Back pain affects more than 25% of the world’s population and more than 50% of people of working age. Unfortunately, evolution has not been done to ensure that people aged 35-40 and older live comfortably. The biomechanical structure of the spine is such that the absence of back pain is not a given guarantee, but a coincidence (and, unfortunately, temporary) coincidence. Especially now, when the average body of office workers has to sit at a computer for 8-12 hours in a row. But we have adapted to the evolution of millions of years in the wild with a completely different, more active way of life!
Can back pain be treated on its own?
Unfortunately, not everyone asks this very precise question to themselves. The answer is: self -treatment based on information from the Internet is very dangerous. This is a big risk that can lead to disability. If we talk about internal pain such as pain in the back and spine, then moreover there is no need to "diagnose" yourself and "prescribe" treatment. The nerve endings in the internal organs are located differently from the surface of the skin. The pain in it is difficult to localize, and sometimes it seems painful, but in fact the reason is something else. Suppose back pain can be caused by gastrointestinal cancer. And the pain that may be explained by someone else on the forum or in an article very similar to yours may be due to completely different reasons and requiring very different treatment.
Yoram Anekstein, Tel Aviv Medical Center: "Very important advice: do not try to learn the names of spinal diseases, understand the etiology, diagnosis, etc. Spondyloarthritis, scapular periatrosis, cervicobrachialgia - all these terms are not useful for you. There are dozens of such diseasesit's in a textbook for medical universities, and even with various explanations and modifiers. You should know and remember the name of your diagnosis as it is presented by a qualified doctor. But not earlier. "
Worrying symptoms
Unpleasant sensations most often occur in the cervical and lumbar spine, but chest pain is less common. It experiences less stress, therefore, osteochondrosis, protrusion and herniated intervertebral discs do not very often affect it. However, chest and thoracic back pain may be due to spinal problems.
Unpleasant sensations can occur occasionally, but often they are harmless. If there is muscle pain (although it may not be like pain in the arm muscles after working hard and feeling worse), then the cause is most likely due to excessive excitement due to staying too long in one position or too high a load. If the pain goes away after a change of posture or a short walk and does not return, then the problem is unlikely to be serious. While it is necessary to overcome small problems, for example, change normal posture, increase your physical activity, and do physical education. And only a doctor can determine the severity of the problem. If there is the slightest chance, then you must see a doctor: it is always easier (and cheaper) to cure the disease at an early stage than in further cases.
What is really dangerous? The following is a list of "alarms", after the occurrence of even one of them it is necessary to begin diagnostics and treatment as soon as possible:
- the pain does not stop, changes in body position do not help; the pain cannot be overcome with rest; pain worse at night;
- numbness (decreased sensitivity) or decreased limb strength occurs;
- there are problems with urination and defecation (e. g. , the feeling of emptying the bladder disappears; urinary and stool incontinence, or conversely, delay; not to be confused with constipation);
- the temperature rises, while there is no other reason that can explain this, for example, SARS;
- pain waking up, disturbing sleep;
- complications after delayed malignant tumors (limit rules are not important);
- unexplained weight loss;
- complications after taking steroids for many years;
- complications after a recent serious illness;
- complications after a recent infectious disease;
- loss of anal reflexes;
- weakness in the hips and knees;
- neurological deficits;
- progressive spinal deformity;
- worsening back pain at rest;
- chest pain (ACS - ECG);
- general malaise.
Note that you don’t have to wait for it all to start together. If you have these symptoms, see a doctor immediately.
Yoram Anekstein, Tel Aviv Medical Center: "The question often arises: I made an appointment with a doctor, but my back has stopped hurting. Should I go or not? Definitely go. "
Articles on the Internet very often try to describe the types of pain that are characteristic of osteochondrosis, and which ones are for sciatica, etc. This is the wrong approach, the reasons for which we have explained above. No matter what kind of pain: left, right, in the tailbone, anywhere, filming, lasts a few seconds or a few hours and days. All of these are screaming symptoms that require qualified medical treatment.
Causes of back pain
The most common causes are nonspecific pain associated with muscle tension, tendon strain, ligaments and fascia.
More rarely, pain is associated with a herniated disc affecting the nerve root (3% of cases).
Osteoporosis (including fractures. ), Infections (spondylodiscitis), tumors, tuberculosis, trauma, and other rheumatological diseases cause pain less frequently (about 1%).
Diseases of internal organs can also cause back pain (pancreatic cancer, peptic ulcer disease, for example, or acute coronary syndrome).
Degenerative changes, called osteochondrosis, and consist of a complex of components (decreased elasticity and strength of the disc material, decreased disc height, protrusion, hernia, changes in the vertebral body (Modik I-III), ligaments (spondylosis), facet joints (spondyloarthrosis) contactdirectly with pain and other clinical manifestations are absent.
It should be understood that only the group of spondylitis and spondyloarthritis includes more than 10 diseases with various causes, course characteristics, symptoms, etc. The number of diseases of the back and spine in particular is very high. But from the above description, you yourself can understand that they are united by earnestness. Back pain cannot be ignored. The vast majority of these diseases progress slowly, with prolonged remission. But at the same time, at each acute stage, the risk of complications (up to complete loss of mobility) increases.