Shooting in the lower back: causes, what to do, how to treat

Sevmassage » For pain in the lumbar region

Let's start with what not to do.
It is strictly forbidden to take painkillers. The reason is easy to explain.
Pain is always a protective reaction of the body, which performs two main and very important tasks. First: to report that something is wrong in the body and at the moment he cannot cope with it himself (that is, perhaps some kind of outside help is needed). The second, no less important function: to protect an already damaged area from further damage. And if a person drinks a painkiller, then nothing prevents him from making that movement, which can ultimately lead to severe dysfunction of the spinal motion segment, disc herniation, or even more serious consequences. It is especially dangerous to relieve pain in the lumbar region with the help of tablets. If you take painkillers and then make some awkward movement, you may end up with even greater pinching of the spinal nerve, and the resulting pinching will, in turn, provoke or intensify pain in the leg.

What can you do NOW to make your lower back go away?

The most important thing is to UNLOAD your lower back!

First option - Lie on your back with a bolster or several pillows under your knees and a pillow under your head.

The second option is to lie on your stomach with one or more pillows under your stomach and pelvis. How many pillows there should be under the stomach and the thickness of the blanket roll are determined by your feelings. The feeling that your back seems to be releasing even with persistent pain, the appearance of a slight pulling sensation along the lumbar vertebrae indicates that the position has been chosen correctly.

The third option is to lie on your healthy side with a pillow. The height of the pillow should be such that there is no bend between the cervical and thoracic spine. If you wish, you can place a pillow between your knees if it will add a feeling of relaxation and slight stretching in your lower back.

The duration of maintaining such “unloading” positions depends on how severe the pain is. Therefore, it can vary from 30 minutes to several days. On average, it takes 2–3 hours for your back to “release” and it becomes much easier.

How to get up correctly so that your lower back doesn’t jam again?

Next, if you were lying on a bed or massage table, you need to get up correctly. If you have lower back pain, getting out of bed or from a massage table can be quite difficult. In order to protect your back from additional injuries and overloads, you need to:

- Gently move to the edge of the bed.

- Turn on your side, facing the edge.

— Very carefully sit down on the edge of the bed, pushing off the bed with your hand, and lower your feet to the floor. This way, you will keep your back straight, ensure smooth and soft movements and completely protect your lower back from overload.

Diagnostics

To determine lumbago, a clinical picture is sufficient. But determining its causes requires a careful study of the patient’s medical history. Usually, the medical history already contains some pathologies of the spine.

Laboratory tests are prescribed to detect inflammation. To determine the presence of pathological changes in bone and joint tissues, as well as to determine the focus of the inflammatory process, MRI, CT and spondylography of the spine are prescribed. Additionally, it may be necessary to perform a lumbar puncture to collect cerebrospinal fluid and myelography with the introduction of a contrast agent.

Basic exercises to relieve lower back pain.

The simplest exercise is to pull your knees to your chest. Thanks to this exercise, you can quickly “turn off” the process of blocking the muscles of the entire spine.

1. Lying position on your back. It is necessary to strongly retract the abdomen to strengthen the lumbar region and keep it retracted throughout the exercise. The shoulders and head are fixed; during the exercise they should not come off the surface on which you are lying at all.

2. Grasp your knees with your hand and lightly pull one leg toward your chest. Then lift your other leg to your chest and cross your ankles. And - attention - never start an exercise with sudden movements, otherwise you risk damaging your back even more!

Raising your knees to your chest can be very difficult at first. Acute pain may occur - in this case, it is recommended to spread your knees wide above your stomach.

Don’t try to immediately reach your head with your knees; the exercise should be comfortable. And remember that the head, neck and thoracic spine should lie motionless on the floor.

3. Grasping your knees with your hands, slowly pull both legs towards you to the limit of comfort and away from you. Maintain a 90 degree angle between the shin and thigh. We perform the exercise as relaxed as possible. You can judge how you managed to relax by paying attention to your face. The facial muscles usually immediately tense up when trying too hard. It is important to perform this exercise effortlessly, and at the same time get into the rhythm of gentle rocking.

This exercise should be performed for 5 to 10 minutes. The criteria for its completion are still the same: back pain becomes less or disappears completely, the feeling of relaxation and liberation increases.

4. If the pain in the lower back radiates to the leg, then we continue this exercise in the following form: lying on your back, head, neck and shoulders do not come off the floor, arms are located along the body, resting on the floor. The legs are raised as shown in the photo (there is a 90 degree angle between the thigh and the body). Try to move the entire load from the pelvis to the hands - this will help relieve pressure from the inflamed segment.

The exercise is performed lying on your back, swing your knees back and forth, raising your pelvis as high as possible on the floor. In this case, the entire load should fall on the arms and abdominal muscles. When you return your legs to their original position, make sure that they do not fall below 90 degrees, otherwise the spine may bend. Repeat this exercise 15 times.

5. It is best to complete a cycle of exercises to relieve pain in the lumbar spine by rolling on your back. It is strictly forbidden to perform rolls on a soft bed. The surface must be hard, so the exercise should be performed on the floor, or on a mat. Raise your hips. The angle between the thighs and shins should be 90 degrees. Clasp your hands behind your hips. Raise your head and neck so that your back is arched into a rocking chair shape. Try not to bring your legs too close to your body, then the lumbar spine will be worked specifically.

Rock back gently.

Then forward.

Perform rolls for 15 – 30 seconds. To rest, lower one leg first, then the other. The knees remain bent.

Causes

Lumbago is characteristic of a relatively young age, because one of the reasons for its development is high loads and muscle tension in the lumbar region, overwork and sudden movements. That is, everything that a young man can do for a long time due to his physical capabilities. For the same reason, men are more affected by lumbago.

Pain appears as a result of muscle spasm that reacts to irritation of the receptors and nerve endings of the fibrous ring of the intervertebral discs.

Provoking factors for the appearance of “lumbago” in the lower back are:

• disorders in the structure of the spine;
• overheating, and then hypothermia, of the muscles of the lumbar region during active sports or work;
• excessive strain on muscles;
• sharp body turns;
• intervertebral hernia;
• infectious diseases in the acute phase.

How to treat back pain

The treatment regimen depends on the underlying causes of pain. First of all, tactics are aimed at eliminating the factors that led to the development of pain. It is also important to create conditions for the restoration of muscle and bone tissues of the spine, pain reduction and restoration of motor freedom.

Treatment is mainly carried out at home, less often in a neurological hospital. The patient is prescribed bed rest. It is important to ensure the immobility of the corresponding spinal region; in some cases, belts and corsets with stiffening ribs are used for this.

The treatment plan consists of several types of therapy, the combination of which the doctor selects taking into account the characteristics of the medical case:

• Drug therapy. The doctor prescribes analgesics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, myospasmolytics, muscle relaxants. Vitamin therapy is also carried out. The list of additional drugs is determined taking into account the causes and concomitant manifestations of pain.
• Local impact. Compresses with a solution of medications and blockades bring a high therapeutic effect.
• Electrical procedures. Transcutaneous electrical stimulation, diadynamic currents, electrophoresis, etc. bring positive results.
• Manual therapy. Involves the use of general relaxation techniques that help relieve pain and increase trunk mobility. However, in some cases, for example, with damage to intervertebral discs, manual therapy is contraindicated.
• Massage. Manual or hardware massage allows you to relax muscle structures.
• Reflexology. Moxibustion, laser therapy, acupuncture and other alternative methods help increase motor activity.
• Therapeutic gymnastics, physical education. Special exercises for the back help relieve pain, and you can even do them at home. However, the basic technique of gymnastic exercises must be taught by an instructor, otherwise there is a possibility of worsening the condition.

Diseases that cause back pain

Diseases that can cause back pain can be divided into several groups depending on the affected organs or body systems:

• musculoskeletal pathologies: vertebral fracture, osteomyelitis, tuberculosis, rib fracture, arthritis, arthrosis, myositis, metastatic lesions of the vertebrae and ribs, costochondritis, Tietze syndrome;
• pathologies of the peripheral nervous system and spinal cord: damage to intercostal nerves of a primary or metastatic nature, neurogenic tumor, intervertebral hernia, herpes zoster;
• rheumatic diseases: seronegative arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, angina pectoris, osteochondrosis, myocardial infarction, pericarditis, thoracic or abdominal aortic aneurysm, heart disease;
• diseases of the respiratory system: pleurisy, pneumothorax, pleuropneumonia, bronchial or lung cancer;
• gastrointestinal diseases: cholecystitis, penetrating ulcer, pancreatitis, pancreatic or intestinal cancer, ulcerative colitis;
• diseases of the retroperitoneal space: cancer, bleeding;
• pathologies of the urinary system: pyelonephritis, cancer, colic, renal artery thrombosis;
• diseases of the pelvic organs: inflammation of the uterus and appendages, twisted ovarian cyst, endometriosis, prostatitis, oncology of the ovaries, uterus or prostate gland.

The pathological processes that occur in the body during the listed diseases indirectly or directly affect the spinal column. As a result, pain appears, which can only be removed by treating its root cause. Therefore, before treating back pain at home, it is so important to undergo diagnostics as prescribed by your doctor.