What to do if the lower back hurts is a pressing issue for many modern people. Most of them have serious spinal health problems. Currently, osteochondrosis is no longer a disease inherent in old age. Today, degenerative dystrophic changes in the cartilaginous tissues of the intervertebral discs develop at a fairly young age. They are even found in patients between the ages of 20 and 25. Lumbosacral osteochondrosis is the most common cause of back pain. But not only him.
It is imperative to consult an experienced doctor. Choose the right specialist. The first thing to remember in this case: the local therapist does not treat low back pain. According to medical and economic standards, it eliminates the symptom only within the allotted number of days. His task is to return the patient to work as soon as possible. He does not pay attention to the fact that the disease will continue to develop intensively. As a result, many patients waste time that they could restore spinal health without surgery.
We advise you to request a comprehensive treatment in the manual therapy clinic. They use completely different methods and approaches. They do not use symptomatic treatments. Doctors working in chiropractic clinics aim to restore the patient to full health, not to mask existing symptoms.
To understand what to do if the lower back hurts badly, you need to know how this part of the body works and what can cause an unpleasant symptom. We offer you to familiarize yourself with some aspects of the anatomy and physiology of the lumbar region.
At the heart of this part of the body is the lumbosacral spine. The sacrum in an adult is a single triangular bone, consisting of five fused vertebral bodies. Between the first sacral vertebra and the fifth lumbar vertebra is the conditional center of gravity of the human body. This represents the main mechanical and damping load of the lower limbs.
This is due to the fact that the iliac-sacral joints are located on the lateral surfaces of the sacrum. With their help, the pelvic ring is attached to the spine. In the lower lateral part of the pelvic ring are the hip joints. Thus, the entire load from the lower extremities through the hip and iliac-sacral joints is transferred to the L5-S1 intervertebral disc.
Due to these anatomical features in a modern person, due to his sedentary lifestyle, at a fairly early age, the L5-S1 intervertebral disc and the iliac-sacral joints are destroyed. And this is a serious reason for the appearance of sharp pains in the lumbar region.
The lumbar spine is made up of individual vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs. They are quite massive. Inside the lumbar and sacral sections of the spine are the spinal cord segments of the same name. Paired root nerves depart from it, which form the lumbosacral nerve plexus and large nerves. At the bottom of the sacrum come out the terminal threads of the spinal cord, which form another large nerve plexus - the "horsetail".
Long anterior and posterior ligaments run along the spine. They start in the coccyx region and end in the region of the occipital bone. 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 to the cartilaginous tissues of the intervertebral discs. If they do not work properly, osteochondrosis and its complications develop.
It is difficult to independently determine which tissues are destroyed. The help of an experienced doctor is necessary. An experienced doctor will conduct an examination and make a preliminary diagnosis. Develop a personalized treatment plan.
Reasons why the lower back hurts
The first thing to do if you have lower back pain is to investigate the causes of this medical condition. It is necessary to exclude the possibility of renal pathology. Quite often, urolithiasis, pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis and polycystic kidney disease are manifested by a characteristic pain syndrome in the upper part of the lower back. Other urologic symptoms may also be present. These are cramps during urination, a change in the color and transparency of urine, an increase in body temperature, general malaise, intoxication and nephrotic syndromeoedematous, increased blood pressure, etc.
If you have these symptoms, we recommend that you consult a nephrologist or therapist as soon as possible. You will receive professional medical care.
If on the eve of the onset of the pain syndrome you fell, injured yourself, had an accident, you should contact a traumatologist to make an appointment. The cause of pain may be a crack or fracture of the vertebral body or its process, the lower costal arch. In addition, with a traumatic effect, damage to the tissues of the kidneys is possible.
The following diseases and conditions can be potential causes of pain in the lower back:
- traumatic violation of the integrity of the ligament, tendon and muscle apparatus (stretching, microscopic ruptures, defibration, scar deformations, etc. );
- degenerative dystrophic process in the cartilaginous tissues of the intervertebral discs, leading to the development of osteochondrosis and dorsopathy;
- protrusion (reduction in height and increase in occupied area) of intervertebral discs;
- extrusion (rupture) of the fibrous ring and exit of the intervertebral hernia;
- unstable position of the vertebral bodies and their periodic displacement relative to each other by the type of laterolisthesis, antélisthesis and retrolisthesis;
- well-targeted destruction and inflammation of intervertebral joints;
- curvature of the spine and distortion of the bones of the pelvis;
- deforming arthrosis of the iliac-sacral joints;
- spinal canal stenosis;
- pinching of the root nerves and their branches (sciatica, sciatica, radiculopathy);
- cauda equina syndrome, piriformis muscle;
- plexitis of the lumbosacral nerve plexus and many others.
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 specific knowledge. Therefore, you should not engage in self-diagnosis and treatment. It is better to consult an experienced doctor in a timely manner and complete treatment.
Very painful lower back - what to do at home
If your lower back is hurting badly, the first thing to do is to ensure complete physical rest. It is necessary to lie on your 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, 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 you have lower back pain is to rule out all possible risk factors. They include the following aspects:
- overweight - each additional kilogram repeatedly increases the pressure on the cartilaginous intervertebral discs and causes their premature destruction;
- violation of posture (round or hunched back, withers, etc. ) - there is a violation of the processes of distribution of the damping load, displacement of the vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs is possible;
- strenuous physical labor associated with lifting and carrying heavy loads;
- home, sports and occupational injuries to the lower back;
- poor organization of the sleeping and working place;
- sedentary work associated with prolonged static tension of the body's muscular framework;
- selection of poor quality clothes and shoes;
- poor positioning of the foot when walking and running (flat feet or club foot);
- smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages (this causes a decrease in the intensity of the process of microcirculation of lymphatic fluid and blood, which leads to the development of ischemia and dystrophy of the tissues of the spine);
- malnutrition and an insufficient supply of drinking water.
If your lower back hurts badly and you don't know what to do, see a doctor right away. Only a specialist will be able to find a potential cause, eliminate it and develop an individual treatment.
Low back pain - how to treat with manual therapy methods
So what if the lower back hurts - currently there are several treatment options. The first is to request an appointment with a local therapist at a clinic in town. In this case, symptomatic treatment will be carried out. All unpleasant symptoms will be eliminated, but the process of tissue destruction in the spine will continue. And it can even increase, because using symptomatic remedies for the treatment of pain, the doctor completely disables the natural defense mechanisms of the human body.
For example, with the protrusion of the intervertebral discs, the pain syndrome in most cases is associated with the fact that the paravertebral muscles compensate for the load of impairment, take it on themselves. This is accompanied by a strong tension of the muscle fiber and pain. But, if muscle relaxants are used, the muscles become paralyzed and all the depreciation and mechanical load begins to be fully applied to the already damaged intervertebral discs. In some cases, this causes a rupture of the fibrous ring and the appearance of an intervertebral hernia.
You can also consult a manual therapist. This specialist practices a completely different approach to treatment. He will try to detect all risk factors and give the patient individual recommendations for their elimination. Then he will develop an individual treatment. It will be based on the principle of complete restoration of the disturbed process of diffuse nutrition of the cartilaginous tissues of the intervertebral discs.
To restore the normal shape of the intervertebral disc, several sessions of manual spinal traction are performed. During this procedure, the doctor increases the degree of elasticity of the soft tissues surrounding the spine. Then he separates the neighboring vertebral bodies at a normal distance. The discs have space to fully expand. After 2-3 procedures, the acute pain syndrome completely disappears.
In the future, full treatment is carried out. This can include osteopathy, therapeutic exercises, physical therapy, laser exposure, physiotherapy and much more.