When back pain occurs, the thought of radiculitis immediately arises. In fact, even pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract can cause discomfort in the lower back. Therefore, before compiling a therapeutic regimen, physicians carefully examine the patient. When the back hurts in the lumbar region, only a neurologist can decide how to treat the pathology. The therapy often involves doctors with narrow specializations - gastroenterologist, endocrinologist, oncologist, gynecologist, urologist. Depending on the diagnosed diseases, further treatment is carried out at home or in a hospital.
Basic principles of treatment
Pain affecting the lumbar spine can be excruciating, excruciating, or violent and violent. If during the examination the patient does not have pathology of organs of other vital systems, then the following measures are included in the therapeutic scheme:
- taking pharmacological drugs to alleviate inflammatory processes, relieve pain, restore damaged bone and joint tissues;
- conducting physiotherapy procedures to accelerate the regeneration of vertebrae and skeletal muscles;
- physical therapy or gymnastics.
In case of sharp and severe pain that restricts movement, patients are prescribed drugs for intramuscular injection. As a rule, in this case, hospitalization is carried out in a hospital. After the patient's condition improves, he is discharged for further recovery at home.
Correct approach to treatment
The main cause of lower back pain is destructive-degenerative damage to the vertebrae or an formed intervertebral hernia. No matter how successful the treatment is, doctors recommend that patients eliminate the factor that caused the pathology from their normal lifestyle. Otherwise, the disease will return after a while or turn into a chronic form, dangerous for its relapses.
Start treating acute or withdrawal back pain should be in bed. When the inflammatory process becomes the cause of the pathology, then even insignificant physical activity contributes to its spread. Neuropathologists advise buying an orthopedic pillow and mattress. It will reduce the load on the sore back, prevent contraction and contraction of the muscles and nerve roots. If it is not possible to buy special devices, then you need to choose a mattress and a pillow of medium hardness for sleeping.
To speed recovery, you should follow these medical recommendations during treatment:
- avoid any physical activity and active sports. In the rehabilitation phase, you can practice yoga, swimming or simply take a long walk in the fresh air;
- Eliminate fatty and fried foods from your diet. They negatively affect the condition of blood vessels located in the lumbar spine, and contribute to the deposition of harmful cholesterol. Lack of nutrients and biologically active substances is one of the causes of bone destruction;
- do not drink or smoke. If you can’t completely overcome the harmful addiction, at least forget about it during treatment. Toxic resins, nicotine, ethanol have a detrimental effect on veins, arteries and capillaries, slowing down the recovery of bone, joint and cartilage tissue in men and women.
Intake of balanced vitamin and micronutrient complexes will help speed recovery. Some of them contain increased amounts of calcium, but these medications can only be taken as directed by a doctor. It is therefore advisable to buy simple medicines.
Pharmaceutical products
Despite the effectiveness of folk remedies and physiotherapy procedures, only pharmaceutical preparations can quickly eliminate severe back pain. If the discomfort is mild, taking capsules, pills and tablets will help. In addition to severe pain, neurologists prescribe intravenous and intramuscular injections to alleviate the patient's condition. Many medications used to treat lower back have serious side effects and many contraindications. Strict adherence to medical recommendations regarding the doses used and the duration of the course will make it possible to avoid negative consequences.
Solutions for injections
Injectable forms of preparations containing B vitamins are almost always used to treat lumbar pain. They show neurotropic activity:
- normalize bone muscle innervation;
- restore nerve impulse transmission;
- promote regeneration of affected nerve fibers;
- speed up the metabolism of substances;
- increase the functional activity of the central and peripheral nervous system.
The preparations also contain analgesics, so vitamin B preparations have moderate analgesic properties.
Medications for injections are prescribed for acute pain, often referred to as “lumbago”. And when the pathology becomes chronic, their use does not bring the expected result. Vitamins are used both as single drugs and in combination with anti-inflammatory nonsteroidal drugs. It is NSAIDs that are becoming the first choice in the treatment of low back pain. Solutions for intramuscular application within a few minutes stop the inflammation, reduce the severity of discomfort and eliminate soft tissue swelling.
Some drugs are structurally analogous, but may differ in the intensity of the therapeutic effect and the number of side effects. When choosing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, the doctor takes into account many factors. For example, certain drugs have a pronounced analgesic effect, but at the same time seriously damage the joints and cartilage. And there are drugs that, unlike others, do not interfere with the gastrointestinal tract.
Despite the effectiveness of NSAIDs in treating back pain, neurologists prescribe them with caution, especially in the form of injections. The fact is that even a single intramuscular injection of the solution can cause ulceration of the lining of the digestive tract. It is strictly forbidden to use NSAIDs in injections or tablets for people diagnosed with gastritis, as well as ulcerative lesions of the stomach and duodenum. Treatment of low back pain in men and women with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs should be combined with any proton pump inhibitors.
Tablets, capsules, dragees
NSAIDs and B vitamins after injection, the patient takes tablets or capsules to consolidate the outcome of therapy. If the lower back hurts, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in injections are contraindicated, then the doctor prescribes tablets with such active ingredients.
Combined drugs are often used to treat spinal pathologies.
Lumbar back pain occurs with muscle spasms.
The nerve roots are stretched causing the development of secondary radicular syndrome. Muscle relaxants help normalize the innervation of nerve impulses and stop cramps. In case of acute pain, a short course of injections is given, and then the patient continues the treatment with tablets.
Chondroprotectors are recommended during the rehabilitation period. The tablets usually contain stimulants for the regeneration of cartilage tissue, shark cartilage extracts and medicinal plants that help restore the bone structures of the spine. Before treating lower back pain with chondroprotectors, the doctor assesses the degree of damage to the joint and cartilage tissues. When serious destructive changes are diagnosed, therapy with these drugs can last for more than a year.
Ointments, gels, creams, balms
In addition to drugs for parenteral and oral administration, neuropathologists also prescribe drugs for external use. They are applied to the lumbar region several times a day until the painful feelings are completely eliminated. Some fats contain bee and snake venom, paprika extract and essential oils.
All these organic substances have a warming effect. Patients with sensitive skin may experience burns and symptoms of allergic reactions. Even before treating low back pain caused by an inflammatory process, you should consult your doctor about the safety of using such external remedies. As a rule, neuropathologists prescribe the following ointments and gels:
- homeopathic. They contain plant extracts and chemical compounds that improve metabolism and have an analgesic effect. Many physicians are skeptical of homeopathy, but patients who do not consider it a pseudoscience can be cured. One of the serious disadvantages of such ointments is the long duration of therapy;
- NSAIL. Ointment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is well absorbed by the skin and quickly penetrates the damaged area. After one application, the severity of the pain syndrome decreases, the mobility of the vertebrae is restored.
Effective stimulation of normalization of tissue metabolism and alleviation of dystrophic changes occurs after the use of external agents with chondroprotectors.
It doesn't matter if one vertebra is diseased or if the entire lumbar spine is affected - fats with chondroprotectors help to repair joint and cartilage tissues damaged by the pathological process.
Physiotherapy
Most of these treatments are not prescribed for patients with pain caused by acute inflammation. Procedures begin after its alleviation by pharmacological drugs. Physiotherapy is used to normalize tissue metabolism, tissue regeneration and prevent further degenerative changes in the lumbar spine. What physiotherapy procedure can you use to get rid of back pain:
- electrophoresis. Therapeutic manipulation is designed to ensure fast delivery of drugs (NSAIDs, analgesics, anesthetics, chondroprotectors) to the damaged areas of the lumbar spine. In the process of performing electrophoresis, cotton swabs soaked in the medicinal solution are placed on the patient’s back. At the top, special plates are placed through which electricity passes. Under the influence of electrical impulses, chemical molecules quickly penetrate the area of inflammation;
- ultrasound therapy. The oscillation of ultrasound waves stimulates blood circulation in the lower back. Nutrients and biologically active substances, as well as molecular oxygen, begin to penetrate into damaged tissues. After 5-10 procedures, the patient's pain disappears as a result of relieving muscle spasms and increased metabolism;
- laser therapy. Laser polarized light is used in the treatment of destructive changes on the lumbar intervertebral discs. Under the influence of infrared radiation, the supply of joint and cartilage tissues is renewed, and metabolism is normalized.
Physiotherapy helps to remove toxins, toxins, end products of the inflammatory process from the spine; - magnetic therapy. During the procedure, the patient is exposed to a wavy magnetic field to stimulate blood circulation in the damaged tissues.
Medical manipulation is prescribed to alleviate further damage to the lumbar spine and prevent the spread of inflammation to healthy tissues. The result is the disappearance of painful sensations and the restoration of the full range of motion.
For the treatment of severe pain that can radiate to the leg, arm, tail bone, physiotherapy is combined with the use of pharmacological drugs. And in the period of rehabilitation or during remission of chronic pathologies of the spine, patients are recommended mud therapies, baths with mineral water, classical and precise massage, acupuncture.
Traditional Healer Recipes
Traditional healers recommend drinking plenty of fluids to treat low back pain. Clean water, chamomile and rosehip tea, berry and fruit compotes will help to quickly remove the end products of inflammation, toxins and toxins from the spine. Infusions and decoctions of medicinal herbs are used as abundant drinks in folk medicine. Useful plants contain biologically active substances with anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antiseptic properties.
How you can cure back pain with infusions:
- Pour 3 tablespoons into a thermos. spoons of cranberry leaves, St. John's wort and calendula, pour a liter of boiling water and leave for about an hour. Strain, drink an aromatic infusion instead of coffee and tea;
- in a bowl for enamel or glass put a handful of dried rods, blueberries and juniper berries, pour 2 liters of hot water. Simmer in a water bath for 30-40 minutes, strain and drink 0, 5 cups of infusion before each meal.
Back pain can be treated with a compress or ointment made from natural products. How to make a potion:
- Dissolve 3 tablespoons in a water bath. spoons of natural honey, cool and mix with 2 tbsp. spoons of pharmacy alcohol.
- Lightly add 100 ml of Vaseline to the mixture and rub into the damaged areas of the lower back.
This medicine is also used for medical dressings for back pain. To do this, the mixture should not be rubbed, but spread it in a thin layer on the skin. You need to put plastic wrap on top and then wrap it in a warm scarf. The duration of the procedure is 3-4 hours.
Treatment of low back pain is usually done at home. Only when an acute inflammatory process is diagnosed is the patient admitted to the hospital. Depending on the cause of the pathology, therapy lasts from two weeks to several months. But if medical recommendations are followed, recovery is significantly accelerated, as evidenced by examinations of cured patients.
- “One morning I just couldn’t get out of bed, I even thought I was paralyzed. But the pain refuted such an assumption, it was so strong that it gave way to the feet. They were treated at the hospital with injections of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and a muscle relaxant, and then drank them at home for about a week. The pain disappeared on the second day, but the doctor ordered that he be treated until a victorious recovery. "
- “My pain gradually got worse, I guess, after bathing in a cold river. The lower back just didn’t bend, I had to go on sick leave. She followed all the doctor's advice, drank NSAIDs and relaxed muscles, applied anti-inflammatory ointment, and applied mustard patches to her back. She was cured in five days.
- “The doctor warned that pain is not the worst thing. During the diagnosis, my vertebrae were shown to collapse rapidly. For about a year I took chondroprotectors and rubbed them on my back. Because of the pain, I drank an NSAID with a proton pump inhibitor. After the new examination, the neuropathologist was satisfied that no new injuries were found. "