Back pain is one of the most frequent reasons for visits to doctors all over the world. According to various sources, with this symptom at least once in my life encountered from 90% to 100% of adults. Back problems are on the list of leading causes of care at the hospital.
Back pain is very different. Sometimes it is only a consequence of fatigue or muscle strain, but sometimes indicates a serious disease. Pain can occur between the shoulder blades, lower back, side of the spine, to give an arm or a leg. They often lead to the violation of the movements in the spinal column. Some people "pull" the other "pricks", the third in the back "fires". It is important to find and eliminate the cause, otherwise over time, the symptom can be intensified, so that will turn a man into a cripple.
For which diseases there is pain in the back?
Most often back pain are acute, that is, disturb not more than three months. Rarely, a more prolonged, chronic pain.
The most banal reason — the high exercise in untrained men. Had to raise the Cabinet on the fourth floor in the house where there is no lift — and the next day the back starts "whining".
Often back starts to ache after injury. Most often it is just a bruise, but sometimes there are more severe injuries of the spine: subluxations of the vertebrae, compression fractures. The correct diagnosis helps to establish radiography,computed tomography.
It is believed that a common cause of back pain — myofascial pain syndrome. In the back there are areas of tension — the so-called trigger points. They become sources of pain.
Most people diagnosed with back pain — low back pain. But many modern doctors, he raises questions. It is believed that low back pain occurs due to degenerative changes in the spine. But such changes are almost all men after 40 years, however, back pain is not at all.
If degenerative changes occur in the intervertebral disc, its dense outer part is stretched and is destroyed, and the internal soft start bulging outside of the vertebrae putting pressure on nerve roots and the spinal cord, causing pain. This condition is called herniated disc.
Incorrect posture and scoliosis can also cause pain.
Osteoporosis is a common problem among women in post-menopausal period. Bone tissue is destroyed, loses density, including the vertebrae. A rare cause of pain in the back is a malignant tumor that compress the spinal cord and nerves.
Who often have back pain?
There are some risk factors if they are present in your life, you have, sooner or later, with a higher probability of a sore back and you will have problems with the spine:
- sedentary lifestyle;
- weight;
- flat feet;
- excessive exercise;
- frequent stress — they cause chronic muscle tension.
Often pain can occur or increase during pregnancy.
In some cases, you need to go to the doctor?
If the back hurts much and long, in any case you should visit a neurologist. But some alarming symptoms - "screaming" about that visit to the doctor is a must:
• severe pain after trauma;
• back pain in combination with fever;
• incontinence of feces and urine;
• intense pain that radiates to the arms, leg, accompanied by numbness, tingling and other unpleasant sensations;
• severe pain, which always disturbs, persists even during rest.
How to diagnose the cause of back pain?
In most cases, a neurologist may be called the cause of the pain after the inspection, without additional testing. If the cause needs to be clarified, resort to^
- radiography,
- CT,
- magnetic resonance imaging,
- electromyographic (registration of electrical impulses in nerves and muscles by means of special electrodes),
- sometimes necessary blood tests.
One of the easiest and fastest research that helps to assess the condition of the spinal column and to detect pathology — radiography. Usually pictures are made in two planes, frontal and profile. Capture, usually 4-6 adjacent vertebrae, which supposedly originated pathology.
X-rays of the spine helps to identify the disorders of the vertebrae (their bodies, arches and processes), intervertebral discs and joints, trauma (fractures, subluxations of the vertebrae), congenital abnormalities, osteophytes (overgrowth of bone), osteoporosis and other changes.
How to treat back pain?
In most cases of back pain are not caused by serious diseases. Unpleasant symptom you can cope with:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Of medical gymnastics.
- Massage.
- Physiotherapy.
- To many people chiropractic helps.
- With some chronic back pain successfully cope antidepressants.
Most often diseases that cause back pain are quite amenable to medical treatment. To operations necessary to resort rare. Naturally, in some pathologies the longer you postpone visit to the doctor and start treatment, the more increasing changes in the spine, respectively, growing and the chance to be on the table in the operating room.