate them and develop an individual course of treatment.
Low back pain - how to treat with manual therapy methods
So, what to do if the lower back hurts - now there are several options to treat it. The first is to apply for an appointment with a local therapist at a city clinic. In this case, symptomatic treatment will be carried out. All unpleasant symptoms will be eliminated, but the process of destruction of spinal tissue will continue. And it may increase, because using symptomatic medications for the treatment of pain, doctors completely paralyze the natural defense mechanisms of the human body.
For example, with the protrusion of the intervertebral disc, the pain syndrome in most cases is associated with the fact that the paravertebral muscles compensate for the depreciation load, taking it on its own. This is accompanied by strong tension on the muscle fibers and pain. But, if a muscle relaxant is used, then the muscle becomes paralyzed and all the depreciation and mechanical load begins to be fully applied to the already damaged intervertebral disc. In some cases, this gives rise to the rupture of the fibrous ring and the appearance of an intervertebral hernia.
You can also visit a manual therapist. These specialists adopt a completely different treatment approach. He or she will try to detect all risk factors and give patients individual recommendations for their elimination. Then he will develop an individualized course of treatment. It will be based on the principle of complete restoration of the disturbed process of nutrition permeating the cartilaginous tissue of the intervertebral disc.
To restore the normal shape of the intervertebral disc, several sessions of manual traction of the spine are performed. During this procedure, the doctor increases the level of elasticity of the soft tissues that surround the spinal space. Then he spreads the neighboring vertebral body to a normal distance. The disk has room to fully expand. After 2-3 procedures, the acute pain syndrome disappears completely.
In the future, a full course of treatment is carried out. It may include osteopathy, therapeutic exercise, kinesiotherapy, laser exposure, physiotherapy and more.