Treatment and prevention of back pain
The content of the article:
- Causes of back pain
- Back pain treatment
- Medications
- Ointments and gels
- Chondroprotectors
- Massages
- Prevention of back pain
A sedentary lifestyle can cause back pain, especially in the lumbar region. This state is familiar to almost every modern person. Pain forces you to abandon your usual way of life, for a while to forget about your beloved country house, outdoor recreation and other joys of life. It seems that this state will never end, and even if it does, the pain will appear again. Why does my back hurt? How can I help her?
Causes of back pain
It turns out that the most common cause of low back pain is osteochondrosis. This is a disease in which the intervertebral discs are affected. They normally connect the vertebrae to each other, reducing the overall stress on the spine. Intervertebral discs serve the same role as shock absorbers in a car - they soften the impact of walking, running and jumping. But as soon as they break down, as soon as any movement in the spine becomes painful.
According to statistics, degeneration of intervertebral cartilage is present in about 60% of people aged 20+. Moreover, the older the person, the less active lifestyle he leads, the higher the prevalence of the disease. Back pain with osteochondrosis is the most frequent reason for visiting doctors of various specialties.
In this disease, the height of the intervertebral discs decreases, and the cartilaginous plate covering the vertebrae becomes thinner and destroyed, because it cracks due to the developing dryness (the water content in the cartilage decreases). As a result, friction between the vertebrae increases, especially the lumbar region suffers, because is experiencing the greatest stress. Friction leads to pain. If nothing is done at this stage, the disease continues to progress, an intervertebral hernia forms. This is a stage of osteochondrosis, in which the intervertebral disc extends beyond the boundaries of the spinal column and begins to squeeze the nerve roots passing nearby. Back pain gets worse as at this stage, it already consists of 2 components - friction between the vertebrae and compression of the nerves.
Every flexion and extension of the spine in the lumbar spine, bending of the body forward and backward becomes unbearable. It is at this stage that the jamming symptom appears, when, bending, a person can no longer straighten out. You cannot do without emergency assistance in such a situation.
Less commonly, low back pain is associated with other conditions. It can be:
- hypothermia, which is called "through";
- chronic stress or acute psycho-emotional overstrain (muscle spasm develops, which leads to pain);
- metabolic disorders with the development of calcium imbalance (gout, diabetes mellitus);
- infectious lesions of the spine;
- injuries to the wrist column;
- adhesions of the pelvic organs.
But we repeat once again that the most common cause of back pain is osteochondrosis. The following symptoms help to distinguish this condition and make the correct diagnosis:
- the sudden appearance of pain sensations and their independent relief at the initial stages of the disease (against the background of the progression of the pathology, pain disappears only when taking painkillers);
- increased pain in a position when a person lies on his back and tries to straighten his legs (a symptom of tension in the nerve trunks, which are compressed and swollen);
- a desire to change posture to reduce the severity of pain;
- irradiation in the leg, sometimes because of this there may be a limp;
- a burning sensation, numbness and crawling in the leg on the affected side.
Back pain treatment
Treatment of back pain requires a staged and comprehensive approach. In the event of an acute attack, anti-inflammatory nonsteroidal medications can help relieve pain. However, to prevent recurrence and improve the condition of the spinal column, comprehensive care is required. These are basic drug therapy, massages, physiotherapy exercises, swimming and other activities.
Medications
To relieve severe pain, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used in the form of powders, tablets and injections. They effectively relieve pain, but their constant use is not safe, because these drugs increase the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, stomach ulcers, liver damage and the hematopoietic system. Therefore, NSAIDs are used as emergency medicine.
The main rule that follows from this is that the use of NSAIDs is necessary only for severe pain, and not constantly. To prevent chronic pain, use good basic therapy.
Ointments and gels
Most often, anti-inflammatory and warming drugs are produced in the form of ointments and gels. However, their active components cannot exert their effect in full (they are characterized by low efficiency), because absorption through the skin in an adult is minimal. These drugs provide relief only at the initial stage of the disease. They cannot be used as an independent line - ointments and gels only complement the main treatment.
Chondroprotectors
Chondroprotectors - these drugs are included in modern standards for the management of patients with degenerative lesions of intervertebral cartilage as basic therapy. They help restore the structure of the cartilage from the inside and increase its hydration (the amount of fluid it contains). Chondroprotectors affect the main links of the disease (etiopathogenetic treatment). Therefore, they not only treat back pain, but also prevent its occurrence. One of the modern effective water protectors is Alflutop, which is obtained from 4 types of small sea fish. The drug contains essential components that help restore cartilage from the inside. Alflutop contains chondroitin sulfate, amino acids, minerals and peptides.
The drug helps not only to restore cartilage, but also to prevent its subsequent destruction. At the same time, Alflutop also has an anti-inflammatory effect, inhibits the enzyme hyaluronidase and blocks the breakdown of hyaluronic acid.
Alflutop is applied in courses. It is injected intramuscularly (injections into the buttock), 2 ml every other day, only 10 injections, this is the shortest course among chondroprotectors. To keep the spine in shape, it is recommended to repeat the courses after six months.
The drug is well tolerated and does not affect the ability to drive vehicles. It can be used both as part of treatment and as part of prophylaxis for people with a sedentary lifestyle, whose spine always suffers.
Consult your doctor before use!
Massages
Correctly performed massage helps to eliminate the chronic muscle spasm that develops as a result of "subsidence" of the intervertebral disc. However, this method can only be used in the absence of acute pain, otherwise massage can be harmful. The massage affects the muscles, that is, the secondary link in the pain syndrome. Unfortunately, it does not affect the primary link (damaged vertebrae).
Prevention of back pain
To help your back, follow these simple prevention guidelines.
1. Eat right!
Very often, back pain bothers people who are overweight. In such conditions, the load on the spine increases tenfold, so the intervertebral cartilage wears out faster. Your goal in preventing back problems is to lose weight. Therefore, adjust the power supply:
- Give up animal fats (sausages, fast food), replacing them with seafood. Nutritionists recommend that you definitely include mackerel, salmon and other fatty fish that contain a lot of omega-3 acids in your menu.
- Eat more greens and fresh vegetables. They are rich in vegetable fiber, the digestion of which requires energy from the body, which means minus fats.
- Drink more. It is recommended to drink 2-3 liters of ordinary water per day. It is necessary not only for the better functioning of the whole organism, but also for the "flooding" of cartilage.
2. Do gymnastics regularly!
Dosed load on the spine without strength exercises strengthens its muscle corset. And this is additional protection for the vertebrae. If gymnastics is not to your liking, and you like to swim - swim, doctors advise. It is a good alternative to gymnastic prophylaxis.
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