Almost everyone is familiar with low back pain. It is difficult to find someone who has never experienced this extremely unpleasant symptom at least once. Sometimes, sitting in an uncomfortable position for a while is enough to cause discomfort in the spine and lumbar. But this is not a serious problem, but just the result of being in an uncomfortable position for a long time.
But severe back pain almost always has a specific cause, which is the reason for seeing a doctor. The diagnosis is not always expected, because osteochondrosis is only one of the possible problems, back pain.
It is not difficult to guess why the lower back hurts and how to deal with this situation. The doctor will diagnose and determine the cause of the pain, and then you need to start treatment.
Pain syndrome-primary and secondary
To understand the causes of low back pain, don't forget that there are countless reasons for this kind of pain, and laymen will never be able to determine the true source of the problem.
Generally speaking, the medical classification separates primary and secondary pain syndromes affecting the waist.
Primary low back pain syndrome occurs due to musculoskeletal changes in morphological and functional properties. He is the cause of most cases of low back pain. The most important reason is degenerative dystrophy changes in various parts of the spine:
- Osteochondrosis is a disease of bone and cartilage tissue, this disease has the nature of malnutrition. When it affects the intervertebral discs and adjacent vertebrae, spondylosis begins to develop.
- Spondyloarthropathy is a form of osteoarthritis in which the disease affects the intervertebral joints, which are responsible for the movement of the spine or synovial joints.
Secondary pain syndrome has more different causes of pain:
- Scoliosis, which is curvature of the spine, and other growth diseases;
- Various non-infectious inflammations. For example, rheumatoid arthritis, Reiter syndrome;
- Tumors located in the vertebrae, spinal cord itself, or retroperitoneal space, whether primary or caused by metastasis;
- Fracture of one or more back vertebrae. This may be one of the most serious causes of back pain;
- Various infectious diseases (tuberculosis, brucellosis, epidural abscess) that cause damage to the vertebrae and intervertebral discs;
- A stroke condition that severely disrupts the blood supply to the spinal cord. In this case, you may also feel back pain;
- Gastrointestinal diseases. For example, acute appendicitis and intestinal obstruction with atypical course;
- Generally, back pain has reflex properties. Some organ diseases located in the pelvic area have similar problems. For example, renal colic, sexually transmitted diseases (gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, chlamydia, ureaplasmosis and vaginitis-all these diseases can cause reflex back pain).
What is acute pain and chronic pain
Low back pain is also divided into acute and chronic, which can be caused by various problems and diseases, including nerve endings and the spine itself.
Displaced pain is also often observed-the pain comes from other organs, which are located deeper. In other words, from a person’s perspective, lower back pain, even though the problem actually lies in a completely different part of the body. But in most cases, pain from pelvic organs, pancreas, kidneys, colon, or tumors located behind the peritoneum will project to the waist area.
If the lower back is painful, people usually don't know what to do. But it is clear what you should not do-this is self-medication. There are many causes of pain, and only a specialist can make a correct diagnosis, and constant use of painkillers (which many people think of as treatment) can cause greater harm.
In turn, experts make a diagnosis based on data obtained from additional examinations (such as MRI diagnosis of the spine).
Causes of acute pain
When there is severe pain in the lower back, any serious doctor will first determine the cause of the pain before deciding what to do. The reasons may vary, but most of them are related to the spine.
One of the simplest and most harmless causes of pain is acute muscle strain. In this case, cramping long muscles is the source of pain. With this problem, pain rarely "radiates" to other parts of the body, but severely limits a person's ability to move. This reason is very common. I often encounter athletes and people whose work is related to various sports activities.
Another common but more serious source of pain is spinal fractures, especially vertebral compression fractures. In most cases, this happens in the case of unsuccessful falls and other back injuries. However, if a person has hyperparathyroidism, osteoporosis, Paget’s disease, or a tumor in the vertebral area, then a fracture may occur and the patient does not notice, as they put it "unexpectedly"". Moreover, when this fracture occurred, no one would understand.
In the case of acute pain in the lumbar spine, an equally unpleasant situation is the displacement of the intervertebral disc in the lumbar spine. The symptom of this problem is severe pain in the lower back, which severely limits mobility. In most cases, pain is caused by compression of nerve roots. The signs of this compression are:
- Sensitivity disorder;
- The Achilles tendon reflex disappears or is significantly reduced;
- Absence or weakening of knee reflex;
- Unilateral nerve root pain.
An unpleasant trend of this problem is that this displacement can cause lesions in the lower vertebrae. As a result, pain occurs below the waist, and the function of the rectum and bladder may be impaired. In some cases, localization of pain in the upper lower back is also possible.
Facet joint syndrome can also cause acute back pain. In this case, the cause of the pain is the compression of the root at the exit of the spinal canal, while the intervertebral disc itself remains intact. This syndrome is usually caused by the expansion of the upper and lower articular surfaces of the intervertebral joints, resulting in narrowing of the intervertebral foramen.
Epidural abscess is one of the most serious diseases that cause severe back pain. This disease requires urgent diagnosis and immediate treatment. It is recommended to take any effective measures until surgical intervention, mainly to quickly eliminate the compression of the spinal cord.
Hip disease is also often the cause of acute low back pain. Their characteristic is that the pain radiates to the lower back, leg to knee level.
Causes of chronic low back pain
One of the causes of chronic pain is spondylotic deformity. With this disease, the vertebrae of the lumbar spine will undergo malnutrition changes, the ligaments will weaken and bone growth will occur. As a result, the spinal canal narrows and osteophytes begin to compress the nerve roots. Soreness can be accompanied by numbness and weakness in the legs, as well as other neurological symptoms. In any case, a comprehensive examination is required, and the final diagnosis is determined based on the results of the examination.
Bechterew disease, also known as ankylosing spondyloarthropathy, can also cause chronic pain. It manifests as a pain in the lower back, and the curvature of the spine in the chest area appears and develops rapidly. The initial symptoms are restricted movement and reduced chest movement during breathing.
Cancer and metabolic disorders usually cause low back pain. But even benign tumors can cause chronic pain without neurological symptoms.
Osteomyelitis can also cause back pain, which may last for a long time.
in conclusion
As you can see, many diseases can cause back pain. At the same time, many times a person does not even expect that the problem is not at its pain point. Therefore, even if your lower back is not always painful, it is painful from time to time-do not pull and consult a doctor. Any disease is easier to deal with at an early stage, rather than when it is neglected and will bring many complications.