According to world statistics, about 80% of the adult inhabitants of our great planet are united by the same health problem - from time to time, even persistent back pain in the lower back. Back pain is the main symptom of many diseases of the spine and internal organs located in the abdominal cavity. And it is absolutely in vain that most of those who experience discomfort in this area bypass the doctor and begin to intensively apply various ointments and other "home lotions" without understanding the reasons. With these methods, you can easily get the opposite of the expected result.
Reasons: identify, exclude
The success of any treatment directly depends on the correctness of the diagnosis, the probability of relapse increases with the elimination of noticeable symptoms. Subsequently, such treatment can only aggravate the situation. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to carefully check the condition of all organs, symptoms may be pain in the lower back.
Digestive system
Exacerbation of diseases of the digestive system (pancreatitis, ulcers, colitis, cholecystitis, enteritis, appendicitis) often provokes the appearance of pain in the lower back.
urinary system
Often, kidney pain is mistaken for symptoms of back diseases, because their nature is the same. Diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract of various etiologies are accompanied not only by "retraction" to the lower back, but also by urinary disorders (increased frequency, discomfort, presence of blood in the urine and its turbidity). body temperature.
reproductive system
When there are problems with the reproductive organs in men and women in the acute stage, the pain often spreads to the lower back, coccyx or side. The nature of these pains is often girdle without a clear localization.
If any organ disease not related to the musculoskeletal system is detected, it is treated because it is the real cause of the pain syndrome. If problems with the above organs are not identified after a comprehensive examination, the problem is most likely in the spine.
Osteochondrosis
The most mobile part of the spine, which takes the lion's share of the load, is the lumbosacral. Degenerative-dystrophic changes occur in the intervertebral cartilage in the lumbar region with a sedentary lifestyle, excessive stress and insufficient intake of nutrients to the cartilaginous tissues of the spine - osteochondrosis.
Symptoms and stages of the disease
The main disturbing symptom of osteochondrosis is pain in the lower back. At the initial stage, it is localized and directed to the sacrum, its character is stretching (painful). During this period, the destruction processes affect the nucleus pulposus (its dehydration occurs), as well as the vertebral discs (their stable height decreases). Discomfort is observed with heavy loads, and the pain itself is light.
After a while, if the problem is ignored and no action is taken, the shooting starts in the thighs and buttocks. Due to the narrowing of the intervertebral spaces, the muscles and ligaments "wrap" and the spine becomes unstable. This causes loss of sensation and numbness.
The third stage is characterized by morphological changes in the discs, the spine itself is severely deformed, disc protrusion and prolapse develop. At this stage, the pain is stronger and longer. Every movement brings excruciating pain. Due to the protrusion of the fibrous ring and its impact on the spinal canal, it is possible to compress the areas of the spinal cord, vessels and nerve endings adjacent to the painful area.
The final stage of lumbar osteochondrosis "forces" the body to adapt to the changes caused by the disease in the following way. Bone tissue grows at the site of the disease to maintain supporting and protective functions. This usually leads to various microtraumas, and then to disability.
A comprehensive approach to treatment
Treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis must be comprehensive, regardless of the stage of development of the disease. The prognosis of treatment with a mild form is favorable, the deformation processes can be completely stopped, and the consequences are minimized. At the final stage of the disease, the task of treatment is to eliminate all symptoms and consequences, normalize the nutrition of spinal tissues, strengthen the muscle corset of the entire back and especially the lower part.
Medicines
To relieve pain in lumbar osteochondrosis, analgesics are used in tablets or injections, the second option is preferred because it is more effective. Anti-inflammatory drugs (non-steroidal) are prescribed to eliminate the inflammatory process. Muscle spasm that occurs simultaneously with pain is relieved by muscle relaxants. Chondroprotectors are used to restore damaged cartilage tissue.
All these means sometimes do not give the desired effect, because the injury prevents the drug from penetrating into the area of effect.
Blockade is used to relieve an acute pain attack. This should only be done by a specialist.
An analgesic is injected into the space between the spinous processes with a long needle. After such a procedure, the pain disappears very quickly, but for a while, because there is no therapeutic effect.
Effective use of local complex means - ointments, gels. They have an analgesic, anti-inflammatory, warming effect, many local preparations contain a chondroprotector. These tools are quite effective when used correctly and combined with massage.
Physiotherapy procedures
For lumbar osteochondrosis, along with drug treatment, physiotherapeutic procedures are used - balneotherapy, laser and magnetotherapy, weak currents, light and vibration therapy. They have practically no side effects and contraindications.
Alternative methods
Increasingly, alternative (non-traditional) methods are used simultaneously with traditional treatment - hirudotherapy, acupuncture, bee stings, hand therapy. These methods provide long-awaited relief, but some of them have contraindications, so consultation with the attending physician is required.
In addition to all the above methods of treatment, physical therapy helps to cope with the disease. Properly distributed loads of the necessary intensity will help restore blood circulation in the damaged areas, form or strengthen the muscle corset, and thereby free the spine.
In the treatment of osteochondrosis, it is important to correctly combine treatment methods, first acute pain attacks are eliminated, then inflammatory processes, and only when the acute period of the disease is over, non-traditional methods and physical exercises can be performed. is used.
Yoga and Pilates complexes have proven to be excellent rehabilitation programs for spinal disorders.
Lumbar hernia
A hernia often develops against the background of insufficiently treated or neglected osteochondrosis of the lumbar region - due to insufficient physical activity or excessive load, nutrition of the disc tissue occurs, its strength decreases and, as a result, a disc herniation. The process of destruction can go on for many years and go unnoticed all this time, but with one unsuccessful move, the mechanism starts to work and all the symptoms begin to appear one after the other.
General symptoms and course of the disease
Symptoms of a herniated disc include decreased tendon reflexes, pain of varying intensity, muscle weakness, and numbness of the extremities. Pain with a hernia does not always occur, back pain is possible, which gradually spreads in the direction of the pinched nerve.
The curvature of the body is a characteristic sign of a lumbar hernia. This phenomenon happens involuntarily, because the body needs to find the most comfortable position where the pain is minimal. In the severe, rapidly progressing course of the disease, the results can be paralysis of the lower limbs (partial or complete). This phenomenon is usually accompanied by disorders in the work of the abdominal organs, especially the intestines and bladder.
The clinical manifestations of a hernia of the lumbar-sacral zone are expressed by a constant increase in pain and a specific physical load (lifting weight, bending over, acute strong muscle tension, coughing), intensification of dull aching pains with localization at one point. moving away, the direction of pain in the hip or leg, or numbness in that area.
Lumbar hernia diagnosis
It is difficult to diagnose a hernia visually or only by the symptoms described by the patient. To more accurately determine the presence of the disease, several methods are used to help determine the exact location of the disease. Computed tomography, nuclear magnetic resonance and radiography - thanks to these methods, the doctor will be able to visually determine the location of the pathologically changed vertebra and see the deformed disc.
To determine the severity and consequences of the disease, doctors use several tests: raising the straightened leg, tendon reflexes, sensitivity (reaction) of the leg to several types of stimuli at all levels (from the toes to the hip joint) - pain, vibration and temperature.
Treatment methods
Depending on the severity and condition of the patient, different methods of hernia treatment are used. In case of exacerbation, first of all, it is necessary to immediately limit motor activity until bed rest and relieve pain with drugs. After 5-7 days, when the acute period ends and the pain subsides, drug treatment is completed with other restorative procedures (massage, physiotherapy, physical education).
Medical and conservative treatment of lumbar hernia is the same as osteochondrosis.
Surgery
Surgical treatment is recommended in the case of severe course of the disease and the presence of many serious consequences.
Instructions for operation:
- sequestration of the hernia - part of the disc damaged by the hernia enters the spinal canal;
- dysfunction of all or one organ in the pelvis;
- the openness of the spinal canal is disturbed (determined by MRI);
- lack of results when using medical and conservative treatment methods for three or more months;
- inflammation of the sciatic nerve.
Surgical treatment of hernias is now performed with the help of cost-effective, minimally invasive endoscopic procedures.
The laser reconstruction method consists in vaporizing the fluid from the protruding nucleus of the pulp using a laser. Thanks to this, the nerve root is "released", that is, its compression is removed. However, there are a number of contraindications to this type of intervention, such as early operations on the spine, spondylolisthesis, spondyloarthritis, impaired opening (stenosis) of the spinal canal, and protrusion of the nucleus pulposus into the canal.
A percutaneous discectomy method is used to remove the damaged part of the intervertebral disc. Steaming and removal of damaged tissue is performed with a needle inserted through the skin.
If the damaged disc cannot be restored in any way, starting with drug treatment and ending with minimally invasive surgery, or if all the methods used have no results, the deformed disc is replaced with a prosthesis.
Preventive measures
Special exercises are prescribed to prevent the development of the disease. Exercise complexes should be prepared by a specialist individually for each patient and should include exercises for muscle stretching, tension and light aerobic exercises.
With a herniated lumbar spine, doctors recommend wearing a special fixation belt. Externally, it looks like a capsule, is about 30 cm wide, is attached to the body with Velcro and has several degrees of stiffness.
This product is needed to evenly distribute the load (from illness to health) and relieve stress (discharge). By constantly wearing the belt, the damaged segments of the spine are corrected and returned to their anatomical position.
Lumbodynia with radicular syndrome
Against the background of osteochondrosis and lumbar hernia, as a result, lumbago develops - low back pain (acute paroxysmal pain). This is the most "simple" scenario. Since hernias and osteochondrosis are characterized by deformation of the damaged disc and often prolapse and displacement of the spine, there is a disturbance of the nearby nerve roots, called radicular syndrome.
It is aggravated by the violation of vessels, which provokes edema (soft) and congestion of the tissue. The symptoms of lumbodynia with radicular syndrome are similar to the symptoms of a herniated disc (sharp shooting pains that radiate down, loss of sensation and impaired reflexes) and since it is a consequence, the cause must first be treated with an integrated approach, otherwise disability threatens.
Sciatica
Another consequence of hernia and osteochondrosis is inflammation of the sciatic nerve - sciatic and accompanying pain radiating to the leg or hip. Despite the ability to pinpoint the "painful" place, the cause is in the spine.
Sciatica is not an independent disease, this term refers to a number of symptoms that accompany certain diseases of the spine. Pain sensations can be different, in some cases there is only a slight discomfort when staying in the same uncomfortable position for a long time, and sometimes the pain causes loss of consciousness, and in this case analgesics do not help.
For effective treatment, it is not enough to make a diagnosis of sciatica or lumbago, in any case, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive examination by various specialists and determine the exact cause, because it is the provoking factor. With the elimination of only some symptoms, the likelihood of the progression of the main disease and the appearance of many complications increases. Careful attitude to your health, early recognition of problems and prompt treatment are the keys to health.