Everyone, at least once in their life, has encountered a problem when it hurts their back in the lumbar region. This symptom often appears after prolonged sitting in an uncomfortable position. The pain is safe for health and disappears after a good rest.
Treatment can be prescribed only after a complete diagnosis and determination of the cause and nature of the disease. No action can be done alone without a doctor's visit.
Variety of motifs
The most common causes leading to pain syndrome: osteochondrosis, scoliosis, herniated disc. Tumors and tissue infections are much less common.
Pain manifests itself in different ways depending on the disease. If the cause of pain is renal colic or a stomach ulcer, the sensations are constant regardless of the nature of the activity (a person is lying down or engaged in vigorous activity).
If osteochondrosis of the thoracic region is present, the pain radiates to the heart, so the patient mistakenly believes that he has angina pectoris.
If your lower back hurts while lying down
When pain appears and a person does not know what to do with it, he prefers to lie down, hoping that the discomfort will disappear. But if the pain intensifies while lying down, there is most likely a disease of the musculoskeletal system, which is called ankylosing spondylitis.
The disease affects young men, changes occur in the vertebrae and grow together, while the flexibility of the spine decreases.
Due to the fact that the spine cannot assume its natural position, a person feels pain while lying down.
Ankylosing spondylitis is hereditary, the impetus for development is given by chronic infectious diseases. The pain increases if you lead a sedentary lifestyle.
The first sign is a feeling of stiffness in the spine and if lying down the pain in the back gets worse. Early diagnosis can completely cure the disease.
Primary pain syndrome
Doctors distinguish between primary and secondary pain syndromes when it comes to back and lumbar pain.
Primary low back pain syndrome involves musculoskeletal changes of a morphofunctional nature.
These are the most common causes of pain:
- osteochondrosis (damage to bone and cartilage tissue, intervertebral disc);
- spondyloptrosis (damage to the intervertebral joints that affects the mobility of the spine).
Secondary pain syndrome
Secondary syndrome includes a wider variety of conditions that cause back pain in the lumbar region:
- scoliosis (curvature of the spine);
- reflected pain;
- osteoporosis and osteomalacia (damage to bone tissue);
- ankylosing spondylitis (inflammation of a non-infectious nature);
- rheumatoid arthritis;
- isolated tumor or metastases formed;
- tuberculosis, epidural abscess, brucellosis (infectious diseases);
- stroke condition, leading to impaired cerebrospinal circulation;
- gastrointestinal diseases (in particular, appendicitis or intestinal diseases);
- diseases in the pelvic area (renal colic, venereal diseases);
- fracture of the spinal vertebrae (the most dangerous and serious cause).
Acute pain
Low back pain is also classified as acute and chronic. Each of them indicates separate reasons.
A harmless but painful manifestation of acute pain is muscle sprain. It occurs due to the formation of spasms in the long muscles.
Sportsmen and people with professional specialties suffer more often. The pain is localized in the lower back, but it is clearly felt in other parts of the body, while the mobility of a person is limited, lying down the pain subsides.
Spinal injuries also cause acute pain. The most dangerous injury is a spinal fracture.
The fracture can be caused by a fall or it can occur completely unnoticed, for example if the person has Paget's disease, osteoporosis, hyperparathyroidism, or has a tumor.
Displacement of the intervertebral discs in the lumbar region also causes pain. In this case, the mobility of a person will be severely limited.
The pain itself is caused by the compression of the nerve roots. Additional symptoms:
- violation of sensitivity;
- decrease or complete absence of Achilles and knee reflexes;
- root pain.
The displacement of the vertebrae can lead to the pathology of the neighbors, who were healthy to the last. Disorders of the lower vertebrae lead to diseases of the bladder and intestines.
Another reason for acute pain is facet syndrome. In this case, the intervertebral disc is not affected, only compression of the root occurs, which exits the spinal canal. The intervertebral foramen narrows due to the narrowing of the intervertebral foramen.
Even a serious illness such as an epidural abscess can cause pain. What to do in this case?
The disease should not be delayed, as it can lead to tragic consequences. It is necessary to immediately take all measures to eliminate compression of the spinal cord, sometimes surgery is required.
In the area from the lower back to the knees, pain caused by diseases of the hip joint may be given.
Chronic pain
If the back is diseased in the lumbar region and the pain is constantly present, it is aching or pulling, then this indicates other diseases besides acute pain.
The first reason is deforming spondylosis. The vertebrae of the lumbar spine undergo dystrophic changes, the ligaments weaken and bone growth begins.
As a result, the bone growths begin to put pressure on the nerve roots and aching pain occurs. Numbness and weakness in the legs can be added to the symptoms.
Chronic low back pain can be caused by cancer or metabolic disorders.
In this case, you need to do anticancer therapy, change the daily regimen and diet to eliminate the root cause, everything else will be ineffective.
Another reason is osteomyelitis, when an infection penetrates the bone and causes inflammation.
Diseases leading to lower back pain
Other conditions that cause lower back pain
- facet arthropathy;
- spinal stenosis;
- herniated disc;
- myogenic pain;
- rupture of the fibrous ring.
In women, pain can be caused by diseases of the pelvis, such as endometriosis, uterine and ovarian cancer. In men - prostatitis or prostate cancer.
Diseased kidneys, stomach cancer, duodenum can also give to the lumbar region. Pain occurs with ulcerative colitis, colon tumors, diverticulitis.
If the pain extends not only to the lumbar region, but also to the thoracic region, it is important to rule out the possibility of aortic dissection.
Harmless causes can be physiological changes, for example, the postpartum period or a sharp increase in mass, the effect of epidural anesthesia.
Treatment of such pain is not carried out, the patient cannot do anything, the pain will disappear by itself after a certain time.
Treatment of the lumbar spine
Before starting treatment, it is necessary to make a correct diagnosis. First, the doctor performs a clinical examination of the patient, then relies on the results of ultrasound and MRI examinations.
Based on the diagnosis, a treatment program that combines various methods has already been selected.
First of all, the treatment aims at eliminating pain in order to return the patient to a comfortable life. After all, a complete cure of the disease (if possible) can last for years.
If the cause of the disease is a bruise, a traumatologist will perform the treatment. Depending on the cause of the pain, which the therapist / GP should identify, an orthopedist, nephrologist, urologist, proctologist, gynecologist, cardiologist, gastroenterologist, pulmonologist, infectious disease specialist can maintain an additional medical history.
Previously, back pain was treated exclusively with antibiotics. There are now so many methods of treatment that only an experienced doctor will help you choose the right one.
To alleviate the patient's condition, it is recommended to replace the mattress with an orthopedic one. The pain will be eliminated by anesthetic warming ointments and gels, which additionally contain anti-inflammatory components.
The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is also recommended. Muscle spasms relieve muscle relaxants, nerve root edema eliminates diuretics and vascular drugs.
When the patient can return to normal life, the treatment continues with physiotherapy, massage and therapeutic exercises.
Treatment is carried out using the following non-pharmacological methods:
- vacuum therapy;
- acupuncture;
- laser therapy;
- manual therapy;
- dry traction;
- pharmacopuncture;
- electrical stimulation;
- magnetopuncture.
This treatment provides quick pain relief and also removes the cause itself, ensuring long-term results.