More than 25% of the world's population and more than 50% of working age suffer from back pain.Unfortunately, evolution has not ensured 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 a guaranteed reality, 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 straight.But we have been adapted for millions of years of evolution in the wild to a completely different, much more active way of life!
Is it possible to treat back pain yourself?
Unfortunately, not everyone asks themselves this completely correct question.The answer is: self-medication based on information from the Internet is extremely dangerous.This is a huge risk that can lead to disability.If we are talking about such internal pain as pain in the back and spine, then it is especially not worth "diagnosing" yourself and "prescribing" treatment.Nerve endings in internal organs are located differently than on the surface of the skin.The pain inside is difficult to localize, and sometimes it seems that one thing hurts, but in fact the reason is something else.For example, back pain can be caused by cancer of the gastrointestinal tract.And the pain that another person may describe on a forum or in an article as very similar to yours may be caused by 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, glenohumeral periatrosis, cervicobrachialgia - all these terms are of no use to you. There are dozens of such diseases. You should have such diseases in various textbooks and modifications in various textbooks and textbooks. learn and remember the name of your diagnosis when it is given by a qualified doctor."
Alarming symptoms
Unpleasant sensations most often occur in the cervical and lumbar parts of the spine, but pain in the chest is much less common.It is subjected to less stress, so osteochondrosis, protrusions and herniation of intervertebral discs rarely affect it.However, chest and thoracic back pain can be caused by problems with the spine.
Discomfort may occasionally occur, but is often not dangerous.If it is muscle pain (although it may not be similar to pain in the muscles of the arms after hard work and may be felt more strongly), then the cause is most likely overstrain due to being in one position for a long time or too much load.If the pain goes away after a change of position or a short walk and does not return, then the problem is unlikely to be serious.Although you have to deal with minor problems, for example, change the usual positions, increase physical activity and exercise.And only a doctor can determine the seriousness of the problem.If there is even the slightest chance, then you should definitely go to the doctor: it is always much easier (and cheaper) to cure the disease in the early stages than the advanced case.
What is really dangerous?Here is a list of "alarm signals", after the appearance of even one of which it is necessary to start diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible:
- the pain does not stop, changing the position of the body does not help;pain is not relieved by rest;the pain is worse at night;
- numbness (reduced sensitivity) or reduced limb strength occurs;
- problems occur with urination and defecation (for example, loss of the sensation of emptying the bladder; urinary and fecal incontinence or, conversely, retention of urine; not to be confused with constipation);
- the temperature rises, but there are no other reasons that could explain it, for example, ARVI;
- pain wakes you up and breaks your sleep;
- complications after suffering from malignant tumors (obsolescence does not matter);
- unexplained weight loss;
- complications after years of steroid use;
- complications after recent serious illnesses;
- complications after recent infectious diseases;
- loss of anal reflex;
- weakness in hips and knees;
- neurological deficit;
- progressive spinal deformity;
- back pain that gets worse at rest;
- chest pain (ACS - ECG);
- general weakness.
Note that you don't have to wait for everything to start together.If at least one of these symptoms appears, consult a doctor immediately.
Yoram Anekstein, Tel Aviv Medical Center: "The question is often asked: I made an appointment with the doctor, but my back has already stopped hurting. Should I go or not? Definitely."
Articles on the Internet very often try to describe which types of pain are characteristic for osteochondrosis, and which for sciatica, etc.This is a wrong approach, the reasons for which we have explained before.It doesn't matter what kind of pain: left, right, in the coccyx, everywhere, shooting, lasting a few seconds or hours and days.These are all symptoms that scream that qualified medical help is needed.
Causes of back pain
The most common cause is non-specific pain associated with muscle strain, overstrain of tendons, ligaments and fascia.
Much less often, the pain is associated with a herniated disc that affects the nerve root (~3% of cases).
Osteoporosis (including pathological fractures), infections (spondylodiscitis), tumors, tuberculosis, trauma and other rheumatological diseases cause pain much less often (about 1%).
Diseases of internal organs can also cause back pain (pancreatic cancer, peptic ulcer, for example, or acute coronary syndrome).
Degenerative changes, which are called osteochondrosis, and which consist of a complex of components (decreased elasticity and firmness of the disc, reduced disc height, protrusions, hernia, changes in the vertebral bodies (Modic I-III), ligaments (spondylosis), facet joints (spondyloarthrosis) are not directly related to pain and other clinical manifestations.
It should be understood that only the group of spondylitis and spondyloarthrosis includes more than 10 diseases with different causes, course characteristics, symptoms, etc.The number of diseases, especially 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 appear slowly, with long phases of remission.But at the same time, in each acute phase, the risk of complications (up to complete loss of mobility) increases.