According to world statistics, about 80% of the adult inhabitants of our vast planet are united by the same health problem: periodically, or even constantly, back pain in the lumbar region. Low back pain is the main symptom of many diseases of the spine and internal organs located in the abdominal cavity. And it is completely in vain that most of those who experience discomfort in this area, bypassing the doctor and not understanding the reasons, begin to intensively apply various ointments and other "home lotions". With these methods, you can easily achieve the opposite result than expected.
Reasons: determine, exclude
The success of any treatment directly depends on the accuracy of the diagnosis, with the elimination of the felt symptoms, the probability of relapse increases. Subsequently, such treatment can only aggravate the situation. Therefore, first of all, you need to carefully check the condition of all organs, the symptoms of which may be pain in the lumbar region.
Digestive system
Exacerbations of diseases of the digestive system (pancreatitis, ulcers, colitis, cholecystitis, enteritis, appendicitis) often provoke the appearance of pain in the lumbar region.
urinary system
Quite often, kidney pain is confused with symptoms of diseases of the lumbar spine, since their nature is identical. Diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract of various etiologies are accompanied not only by "recoil" in the lower back, but also by urination disorders (increased frequency, discomfort, the presence of blood in the urine and its turbidity) and an increase in body temperature.
reproductive system
With problems with the reproductive organs in men and women in the acute stage, the pain often radiates to the lumbar region, tailbone or side. The nature of these pains is often girdled without a pronounced localization.
If any disease of an organ that is not associated with the musculoskeletal system is detected, it is he who is treated, since it is he who is the true cause of the pain syndrome. If, after a full examination, no problems with the above organs were identified, then most likely the problem is in the spine.
osteochondrosis
The most mobile part of the spine, which bears most of the loads, is the lumbosacral. With a sedentary lifestyle, excessive stress and insufficient intake of nutrients in the cartilaginous tissues of the spine, degenerative-dystrophic changes occur in the intervertebral cartilage in the lumbar region - osteochondrosis.
Symptoms and stages of the disease
The main alarming symptom of osteochondrosis is pain in the lumbar region. At the initial stage, it is localized and directed to the sacrum, its character is tight (pain). During this period, the processes of destruction affected the nucleus pulposus (its dehydration occurs), as well as the vertebral discs (their standing height decreases). Discomfort is noted with heavy loads, and the pain itself is mild.
After a while, if the problem is ignored and no action is taken, the thigh and buttock pulls begin. Due to the narrowing of the intervertebral spaces, the muscles and ligaments "sag", and the spine becomes unstable. This leads to loss of sensation and numbness.
The third stage is characterized by morphological changes in the discs, the spine itself is severely deformed, protrusion and prolapse of the disc develop. The pain at this stage becomes more intense and prolonged. Every movement brings excruciating pain. It is possible to squeeze areas of the spinal cord, vessels and nerve endings adjacent to the sore spot due to the fact that the annulus fibrosus protrudes and affects the spinal canal.
The last stage of lumbar osteochondrosis "forces" the body to adapt to the changes that have occurred due to the disease in the following way. In order for the supporting and protective functions to be preserved, bone tissue grows in the diseased area. This usually leads to various microtraumas, and later to disability.
Comprehensive treatment approach
Treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis must necessarily be comprehensive, regardless of the stage of development of the disease. With a mild form, the prognosis of treatment is favorable, the deformation processes can be completely stopped, and the consequences minimized. At the last stage of the development of the disease, the task of treatment is to eliminate all symptoms and consequences, normalize the nutrition of the spinal tissues, strengthen the muscular corset of the entire back, and in particular its lower part.
Medicines
To relieve pain in lumbar osteochondrosis, analgesics are used in tablets or injections, the second option is preferable, since it is more effective. To relieve the inflammatory process, anti-inflammatory (non-steroidal) drugs are prescribed. Muscle spasm that occurs simultaneously with pain is eliminated with muscle relaxants. Chondroprotectors are used to restore damaged cartilage tissue.
All these remedies sometimes do not have the desired effect, since the damage prevents the drug from penetrating the site of action.
The block is used to relieve an acute attack of pain. Only a specialist should do it.
An appropriate analgesic is injected into the space between the spinous processes with a long needle. After such a procedure, the pain disappears very quickly, but for a while, because there is no therapeutic effect.
Effective use of local complex means: ointments, gels. They have an analgesic, anti-inflammatory and warming effect, many topical preparations contain a chondroprotector. These remedies, when used correctly and combined with massage, are quite effective.
Physiotherapy procedures
In combination with drug treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis, physiotherapeutic procedures are used: balneotherapy, laser and magnetotherapy, treatment with weak currents, light and vibrations. They practically do not have side effects and contraindications.
Alternative methods
Increasingly, alternative (non-traditional) methods are used simultaneously with traditional treatment: hirudotherapy, acupuncture, bee stings, manual therapy. These methods provide long-awaited relief, but some of them have contraindications, therefore consultation with the attending physician is required.
In addition to all the above treatment methods, physiotherapy helps to overcome the disease. Correctly distributed loads of the required intensity will help restore blood circulation to damaged areas, form or strengthen the muscle corset, and thereby unload the spine.
In the treatment of osteochondrosis, it is important to correctly combine treatment methods, first of all, attacks of acute pain are relieved, then inflammatory processes, and only when the acute period of the disease is over, non-traditional methods can be used and physical exercises. use.
Yoga and Pilates complexes have proven to be excellent as rehabilitation programs for spinal diseases.
lumbar spine herniation
Against the background of undertreated or neglected osteochondrosis of the lumbar region, hernia very often develops - a disease in which, due to insufficient physical activity or excessive load, nutrition of the disc tissue occurs, its strength decreases and, as a result, disc ruptureThe process of destruction can go on for many years and go unnoticed all this time, but with a single unsuccessful movement, the mechanism begins, and all the symptoms begin to appear one after another.
General symptoms and course of the disease.
Symptoms of a lumbar spine herniation include decreased tendon reflexes, pain of varying intensity, muscle weakness, and numbness in the extremities. Pain with a hernia does not always occur, back pain is possible, gradually spreading in the direction of the pinched nerve.
Body distortion is a characteristic sign of a lumbar hernia. This phenomenon occurs involuntarily, since the body needs to find the most comfortable position in which the pain is minimal. In the severe and rapidly progressive course of the disease, the consequences may be paralysis of the lower extremities (partial or complete). This phenomenon is often accompanied by disturbances in the functioning of the abdominal organs, in particular the intestines and the bladder.
Clinical manifestations of a hernia of the lumbosacral zone are expressed in a constant increase in pain and its intensification during specific physical exertion (lifting weights, bending over, strong and sharp muscle tension, cough), dull pain with localization at a point that does not go away, direction of pain in the buttock or leg, or numbness in that area.
Diagnosis of a hernia of the lumbar spine
It is difficult to diagnose a hernia visually or by symptoms described by the patient alone. To more accurately determine the presence of the disease, various methods are used that will help accurately determine the location of the disease. Computed tomography, nuclear magnetism and radiography - thanks to these methods, the doctor will be able to visually determine the location of the pathologically altered vertebra and see the deformed disc.
To determine the severity of the disease and the consequences, doctors use various tests: raising the straight leg, tendon reflexes, sensitivity (reaction) of the leg at all levels (from the toes to the hip joint) to various types of stimuli: pain, vibration and temperature.
treatment methods
Depending on the severity and condition of the patient, different hernia treatment methods are used. In case of exacerbation, first of all, it is necessary to immediately limit motor activity to bed rest and relieve pain with medication. After 5-7 days, when the acute period has passed and the pain has subsided, drug treatment is supplemented by other restorative procedures (massage, physiotherapy, physical education).
The medical and conservative treatment of lumbar hernia is the same as that of osteochondrosis.
Surgery
In the case of a severe course of the disease and the presence of many serious consequences, surgical treatment is recommended.
Indications for surgery:
- sequestration of a hernia - a part of the disc damaged by a hernia enters the spinal canal;
- dysfunction of all or one organ in the pelvis;
- patency in the spinal canal is impaired (determined by MRI);
- lack of results when using a medical and conservative method of treatment for three or more months;
- inflammation of the sciatic nerve.
Surgical treatment of a hernia is now carried out with the help of minimally invasive endoscopic operations.
The laser reconstruction method consists in the evaporation of the liquid from the protruding nucleus pulposus by means of a laser. Thanks to this, the nerve root is "released", that is, its compression is removed. But this type of intervention has a number of contraindications, these are early operations on the spine, spondylolisthesis, spondyloarthritis, impaired patency of the spinal canal (stenosis), and protrusion of the nucleus pulposus into the canal.
To remove the damaged part of the intervertebral disc, the percutaneous discectomy method is used. Evaporation and removal of damaged tissues is carried out with a needle inserted through the skin.
In the event that it is impossible to restore the damaged disc in any way, starting with drugs and ending with a minimally invasive operation, or all the methods used do not bring any results, the deformed disc is replaced with a prosthesis.
Preventive measures
To prevent the progression of the disease, special exercises are prescribed. Exercise complexes should be developed by a specialist individually for each patient and should contain exercises for muscle stretching, tension and light aerobic exercise.
With a hernia of the lumbar spine, doctors recommend using a special fixation belt. Outwardly it looks like a capsule, its width is about 30 cm, it is attached to the body with Velcro and has various degrees of rigidity.
This product is necessary to evenly distribute the load (from the diseased area to the healthy area) and relieve stress (discharge). The injured segments of the spine with the constant use of the belt are corrected and returned to their anatomical position.
Lumbodynia with root syndrome
Against the background of osteochondrosis and hernia of the lumbar spine, as a result, lumbago develops - lumbar back pain (acute paroxysmal pain). This is the most "simple" scenario. Since hernias and osteochondrosis are characterized by deformation and frequent prolapse of the damaged disc and displacement of the spinal column, there is an infringement of nearby nerve roots, which is called radicular syndrome.
It is amplified by the infringement of the veins, which causes tissue edema (soft) and congestion. The symptoms of lumbodynia with radicular syndrome are similar to the symptoms of a lumbar hernia (sharp shooting pains radiating downwards, loss of sensation and impaired reflexes), and since this is a consequence, the cause should be treated initially with a comprehensive approach, otherwise disability threatens.
Sciatica
Another consequence of hernia and osteochondrosis is inflammation of the sciatic nerve - sciatica and accompanying pain radiating to the leg or buttock. Despite the ability to clearly define the "sore" place, the reason lies in the spine.
Sciatica is not an independent disease, this term refers to a series of symptoms that accompany certain diseases of the spine. Pain sensations can be different, in some cases it is only a slight discomfort from staying in the same not very comfortable position for a long time, and sometimes the pain leads to loss of consciousness, and painkillers in this case do not help.
For effective treatment, it is not enough to diagnose sciatica or lumbago, in any case, it is necessary to carry out a complete comprehensive examination by various specialists and accurately identify the cause, because it is the factor that provokes it. With the elimination of only some of the symptoms, the probability of the progression of the underlying disease and the appearance of many complications increases. A mindful attitude to your health, early recognition of problems and timely treatment is the key to good health.