Back pain: the most common causes

These are the main causes of generalized back pain. All these problems threaten with severe spinal dysfunction and require a mandatory visit to the doctor.

In some cases, without proper treatment, there is a risk of serious problems that threaten serious complications. If the tissues of the spine or spinal cord are affected, there is a risk of paralysis of the limbs or even the whole body.

symptoms

You need to have an idea of ​​the symptoms in order to see a doctor in a timely manner and describe your complaints correctly.

At the same time, the symptoms of back pain may be slightly different, and given that pain itself is a symptom, we must emphasize the main manifestations, which differ in nature and location:

• Painful feelings by nature are: sharp, dull, stabbing, cutting, hurting, pulling, burning, etc.
• Painful feelings are strong, moderate and weak, these indicators are individual for each person. However, it should be taken into account when prescribing treatments for, for example, chronic low back pain.
• Back pain along the entire spine is very rare. More often, the painful sensations are either point-like or localized to a separate part of the spine (cervical, thoracic, lumbar).
• In addition, there is pain in the upper (or any) part of the spine. In this condition, the pain syndrome affects other parts of the lower back, often called walking.
• As a rule, acute pain in the spine is the most disturbing and affects daily life the most, but it is often wavy and easier to treat. At the same time, dull pains are less intense, but always present, take longer to correct, and respond worse to therapy.

These are general rules for feeling pain in different parts of the back. However, in addition to understanding the general symptoms of pain, it is important to know that the clinical picture may change depending on the disease. Thus, in one case, pain is felt between the cervical spine, in another case it is localized in the lumbar region and has a different character.

For this reason, it is worth considering the symptoms of various pathological processes associated with back pain separately.

Osteochondrosis

If you have back pain, the most likely diagnosis will be osteochondrosis, as the disease is more common than others. It is also important to understand that doctors distinguish three types of osteochondrosis: cervical, thoracic and lumbar.

In each of these cases, the pain between the vertebrae is connected to different parts of the spine. The disease itself involves the destruction of cartilage tissue in the intervertebral discs, and the pathological process also occurs in the vertebrae, as it is removed due to the reduction of the space between them.

The main symptom of the disease is pain, but there may also be clinical signs from the nervous system, as the roots are damaged due to the impact on the spinal cord.

Myositis

A rare disease characterized by an inflammatory process in the body's muscle tissues, including the lower back. More often, myositis is accompanied by excruciating pain, but acute pain or so-called back pain is also possible.

Pain syndrome is localized directly to the inflamed area of ​​muscle tissue, but the pain can spread to nearby areas.

Spondylosis

If you have back pain, spondylosis may be one of the probable causes. It is characterized by pathology, growth and dystrophic changes in the bone tissue of the spine. In this case, due to prolonged stay in one position, painful sensations occur during physical exertion, for example, during sedentary work.

Sciatica

This term refers to the compression of the sciatic nerve by further inflammation. The pathological process is accompanied by cutting, stabbing, sharp pains. Pain with sciatica is not felt continuously, it appears suddenly and fluctuates.

Severe pain with sciatica at the site of direct violation or inflammation. However, because the sciatic nerve is a very long length, there are painful sensations in different areas, often with pain in the legs.

Osteoporosis

The disease develops due to lack of calcium in the body. As a result, bone tissue along the entire spine loses elasticity and strength, microtrauma and cracks appear everywhere.

In this pathological process, especially in the later stages of the disease, the whole spine hurts.

Herniated disk

Acute and severe pain in the spine may be evidence of a herniated disc. At the same time, the pain syndrome is stable, but increases with physical force, bending, coughing, sudden or careless movements.

In most cases, a hernia develops in the lower back, which is due to the sensitivity of this area to excessive loads and weight lifting. Hernia often occurs as a complication of osteochondrosis, which depends on the characteristics of the course of this pathology.

In this case, a hernia is dangerous only with pain, there is a risk of compression of the nerve branches of the spinal cord and the development of neurological symptoms.

Excessive lumbar mobility

Conversely, this problem is called vertebral hypermobility or spinal instability. An obvious sign of pathology is painful sensations intensified by intense physical exertion and weight lifting. Pain in the back is of a changing nature, or decreases, and then suddenly reappears.

The most affected cervix, as the disease progresses, makes it difficult for a person to hold his head.

Scoliosis

Surprisingly, curvature of the spine is a direct cause of pain. One of the most common problems is scoliosis. The pain in scoliosis is more muscular. This is because of the increased stress on some of the muscles in the back, and some are relaxed.

In scoliosis, due to the curvature of the spine, individual vertebral discs are compressed and cartilage tissue is deformed.

Painful sensations with scoliosis are persistent, painful or painful, of low intensity, rarely severe and sharp.

Spinal Injury

Of course, any mechanical damage, even small damage, is painful. In this case, the pain becomes more intense, the damage is so severe, and sometimes even a sharp pain is felt with a small visible injury, which may indicate internal injuries. In this case, bruises, bruises, sprains, dislocations are taken into account, but fractures are the most severe type of injury.

It is noteworthy that old, long-lasting injuries are felt decades later. So back and neck pain can remind you of how you fell on the ice as a child.

Bechterew's disease

This dangerous disease is also called ankylosing spondylitis. Pathologically, a chronic inflammatory process in the joints, in other words, is characterized by inflammation of the spine.

Ankylosing spondylitis is accompanied by severe pain, and the intensity of the pain syndrome is higher than at the beginning of the pathological process and only intensifies in the future. In this condition, the pain increases after rest and due to weather changes, but the NSAIDs group is well managed with medications and physiotherapy.

Oncological diseases

Cancer is the most dangerous pathology with obvious symptoms of pain. In this case, if it is located in an area not close to the spine and exerts pressure, pain syndrome is seen in both benign and malignant neoplasms.

Metastases are a more dangerous manifestation of oncology. In this case, the pain is constant and intense, haunting a person always and everywhere, regardless of body position and any movement. It hurts just as much when lying on your back.

Kidney disease

The causes of back pain are not always related to back problems. Due to the anatomical location of the kidneys, the pathologies that affect them also respond to severe back pain.

Pains can be dull and painful or sharp stabbing, the intensity of which varies depending on the disease and the degree of development.

Here it is important to understand that painful sensations can be on both sides or only on one side, which indicates which kidney is involved in the pathological process.

Cardiovascular pathology

It is a mistake to think that in diseases of the cardiovascular system, pain occurs only in the chest area. For example, with ischemic heart disease and myocardial infarction, painful sensations spread to the back of the chest and chest area. They are characterized by sharp, stabbing and occur suddenly.

Pathologies of the cardiovascular system include an aortic aneurysm, in which there is a sharp pain near the spine in the thoracic region.

Digestive system pathology

Diseases of the digestive tract also often cause back pain, but in such cases there are always a number of different clinical signs. In addition to pain, there is indigestion, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or diarrhea and general weakness.

Infections

Bone tuberculosis is one of the most severe and dangerous infectious diseases associated with back pain. The disease is accompanied by serious pathological processes in the bone tissue, pain in the entire spine. Pain is different in nature, sometimes it pulls, sometimes it stabs, but it is constantly changing.

Respiratory diseases

The lungs occupy most of the chest area of ​​the body, so lung pathologies are often accompanied by back pain. Such diseases include pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis, pleurisy, etc.

Pain with such pathologies is aggravated by coughing, sneezing, deep breathing, yawning. In addition, the clinical picture is enriched with cough, shortness of breath and other similar symptoms.

Congenital pathologies

The factor of congenital anomalies is very rare, but it still occurs. In this case, the main doubts fall on the congenital excess of the spine or insufficient number of vertebrae. This affects the muscles and ligaments, the structure of the body, creating a risk of spinal dislocation or compression, which is always accompanied by pain.

Pregnancy and childbirth

Pregnancy is also one of the causes of painful back symptoms.

Spinal pain and other problems of a similar nature occur more often in the third trimester, which depends entirely on the growth of the fetus and the increasing load on the spine.

In such cases, the pain is usually dull, pulls, decreases or temporarily disappears after a short rest when the expectant mother lies down.

Inflammatory processes

Many different inflammatory processes lead to the development of pain syndrome, some of which we have already discussed. Get spondyloarthritis (ankylosing spondylitis). It begins in the pathological lumbosacral region, then becomes inflamed, and at the same time the back pain rises painfully to the spine.

Pain radiating to the spine

As mentioned at the beginning, there is a class of pain called radiation. This means that back pain is transmitted from other parts or organs where the disease flares up. Let's talk in more detail about such pains.

Cardiovascular disorders

The most likely diseases of the cardiovascular system, accompanied by back pain, were discussed earlier. In addition to pain, it is important to understand that such pathologies are accompanied by high blood pressure, arrhythmias and pale skin, which are their distinguishing features.

Gallbladder Diseases

The most obvious example of such a pathological process is cholecystitis, which causes pain in the right part of the scapula and chest in the central part of the spine.

Acute form of the disease is accompanied by severe cuts, chronic diagnosis is more difficult, because the pain is intermediate and low intensity.

Pancreatic lesions

The most common disease of the pancreas is pancreatitis. The clinical sign of such a condition is abdominal pain, but they also surround the area, which is characterized by sharp, stabbing. However, in addition to pain, the patient suffers from nausea and vomiting, and painful sensations after eating fatty, sweet, fried foods.

Pathology of the kidneys and upper urinary tract

Kidney and urinary tract diseases are also accompanied by pain and are generally intense. Severe pain occurs during urolithiasis, but is not felt only in the lumbar region. There is a sharp discomfort in the lower abdomen and groin.

Diagnostics

As can be seen from a large list of possible problems and possible diseases, it is necessary to determine the root cause of back pain in order to eliminate back pain.

To do this, you must consult a doctor and make a full-fledged differential diagnosis, which consists of the following.

• Radiographyis ​​a simple but very effective way to determine the condition of the spine, allowing to detect deformities and various pathologies.
• CT- computed tomography more accurately reveals the pathology of the intervertebral discs and vertebrae.
• MRI- magnetic resonance imaging will not only show possible problems in the structure of the vertebrae and intervertebral discs, but also more advanced and most advanced, which will allow to identify or rule out pathological processes in the spine. is an effective diagnostic method. brain.

If the above surveys do not yield any results, please contact the narrow profile specialists in other fields. Perhaps the problem is in diseases of the heart, gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, pelvic organs, etc.

How to treat back pain

Treatment of acute low back pain requires a comprehensive and systematic approach. Methods of control are clarified after a thorough examination and accurate diagnosis. It is also important to understand that it is important to contact a specialist in case of problems of this nature, self-medication is not acceptable in any case.

The attending physician will prescribe a treatment regimen that includes a course of medication, physiotherapy, exercise therapy, and massage.

Physiotherapy

It is one of the main methods of combating pathologies associated with the spine.

Treatment of low back pain includes the following procedures:

• Electrophoresis.
• Ultrasound exposure.
• Laser therapy;
• Magnetotherapy.

Treatment is carried out in 7-10 or more procedures, the interval between procedures is 3-5 days.

Gymnastics

Physiotherapy and gymnastics are also included in the treatment of pain syndrome, but these methods are used for recovery when there is no more severe pain. Gymnastics is necessary to restore muscle elasticity, mobility, keep in good condition and accelerate recovery after back injuries.

It is important to conduct the first sessions with a physiotherapist who will correct the methodology and distribute the load, teaching you how to do it right. In the future, classes will be conducted at home, and most importantly, the requirements are a systematic approach.

Drug treatment

Drug treatment is the core of all treatment. Each drug is prescribed by a doctor based on the diagnostic information obtained. The technique depends on the intensity of the pain syndrome, the stage of development of the disease.

The following medications are needed for low back pain:

• NSAIDs(non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) - prescribed in the form of ointments, tablets, injections, sometimes suppositories. NSAIDs have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects and reduce local fever.
• Analgesicsare painkillers that block the nerve centers responsible for recognizing pain.
• Muscle relaxantis ​​used when muscle spasm needs to be relieved.

• Vitamin complexes, including B vitaminsTheir effect helps to restore nerve fibers and build metabolic processes.

The duration of drug treatment, frequency and dosage of drugs are determined by a physician.

Massage

Massage is another effective way to relieve pain. It is prescribed when the pain is reduced, it is carried out only by a narrow specialist.

Massage therapy stimulates blood circulation, reduces pain, restores nasal and muscle elasticity, etc. A massage course of at least 10 sessions is required to achieve a material effect.

Prevention

To minimize the risk of pathologies that cause pain in the spine or reduce the risk of recurrence of the disease, you should follow simple preventive recommendations:

• Eliminate bad habits.
• Eat right, eat small meals, switch to a fractional food system.
• Maintain an active lifestyle, do sports, preferably swimming or some form of gymnastics.
• It is useful to hang the back on a horizontal bar at least 3-4 times a week.
• Take a break to warm up while sitting.
• Avoid strenuous physical activity and injury.
• If you can't avoid lifting weights, do everything right, lift heavy things with your back straight.
• Lie on a moderately hard bed, get an orthopedic mattress.

Remember, if the pain lasts more than 4-5 days or is so severe that it is difficult to tolerate, consult your doctor immediately. Timely treatment allows you to save your health and prevent many dangerous complications.