What to do at home for back pain

Back pain is a fairly common symptom. Everyone has experienced it in one way or another in their life.

Causes, frequency and risk factors of low back pain

Let's see why the lower back can hurt in the country. Most often, lower back pain signals that you have:

• osteochondrosis and neuralgia;
• kidney disease;
• pancreatitis in the acute stage.

Let's look at each of the possible reasons in more detail.

Lower back pain can occur with various kidney diseases:

• glomerulonephritis - non-infectious kidney damage;
• pyelonephritis - purulent inflammation of the renal pelvis;
• the formation and movement of stones in the kidneys and ureters.

Often, hypothermia, a cold, or diet contribute to kidney disease; It's easy to confuse a low back tear with kidney problems. However, there are characteristic symptoms of this type of disease:

• pain is not associated with movement and physical activity;
• body temperature often rises above 37. 5 degrees;
• light tapping with the edge of the palm in the kidney area causes severe pain;
• there are problems with urination - frequent or too rare, painful;
• urine becomes cloudy, changes color.

When a person has kidney problems, the first thing to do is to call a doctor. This organ fulfills too important a function in the body to risk it. While the doctor comes to your country house, try to alleviate the patient's condition.

What can be done:

• lay the patient down or help him into a comfortable position;
• in the presence of temperature - give an antipyretic;
• give a sick antispasmodic, for example, no-shpu;
• monitor pressure, temperature;
• provide assistance if necessary if the person has to turn around.

It is often written that heating compresses or warm baths will help with kidney disease. Remember!

If the pain is caused by pyelonephritis, warming will only aggravate the situation, since inflammation due to heat increases.

All additional measures can be prescribed by a doctor after a professional examination.

Lumbar spine injuries are the most common cause of low back pain.

Low back pain occurs in almost everyone at least once in their life. It should be noted that the pain can affect any part of your back, however, pain in the lumbar spine occurs most often. This is due to the fact that the lumbar vertebrae bear the maximum load of your body weight.

Low back pain is the second leading cause of doctor visits, just after viral infections. You may experience lower back pain after lifting a heavy object, after a sudden movement, after being in one position for a long time, or after a spinal injury. Acute pain in the lumbar spine is most often caused by displacement of the intervertebral disc and trauma to the spine.

Conditions that can cause back pain:

• Lumbar spine osteochondrosis
• Intervertebral hernia and intervertebral disc protrusion
• Spondylarthrosis
• Spondylosis
• Spondylolisthesis
• Compression fracture due to osteoporosis, multiple myeloma, vertebral hemangioma
• Tumor in the lumen of the spinal canal

  Destruction of the lumbar vertebra in tuberculosis is a rare cause of low back pain.

• Spine fracture after injury
• Prolonged muscle tension
• Anatomically narrow spinal canal
• Curvature of the spine (scoliosis, kyphosis, kyphoscoliosis, Scheuermann Mau disease)
• aortic aneurysm
• Rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, osteoarthritis
• Spinal infections - osteomyelitis, discitis, spinal tuberculosis
• Pyelonephritis, urolithiasis
• Complicated course of pregnancy
• Gynecological diseases (endometriosis, ovarian cyst, ovarian cancer, etc. )

back pain with pancreatitis

A tumor in the lumen of the spinal canal is a common cause of lower back pain.

The pain can be varied: sharp, dull, drawing, burning, which can be accompanied by tingling and goosebumps, numbness. The intensity of lower back pain can vary greatly - from mild to unbearable pain that makes it difficult to perform even a small movement. The pain may be associated with thigh pain, lower leg pain, foot pain.

For lower back pain, don't start with an x-ray of the spine.

• Reduce physical activity in the first two days after an attack begins. This will help reduce the symptoms of the disease and the swelling in the painful area.
• Do not sit forward until the pain is completely gone.
• Only take painkillers if the pain is unbearable. It is better to make an intramuscular injection than to drink an anesthetic drug. This will protect your stomach lining from direct contact with the anti-inflammatory medication. Try to avoid taking too many medications. Do not use hormonal drugs for treatment if low back pain is not associated with an autoimmune disease.
• Sleep in the fetal position with a pillow between your legs. If you usually sleep on your back, put a pillow under your knees
• A common misconception is that you should limit physical activity for a long time. Bed rest is not recommended! If you don't have a fever, weight loss, involuntary urination, and bowel movements, you should stay active as long as you can. You can only reduce your activity in the first two days after the onset of pain. Start doing light aerobic exercise. Walking on the simulator, swimming will help improve blood flow to your back muscles. Consult your doctor for the choice of exercises so as not to cause an increase in pain.

A characteristic symptom of pancreatitis is pain in the girdle, which begins under the ribs on the left. Then it spreads to the stomach and back, forming a ring. Pain in the navel area can also indicate pancreatitis. In atypical forms of the disease, pain in the back, slightly above the waist, is not uncommon - it is usually mistaken for something other than a symptom of pancreatitis.

Back pain in acute pancreatitis is very serious. First aid for pancreatitis includes:

• hunger (the patient should not eat before the examination);
• comfortable position (help the person to take it), calm and comfort;
• moderate drinking (you can gradually give plain water);
• condition check (do not leave the patient alone).

There are body positions that help reduce pain: the knee-elbow position and the fetal position.

Diagnostic methods

You must first consult a neurologist. The doctor will ask you questions about the nature of your pain, its frequency, its recurrence. The doctor will try to determine the cause of the pain and start treatment with simple methods (ice, mild painkillers, physical therapy and necessary exercises).

MRI in 95% of cases will determine the true cause of back pain.

In most cases, these treatments lead to a reduction in back pain. During the examination, the doctor will determine the exact position of the pain, its irradiation, neurological reflexes. Most people with low back pain recover in 4 to 6 weeks. Diagnosis includes magnetic resonance imaging (eng.

MRI) of the lumbar spine, computed tomography of the lumbosacral spine, x-ray of the spine. Since the most common cause of low back pain is a herniated disc in the lumbosacral spine, the first thing to do is an MRI of the lumbar spine.

This study will also help rule out most causes of pain, such as tumor in the lumen of the spinal canal, spinal tuberculosis, spinal fracture, multiple myeloma, anatomically narrow spinal canal, spondylolisthesis, various types of curvatureof the spine, spondylosis and spondyloarthrosis.

If your neurologist hasn't ordered an MRI, do it yourself. The power of the MRI machine must be 1 Tesla or more. You should not start the diagnosis with an X-ray and CT scan, these methods are not safe. They can only be done in the first place if a spinal fracture is suspected.

The diagnosis is made on the basis of the patient's complaints, his external examination, anamnesis data and the results of instrumental and biochemical studies. Radiography is the most informative in detecting pathologies of the musculoskeletal system. The resulting images clearly visualize deformed vertebral bodies and a decrease in the distance between them, as well as formed bone growths (osteophytes).

If hernial protrusion, protrusion, diseases of internal organs are suspected, MRI, CT and ultrasound are performed. These studies make it possible to detect the localization of the pathology, to assess the degree of the inflammatory process.

The performance of general clinical analyzes of blood and urine is mandatory. If a systemic disease (gout, rheumatoid arthritis) is suspected, biochemical and serological studies are indicated.

Lower back pain due to osteochondrosis

Osteochondrosis is a disease of the articular cartilage that connects the vertebrae. Due to their pathology, the roots of the spinal cord are pinched, which is the cause of pain. Anyone over the age of 30 is at risk for osteochondrosis, and recently this diagnosis is often found in adolescents and very young people.

The main cause of an attack of back pain is carrying heavy loads, prolonged work in an uncomfortable position (for example, weeding or gardening). The development of osteochondrosis is also provoked by long car trips, when a person is constantly in a sitting position.

Such lower back pain can overwhelm almost anyone. You can recognize osteochondrosis by the following symptoms:

• the lower back hurts, the pain radiates to the leg;
• the pain becomes stronger with movement, change of position, load;
• can be bothered by burning or shooting pains - "lumbago";
• after a long stay in one position, it is difficult and painful to change it;
• the sensitivity of the legs and buttocks decreases, a feeling of "goosebumps" appears;
• feet are cold, sweating is disturbed.

There is no temperature in osteochondrosis.

Pain in osteochondrosis can overtake at any time.

If you are completely sure that the matter is in the spine, the following measures will help the person:

• woolen belt or woolen scarf on the lumbar region;
• lie down on a hard surface: board, table, hard mattress;
• taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
• local anti-inflammatory ointments.

If you are unsure of the diagnosis, see a doctor - taking anti-inflammatories for stomach or pancreas problems can make the situation worse.

What you should not do

In no case do not try to "fix" your back on your own - this can increase pain and even harm your back.

With exacerbation of osteochondrosis, warming procedures are not recommended. In no case should you take a hot bath or steam in the bath. After warming up, a person will feel temporary relief, and then the pain will increase significantly. If such pains often bother you, you should do an MRI (image of the lumbar spine) and consult a neurologist.

Important! If after taking anti-inflammatories you feel relief or complete disappearance of pain, you should not resume physical activity. The patient needs rest - up to bed rest - for some time.

How to relieve pain if it's neuralgia

Neuralgia is an inflammation of a nerve. Symptoms of neuralgic lower back pain resemble signs of osteochondrosis: the back reacts to movement, the patient is afraid to move. But there are also specific points:

• the pain spreads along the inflamed nerve;
• the nature of the pain is "jerk", it can subside and appear suddenly even at rest;
• skin color and sweating may change, tremors occur in the muscles;
• if you press on the back, the pain occurs on both sides of the spine.

It is difficult to cure nerve pain, but you must try to relieve it. Help the sick person:

• analgesic anti-inflammatory drugs;
• drugs that relieve spasms;
• complete rest.

With severe neuralgic pain, it is better to hospitalize the patient. Doctors at the hospital use novocaine blockades for neuralgia.

Remember! Using medication without medical advice or examination can put your health at risk.

Prompt access to a doctor will avoid serious complications of the disease.

Conditions under which you must consult a doctor:

1. Lower back pain associated with lower leg and foot pain
2. Pain prevents you from taking care of yourself
3. Pain associated with urinary and fecal incontinence
4. Combination of lower back pain with numbness in the buttock, thigh, leg, foot, groin
5. If you have ever had back pain
6. If the pain lasts more than 3 days
7. If you take hormones
8. If back pain occurs after an injury
9. Has ever been diagnosed with cancer
10. If you have recently lost weight for unknown reasons