A person can consider themselves healthy until one day they experience back pain. Almost all diseases make themselves felt, radiating to this area.
In addition, such sensations do not allow you to live and work at the same pace. What can back pain indicate and what is its nature?
Causes of back pain
Much depends on what kind of lifestyle a person leads. Even an excessive addiction to fatty foods can cause back pain. But the main causes of back pain are:
- spinal diseases;
- diseases of the genitourinary system;
- natural aging;
- very high loads;
- pregnancy.
lumbar functions
The vertebrae located in the lower back have the most massive structure. They are strong and big.
This is due to the fact that the main part of the load falls here. The lower back takes on a very important function - the upright posture.
In addition to body weight, other loads are placed on the lumbar spine. Athletes lift heavy weights, women try to bring huge bags from the market.
Intervertebral discs provide cushioning, but without proper care, the spine begins to change. This creates severe pain.
After sleep, the intervertebral discs are again saturated with fluid and ready for work. But if lower back pain becomes a constant companion, you should immediately consult a doctor.
With serious pathologies, even during sleep, the vertebrae do not diverge and access to nutrients is impossible.
spinal diseases
If your lower back hurts for no apparent reason, the reason is most likely due to spinal disorders. First is osteochondrosis.
It develops against the background of general exhaustion caused by malnutrition, obesity, muscular corset dystrophy.
Excess weight adds a load to the spine, the vertebrae begin to press on each other more tightly. Intervertebral discs collapse under pressure and do not rupture enough to fill with fluid.
In addition, if a person does not eat properly, the metabolism is disturbed and the nutrition of the intervertebral discs is disturbed.
Muscular dystrophy can develop due to constant stress, heavy loads and a sedentary lifestyle. The development mechanism is very simple.
- Muscles are very stressed. Due to unpreparedness, they freeze, while accumulating lactic acid in themselves.
- Without adequate relaxation (eg massage), the muscles cannot contract. Being in constant tension, she does not allow blood to flow properly to her.
- Without getting the necessary amount of nutrients, the muscles simply break down.
After that, the column is involved in the process. Bones alone cannot support a person's weight. Ligaments and muscles help them.
But when muscles are absent, all the weight falls on the vertebrae. Under pressure, the intervertebral disc protrudes into the holes and can compress nerve processes.
With lumbar osteochondrosis, the patient feels pain in the lower back, radiating to the leg. Most of the time, the sciatic nerve is damaged and each step responds with an electric shock.
If you don't treat this disease, you can completely lose sensation in your lower extremities. The same condition is observed with displacement of the vertebrae, lordosis, scoliosis, etc.
The main difference between spinal injuries is the increase in pain after movement, as well as the feeling of relief after rest and sleep. Slightly alleviating the condition helps to "stretch" the spine. It must be done before bed.
Diseases of the genitourinary system
Pain in the lower back can appear with diseases of the ovaries in women, kidneys. In this case, symptoms may appear after hypothermia.
With inflammation of the ovaries, a woman experiences sensations similar to menstrual syndrome. Pain in the lower back becomes a permanent and pulling character.
If the lower back hurts sharply, like a knife, piercing, to the left or right of the spine, this indicates inflammation of the kidneys.
In this case, pyelonephritis or glomerulonephritis is possible. The doctor prescribes tests, conducts an examination. If kidney stones are found, they are removed with a laser.
natural aging
People over 30 come with complaints of back pain. It could be pain due to wear and tear on the vertebrae. The rate of spinal aging is related to a person's lifestyle.
If he did not overdo it in the gym, but played sports, then the pain will become chronic very soon.
The vertebral section makes itself felt first as it bears the greatest load. Many scientists argue that low back pain is our payback for our ability to keep our back straight.
Without proper prevention, under the weight of the body, the intervertebral discs are destroyed, the vertebrae are displaced and twisted.
very high loads
There is an opinion that it is simply necessary to go to the gym once a week and burn yourself out in order to look good and be healthy.
But for any load you need to prepare. Before training, you should perform a complete warm-up, complete stretching exercises.
And increase the amount of exercise gradually. Thus, it will be much more effective to do daily exercises.
With sudden loads, for example, in weightlifters, gymnasts, there is a high probability of sprain, disc protrusion, etc.
Pregnancy
Low back pain during pregnancy is almost a physiological condition. With the growth of the fetus, they can become stronger, numbness appears after sleep in the limbs. This is due to sudden weight gain.
Now, the column needs to contain not only the mother's mass, but also the fetus, which grows in a large amount of water.
Pregnant women often complain of lower back pain in the morning. You can avoid this if you sleep on an orthopedic mattress and pillow. And during the day, a special bandage will help to ease the load, which unloads the lower back.
As a rule, this back pain disappears after childbirth. If they persist for a month, you should see a doctor.
low back pain diagnosis
This type of pain is not difficult to diagnose. It is enough for the doctor to listen to the description of the patient's pain, to find out whether it appears after sleep, has an increasing or constant character, if there is an electric shock syndrome. And after that, the doctor can identify the main possible cause of the pain.
The basis of any treatment is gymnastics, which helps to strengthen the muscles, and massage, to relax the latter.