Back pain affects more than 25% of the world’s population and more than 50% of working-age people. Unfortunately, evolution has not taken into account that people over the age of 35-40 live comfortably. The biomechanical structure of the spine is such that the absence of back pain is not guaranteed, but a happy (and, unfortunately, temporary) coincidence. Especially now, when the body of the average office worker has to sit at the computer for 8-12 hours in a row. But millions of years of evolution in the wild have adapted us to a completely different, much more active way of life!
Can back pain be treated on its own?
Unfortunately, not everyone asks themselves this very correct question. The answer is this: self-medication based on information from the Internet is extremely dangerous. This is a huge risk that can lead to disability. If we talk about such internal pains as back and spine pains, it is no longer necessary to "diagnose" and "prescribe" treatment for ourselves. Nerve endings in internal organs are located differently than on the surface of the skin. Pain inside is difficult to localize, and sometimes one seems to hurt, but the reason is actually in the other. For example, back pain can be caused by cancer of the gastrointestinal tract. And pain that another person on the forum or in an article might describe as very similar to yours can arise for completely different reasons and require radically different treatment.
Yoram Anekstein, Tel Aviv Medical Center: "Very important advice: do not try to learn the names of spinal diseases, understand their etiology, diagnosis, etc. Spondyloarthritis, scapular periatrosis, cervicobrachialgia - all these expressions are useless to you. There are dozens of such diseases in textbooks for medical universities, and even with various clarifications and modifiers. You should know and remember the name of your diagnosis when it is delivered by a qualified doctor. But not before. "
Alarming symptoms
Unpleasant sensations most often occur in the cervical and lumbar spine, but chest pains are much rarer. He is exposed to less stress, so osteochondrosis, bulges and hernias of intervertebral discs do not affect him often. However, back pain in the chest and chest can be caused by spinal problems.
Unpleasant sensations may occur occasionally, but are often not dangerous. If it is muscle pain (although it may not be like arm muscle pain after hard work and if you feel more serious), then the cause is most likely due to overexertion due to long stay in one position or too much load. If the pain disappears after a change of position or a short walk and does not return, then the problem is unlikely to be serious. Although it is necessary to solve minor problems, for example, change the usual position, increase physical activity and engage in physical education. And only a doctor can determine the severity of the problem. If there is even the slightest chance, you should definitely go to the doctor: it is always much easier (and cheaper) to cure the disease in its early stages than an advanced case.
What is really dangerous? Here is a list of "alarms", after the appearance of even one of them, it is necessary to start diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible:
- the pain does not stop, changing body position does not help; pain is not relieved by rest; pain stronger at night;
- numbness (decreased sensitivity) or decreased limb strength occurs;
- there are problems with urination and defecation (for example, the feeling of emptying the bladder is lost; incontinence of urine and feces, or vice versa, delay; it should not be confused with constipation);
- the temperature rises, while there are no other reasons that can explain it, for example, SARS;
- the pain awakens, interrupts sleep;
- complications after delayed malignant tumors (obsolescence is not important);
- unexplained weight loss;
- complications after long-term steroid use;
- complications after recent serious illness;
- complications after recent infectious diseases;
- loss of anal reflex;
- weakness in the hips and knees;
- neurological deficit;
- progressive spinal deformity;
- back pain that worsens at rest;
- chest pain (ACS - ECG);
- general malaise.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to wait for it all to start together. If any of these symptoms occur, contact your doctor immediately.
Yoram Anekstein, Tel Aviv Medical Center: "The question is often asked: I have scheduled an appointment with a doctor, but my back is already hurting. To go or not? Be sure to go. "
Articles on the Internet very often try to describe which types of pain are characteristic for osteochondrosis, and which for sciatica, etc. This is the wrong approach, the reasons for which we have already explained above. It doesn’t matter what kind of pain you have: left, right, in the tailbone, everywhere, shooting, lasting for seconds or hours and days. These are all screaming symptoms that qualified medical help is needed.
Causes of back pain
The most common cause is nonspecific pain associated with muscle strain, excessive stretching of tendons, ligaments, and fascia.
Much less often, pain is associated with a herniated disc that affects the nerve root (~ 3% of cases).
Osteoporosis (including stale fractures), infections (spondylodiscitis), tumors, tuberculosis, trauma and other rheumatic diseases cause pain much less frequently (about 1%).
Diseases of the internal organs can also cause back pain (pancreatic cancer, peptic ulcer, for example, or acute coronary syndrome).
Degenerative changes, called osteochondrosis, consisting of a complex of components (reduction of elasticity and strength of the disc, reduction in disc height, protrusions, hernias, changes in the vertebral bodies (Modic I-III), ligaments (spondylosis), facet joints (spondyloarthritis) inthey have no direct connection with pain and other clinical manifestations.
It should be understood that only the group of spondylitis and spondyloarthritis includes more than 10 diseases with different causes, flow characteristics, symptoms, etc. The number of diseases of the back and spine is very high. But from the above descriptions, you can understand for yourself that they are united by seriousness. Back pain cannot be ignored. Many of these diseases continue slowly, with long stages of remission. But at the same time, in each acute phase, the risk of complications increases (up to complete loss of mobility).