Pain in the lower back, extending to the right leg and other parts of the body, is a common complaint of modern people. Most often, old people and expectant mothers suffer from unpleasant sensations, although in recent years there have been significantly more frequent cases of a problem at an earlier age. Initially, this symptom is eliminated quite easily, but as it progresses, it can lead to disruption of the internal organs, paralysis or even death.
Where is the problem area
It so happened that most people do not know the causes of back pain, in the lumbar region and do not consider them quite serious, but in vain. Such symptoms can be quite dangerous.
This department is the final part of the spine and connects the upper and lower half of the human body.
As medical practice shows, this part of the back bothers most often, because it has the maximum load. There are many nerve endings that can get pinched and inflamed under the influence of various causes.
Musculoskeletal problems
It is not possible to determine the presence of a disease by the presence of pain.
The causes of back pain in the lumbar region can be as follows:
- Problems with the sciatic nerve (lumbar ischialgia, sciatica).
- Pathology of the vertebrae (lumbarization).
- Diseases associated with disk defects (lumbalgia).
- Inflammation of the nerve roots and problems with the spinal column throughout (radicular sciatica).
- Neoplasms (hernias, protrusions, benign and malignant tumors).
- Complex ailments (osteochondrosis).
Pathology of the internal organs
In some cases, lower back pain gives to the right leg and can be a symptom of diseases:
- gastrointestinal tract (colitis, hemorrhoids, tumors, fistulas, necrosis, bowel obstruction);
- liver and biliary tract (hepatitis, cholecystitis, dyskinesia, the presence of stones in the gallbladder);
- urinary system (cystitis, cysts, pyelonephritis, kidney stones, ureter);
- genitals (prostatitis, inflammation of the ovaries, malignant neoplasms, cysts).
Often a symptom is caused by a combination of the above reasons.
Other factors
Often, back pain radiating to the leg can be caused by:
- lack of vitamins and minerals;
- systemic bone damage (osteoporosis);
- pregnancy
- strong physical activity or lack of physical activity;
- stress
- overweight;
- prolonged stay in an uncomfortable position;
- viral diseases;
- vegetovascular dystonia;
- inflammation of the nerve endings.
The list of factors, one way or another associated with the development of pain, is quite extensive, so you should not make a diagnosis on your own. Their assumptions about the root cause of pain can be voiced by a doctor, whom they may help to understand the situation.
When to watch out
If the back pain gives to the right leg, this worries many. But few people see a doctor, especially if it is insignificant and is well eliminated with the help of painkillers from a home medicine cabinet.
For this reason, most of the detected diseases are already in advanced form and are difficult to treat. Therefore, all patients must monitor their condition and visit a doctor without fail if there is:
- severe piercing or prolonged sluggish pain;
- numbness of the limbs;
- loss of sensation;
- crawling sensation;
- lumbago in the right or left leg, buttocks, shoulder blades;
- migraine, dizziness;
- the appearance of black dots in front of the eyes.
Such conditions can be very dangerous, so you should not take any drugs. In most cases, they remove only symptomatic manifestations, but the reason remains and is often aggravated.
Diagnostics
What to do with lower back pain is of interest to many. To find out the reason and make an accurate diagnosis, you need to consult a general practitioner, who, after a preliminary examination, will give further direction to:
- X-ray of the problem area;
- general analysis of blood and urine.
If he has additional suspicions, then the list may be supplemented:
- MRI and CT;
- Ultrasound and others.
After receiving all the necessary data, the patient will be given a referral to the following specialists:
- neurologist;
- traumatologist;
- nephrologist;
- venereologist;
- urologist;
- to the gynecologist;
- gastroenterologist;
- to the surgeon;
- to the oncologist.
Most often, there is a need to visit several doctors at once, especially when the diagnosis is in doubt.
Drug treatment
The treatment of lower back pain extending to the leg requires an integrated approach and is selected depending on many factors:
- underlying disease;
- severity of the condition;
- the presence of severe pain and inflammatory processes;
- age and gender;
- the presence of pregnancy, lactation, etc.
The main goals of treatment:
- elimination of the cause of the disease;
- discomfort relief;
- reduction of pain;
- removal of inflammation;
- restoration of joint mobility;
- prevention of nervous strain.
If the reason lies in the pathologies of the spine, then the following are most often prescribed:
- anti-inflammatory drugs (orally and in the form of gels, ointments);
- pain medication;
- vitamins and minerals;
- drugs that help restore cartilage.
In the presence of pathology of the internal organs, treatment is selected individually and requires an integrated approach.
It is strictly forbidden to use traditional medicine methods, since many pathologies are rapidly progressing (for example, cancer), and a patient who does not contact a doctor in a timely manner loses valuable time.
Physiotherapy
If there are back pain, they can be perfectly eliminated with the help of a set of special exercises.
Their main action is aimed at restoring metabolic processes occurring in the problem area.
Properly selected gymnastics allows you to:
- establish nutrition of the affected department;
- provide full blood supply;
- increase muscle elasticity, the main task of which is to maintain the skeleton.
It should be borne in mind that the attending physician should select a set of exercises, because incorrect and abrupt movements can greatly aggravate the problem, up to the need to carry out the operation.
During medical charging, you must know that:
- The first classes are carried out under the supervision of a coach, then home treatment is acceptable.
- In cases of exacerbation of the disease, they do not charge - this is very harmful. To begin with, they carry out anesthetic and anti-inflammatory treatment, and then return to gymnastics. Sometimes, with the permission of the attending physician, you can do simple exercises that do not cause discomfort.
- You cannot add or remove movements from the recommended list.
- If pain occurs during training, it is worth telling the doctor about it, and before that, postpone the execution.
- Sharp jerks, turns can be very harmful, so all exercises are done slowly and smoothly.
- Do not allow shortness of breath.
- Loads should be alternated with rest. Between each approach, a break of the order of 30-60 seconds.
- Extremely useful for the spine hanging on the horizontal bar. It allows you to form a correct posture, and in some cases to eliminate the pain associated with infringement of the lumbar nerve.
Massages
These procedures can be carried out as an additional treatment for osteochondrosis of the final back and other degenerative changes in this area.
Indications for using the method are:
- chronic diseases of the final spine;
- state of remission;
- pinched nerves;
- muscle pain localized in the pathological area.
An absolute contraindication to such treatment is exacerbation. In this case, symptomatic therapy is first prescribed, and then proceed to massage.
It is forbidden to carry it out when:
- osteomyelitis;
- oncological and other tumors;
- cardiovascular pathologies;
- active tuberculosis;
- acute viral and bacterial infections accompanied by fever;
- pathologies of the lymphatic system;
- varicose veins.
The procedure is carried out by one of the methods recommended by the doctor.
The following types of massage are used:
- vacuum;
- can;
- classical;
- point;
- Thai;
- honey.
This kind of treatment can be an excellent preparation before a daily set of exercises.
Operation
“What to do with lower back pain if the complex treatment has not yielded positive results?”, Patients who have undergone a course of ineffective therapy are often asked. In this case, surgical intervention can be performed, however, doctors resort to this method in an extreme case, when you can not do without it.
Indications for surgery on the final spine can be:
- Complications in the form of disruption of the internal organs.
- Paralysis.
- Paresis of the legs.
- Intolerable pains that are not eliminated by medication.
In cases where a hernia of the intervertebral discs is detected, the operation is not always performed. If possible, conservative methods, physiotherapy and the like are first applied.
Such an intervention is quite dangerous for the patient, because there is always the likelihood of developing complications that can cause negative consequences.
Possible complications
In the absence of timely diagnosis, drawing pain in the lower back and right leg can result in the following consequences for the patient:
- various paralysis, paresis;
- impaired functioning of the internal organs of the pelvis;
- the appearance of hernias;
- serious bone marrow problems;
- spondylosis;
- spondylarthrosis;
- osteophytosis;
- limp.
These are very serious diseases, so you should seriously think about it, ignoring the next signal from your body.
Preventive actions
In most cases, if the back pain gives to the right leg, then this occurs as a result of an unhealthy lifestyle, therefore, to prevent an unpleasant symptom, you need to follow some simple tips:
- Include in your diet more foods containing calcium, such as whole milk, cottage cheese, kefir, etc. You can periodically drink a course of vitamins and minerals. This substance is one of the most important building elements of the human skeleton.
- Eat meat with cartilage and tendons regularly. Such products help restore your own spinal tissue. There are many pharmacy drugs of this kind.
- To live an active lifestyle. Walk more, do daily simple exercises, swim in the pool, etc. This is necessary to strengthen the back muscles that support the spine.
- Say goodbye to bad habits. Alcohol and nicotine are extremely detrimental to the human body, gradually destroying it from the inside. Drinking and smoking a person thinks less about physical activity, because excess movements cause severe fatigue.
- Avoid heavy physical exertion. Weight lifting can cause serious illness.
Based on all of the above, we can conclude: if the patient has lower back pain and the right leg is numb, as well as other parts of the body, this can be a rather dangerous symptom. Self-medication in this case is contraindicated. In order to prevent serious problems in the future, you need to deal with the health of your back from early youth, otherwise you will subsequently have to pay for an unhealthy lifestyle with osteochondrosis, radiculitis and others.