If you ask the doctor why the lower back hurts and gives to the legs, the doctor will not answer in one go: there are many causes of the symptom. In some, this is due to inflammatory diseases, in others it is associated with radiculitis. There are many pathologies that are not localized at all in the lower back, but only spread here in pain so that it seems as if this is the main focus in this part of the back. Consider various reasons.
general information
As specialized statistical studies have shown, at least once in a lifetime, almost any person felt that they hurt below the lower back and give in the leg, that the soreness is localized strictly in the lower back or slightly above it, spreading to the sides. According to rough estimates, 90% of the world's population have at least once encountered a problem. And these are not only elderly people, but also our most diverse contemporaries. More often pain is concerned for those over thirty years of age, but this threshold is not a prerequisite. It seems to some that young people cannot suffer from pain, but illness does not pass anyone by. In addition, lifestyle influences strongly - recently, more and more of our compatriots are working in the office. All these people are forced to sit for a long time and cannot afford a normal, high-quality life.
If the lower back hurts and gives to the leg, if the pains are localized on the left or on the right, cover the sides, perhaps the reason for this is a violation of posture. Sometimes the symptom is explained by pathologies of the internal organs. Lifestyle, diseases, including infectious and viral, play a role. If your back hurts, you should not self-medicate, because you can not always determine with your own strength which root cause you need to fight with. The best option is to visit a doctor, take his prescribed tests, do instrumental studies and only after that start therapy, based on the recommendations of a specialist and a formulated diagnosis.
Genesis of pain
Determining the origin of pain can be difficult. It is known that sometimes the left side of the lower back hurts and gives to the leg because the kidneys are inflamed. In women, sensations may indicate ovarian disease. There is the likelihood of other pathologies, including atypical manifestations of appendicitis, due to the anatomically incorrect, non-standard location of the appendix. However, in the main percentage of sufferers, the root cause is osteochondrosis.
For the doctor to diagnose correctly, you need to describe the sensations. Pain is pulling. Sometimes the sensations are shooting or stitching. Dull pain is possible, there is nagging. Different forms indicate a different origin of the symptom.
Use folk remedies to combat pain is not worth it. Temporarily, the condition may improve, but the root cause will not go anywhere, the disease will progress, sooner or later the syndrome will return again. A neglected disease is much more difficult to cure than a newly formed one. In order not to “put yourself a pig,” you should immediately go to the doctor for an appointment, and on the basis of the data obtained in the course of special studies, determine what treatment is needed. Perhaps the pain will cause hospitalization and urgent surgery - do not underestimate the risks.
Pain and internal systems
If the lower back is very sore and gives to the legs, then the fibers of the nervous system, which provide sensitivity to this part of the body, are irritated. Local nervous irritation, muscle tension, pain syndrome - all these manifestations indicate vertebral diseases. Important organs are located in the left side of the human body: pancreas, kidney, ovary, spleen. Here are the stomach, part of the intestinal tract. If acute pain develops, then the cause is an acute inflammatory process or other disease that develops according to an acute scenario. In this case, the syndrome is accompanied by fever, chills, impaired stool. Possible change in the color and composition of urine. In women, the menstrual cycle is disrupted.
If the lower back hurts and gives to the legs of the fair sex, it is necessary to visit the gynecologist as soon as possible. Men with such manifestations of pathology need to contact a urologist. An ultrasound test of the internal systems is prescribed, urine and blood are examined. If the patient is over 45 years old, an electrocardiogram is mandatory. If all studies do not show any explanation for the genesis of pain, vertebral disease is suggested. To determine it, the patient is referred to a vertebrologist, MRI is prescribed for the disturbing part of the body.
Back pains and vertebral diseases
Only after a full examination, the doctor can say why the lower back hurts, gives in the leg. The cause may be spinal pathology. It provokes a pain syndrome or aching, or acute. In the first case, dull sensations are possible. Some describe them as "pulling the lower back." Such a syndrome indicates a chronic development of the disease. Spondyloarthrosis is often diagnosed. It is possible to suspect that the root cause of the condition is precisely a chronic disease, if soreness especially often appears at night or immediately upon awakening. In chronicity of vertebral diseases, the formation of a pain syndrome against the background of a prolonged stay in a sitting position is possible.
Acute pain is possible. If the lower back on the left and back hurts and gives in to the leg, the sensations are sharp and unbearable, if the soreness seems to burn and is very strong, this is probably a sharp backache. With it, the patient's movements are often very limited. This condition is often formed against the background of a sharp change in the temperature level of the environment. Many suffer from such pains after hygienic procedures, a strong massage or on the background of hypothermia. The pain becomes severe if the sufferer moves, bends, coughs, breathes deeply.
Features of the course
If the patient complains that the lower back hurts and gives to the left leg or right, the doctor may reasonably suspect damage to the roots of the nervous system of the lower lumbar zone. Remote pain indicates a severe course of pathology, affecting the entire length of the root.
If the soreness is localized in the lower back and covers the perineum, the abdomen from below is probably the cause of damage to the vertebrae of the upper spine. The spreading distant pain can provoke numbness of the extremities, loss of functionality, paralysis. Unpleasant sensations during movement allow you to suspect inflammatory foci in the sciatic nerve. Another possible explanation is piriformis syndrome.
"Interesting" position
Often the lower back hurts and gives to the left leg, as well as, however, the right one in pregnant women. The condition indicates the inability of the spinal column to withstand the increased load associated with the growth of the embryo. If the condition gets worse over time, there is a chance of a complicated course. Especially dangerous is the increased uterine tone. If the pain is severe, spreading to the perineum and buttocks, a woman needs special control because of the risk of premature birth. In some cases, treatment is indicated already during the period of gestation, others need to endure unpleasant syndromes before birth and only then proceed with measures to correct the condition.
Soreness can be very strong, spreading to the upper limbs, abdomen. Excessive tension in muscle tissue that provides stability to the lumbar and iliac region can be suspected. After the birth of a child, a woman who has faced such health problems will have to undergo corrective measures to restore her spinal column health. If these rehabilitation measures are neglected, the pain may become chronic.
How to fight?
If the lower back hurts and gives in the leg, treatment is prescribed by conducting preliminary examinations and specifying the diagnosis. It is worthwhile to prepare in advance for a possible long-term treatment. The cause of the pain may be a neoplasm. In this case, a combined course is shown: radiation, surgery, medications. Perhaps an inflammatory disease that requires the use of steroidal or non-hormonal anti-inflammatory. If the cause of the disease is a spinal stroke, a long rehabilitation program is prescribed. In the case of a hernia, protrusion and other vertebral disease, the therapeutic course rarely lasts less than a month, sometimes drags on for years. Usually no operation is required. The patient is prescribed funds for stopping inflammation, if any, as well as compounds that improve the quality and structure of tissues. The needy will be sent for massage, they will develop a gymnastic course with gentle practices.
The hardest thing to deal with a running disease. If pain occurs, it is best to consult a doctor immediately. If the pathology is transformed into a chronic one, there is a chance of incurability of the case. With this development option, a person will have to use medicines until the end of his life.
The most common: which are known?
Since people often go to doctors complaining that a back pain in the lower back hurts and gives back to the leg, studies have been conducted to determine what are the most common causes. The first place is lumbago. In ordinary people, this condition is better known as lumbago. Among other types, such pain is found in the lumbar region more often than others, due to physical strain or unsuccessful posture. Sometimes appears without any reason. Burning pains, the suffering part of the body seems to burst, it is almost impossible to straighten. If you try to change the pose, cough or take a deep breath, the lumbago becomes heavier. Acute pain lasts for minutes, for some it stretches for hours, often stops unpredictably.
The second most common case is sciatic neuralgia. In medicine, this is called sciatica. Shooting pain is inherent in this disease. The limbs are numb, the lower back stabs. The pain begins from the sciatic nerve and spreads to the gluteal area, then along the limb along the surface behind. Very high sensation power is possible. The patient cannot move, bend, sit.
Reasons: what else are common?
If the back hurts in the lower back and gives in the leg, the doctor will probably check for osteochondrosis. With him, the pain at first is weak, gradually becomes more noticeable, greatly increases during movement. An exacerbation of the pain syndrome is provoked by coughing, sneezing. Possible loss of sensitivity in certain areas of the lower extremities.
The pain associated with internal diseases is quite specific. The sensations are often aching, dull syndrome, spreading down the abdomen, covering the umbilical zone, radiating under the ribs. But if renal colic has developed, the pain syndrome is strong, intense. The patient needs urgent qualified help.
The fifth place in the list of the most common reasons why the lower back hurts and gives to the leg and buttock is occupied by muscle cramps. They are formed if the body is in an uncomfortable incorrect position for a long time, in which the mobility of the spinal column is severely limited. Soreness is due to muscle spasm. Any movements and attempts to change position only activate the pain syndrome, so getting rid of pain is not easy. There are cases when muscle cramps bothered a person for a long time continuously, greatly reducing the quality of life.
Features and treatment
To decide if the lower back hurts and gives in the leg what to do is the doctor's area of responsibility. If there is reason to believe a vertebral trauma, damage to the vertebrae, you must urgently call an ambulance. Until the arrival of specialists, the patient should restrict movement. If the root cause was muscle or ligamentous stretching, you need to apply an ice compress to the affected area in order to exclude the appearance of edema and relieve unpleasant sensations.
If the attack is caused by a vertebral disease, first aid involves changing the body posture to the most comfortable one. Usually it does not hurt so much if a person lays on a hard surface on his back, raises his legs a little. The best option is to call a doctor right away. If there is no possibility, first take an analgesic, then go to the clinic.
If it is not known why the lower back hurts and gives to the leg and buttock, it is strictly forbidden to apply cold or warm compresses. Without knowing the primary source of pain, you can not use warming gels, ointments. If the pain syndrome is caused by an inflammatory focus, the condition will surely worsen quickly.
Spine Ache: Treatment
If it hurts in the lower back on the left and gives in the leg due to vertebral diseases, it is necessary to provide the sufferer with complete rest. If the examination showed tissue dystrophy, functional disorders of the spinal column, a course of anti-inflammatory is needed. Relatively often prescribed containing ibuprofen and diclofenac. There are combination products on sale. The duration of the therapeutic program is a couple of weeks. To reduce the likelihood of side effects from the gastrointestinal tract, medications that inhibit the proton pump are additionally prescribed.
Sometimes relaxing muscle medicine is indicated. Well proved "Midokalm". Such pharmaceutical products exclude muscle spasm, activate regenerative processes and normalize cell nutrition.
In the general case, if the patient has pain in the lower back on the left, gives to the leg, physiotherapy is necessary. Often practiced electrophoresis, treatment with magnetic waves, phonophoresis. The specific set of procedures and the duration of the program are selected by the attending physician. Additionally, a restorative massage, needle treatment or gymnastics may be prescribed. Exercises for gymnastics should be chosen by the doctor. The doctor will explain how intense the classes should be, how long they should do. This is determined based on the disease, the condition of the body, the age of the patient.
Correction Features
If it hurts in the lower back on the left, gives to the leg due to a vertebral hernia, they will probably be sent for surgery. Urgent surgery is usually required for vertebral injuries. Some other diseases are possible, including cancer, forcing the patient to be referred to a surgeon.
Sometimes, if it hurts in the lower back on the left and gives in the leg, you can alleviate the condition of the patient through the use of a special bandage. This product is not a treatment method, but only complements the program selected by the specialist. A bandage is often advised after surgery, injured. It is useful for radiculitis and can alleviate the course of osteochondrosis. To make the item as useful as possible, you need to entrust the choice of model to a professional. A lot of various corsets are produced, aimed at eliminating various health problems. It is frankly difficult for a non-specialist to navigate this variety.
Especially dangerous
Sometimes lower back pain is associated with cancer. Spinal cancer is relatively rare and is considered a serious illness. It can appear as a primary malignant process or form from a metastasis that has entered the spinal cord from another part of the body. Diagnosing the disease is frankly difficult, as the symptoms are blurry. The patient complains of back pain, sometimes notes the spread in the left half of the trunk, perineum, limbs. Osteochondrosis or radiculitis is often mistakenly suspected, the pain syndrome is incorrectly explained by physical activity.
The main symptom of cancer is soreness in the lower back. At the same time, muscle weakness progresses, the sensitivity of the legs worsens, they gradually lose their working capacity, and paralysis is diagnosed. A correct diagnosis requires a comprehensive study of the condition.
What to do?
As in the case of most other oncological pathologies, in this case, surgery is indicated. The patient is additionally prescribed medication. It is possible to take drugs to treat the underlying disease, they can prescribe medication correction of concomitant disorders. Irradiation is sometimes indicated. The most modern and effective way of operating with spinal cancer is a gamma knife, that is, such a narrow radiation beam that destroys atypical cells without harming neighboring normal structures.
The best predictions are for cases of early detection of the disease. True, a positive outcome is possible if the patient takes a radical treatment. Without surgery, curing cancer does not seem real. A conservative course is indicated to temporarily improve the patient's standard of living. Drugs are used to relieve pain and reduce the risk of metastases.
Malignant diseases are different
If the cause of back pain is cancer, it is very important to determine its features on time and correctly. Pathology can cover the brain itself, sometimes localized in the shells. There is a chance of bone damage. In medicine, the disease is called osteosarcoma. It is rarely diagnosed, but there are still cases, so when clarifying the case, you need to check the patient for all possible options. Diagnostics consists of several stages, necessarily complex. The main useful information is given by x-ray research.