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 skin over 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, gives 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 region, 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, covers both the right and left half of the body above and below the waist. It intensifies with emotional and mental overload, with the action of cold temperatures, sudden changes in climate. 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 arising from stress on the spine (for example, prolonged standing in an upright position), aggravated by turning and bending backward, passing at rest;
- discomfort may occur during prolonged stay in one position;
- possible compression of the nerves by hernia or subluxation in the joint. In such cases, pain can be given to the arm, occipital region (with damage to the cervical spine), in the 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 headaches, dizziness, impaired coordination of movements, vision, hearing;
- spine stiffness goes away after warm-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 encircling nature of the pain;
- with lung diseases - pain in the back and in the chest behind or in front, under the scapula, aggravated by coughing.
Causes
The causes of the disease are very diverse.
- Back pain caused by pathology of the spinal column (bones, ligaments, tendons, intervertebral discs):
- osteomyelitis (an infectious and inflammatory process that affects a site of the bone marrow, and then the elements of bone tissue);
- tumors of the spine and metastases ("screenings" of a tumor of any organ that have spread to the spine with the formation of 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, primarily the articular cartilage);
- fractures;
- stenosis (obstruction) of the spinal canal.
- Back pain due to muscle abnormalities:
- fibromyalgia (symptom complex, manifested by chronic generalized (spreading to many muscles) muscle pain, depression, sleep disturbance, morning stiffness, rapid fatigue);
- muscle cramps;
- stretching the muscles.
- Back pain due to other conditions:
- pelvic bleeding;
- festering hematoma (accumulation of poured blood) of the retroperitoneal space;
- diseases of the pelvic organs;
- aortic dissection;
- kidney disease;
- diseases of the abdominal organs;
- rheumatological 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, combined with the appearance of scaly plaques on the skin));
- herpes zoster, herpes zoster.
- The provoking factors can be:
- injury;
- lifting weights;
- unprepared movements;
- prolonged stay in a non-physiological (uncomfortable) position;
- hypothermia.
- Analysis of complaints (pain in the spine, back discomfort with prolonged exposure to one position, morning stiffness; numbness, tingling, muscle weakness in the arm or leg).
- Analysis of the anamnesis (history of development) of the disease - asking how the disease began and proceeded.
- General examination (examination and palpation of the spine, determination of the range of motion in the spine).
- General blood and urine tests to identify the infectious process and kidney pathology.
- Spine X-ray - allows you to detect pathological changes in the vertebrae.
- Computer, magnetic resonance imaging 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 scintigraphy is a contrast study, which is based on observing the features of the distribution of a contrast agent introduced into the body in the bones. The 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 bones).
- Consultation with a neurologist, vertebrologist, rheumatologist, orthopedist.
- Treatment of the underlying disease causing back pain.
- Rest for several days (2 to 5).
- Wearing a bandage (corset) to relieve the spine.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (by mouth, 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 a narrowing of the intervertebral cleft and compression of the nerve trunks.
- After the acute pain disappears - physiotherapy procedures (consultation of a physiotherapist is required), massage, physiotherapy exercises.
- Depends on the cause and severity of the disease that caused the pain.
- The transition of the disease to 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 the working and sleeping place (to exclude the non-physiological position of the spine, in which it is subjected to curvature).
- Correction of excess body weight.