A person can consider himself healthy until the day when he feels pain in his back. Almost all diseases make themselves felt, radiating in this area.
Moreover, such sensations do not allow living and working at the same pace. What can back pain indicate and what is its nature?
Causes of back pain
It all depends on a person's lifestyle. Even an over-reliance on fatty foods can cause back pain. But the main causes of back pain are:
- spinal conditions;
- diseases of the genitourinary system;
- natural aging;
- too high loads;
- pregnancy.
Lumbar functions
The vertebrae located in the lumbar region have the most massive structure. They are strong and big.
This is due to the fact that most of the load falls here. The lower back performs a very important function - upright posture.
In addition to body weight, other loads are placed on the lumbar spine. Athletes lift heavy weights, women try to bring huge bags from the market.
The intervertebral discs provide cushioning, but without proper care, the spine begins to change. This creates intense pain.
After sleep, the intervertebral discs are again saturated with fluid and are ready to work. But if lower back pain becomes constant companions, you should immediately consult a doctor.
With severe pathologies, even during sleep, the vertebrae do not diverge, and access to nutrients is impossible.
Spinal diseases
If the lower back hurts for no apparent reason, then most likely the reason lies in diseases of the spine. In the first place, osteochondrosis.
It develops against a background of general exhaustion caused by malnutrition, obesity, muscular corset dystrophy.
Excess weight adds a load to the spine, the vertebrae begin to press on each other with greater force. The intervertebral discs collapse under the pressure and don't have enough rupture to fill with fluid.
Also, if a person does not eat properly, the metabolism is disturbed, and therefore the nutrition of the intervertebral discs is disturbed.
Muscular dystrophy can develop due to constant stress, heavy loads and a sedentary lifestyle. The development mechanism is very simple.
- The muscles are overworked. Due to a lack of preparation, they freeze while accumulating lactic acid in themselves.
- Without adequate relaxation (eg, massage), the muscles cannot contract. Being in constant tension, she does not allow blood to flow properly to her.
- Without getting the required amount of nutrients, the muscles simply break down.
After that, the spine is involved in the process. Bones alone cannot support a person's weight. Ligaments and muscles help them.
But, when the muscles are absent, all the weight falls on the vertebrae. Under pressure, the intervertebral disc protrudes into the holes and can compress nerve processes.
With lumbar osteochondrosis, the patient feels pain in the lower back, radiating to the leg. Most often, the sciatic nerve is damaged, and each step responds with an electric shock.
If you do not treat such a disease, you can completely lose sensitivity in the lower extremities. The same condition is observed with the displacement of the vertebrae, lordosis, scoliosis, etc.
The main difference between spinal injuries is increased pain after movement, as well as a feeling of relief after rest and sleep. Slightly relieving the condition helps "stretch" the spine. It should be done before sleeping.
Diseases of the genitourinary system
Pain in the lower back can appear with diseases of the ovaries in women, kidneys. In this case, symptoms may appear after hypothermia.
With inflammation of the ovaries, a woman experiences sensations similar to menstrual syndrome. The pain in the lower back becomes a pulling and permanent character.
If the lower back hurts badly, like a knife, piercing, to the left or right of the spine, this indicates inflammation of the kidneys.
In this case, pyelonephritis or glomerulonephritis is possible. The doctor prescribes tests, conducts an examination. If kidney stones are found, they are removed with a laser.
natural aging
People over 30 complain of back pain. It may be pain due to wear and tear on the vertebrae. The rate of spinal aging is related to a person's lifestyle.
If he did not overdo it in the gym, but played sports, the pain will very quickly become chronic.
The vertebral section makes itself felt the very first, since it bears the greatest load. Many scientists claim that lower back pain is our retribution for the ability to keep our backs straight.
Without adequate prevention, under the weight of the body, the intervertebral discs are destroyed, the vertebrae are displaced and twisted.
Loads too high
There is an opinion that it is simply necessary to go to the gym once a week and exhaust yourself in order to look good and be healthy.
But for any load you need to be prepared. Before training, you need to perform a warm-up, comprehensive stretching exercises.
And gradually increase the amount of exercise. Thus, it will be much more effective to do daily exercises.
With sudden loads, for example, in weightlifters, gymnasts, there is a high probability of sprain, disc protrusion, etc.
Pregnancy
Low back pain during pregnancy is almost a physiological condition. With the growth of the fetus, they can become stronger, numbness appears after sleep in the limbs. This is due to sudden weight gain.
Now the spine should contain not only the mass of the mother, but also the unborn child, which is growing in a large amount of water.
Pregnant women often complain of lower back pain in the morning. You can avoid this if you sleep on an orthopedic mattress and pillow. And during the day, a special bandage will help relieve the load, which unloads the lower back.
As a rule, such back pain disappears after childbirth. If they persist for a month, you should consult a doctor.
Diagnosis of low back pain
This type of pain is not difficult to diagnose. It is enough for the doctor to listen to the description of the patient's pain, to find out whether it appears after sleep, has an increasing or constant character, whether there is an electric shock syndrome. And after that, the doctor can identify the main possible cause of the pain.
The basis of any treatment is gymnastics, which strengthens the muscles, and massage, to relax them.