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Lower back pain

causes and treatment of back pain in the lumbar region

Today, many people complain of having back pain in the lumbar region. In fact, this problem is very common. At the same time, women are more likely to suffer from back pain than men.

In this article, we will look at the most common causes of low back pain and consider different treatments for this condition.

But before you start, it should be reminded that medicine is an individual thing that requires a professional approach. Therefore, if your lower back hurts “in a serious way, ” then it is better to contact an appropriate doctor.

Causes of Lower Back Pain

First of all, pay attention to the fact that back pain can occur as a result of the conditions in which a person lives, his work, as well as his attitude towards life.

Some of the possible causes of lower back pain can be:

  • Overweight;
  • Weak trunk muscles;
  • Hypodynamics;
  • Pregnancy;
  • High growth;
  • Certain occupations (driver, office worker);
  • Sports;
  • Mental disorders;
  • Work in which a person must use the torso and bend frequently.

Some causes of low back pain may not pose a major health threat. However, there are those that need to be treated.

Why the back hurts in the lower back

According to doctors, lower back pain can be the result of a medical condition. Therefore, the patient should be diagnosed to find out about a possible disease.

Doctors divide this syndrome into two categories: primary (musculoskeletal morphofunctional disorders associated with spinal injuries) and secondary (lower back pain caused by various pathologies).

Now it's worth discussing each category in more detail. Primary pain syndrome may include:

  1. Osteochondrosis. In osteochondrosis in the human body they affect the bone tissue and cartilage. As a result, it causes the intervertebral disc and vertebrae to move around it.
    2. Spondyloarthritis. In this disease, the intervertebral joints are affected, which reduce the mobility of the spinal column. People with spondyloarthritis suffer from back pain in the lower back, usually in the morning.

Secondary syndrome includes:

  1. Scoliosis, as well as some diseases that negatively affect growth.
  2. Bone damage caused by metabolic disorders, such as osteomalacia or osteoporosis.
  3. Inflammatory processes that did not occur due to infection.
  4. Tumors that form on the spine.
  5. Vertebral fracture. In this case, back pain in the lumbar region can be particularly severe because nerves can be compressed in these fractures.
  6. Infectious pathologies: tuberculosis, brucellosis and the like.
  7. Stroke condition. In this condition, the human body is damaged by cerebrospinal circulation.
  8. Diseases associated with the gastrointestinal tract.
  9. Diseases of internal organs located in the small pelvis (kidneys, genitourinary system).

Pathologies in men

Men can have back pain in the lumbar region for the following reasons:

  1. Prostatitis, which causes inflammation of the prostate.
  2. Malignant tumors. They most often appear in men who have crossed the age of fifty.
  3. Genital hyperplasia, which leads to the growth of certain cells.

Pathologies in women

  1. Genital pathologies (uterine fibroids, trichomoniasis).
  2. Pain during menstruation. In this case, in addition to pain in the lower back, swelling can also be created.
    3. Pregnancy. Because many changes occur in a woman’s body during pregnancy, expectant mothers may experience uncomfortable back pain.

Low back pain caused by pregnancy

The causes of lower back pain during pregnancy can be attributed to various factors:

  • Hormonal changes. During pregnancy, girls have elevated levels of relaxin, which leads to weakening of ligaments and joints. For this reason, they may not be able to withstand the additional load.
  • Enlargement of the fetus. The more the fetus grows in the womb, the more the center of gravity shifts. As a result, the entire load falls on the spine.

Postpartum discomfort

However, back pain in the lumbar region can occur not only during pregnancy, but also after childbirth. Below are the most common causes of pain.

  1. During pregnancy, some internal organs move to the side. For that reason, the muscles that hold them tighten. It is necessary to understand that most of the organs are just attached to the vertebrae. This means that for some time after giving birth, a woman may suffer from back pain in the lower back.
  2. Stretching the abdominal muscles. Even after the baby is born, the mother’s abdominal muscles are still tense.
  3. Overweight gained during pregnancy.
  4. Bone offset. This happens very early in childbirth to protect the fetus from injury. Every woman has a different bone repair procedure, so many mothers can feel back pain.
  5. Injuries. During childbirth, some joints may move during childbirth.
  6. Loads the spine. Interestingly, even normal movements can cause discomfort in girls after childbirth. In addition, they begin to feel pain while breastfeeding or changing the baby.

Remember that if you have back pain in the lumbar region, seek medical attention immediately.

Causes of pain on the left side

The most common causes of left back pain are osteochondrosis and disc herniation.

However, they can often be caused by the following factors:

  1. Myositis.After prolonged physical exertion or hypothermia, the muscles of the body may become inflamed. In this case, the pain is especially felt during movement.
  2. Kidney disease.Due to kidney disease, a person may feel pain and tingling.
  3. Diseases of the digestive system.In case of digestive disorders, the person feels left pain.
  4. Heart pathology.Some people who have had a heart attack or suffer from angina pectoris may also experience severe lower back pain. Also, pain can be felt under the left shoulder blade.

Not all reasons can cause discomfort. As mentioned earlier, at the first symptoms you should seek medical attention immediately and determine the source of the pain.

What to do if your back hurts

It should be borne in mind that in most cases, back pain is a warning sign of some kind of discomfort.

Thanks to this, we can learn about our disease and start treating it.

Quite a few people do not pay enough attention to such signals. Instead of seeking help from a doctor, they prefer to take some sort of pain reliever or injection.

Some, for fear of going to the hospital, start self-medication, which is not always good. Don’t be fooled into thinking that the pain will go away on its own and life will get better again.

The sooner you seek medical help, the faster and cheaper the recovery process will be.

If you doubt the correctness of the diagnosis or method of treatment, then it is wise to contact several experts to make a balanced objective decision.

Methods of treating back pain

An accurate diagnosis is needed before any disease can be treated. Below are the most common causes of back pain in the lumbar region and ways they can be treated.

  1. Intervertebral hernia, osteochondrosis.In this case, the patient should rest and avoid lifting loads, especially heavy ones. Today in pharmacies you can buy special belts that help protect the spine from injury. Physiotherapy also helps with such diseases. However, there are many cases where an intervertebral hernia must be surgically removed.
  2. Diseases of the genitourinary system.Complex therapy is appropriate here. Once the doctor makes a diagnosis, he can prescribe the appropriate medication. In this case, the doctor will first of all pay attention to the course and stage of this or that disease, as well as to the individual capabilities of the patient's body.
  3. Gastrointestinal diseases.Lower back pain can be caused by an ulcer, colitis or an inflamed appendix. The patient should refrain from self-medication and consult a physician. In case of acute pain, you must call an ambulance immediately.
  4. Kidney disease. It is also appropriate to call an ambulance here, especially if you have severe kidney pain. As a prophylaxis of kidney disease, traditional medicine advises drinking cranberry or cranberry juice, because they contain vitamins and trace elements that help normalize kidney function.
  5. Heart pathology.If you suddenly feel palpable pain under the left shoulder blade, and then the pain begins to spread to the chest, left arm and lower back, then this is likely to indicate a high probability of myocardial infarction. In that case, you must call an ambulance immediately, because every minute can cost you your life.
  6. Postpartum pain.If the problem is related to bone displacement, the doctor may prescribe manual therapy or physical therapy to the patient. It is important to remember that massage in such cases should only be done by an experienced professional. Failure to do so could seriously harm the mother’s health. Your doctor may also advise moms to do any physical exercise that helps restore bones.

Exit

From all the above we can conclude that if your back hurts in the lower back, then you need to see a doctor and only then start treatment.