Causes of back pain in the lumbar region

Sometimes even children have pain in the lower back. Adults know the problems from the beginning. To deal with it, you need to find out: why your lower back hurts, what are the reasons. The range of causes is wide: from a benign condition to an emergency that requires medical attention. After discovering the root of the disease, you will understand what to do, you can help yourself independently or by contacting a doctor.

Factors causing pain

Back pain is a common occurrence, but from the "accidental" category. It happens suddenly and always inappropriately. Everything has an explanation, consider the probable.

after sleep

A person wakes up in the morning, is going to get up. . . and can't. Sharp piercing back pain. I didn't lift weights the day before, I didn't give my muscles a load, it's not clear where the pain is coming from.

Action algorithm:

  1. During any pain, it is important to calm down in order to adequately assess the situation.Panic will not ease the pain, but it can make it worse. It doesn't work, we think about lying down.
  2. Remember yesterday.If you spent it in the office, and in the evening in front of the TV or computer, and this is your usual routine, the muscles will experience (don't be surprised) overload. constantly, daily. They don't have time to rest during the night. Passive rest does not help the recovery of strained muscles. Static load is heavier than dynamic load. The first (static) - being in the same position - overloads some muscles, leaving others idle. Dynamics (movement) involves many muscles.
  3. We continue to analyze.You load your muscles evenly, you do minimal exercises, you don't sit for eighteen hours a day, but you wake up with lower back pain.

    Probable causes:

    • Uncomfortable posture during sleep;
    • Bed too hard or too soft;
    • Manifestation of internal diseases.

    The latter circumstance is rarely associated with sleep. After waking up, a person may feel sick, because in a dream the body is relaxed, sensations are dulled. When awake, the perception is intensified, it moves - the suffering organ reacts.

  4. If you calm down, analyze the situation, find out the cause of the pain - take action.When you are sure: muscle pain, which is not associated with organ pathology, stand up gently. It doesn't work - move it to the edge of the bed, move it to the floor. There you will exercise to relieve muscle spasm - this is your treatment.

Lower back pain after sleep, which first appeared, usually occurs due to the reasons listed above.The deep, main reason is detraining, muscle weakness.Weakened muscles react to factors that strong ones "don't notice". Pain is not caused by the firmness/softness of the bed, awkward movement and loose muscles.

Orthopedic mattress prevents back pain after sleep

Learn more about sleep comfort. Which bed is better: a controversial question, the answers to which are diametrically opposed. Proponents of hard beds insist on the use of a shield under the mattress and call such a bed orthopedic. It is believed that a firm bed straightens the spine, which is good for posture.

Opponents of hardness promote a soft, thick mattress that allows the body to "sink" into the filler. In the semi-suspended position, the muscles and the spine take an arbitrary position. "Soft sleep" advertisements claim: it is more useful, the approach is physiological. The mattress is also called orthopedic.

Back pain occurs in both women and men after sleeping on any bed. Extremes are not the best solution. Our strong ancestors, peasants, slept on chests or stoves, made their beds with feathers. Middle option. The posture was excellent, the pain after waking up was not characteristic of young and middle-aged people.

To keep the body in shape muscles - active, regular exercises will help: exercises. muscle training. How to help yourself "here and immediately" - we will definitely talk about it. When we consider all the possible causes and find out what it could be, why the lower back pain appeared.

You can also feel pain and burning in other cases, with diseases of the spine, injuries. Then they are non-specific mornings, annoying, despite the "sleep" time.

after training

Lack of load leads to weakness, muscle atrophy, overload - will reward pain for hard work. Note to listeners: Take the phrase "fast, slow" as a motto for recovery. Arms of strength and health are not always possible.Gradualness is the key to success.

Calculating the optimal load is not difficult, two indicators are needed:

  • HR (heart rate, the number of heartbeats measured per minute);
  • arterial blood pressure.

Heart rate measurements are performed three times:

  • before the start of the lesson;
  • at the end of the workout;
  • 5 minutes after class.

In a relatively healthy person, the initial pulse is 70-72, immediately after exercise, the heart rate can increase with adequate load to 120 (not more). After 5 minutes, the pulse should slow down: below 100 beats. If the heartbeat is more frequent, the load is excessive, the muscles will respond with further pain. The lower back is no exception.

Blood pressure should also return to normal within five minutes. This knowledge will tell you what to do so that pain in the lower back muscles does not occur after exercise.

because of negative emotions

A person who is prone to emotions or who has fallen into a severe protracted stressful situation may experience pain in the lower back of varying intensity. They are not associated with organic damage to the spine. The causes of back pain in the lumbar region lie in the body's reaction to stress.Nervous tension causes muscle spasm.Spasmodic muscles indicate a malfunction in their work - pain.

It doesn't just happen in the lower back, muscle spasms can happen anywhere. In medicine, such a symptom is called psychosomatic pain.

Regular exercises aimed at strengthening and developing muscles, forming a "muscle corset" - prevention of neurological pain.

Diseases of the spine

Diseases of the spine itself, dysfunction of the surrounding muscles, are more difficult to treat. The main assistants: willpower, perseverance, patience. Diseases have individual causes. The treatment method depends on its nature.

injuries

Spinal muscles are damaged for two reasons:

  1. Self-harm through ignorance: ignorance of the physiology of one's own body, inappropriate "exploitation" of the body.
  2. External influence (accidents, elements, unforeseen circumstances).

Self-mutilation does not occur on purpose (exceptions are rare, we are talking about something else here), injuries occur due to negligence. The man did not calculate his strength, he kicked a heavy object and turned awkwardly with it. Injured the spine in the lumbar region. The pain is sharp, sharp, does not allow movement.

It happens more often in men: they work more with weights.Standard recommendations of doctors:

  • restriction of movements (bed rest);
  • Strong injections for back and lower back pain;
  • warming burning, ointments, compresses, heating;
  • Physiotherapy procedures;
  • massage;
  • Exercise therapy - after reduction of intensity, weakening of symptoms and during remission.

Let's take a closer look at the essence of the medical prescription:

  1. rest (restriction of movements). Muscles are spasmodic, tense, some of them are blocked by wrong load. By depriving the patient of mobility, the doctor inadvertently fixes this blockage: immobility will not remove the spasm. Muscles become rigid - lose flexibility, remain tense for a long time. Muscle tissue quickly weakens throughout the body that lacks movement. These are prerequisites for the transition of the disease to a chronic form.
  2. Painkillers. Injections "suppress" the symptoms, it is easier for the patient. But there is no therapeutic effect. The reason remains, the person simply feels less pain for two to three hours. Strong drugs are also strong, causing side effects. Often used to relieve pain attacks in the lumbosacral spine, the drug from the group of phenylacetic acid derivatives causes serious problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Other pain relievers are also not without side effects. And they are used for a long time, courses.
  3. The pain is always swollen. It is visible or hidden, but pain and swelling coexist without fail. Swelling will be aggravated by warming manipulations. The situation is the same: the pain subsides, the problem remains or progresses.
  4. Physiotherapy for spastic muscles is close to placebo. Best case scenario.
  5. A skilled massage will bring benefits, relax the muscles. Careful caressing does not make sense, use a special massage that relieves spasms. It is painful at first, but it helps to recover quickly.
  6. Exercise is essential immediately after an injury. Through the pain, correct movements return the muscles to their normal state without medication. It is necessary to know the exact diagnosis, focus on it, choose a set of exercises. Leave the diagnosis to the doctor.

Serious injuries (soft tissue tears, fractures) require hospitalization, sometimes surgery. But the main thing in rehabilitation is the development and strengthening of the damaged muscles, recovery. Drug anesthesia is a temporary measure, recovery is achieved by regular exercises.

Osteochondrosis

Osteochondrosis is called dystrophic changes in the intervertebral discs:

  • The cartilage tissue of the discs wears out if the muscles that support the spine, adjacent to it, are poorly developed, sluggish. The spine is vulnerable without the support of a reliable muscular corset, the load on the discs is uneven.
  • Discs flatten, tissues around them lose elasticity, spasm. The pain reflex is transmitted from the point of compression by the disc vertebrae: from the spasmodic muscles through the nerve to the brain.
  • The edges of the spine are deformed, begin to grow, and the muscles are additionally damaged.
  • A chronic process develops gradually, pain sensations are far from the beginning. Progressing from discomfort and dull pain - increasing, intense. often causes disability.

Osteochondrosis often occurs in men who are forced to lift weights. The disease often develops in women. Women are more sedentaryLack of movement weakens the musculoskeletal system. Staying in one position for too long overuses some muscle groups without engaging others. Spinal pain in the lumbar region and other segments.

Radicular syndrome in osteochondrosis causes back pain in the lumbar region

The scheme is the same: muscle spasm, the signal of pain receptors from compressed discs is read by the nerve, the person feels soothing pain. It is called "radicular syndrome" (doctors explain it by squeezing the root of the spinal cord). Hypodynamia is to blame in tandem with an irresponsible attitude to health. Muscle tissue can heal, for this it needs your conscious help. Pinched nerve (another, inaccurate name for the syndrome, since the nerve does not contain pain receptors, it transfers the impulse from the swollen muscles) is not an easy cure. Willpower, patience, time are your allies.

Treatment is provided on an inpatient or outpatient basis, as well as for injuries that do not require surgery. Doctors use painkillers, blockades, prescribe anti-inflammatory and painkiller injections.

Full muscle function can be restored only with regular exercise. A well-thought-out, competent system of exercises. Choose from a significant variety of medical author rehabilitation methods - the right one for you.

spondylosis

Untreated, progressive osteochondrosis can turn into spondylosis against the background of a number of disorders of the regime and the body itself. The growth of bone tissue is an adaptive response of the body. Skeletal muscles, the spine, do not hold. He tries to keep it under his own power, he moves the supports - the tops of the bones. In advanced cases, the processes grow together with neighboring vertebrae. The spine becomes fixed, rigid, movements in the lower back are blocked.

Outgrowths (protrusions) on the edges of the vertebral segments constantly damage the surrounding tissues.

Stop the disease in time, or better, prevent it.Do not allow osteochondrosis to pass to spondylosis: it is more difficult to deal with the second one.

At least half an hour - forty minutes of simple (remember gradual) exercise every day. Gradually add regularity: do not skip classes. The result will be visible in two to four weeks. The time of complete healing depends on the initial condition: how far the disease has progressed.

The right exercise will certainly improve your well-being, but it will only relieve you, not cure you. The disease is severe. Spondylosis operations are ineffective. Treatment is symptomatic. Anesthetize with ointments, injections.

The use of drugs is appropriate if the pain in the lower back is unbearable. Dosage and frequency - adjust.The need for anesthesia disappears for muscles strengthened by exercises.The pain subsides. Prevention will be the guarantee of their return: gymnastics for muscles, joints and the whole body. At the same time, the body is completely healed.

spondylarthrosis

Pain in the lumbar-sacral spine is expressed during spondylarthrosis. The pain may spread to the buttocks and thighs.

The disease is characterized by damage to the joints between the vertebral bodies. Joint cartilage is destroyed, bone tissue is destroyed. Nearby muscles and ligaments are inflamed and tense. Mobility is reduced. The disease progresses, appears in the elderly, young people rarely suffer from congenital anomalies of the spine.

Factors provoking spondylarthrosis:

  • Older age:
  • floor
  • obesity;
  • hard physical work in the past;
  • strength sports (barbell);
  • injuries;
  • genetic predisposition.

Spondylarthrosis occurs twice as often in women. This fact is related to metabolic disorders (fluctuations in the level and composition of hormones - pregnancy, menopause). Affects statistics and differences in the average life expectancy of different sexes. The age limit for spondylarthrosis is high, women get it more often.

The doctor decides how to act, operations are not indicated. Procedures are aimed at reducing pain. The doctor will prescribe medications and possible exercises.

sciatica

If you do not treat osteochondrosis, it can be complicated by sciatica. The symptoms are similar, but the disease is more severe. Nerve fibers are damaged - bundles that are located in the muscles surrounding the spine, along the spine. Lower back pain, stretching, radiating to the buttock and left leg, may indicate sciatica, osteochondrosis, spinal hernia. The pain also radiates to the right leg, less often it is bilateral. With sciatica, it is difficult to find a position that relieves the intensity of the pain. Pain radiates to the leg and along with other health disorders of the spine, consult a doctor:High-quality diagnosis is half the success of treatment.

In the absence of competent treatment, sciatica causes curvature of the spine. A frequent complication of the disease is spinal hernia, the protrusion of the disc compressed by the spine. The pain in case of hernia of the lumbar spine is constant, it is a severe consequence of sciatica.

For the diagnosis of pain in the lower back, you should definitely consult a doctor

The onset of sciatica, like osteochondrosis, has similar causes:

  • violation of posture;
  • muscle detraining;
  • flat feet
  • the habit of incorrectly "holding back" while walking, sitting, working and resting;
  • Disruption of metabolic processes.

If osteochondrosis has developed, pain and burning appear in the back, deal with the problem immediately. until it got worse.

Sciatica is treated with the same method as osteochondrosis:

  • Get rid of pain - apply ointments, gels, medicines;
  • relieve inflammation;
  • Strengthen the muscular system with exercises.

tuberculous process

Tuberculosis infectious disease can cause muscle inflammation of any localization. If the lumbar back muscles are inflamed, pain is felt there. The tuberculous process in the bone tissue of the spine is caused by the penetration of specific tuberculosis bacteria into the spinal tissue through the blood stream. This leads to the development of tuberculous spondylitis or osteomyelitis (bacteria damage the bone marrow of the spine).

Lumbar tuberculous etiology diseases are accompanied by severe pain in the advanced stage.

What to do if spinal tuberculosis is diagnosed? Follow the instructions of an experienced doctor. Postponing treatment is dangerous: the spine is gradually deformed: the vertebrae are destroyed, a hump is formed.

Treatment is long, antibacterial, sometimes surgical. It is recommended to limit the load. Even after achieving remission, medical supervision is necessary.

Tumor

Tumor processes in the lumbar region and surrounding tissues cause pain that increases with the growth of the neoplasm. Unpleasant sensations are caused by any type of tumor: benign and malignant.

If cancer is suspected, thorough examination and treatment are vital.Symptoms can resemble a pinched nerve, sciatica, or a herniated disc. Therefore, it is important to consult a doctor to establish a reliable diagnosis.

Diagnosis is difficult due to the similarity of symptoms with other diseases. Night and morning pains are characteristic. Tumors involving the spinal cord have the worst prognosis.

Benign tumors are treated surgically, they are removed. Malignant metastases occur more often from other organs, and it is difficult to cure them. You should consult an oncologist, he will plan and conduct treatment. Treatment tactics: anesthesia, supportive therapy, if necessary - surgical.

Diseases of internal organs

Disease, symptoms

Why does my lower back hurt?

necessary actions

A stroke is a disorder of blood circulation in the brain. Failure of most body functions - speech, motor, mental.

Acute circulatory failure due to rupture or narrowing of a blood vessel can affect the spinal cord. Its functions are disturbed, hypoxia occurs. This causes pain.

call an ambulance.

Atypical acute appendicitis

Pain occurs in places uncharacteristic for this disease - epigastrium, left side or lower back.

An ambulance can be called, hospitalization and surgery are possible.

Pyelonephritis, ICD (kidney disease)

The inflammatory process (pyelonephritis) or the advancement of kidney stones causes pain of varying intensity in the lower back and lower abdomen - from painful to acute, unbearable.

Call an ambulance.

Intestinal obstruction.

Life-threatening condition: retention of feces and gases, vomiting, nausea, food masses do not move through the intestines. Cold sweats, rapid pulse, drop in blood pressure.

Pain in the form of compression can be given in the lower back.

Emergency hospitalization.

reflected pain

Ask:

  • pancreatic diseases;
  • pathology of pelvic organs;
  • Intestinal diseases.

Examination, examination, diagnosis by a doctor, followed by the appointment of adequate treatment.

Women's issues

The causes of pain are not always pathology, if we are talking about women. Sometimes they lie in the pure female physiology.

during pregnancy

Painful pains in the lower back in expectant mothers can be conventionally attributed to pain. This is a feeling of natural weight: the child is growing, the belly is increasing, the weight is greatest in the pelvic area. This gives an increased load on the spine in the lumbar region. Imagine that you have a bag tied to your belt, a bucket or bucket and half of water is poured into it. After walking with such a load for several hours, even a man will feel tired, his back hurts. Carrying a child is not an easy joy in every sense. A pregnant woman may suffer from aching pain in the lower backIn the early stages, the body begins to recover, it can be felt.

A healthy woman does not perceive the desired "overweight" as discomfort.Normally developed muscles, gymnastics for pregnant women neutralizes the feeling of heaviness.If the pain is intense, the lower abdomen and lower back hurt, inform the pregnant doctor. A doctor can help you figure out what it might be. Multiple pregnancies can increase the burden - the load is more than usual. Exacerbation of pre-pregnancy diseases is not excluded, this will be revealed by a doctor's consultation.

period

The normal process shows: the woman is healthy. At the onset of menstruation, the cervix opens slightly and pulling pains may appear. Then the internal mucous membranes of the uterus are rejected - there may also be pain. If the pain is unbearable - consult a doctor, he will tell you how to regulate menstruation. Irregular cycle may indicate hormonal disorders.

How to ease the pain

Acute musculoskeletal pain in the back, which is not related to organ damage, can be relieved on its own, quickly and without medication.

  1. Intensive exhalation (deep, from the belly) activates the diaphragm, activates blood circulation and the condition is relieved.

    • Lying on the back, we put a cold object under the back (a heating pad with ice, a bag of frozen vegetables, etc. ), the cold also anesthetizes the swollen muscles.
    • Bend the legs slightly at the knees.
    • Put your hands near your ears, raise your head and shoulders on exhalation and lower them on inhalation.

    Cold relieves swelling, activates blood flow in the lower back. The pain subsides.

  2. Lie on the floor on all fours, stretch the muscles by walking with support on the palms and knees. 5-20 minutes is the optimal duration of training. Swelling disappears, anesthesia appears.

  3. Lie on your back, legs on a chair (sofa, other comfortable support). Under the lower back - a heating pad with ice. hands behind head. While exhaling, raise the part of the shoulder, trying to reach the elbows to the knees. Do 20 reps or more if possible. Muscles are developed, swelling and spasm will be removed, pain will go away.

There is a set of exercises that strengthen the back muscles, here are the main ones that quickly relieve pain. It looks like an ambulance. Exercises are safe, initial pain is natural. If you start performing these movements immediately, as soon as a person feels discomfort, the muscles will "stretch", it is possible to remove the pain syndrome in one or two sessions.

Medicinal pain relievers provide temporary relief but do not cure the problem.Apply, if unbearable, ointment, folk remedies (salt lotions, herbal baths), but the emphasis is on exercises.

Alternate between work and rest wisely, give yourself restful sleep.

Don't be lazy: work your muscles proactively. Practice movements that eliminate muscle stagnation. They are a dynamic body. Use reasonable sets of exercises, do not force. Having patience. The work of the muscles is controlled by the mind, their ability to restore (restoration) is amazing. Under load, new pathways are innervated, the damaged ones are bypassed, and the temporarily lost functions of muscles affected by disease or external influences are restored.

Anatomical changes affect only the pathways. Health, well-being, mobility - restored.

There is no better investment than investing in your own health. It's an investment of effort: exercise as part of a lifestyle. Make it a habit - every day, like brushing your teeth.

Nursing the disease is not an option. It is understandable to want to find a comfortable position for the body that relieves pain. But if "movement is life", then rest (which a person so wants in case of pain) is the antipode of life. Eternal rest - of any degree of laziness - is of little interest, so you have to bother the sick muscles. Through pain, diseases love to be pampered (bed rest, minimal movements, warming up, etc. indulgence). ButDiseases keep away from the braveOvercoming the fear of feeling pain and through it itself. Overcome self-pity: it's an excuse for laziness and fear. A little courage, regular light work and you will forget about back pain.