Back pain is a symptom that occurs with various diseases and conditions. Most often, back pain is a reflection of bone pathology, changes in the joints of the spine and periarticular tissues, muscles, nerve trunks, and the skin above the spine. Back pain can also accompany other diseases, including diseases of the internal organs.
Back Pain Symptoms
Depending on the cause, back pain can have its own characteristics. In rheumatological diseases, the following symptoms are distinguished:
- pain occurs in the lumbar spine, buttocks, 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 an injury in the lumbar region, 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 is often noted;
- the process is often one-sided (on one side of the spine).
With muscle pathology:
- with fibromyalgia, the pain is constant, widespread, covering both the right and left halves of the body above and below the waist. It intensifies with the emotional and mental overload, with the action of the cold, the climatic changes. Painful points appear in different anatomical areas, which are revealed when pressing on them;
- tension of the affected muscle;
- decreased muscle strength.
Herniated disc (osteochondrosis), spondyloarthrosis:
- back pain resulting from stress on the spine (for example, prolonged standing in a standing position), aggravated by turning and bending backwards, passing to rest;
- discomfort can occur during prolonged stay in one position;
- possible compression of the nerves due to hernia or subluxation in the joint. In such cases, pain may occur in the arm, occipital region (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 of the cervical spine can squeeze the vertebral artery, causing headache, dizziness, impaired coordination of movements, vision, hearing;
- the stiffness of the spine disappears after warming up.
With damage to internal organs:
- with kidney pathology, in addition to back pain, abdominal pain, frequent urination may occur;
- in diseases of the pancreas - the enveloping nature of pain;
- with lung diseases - pain in the back and chest behind or in front, under the shoulder blade, aggravated by cough.
causes
The causes of the disease are very diverse.
- Back pain caused by pathology of the spine (bones, ligaments, tendons, intervertebral discs):
- osteomyelitis (an infectious and inflammatory process affecting a site of the bone marrow and therefore elements of the bone tissue);
- spinal tumors and metastases ("screening" for a tumor of any organ that has spread to the spine with the formation of a new focus);
- herniated disc (osteochondrosis);
- osteoporosis (disease characterized by increased fragility of the 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 (symptom complex, manifested by generalized chronic muscle pain (spreading to many muscles), depression, sleep disturbances, morning stiffness, rapid fatigue);
- muscle cramps;
- stretching the muscles.
- Back pain due to other conditions:
- pelvic bleeding;
- purulent hematoma (accumulation of spilled blood) of the retroperitoneal space;
- diseases of the pelvic organs;
- aortic dissection;
- kidney disease;
- diseases of the abdominal organs;
- rheumatological diseases (ankylosing spondylitis (disease characterized by an inflammatory process of 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 scaly plaques on the skin)) ;
- herpes zoster, herpes zoster.
- The provoking factors can be:
- wound;
- weightlifting;
- unprepared movements;
- prolonged stay in a non-physiological (uncomfortable) position;
- hypothermia.
- Disorder analysis (pain in the spine, back pain with prolonged exposure to one position, morning stiffness, numbness, tingling, muscle weakness in the arm or leg).
- Anamnesis (history of development) analysis of the disease - asking how the disease started and how it progressed.
- General examination (examination and palpation of the spine, determination of the range of motion of the spine).
- General blood and urine tests to identify the infectious process and kidney disease.
- X-ray of the spine - allows you to detect pathological changes in the vertebrae.
- Computer, MRI of the spine - allows you to determine in more detail the nature of the lesion of the spine and surrounding tissues.
- Electromyography - to detect muscle pathology.
- Radioisotope bone scan is a contrast study, which is based on the observation of the characteristics of the distribution of a contrast agent introduced into the body in the bones. Foci of excessive accumulation indicate the presence of a pathological process.
- Densitometry - determination of bone density. It is performed to detect osteoporosis (a disease characterized by increased fragility of the bones).
- Consultation with a neurologist, vertebrologist, rheumatologist, orthopedist.
- Treatment of the underlying disease causing back pain.
- Rest for several days (2 to 5).
- Wear a bandage (corset) to relieve the spine.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (orally, in the form of injections, in the form of local agents - ointments, gels) - to reduce pain.
- 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 cleft and compression of the nerve trunks.
- After acute pain subsides - physiotherapy procedures (consultation of a physiotherapist is required), massage, physiotherapy exercises.
- It depends on the cause and the severity of the disease that caused the pain.
- The transition of the disease to a chronic form (osteochondrosis) is possible.
- In severe cases, disabilities (trauma, rheumatological diseases).
- Treatment of the underlying disease.
- Elimination of injuries, physical overload, hypothermia.
- Correct posture.
- Correct arrangement of the workplace and sleep (to exclude the non-physiological position of the spine, in which it is subject to curvature).
- Correction of excess body weight.