Pain at the bottom of the spine, that is, in the lower back, is one of the most common complaints when contacting a doctor. The greatest load is on the lumbar compared with the rest of the spine, and therefore the lower back is injured. If it hurts at the bottom of the spine, this is often a symptom of radiculitis, osteochondrosis and other diseases. In no case should you leave them unattended. In the article, we will consider in more detail what it means when the spine hurts the lower back.
Causes of Back Pain
The appearance of pain in the lower part of the spine is noted after a long stay in a certain position, awkward movement or intense training. Risk factors for lumbar pain include:
- work at the computer or constant driving;
- work that is associated with stress and intense physical exertion;
- reinforced training of a person in the gym;
- excess weight;
- recent birth and pregnancy;
- work in a standing or sitting position.
Why the spine hurts is described in more detail below.
The pain often goes away on its own. If the lower back constantly or periodically hurts, this may be a symptom of the disease. Without proper therapy, pain in the lower back can cause serious consequences, for which even spinal surgery may be necessary. So, why does the lower back spine hurt?
Diseases causing back pain
Lumbar pain is classified into primary and secondary. The cause of the primary pain syndrome is directly the pathology of the spine:
- intervertebral hernia and protrusion of the intervertebral disc;
- osteochondrosis of the vertebral lumbar (in a third of cases);
- spondylolisthesis, spondylosis, spondylarthrosis.
Why the back at the bottom of the spine hurts, the doctor should find out.
Secondary pain syndrome appears due to other disorders in the body. There are various reasons for it:
- a tumor in the lumen of the spinal canal;
- fracture due to osteoporosis;
- prolonged muscle tension;
- fracture after injury;
- anatomically narrow canal in the spine;
- Scheuermann-Mau disease, kyphoscoliosis, kyphosis, scoliosis;
- osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis;
- spinal tuberculosis, discitis, osteomyelitis;
- urolithiasis, pyelonephritis;
- complicated pregnancy;
- cancer and ovarian cyst, endometriosis.
How does the lower back spine usually hurt?
Consider the nature of the pain.
Severe pain
Lumbosacral radiculitis. In this case, a person has pain in the lumbar region. Dull or sharp, aching, most often one-sided, it gives to the lower leg, thigh or buttock. Strengthens with a change in body position, coughing, walking.
Osteochondrosis of the vertebral lumbar. A person feels lower back pain when sneezing, coughing, weight lifting, sitting, walking. Lumbar pain is sometimes given to the leg. It happens that the spine hurts below right or left.
Sharp
Muscle stretching, long work in an uncomfortable position, wearing or lifting weights, shock or fall, draft, hypothermia and sudden movements.
Backache or lumbago. It affects people who engage in serious physical labor. Lumbar pains usually go away after a few days, but can last for a couple of weeks.
Lumbar displacement of the intervertebral discs caused by osteochondrosis, a fracture of the spine, heavy physical labor and weight lifting, surgical intervention. At the same time, a person has a sore back in the lumbar region.
Chronic
Spondylosis of the deforming type. With the disease, the back in the lumbar region hurts. Aching pain in the lower back can be accompanied by weakness in the legs and numbness.
Ankylosing spondylitis, a violation of material metabolism, cancer.
Aching pain
Inflammation of the muscles of the lower back, or myositis. The disease appears after a sharp muscle strain or hypothermia. The patient feels the stiffness of the lumbar region and sharp pain when moving.
Displaced
It seems to the patient that his back hurts in the area of the spine below, but in fact there is a violation in other organs. Pain of a displaced type occurs due to diseases of the pelvic organs, pancreas, colon, kidneys or tumors.
When is a doctor required?
A doctor’s appointment cannot be delayed if:
- the patient feels severe lumbar pain for more than three days;
- at the same time, pain in the foot, lower leg and lower back;
- pain appears after an injury;
- a combination of pain in the lower back with numbness in the inguinal region, foot, leg, thigh, buttock.
Diagnostic Specifics
In order to determine the order of further actions for lower back pain, you need to undergo a thorough examination, which includes such procedures:
- Analysis in the laboratory of blood and urine. In addition, a biochemical blood test will be required.
- X-ray of the lumbar region.
- Ultrasound of the internal organs of the peritoneal cavity and the heart (if there is a possibility that dull pain caused by pathology of the gastrointestinal tract or kidneys).
- CT and MRI. These studies become the most informative and make it possible to determine the causes of the appearance of pain, as well as the condition of the soft tissues and the spine itself.
- Dopplerography - a study of blood vessels.
Thanks to such an examination, it is possible to establish what caused the disease, when it began to develop and how to get rid of it.
If the lower back spine hurts, this symptom should not be ignored.
What can and cannot be done when pain occurs?
Dull or throbbing lumbar pain is a rather unpleasant phenomenon that not only interferes with normal movement and work, but also prevents a person from resting. With the sudden onset of pain, the following measures should be applied:
- It is advisable to take a horizontal position, the mattress should be semi-rigid in order to maintain the correct position of the spine. Now you need to try to calm down and relax the muscles. Psychosomatics can also determine the state of the body. Thus, any stress situations should be excluded.
- You can drink painkillers, but it is advisable to try to do without the doctor before the doctor arrives so that the clinical picture of the patient’s condition is not smoothed out.
- If necessary, fix the lumbar region to limit its movement. In addition, it is very important to take measurements of basal temperature. With its increase, we can talk about the beginning of the inflammation process. You should also try to fix the accompanying symptoms, which you need to tell your doctor.
It is also important to remember what to do is prohibited:
- To eliminate lumbar pain, you can not use heat. Hot-water bottle can only aggravate the pathology process and cause its aggravation.
- It is not recommended to drink tablets with an unclear cause of pain syndrome or its protracted nature.
Prohibition of manual therapy
It is strictly forbidden to treat the lower back with manual therapy or to adjust the vertebrae. The thing is that pain can occur not only due to disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
It is necessary to consult a doctor in a timely manner. The patient may need to consult the following specialists: orthopedist, general practitioner, infectious disease specialist, vertebrologist, surgeon, pulmonologist, chiropractor, traumatologist and even cardiologist.
What to do if the back hurts in the area of the spine below?
Medication for back pain
If a person feels aching lumbar pain during movement or sitting, and it does not matter at all whether they are localized on the left or on the right, he seeks to get rid of them as soon as possible. First, determine why the pain syndrome has arisen. In addition, it is not always possible to cope with it at home. Often, medical attention is needed.
When the back hurts at the bottom of the spine, how to treat?
The following medications are used to eliminate stitching and other types of lumbar pain:
- Anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drugs: “Meloxicam”, “Movalis”, “Ibuprofen”, “Naproxen”, “Diclofenac”.
- Muscle relaxants: "Tizanidine", "Baclofen." However, they should be used only when the NSAIDs have not given the desired effect.
- Narcotic analgesics: Codeine, Vicodin, Tylenol. They can only be prescribed by a specialist. It is undesirable to treat pain on your own in this way, since these drugs can become addictive. Also, the drugs presented are dispensed only by prescription.
- Corticosteroids: Dexamethasone, Prednisone, Methylprednisolone.
- Chondroprotector "Teraflex". This tool helps to restore cartilage tissue, slowing its destruction.
- Creams, gels or ointments. These drugs eliminate discomfort if applied directly to the localization of pain:
- Ointments, the main active ingredient of which is diclofenac - Voltaren, Diclovit.
- NSAIDs: Finalgel, Fastum Gel, Ketonal.
- Combined drugs: Dolobene, DIP Relig.
- Topically irritating ointments: Finalgon, Apizartron. This is an indispensable tool in the treatment of muscle pain, as they can affect the blood vessels and expand them. As a result, metabolic processes and tissue nutrition are improved.
- Chondroprotector "Chondroxide".
- Injections are used only when previous groups of funds could not provide the necessary assistance. Blockade is made directly into the lumbar region. For this, the following drugs are used: "Chondrogard", "Pyridoxine", "Milgamma".
- Medical plasters. Such a tool has become very popular recently. The fact is that this patch is saturated with the drug necessary in a specific situation. You can use it at home. Among other things, the patch is very convenient to use. You can do this both in winter and in summer. The patch is not visible at all under clothing. It does not take up much space in the bag. Using the patch, pain can be quickly eliminated. The risk of an overdose of a drug or the appearance of irritation is very low.
There are such medical plasters: "Voltaren", "Ketonal thermo", "Nanoplast Forte". However, there are other types of products. For example, in China, herbal analogues of medicinal plasters are produced: “ZB PAIN RELIEF”, “Black Jade”, “Miaochen”.
If the back hurts at the bottom of the spine, what to do is better to find out at the doctor’s consultation. Various medications can be used to treat lumbar pain, but they are only part of the complex therapy that the doctor must prescribe.
Physiotherapeutic procedures
If a person has a sore spine, gives in the leg or lower abdomen, his life is deprived of comfort. Naturally, such a problem must be fought. In this case, not only medicines are used.
The effectiveness of physiotherapy cannot be overestimated. It enhances the effect of medications. So, the following physiotherapeutic methods will be useful:
Paraffin baths, thanks to which you can warm the affected area of the back well. This procedure is not complicated. Layers apply warm wax to the skin. In general, the thickness of the application should be one centimeter. Then it must be covered with polyethylene and woolen cloth. Such an application should be kept for at least an hour, the duration of the course is from ten to thirty days, which depends on the degree and type of severity of the disease.
Physiotherapy. Helps to strengthen muscle tissue and quick recovery. Exercise is also invaluable in preventing the recurrence of seizures. The following actions will be effective: arching up and down the lower back, standing on all fours; arching to the sides; twisting.
Massage for lumbar pain can be wonderful, but it must be done very carefully. Massage is not used at the stage of exacerbation of the disease. The area that is located to the left or right of the source of pain is treated. There should be soft movements. It is better to choose an experienced massage therapist, because of which the discomfort will not be intensified. During the massage, such techniques are used: rubbing with fingertips, kneading muscles.
Mud treatment. It produces a clear anti-inflammatory effect and can eliminate pain syndrome.
Among other things, pathology can be treated through unconventional methods. For example, acupuncture, manual therapy can eliminate tension and spasm in the muscles, as well as strengthen the skeleton.
We examined why it hurts at the bottom of the spine.