Back pain affects more than 25% of the world's population and more than 50% of people of working age. Unfortunately, evolution has not made sure that people over 35-40 years of age 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) accident. Especially now when the body of the average office worker has to sit at the computer for 8-12 hours in a row. But through millions of years of evolution in the wild we have adapted to a completely different, much more active way of life!
Can Spinal Pain Be Treated Alone?
Unfortunately, not everyone asks this very correct question. The answer is: self-medication based on information from the Internet is extremely dangerous. This is a major risk that can lead to disability. When it comes to internal pain such as back pain and spinal pain, all the more there is no need to "diagnose" yourself and "prescribe" treatment. Nerve endings in internal organs are different from those on the surface of the skin. The pain inside is difficult to localize and sometimes it seems like one is hurting but in fact the cause is in another. Suppose back pain can be caused by gastrointestinal cancer. And the pain that another person describes on a forum or article as very similar to yours may be caused 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, periatrosis of the shoulder blade, cervicobrachialgia - all these terms are useless to you. There are dozens of such diseases in medical university textbooks and even with various clarifications and modifiers. You should know the name of your diagnosis and remember it when it is delivered by a qualified doctor. But not earlier. "
Alarming symptoms
Unpleasant sensations are most common in the cervical and lumbar spine, but chest pain is much less common. It is less exposed to stress, so osteochondrosis, protrusion, and herniated disc are not affected very often. However, chest and back pain can be caused by spinal problems.
Occasionally, there may be unpleasant sensations, but these are often not dangerous. If it is muscle pain (although after hard work it may not be like pain in the arm muscles and feel heavier), the most likely cause is overexertion due to being in one position for a long time or too much strain. If the pain goes away and doesn't return after a change in posture or a short walk, then the problem is unlikely to be serious. Although it is necessary to solve minor problems, for example, change your usual postures, increase your physical activity and take physical education classes. And only a doctor can determine the severity of the problem. If there is even the slightest opportunity, you should definitely see a doctor: it is always much easier (and cheaper) to cure the disease in its early stages than in an advanced one.
What is really dangerous? Here is a list of "alarms" which, once they have occurred, require even one of them to start diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible:
- the pain does not stop, changing posture does not help; Pain is not relieved by rest; Pain worse at night;
- You experience numbness (decreased sensitivity) or decreased limb strength;
- 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; not to be confused with constipation);
- the temperature rises while there is no other reason that can explain it, for example, SARS;
- Pain wakes up, interrupts sleep;
- Complications after postponing malignant tumors (the limitation period does not matter);
- unexplained weight loss;
- Complications after long-term use of steroids;
- Complications from recent serious illnesses;
- Complications from recent infectious diseases;
- Loss of the anal reflex;
- Weakness in the hips and knees;
- neurological deficit;
- progressive deformity of the spine;
- Back pain that worsens at rest;
- Chest pain (ACS - EKG);
- general malaise.
Note that you don't have to wait for it all to start together. If you experience any of these symptoms, contact your doctor right away.
Yoram Anekstein, Tel Aviv Medical Center: "The question often arises: I have made an appointment with a doctor, but my back has already stopped hurting. Should i go or not? Definitely go. "
Articles on the Internet very often try to describe what types of pain are characteristic of osteochondrosis and which are characteristic of sciatica, etc. This is the wrong approach, the reasons for which we have already explained above. It doesn't matter what kind of pain: left, right, in the tailbone, anywhere, shooting, lasting a few seconds or hours and days. These are all symptoms that scream that qualified medical attention is needed.
Causes of Back Pain
The most common cause is unspecific pain associated with muscle tension, overstretching of tendons, ligaments and fasciae.
Much less often, pain is associated with a herniated disc that affects the nerve root (~ 3% of cases).
Osteoporosis (including pat. Fractures), infections (spondylodiscitis), tumors, tuberculosis, trauma and other rheumatological diseases cause pain much less often (about 1%).
Internal organ disorders can also cause back pain (e. g. pancreatic cancer, ulcer disease, or acute coronary syndrome).
Degenerative changes, called osteochondrosis, consist of a complex of components (decrease in the elasticity and strength of the disc substance, decrease in the height of the disc, protrusion, hernia, changes in the vertebral bodies (Modic I-III) ligaments (spondylosis), facet joints (spondyloarthrosis), which indirectly related to pain and other clinical manifestations are not.
It is understood that only the group of spondylitis and spondyloarthritis includes more than 10 diseases with various causes, features of the course, symptoms, etc. In particular, the number of back and spinal diseases is very high. But from the descriptions above, you can understand for yourself that they are connected by seriousness. Back pain cannot be ignored. Many of these diseases are slow with long stages of remission. At the same time, in every acute stage, the risk of complications increases (up to a complete loss of mobility).