Back pain is a symptom that occurs in various diseases and conditions. In most cases, back pain reflects bone pathology, changes in the joints of the spine and periarticular tissues, muscles, nerve trunks, and the skin over the spine. Back pain can also accompany other diseases, including diseases of the internal organs.
Back pain symptoms
Back pain can have its own characteristics depending on the cause. In rheumatological diseases, a distinction is made between the following symptoms:
- pain occurs in the lumbar spine, in the buttocks, gives way to the thigh;
- pain increases at rest and decreases with movement;
- pain is accompanied by morning stiffness in the lumbar spine;
- the defeat of the spine is bilateral.
With infectious processes:
- sharp pain in the spine;
- with a lesion in the lumbar area, the pain radiates to the buttocks, leg;
- pain increases with pressure on the affected area;
- Swelling and redness of the skin in the affected area are often noticed;
- the process is often one-sided (on one side of the spine).
With muscle pathology:
- in fibromyalgia, the pain is constant, widespread, and covers both the right and left halves of the body, above and below the waist. It increases with emotional and mental overload, with cold temperatures, sudden changes in climate. Painful points appear in various anatomical areas that are revealed when pressing;
- Tension of the affected muscle;
- decreased muscle strength.
Herniated disc (osteochondrosis), spondyloarthrosis:
- Back pain from stress on the spine (e. g. standing for long periods in an upright position), aggravated by turning and bending backwards, walking past at rest;
- when staying in one position for a long time, discomfort may arise;
- possible compression of the nerves due to hernia or subluxation in the joint. In such cases, there may be pain in the arm, occipital area (with damage to the cervical spine), leg (with damage to the lumbar spine), accompanied by numbness, tingling and muscle weakness in the leg or arm;
- Subluxation of the joints in the cervical spine can compress the vertebral artery, causing headache, dizziness, coordination of movements, eyesight, hearing;
- Spinal stiffness disappears after warming up.
In case of damage to internal organs:
- with kidney pathology, in addition to back pain, abdominal pain, frequent urination can occur;
- in diseases of the pancreas - the surrounding nature of pain;
- if you have lung disease - pain in the back and chest behind or in front, under the shoulder blade, made worse by coughing.
causes
The causes of the disease are very diverse.
- Back pain due to pathology of the spine (bones, ligaments, tendons, intervertebral discs):
- Osteomyelitis (an infectious and inflammatory process that affects one part of the bone marrow and then the elements of bone tissue);
- Spinal tumors and metastases ("screenings" of a tumor of any organ that have spread to the spine to form a new focus);
- Herniated disc (osteochondrosis);
- Osteoporosis (a disease characterized by increased fragility of bone tissue);
- Spondylolisthesis (displacement of one vertebra relative to the others);
- Scoliosis (curvature of the spine);
- Spondyloarthrosis (a disease based on the defeat of all components of the joint, mainly the articular cartilage);
- Fractures;
- Stenosis (obstruction) of the spinal canal.
- Back pain due to muscle abnormalities:
- Fibromyalgia (complex of symptoms, manifested by chronic generalized (spreading to many muscles) muscle pain, depression, insomnia, morning stiffness, rapid fatigue);
- Muscle cramps;
- Stretching of the muscles.
- Back pain due to other conditions:
- Pelvic hemorrhage;
- festering hematoma (accumulation of poured blood) of the retroperitoneal space;
- Diseases of the pelvic organs;
- Aortic dissection;
- Kidney disease;
- Diseases of the abdominal organs;
- Rheumatoid diseases (ankylosing spondylitis (a disease characterized by an inflammatory process in the spine and joints), reactive arthritis (inflammatory diseases of the joints of an infectious nature), psoriatic arthritis (inflammation of the joints, associated with the appearance of scalyPlaques on the skin));
- Herpes zoster, herpes zoster.
- The provoking factors can be:
- Injury;
- Lift weights;
- unprepared movements;
- prolonged stay in an unphysiological (uncomfortable) position;
- Hypothermia.
- Analysis of complaints (pain in the spine, back pain when exercising for a long time in one position, morning stiffness; numbness, tingling, muscle weakness in arm or leg).
- Analysis of the anamnesis (history of development) of the disease - the question of how the disease began and progressed.
- General examination (examination and palpation of the spine, determining the range of motion of the spine).
- General blood and urine tests to identify the infectious process and kidney pathology.
- Spine X-ray - allows you to see pathological changes in the vertebrae.
- Computer, magnetic resonance imaging of the spine - allows you to more accurately determine the type of lesion on the spine and surrounding tissues.
- Electromyography - to detect muscle pathologies.
- Radioisotope bone scintigraphy is a contrast study based on the observation of the distribution characteristics of a contrast agent introduced into the body in the bone. The foci of excessive accumulation indicate the presence of a pathological process.
- Densitometry - determination of bone density. It is done to detect osteoporosis (a disease characterized by increased fragility of bones).
- Consultation with a neurologist, vertebrologist, rheumatologist, orthopedist.
- Treatment of the underlying disease that causes back pain.
- Rest for several days (2 to 5).
- Wearing a bandage (corset) to relieve the spine.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (by mouth, in the form of injections, in the form of local means - ointments, gels) - for pain relief.
- Muscle relaxants are muscle relaxants.
- Surgical treatment depending on the cause of the pain - for example, removal of a purulent focus in the spine; Installation of a prosthesis between the vertebrae to restore the normal distance between them with narrowing of the intervertebral space and compression of the nerve trunks.
- After the acute pain disappears - physiotherapeutic procedures (it is necessary to consult a physiotherapist), massage, physiotherapy exercises.
- Depending on the cause and severity of the disease that caused the pain.
- The transition of the disease into a chronic form (osteochondrosis) is possible.
- In severe cases, disability (trauma, rheumatological diseases).
- Treatment of the underlying disease.
- Elimination of injuries, physical overload, hypothermia.
- Correct posture.
- Correct arrangement of work and sleeping places (in order to exclude the unphysiological position of the spine, in which it is exposed to a curvature).
- Correction of obesity.