Lower back pain

Causes and treatment of back pain in the lumbar region

Today, many people complain about back pain in the lumbar region. In fact, this problem is very common. At the same time, women suffer from back pain more often than men.

This article examines the most common causes of back pain and discusses the different treatments for the condition.

However, before you start, it is worth remembering that medicine is a single thing that requires a professional approach. Therefore, if your back is "seriously" hurting in the lower back, it is better to contact the appropriate doctor.

Causes of lower back pain

First of all, you should be aware that back pain can occur due to living conditions, work and attitude towards life.

Some of the possible causes of lower back pain can be:

  • overweight;
  • Weak core muscles;
  • hypodynamics;
  • pregnancy;
  • High growth;
  • Certain professions (chauffeur, office worker);
  • sport;
  • Mental disorders;
  • Work in which a person has to use the upper body and bend over often.

Some causes of back pain may not pose a major health threat. However, there are some that require treatment.

Why does the back hurt in the lower back?

According to doctors, back pain can be the result of an illness. Therefore, the patient should be diagnosed to find out about a possible disease.

Doctors divide this syndrome into two categories: primary (musculoskeletal morphofunctional disorders associated with spinal injuries) and secondary (lower back pain is caused by various pathologies).

Now it is worthwhile to discuss each category in more detail. The primary pain syndrome can include:

  1. osteochondrosis. With osteochondrosis in the human body, bone tissue and cartilage are affected. This leads to a displacement of the intervertebral disc and the surrounding vertebrae.
  2. spondyloarthrosis. This disease affects the intervertebral joints, which affects the mobility of the spine. People with spondyloarthrosis experience lower back pain, usually in the morning.

The secondary syndrome includes:

  1. Scoliosis, as well as some diseases that negatively affect growth.
  2. Bone damage from metabolic disorders such as osteomalacia or osteoporosis.
  3. inflammatory processes that did not occur due to an infection.
  4. tumors that form on the spine.
  5. vertebral body fracture. In this case, back pain in the lumbar region can be particularly severe, as these fractures can pinch nerves.
  6. Infectious pathologies: tuberculosis, brucellosis and the like.
  7. line condition. In this condition, the human body is affected by the cerebrospinal circulation.
  8. Diseases related to the gastrointestinal tract.
  9. Diseases of the internal organs in the pelvis (kidneys, urogenital system).

Pathologies in men

Men can have back pain in the lumbar spine for the following reasons:

  1. Prostatitis, in which the prostate becomes inflamed.
  2. Malignant tumors. They are most common in men who have passed the 50-year threshold.
  3. Genital hyperplasia, which leads to the growth of certain cells.

Pathologies in women

  1. Genital pathologies (uterine fibroids, trichomoniasis).
  2. pain during menstruation. In this case, in addition to back pain, swelling can also form.
  3. pregnancy. Since many changes occur in the female body during pregnancy, expectant mothers can experience uncomfortable back pain.

Lower back pain from pregnancy

The causes of back pain during pregnancy can be traced back to various factors:

  • Hormonal changes. During pregnancy, girls have an increase in relaxin levels, which leads to a weakening of the ligaments and joints. Because of this, they may not be able to withstand the extra stress.
  • Fetal enlargement. The more the fetus grows in the womb, the more the center of gravity shifts. As a result, the entire load falls on the spine.

Symptoms after the birth

Back pain in the lumbar region can occur not only during pregnancy but also after childbirth. The following are the most common causes of pain.

  1. During pregnancy, some internal organs move to the sides. Because of this, the muscles that hold them tense. It is important to understand that most of the organs are precisely attached to the vertebrae. This means that a woman may experience lower back pain for some time after giving birth.
  2. Stretching the abdominal muscles. Even after the baby is born, the mother's abdominal muscles are still tight.
  3. Increased excess weight during pregnancy.
  4. Shifted bones. This happens very early in labor to protect the fetus from harm. Every woman has a different process of bone repair, so many mothers can experience back pain.
  5. injuries. During labor, some joints in women can move during labor.
  6. Stresses the spine. Interestingly, even habitual movements can cause discomfort in girls after childbirth. They also experience pain when breastfeeding or changing a baby.

Remember that if you have back pain in the lumbar region, you should consult a doctor immediately.

Causes of left-sided pain

The most common causes of left back pain are osteochondrosis and herniated disc.

However,

can often be caused by the following factors:

  1. myositis.After prolonged physical exertion or hypothermia, the muscles of the body can become inflamed. In this case, the pain is felt especially during movement.
  2. kidney disease.A person may experience pain and tingling due to kidney disease.
  3. Diseases of the digestive system.When the digestive system is disturbed, a person feels pain in the left side.
  4. cardiac pathology.Some people who have had a heart attack or have angina pectoris may also have severe lower back pain. There may also be pain under the left shoulder blade.

These are not all reasons that can lead to discomfort. As mentioned earlier, at the first symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor and determine the source of the pain.

What to do if your back hurts?

It should be noted that back pain is in most cases a warning sign of illness.

Thanks to this, we can learn about our disease and start treating it.

Quite a few people do not pay enough attention to such signals. Instead of seeing a doctor, they prefer some type of pain reliever or injections.

Some people start self-medication out of fear of going to the hospital, which is not always good. Don't worry that the pain will go away on its own and life will get better.

The earlier you see a doctor, the faster and cheaper the recovery process will be.

If you have any doubts about the correctness of the diagnosis or the method of treatment, you should consult with several specialists to make a balanced objective decision.

Methods of treating back pain

Before any disease can be treated, an accurate diagnosis is required. Below are the most common causes of back pain and how to treat them.

  1. intervertebral hernia, osteochondrosis.In this case, the patient should be at rest and avoid lifting particularly heavy loads. Today in pharmacies you can buy special belts that will protect the spine from injury. Physiotherapy also helps with such diseases. However, there are many cases where an intervertebral hernia must be surgically removed.
  2. Diseases of the genitourinary system.Complex therapy is appropriate here. After the doctor makes a diagnosis, he can prescribe the appropriate drugs. In this case, the doctor will first pay attention to the course and stage of this or that disease, as well as to the individual abilities of the patient's body.
  3. gastrointestinal complaints.Lower back pain can be caused by an ulcer, colitis, or an inflamed appendix. The patient should refrain from self-medication and consult a doctor. If the pain is acute, you must call an ambulance immediately.
  4. kidney disease.It is also appropriate to call an ambulance here, especially if you have severe kidney pain. As a prophylaxis of kidney disease, traditional medicine recommends drinking cranberry or cranberry juice, as they contain vitamins and trace elements that help normalize kidney function.
  5. cardiac pathology.If you suddenly feel a noticeable pain under your left shoulder blade and then move towards your chest, left arm, and lower back, it likely indicates a high chance of having a myocardial infarction. In this case, you need to call an ambulance immediately, as any minute can cost your life.
  6. Pain after childbirth.If the problem is related to bone displacement, the doctor may prescribe manual therapy or physical therapy for the patient. It is important to remember that in such cases, massage should be performed only by an experienced specialist. Otherwise, the mother's health can be seriously damaged. The doctor may also advise mothers to do physical activity to restore the bones.

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From all that has been said, we can conclude that if your lower back is sore, you should consult a doctor and only then start treatment.