Lumbargia of the lumbar spine is a disease in which a person suffers from acute pain in the lumbar region. The defeat occurs as a result of damage to muscle fibers and cartilage of the intervertebral disc. Muscle cramps begin to appear with strong physical exertion or with a weak back frame. Lumbargia of the lumbar and sacral spine appears as a result of injuries, osteochondrosis, spondylosis or spondylarthrosis.
Disease Description
Lumbalgia is a syndrome of acute and aching pain in the lumbar, which can last a long time or appear periodically. The disease passes against the background of other diseases of the spine, here include osteochondrosis, hernia, problems with posture. The pain syndrome only becomes stronger when playing sports, long walking, when a person has to be in an uncomfortable position (to sit or bend).
The main cause of the appearance of unpleasant pain is considered an irritant process in the paravertebral receptors, articular ligaments and fibrous ring. The main symptoms of the disease are pain that spreads around the entire perimeter of the spinal column, problems with its mobility, visual disturbances in the bending of the spine, which can be noticed even by a person without a medical education.
The disease can occur in a person of absolutely any age, therefore, it is diagnosed in both children and more adults. In adolescents and young people, lumbolgia appears due to a sedentary lifestyle, as a result of previous injuries, which, together with changes in the structure of the spine, lead to severe pain in the lumbar region. But the largest percentage of diagnosing lumbalgia is in the age group of 30 to 50 years.
The disease can appear in adolescents during the period of active growth. For girls, such a lesion is characteristic at the age of 10 to 12 years, for boys - 13-17 years. In women, pain appears more often than in men. This can be explained by the fact that during postmenopause in some patients osteoporosis begins.
Depending on the duration of the action of the pain syndrome, the following manifestations of the disease are distinguished:
- sharp and severe pain (lumbago or backache);
- prolonged pain syndrome extending to the lower back and sacrum (lumbalgia);
- pain extending to the lower extremities (lumbar ischialgia).
Causes of the disease
Excessive loads on the body, which exert strong pressure on the joints and provoke an inflammatory process in them, cause pain in the muscles and fascia. With muscle tension, pain is felt in the lumbar region.
Lumbalgia occurs due to static stress: monotonous work in a sitting position, sleeping on a poor mattress or in an uncomfortable position. If a person has been in one uncomfortable position for a long time, then he has painful spasms of the back muscles. Bearing a child, quickly gaining excess weight and increasing pressure on the spine also lead to the disease. Swelling of the tissues appears due to fluid retention.
Lubmalgia is provoked by physical inactivity - a low-activity lifestyle, lack of physical activity, which leads to problems with blood circulation, decreased elasticity of intervertebral discs, muscle weakness. In this case, a person is diagnosed with hypertrophy, the vertebrae come together and the spinal nerves are compressed.
Improper posture - displacement of the vertebrae, wear of the tissues of the intervertebral discs. As a result of excessive pressure on the spine, the patient develops a pain syndrome and an inflammatory process. Excess weight - increased load on the vertebral discs. Overload of the nervous system - muscle cramps, circulatory problems.
Disturbances in the structure of the spine due to the elderly ages are manifested in the fact that muscles begin to weaken, intervertebral discs lose their elasticity, degradation processes occur in joints, problems with posture appear. Pain occurs in 75% of people over fifty.
Getting injuries - compression fractures, displacement of the discs, ruptures of ligaments and soft tissues - provoke increased pressure on the spinal nerve, severe pain syndrome. Injury can be caused by lifting heavy items after an accidental fall.
Also, such ailments can affect the development of lumbalgia:
- Osteochondrosis - wear of the intervertebral discs, severe swelling, inflammatory process.
- Protrusion - bulging of the fibrous ring of the intervertebral disc.
- Hernia - the extension of the pulpous nucleus along the fibrous ring, which leads to compression of the roots of the nerves and the appearance of acute pain.
- Arthrosis - inflammatory processes and excessive loads on the joints of the spine, wear of cartilage.
- Degenerative processes in the muscles - weakened muscles cannot support the spine normally, which leads to increased pressure on the joints and intervertebral discs.
- Damage to the ligaments of the spine - tears of the ligaments, sprain, increased distance between the vertebrae.
- Narrowing of the spinal canal - degenerative processes in the vertebrae, which lead to increased proliferation of bone tissue. As a result of this process, a person develops acute pain in the thighs and buttocks. Ponytail syndrome - inflammation, swelling, trauma and hernia lead to problems with the functioning of the pelvic organs and lower extremities: problems with urination, paralysis of the legs and impaired bowel movements.
- Spondylitis is an inflammatory process in the spine. The number of bacteria in the vertebral body increases, and a degenerative process begins, and the total distance between the vertebrae decreases. The canal of the spinal cord narrows, resulting in acute pain.
- Osteoporosis - a diseased vertebra loses its strength. The distance between adjacent vertebrae decreases, veins and radicular arteries are compressed. A person has swelling in the lower back, spinal cord nutrition is disturbed.
The main manifestations of the lesion
Before treating lumbargia of the lumbar spine, it is important to consider the main symptoms of the disease. Symptoms of the disease will directly depend on the cause of the disease. Pain can be either acute or aching, occur only during overstrain of the lower back or be present constantly.
With the onset of the disease, the discomfort is acute and eventually only becomes stronger. The doctor prescribes a patient bed rest, as this will help prevent muscle strain and excessive load on the lower back. In the affected area of the spine, muscle spasm can be noted, which leads to a tightening of the sore spot and prevents the patient from moving normally.
If the cause of the disease is a hernia, then the patient may feel numbness in the limbs, complain to the doctor about problems with sensitivity and reflexes. Also, the patient has severely impaired blood circulation, which is accompanied by a feeling of cold in the limbs.
The main symptoms of acute lumbalgia (we will talk about treatment a little lower):
- Pain in the lumbar, which only intensifies with dynamic and static loads, as well as when touching the back.
- The patient cannot bend or straighten his back.
- Severe pain occurs in the lower back with sneezing, coughing, screaming, or rapid breathing.
- Muscle cramps present;
- The patient has shooting pain in the legs.
Diagnostic measures
When the first symptoms of a lesion appear, it is important for the patient not to hesitate and consult a doctor as soon as possible. A correct diagnosis will directly affect the chosen treatment methodology and the patient’s recovery rate. First, the doctor will examine the patient’s condition and get all the information about the nature of the pain and its severity.
To get more reliable information about the development of the disease, the patient submits a general analysis of urine and blood, blood for antibodies to pathogenic microorganisms and for biochemical analysis.
An X-ray image will help to study the condition of the bones and identify the cause of the appearance of pain in the patient. Sometimes the cause of lumbalgia is age-related changes in bone tissue, curvature of the spine or fractures. It is important to remember that x-rays cannot provide information about the state of muscle tissue, nerves and intervertebral discs.
If the patient reveals abnormalities in the bone tissue, then he is prescribed an additional computed tomography. This procedure helps to obtain a three-dimensional image of the bones for a more complete examination.
Magnetic resonance imaging shows the general condition of the soft tissues. It is important to detect the presence of tumor formations and intervertebral hernias in the patient.
Densitometry is performed to determine bone density in cases of suspected osteoporosis. With this lesion, the patient does not feel pain, but his bones become very weak and become prone to fractures and external factors.
Additional diagnostic measures are important for bone scans. The procedure is performed only when the doctor suspects that the patient has benign or malignant formations and infectious lesions. After receiving all the necessary information and making an accurate diagnosis, the doctor prescribes an effective treatment for lumbargia of the lumbar spine.
How is the treatment of the disease
Treatment of the disease is carried out both with the help of conservative techniques, and through surgical intervention. The effect of non-surgical treatment most often depends on the nature of the severity of the disease and the main causes of its appearance.
Doctors most often resort to the use of traction treatment of lumbargia of the spine without loads and special straps. Spinal traction occurs in a mild form, which helps to improve its condition, restore its function, increase the total distance between the discs and eliminate tension in the lumbar region. This method of treatment is used for lumbalgia, which appeared due to intervertebral hernia. In addition, spinal traction is a good method for preventing spinal column diseases. Therapy will help restore normal posture and mobility of the disc.
When applying physiotherapeutic procedures in the treatment of acute lumbalgia, ultrasound and electrical stimulation, a set of therapeutic exercises, and professional massage are most often used. According to the appointment of the treating specialist, you can begin to use contrasting compresses, apply ice and a warm heating pad to the sore spot.
The use of supporting corsets should be in the presence of severe, unbearable pain in the spine, which arose as a result of injury or injury. Corset is contraindicated for patients suffering from osteochondrosis and complications after it.
Dikul treatment
Recently, the Dikul technique for treating the symptoms of lumbargia of the lumbar spine has become especially widespread in the medical field. According to studies, the human body can recover on its own, which applies to spinal injuries. V.I.Dikul created his own specialized scheme of loads on the spine using simulators and therapeutic exercises, which, if used correctly, can improve the patient's condition and restore mobility to the diseased part of the body. In addition to physical exertion, the method of manual therapy, acupuncture and regular drinking of large amounts of water (at least 1 liter of fluid per day) are used.
The course of treatment according to the method of Dikul includes three cycles of 12 lessons. At the first stage of treatment, the patient prepares his body for physical activity. At this time, the patient attends yoga classes, Pilates, conducts breathing exercises.
At the second stage, the course is aimed at restoring muscles, improving the condition of soft tissues in a diseased area of the body.
At the third stage of treatment, the patient should gradually increase the load on the spine, increase its mobility, and perform active training on specialized simulators. In addition, specialists select each patient an individual set of gymnastic exercises, which he can do at home.
Reviews on the method of Dikul in the treatment of symptoms of lumbalgia are quite positive. Patients who completed the course of classes say that with their help you can completely restore the condition of the spine, but the time of the rehabilitation period will directly depend on the complexity of the course of the disease. In some patients, recovery occurs after 3 months, others have to engage in intensive training for several years.
Medication
Drug treatment involves the regular use of medications prescribed by your doctor to relieve the main symptoms of the disease. The use of medicines can be carried out in conjunction with the use of other methods of treatment, for example, massage or special exercises.
The doctor prescribes anti-inflammatory non-steroid drugs to the patient with lumbalgia. Most often prescribed "Meloxicam" with a dosage of 15 mg per day and "Ibuprofen" - a dosage of 70-150 mg per day. The time for taking funds, as a rule, does not exceed several weeks, if during this time the patient's condition does not improve, and the symptoms of the disease do not go away, it is important to consult a doctor who recommends another treatment.
Together with NSAIDs, muscle relaxants are prescribed: Tolperisone and Tizanidine. The dosage of the first will be 4 mg three times a day, the second - 150 mg three times a day.
On the advice of a treating specialist, the patient begins to use diuretics: Furosemide and Lasix. Blocking pain is carried out by injection of novocaine and hydrocortisone. The effect of injections occurs almost immediately and continues to operate over the next month.
Treatment with folk remedies
Treatment of lumbalgia with folk remedies gives only a temporary effect, which helps to eliminate pain and partially relax the muscles in the affected area of the spine. For the preparation of ointments and decoctions, medicinal herbs are used.
According to reviews, as an alternative treatment for lumbalgia, ointment from comfrey root is very helpful. To prepare the product you need to take comfrey root, finely chop it. Next, half a glass of dry components is poured with hot water and insisted for 30 minutes. The proportion of the mixture and water should be equal. Softened butter is added to the resulting mass from the root. The finished product is applied to a diseased area of the body in the morning and night. After applying the product, the back should be wrapped in a warm scarf.
Cinderella poultice poultices also help a lot in treating lumbalgia at home. To prepare the product, take 3 tablespoons of chopped sabelnik and pour 100 ml of hot water. The tool is infused for 10 minutes. Next, gauze is taken, in which the resulting cake is wrapped, water is squeezed and applied to the affected area. The remedy should be used for acute pain several times a day.
Surgical intervention
Folk remedies in the treatment of lumbargia of the lumbar spine can only for a while remove the symptoms of the disease and suppress the pain syndrome, but in order to completely get rid of the disease, you will have to resort to more serious methods of treatment. If drug therapy has not given the desired effect and 6 months have already passed since it started, then it is important to seek the help of a surgeon. Surgical intervention for lumbalgia is carried out only as a last resort, since such a procedure does not affect the cause of the disease and the risk of relapse is rather high.
The operation is performed using the following methods: spinal fusion and discectomy. The first method is used if the movement of the vertebral segment is accompanied by severe pain. During the operation, the surgeon splices the vertebral segment with a bone implant. Discectomy involves the removal of a diseased disc and the introduction of an artificial analogue.
During pregnancy
Lumbalgia is also common among pregnant women. At this time, the woman due to the active growth of the child increases the overall load on the lumbar. In the third trimester of pregnancy, the body is actively preparing for childbirth, the girl's pelvic bones expand, and the location of the sacrum also changes. All these processes lead to pain and lower back.
During pregnancy, it is forbidden to use drugs to eliminate pain. The doctor prescribes the woman to wear a special supportive corset and massage the sore spot.