Broke my back: what to do to reduce pain, symptoms, how to treat at home

06.09.2016

The phrase “broken back” is familiar to everyone, but not every one of us fully understands what this illness means, how to treat it and how to determine that the back is really broken.

By the concept of “broken back”, people usually understand pain in the lumbar spine. Such back pain can be caused by various displacements of both the vertebrae themselves and the discs; in addition, awkward movement or strong physical activity can provoke muscle strain, torn ligaments in the lumbar region or pinched nerve endings, which will also provoke severe pain, because the area of injury will also become inflamed.

In order not to lead to a breakdown of the back, as a result, not only sharp pain will be felt, but psychological changes will appear. The person will become irritated, or rather, even angry. Sitting, standing, lying in any position, the lower back will hurt and cause discomfort in movements. In this state, not only is it difficult to work, it’s difficult to lie down! It is necessary to begin treatment as soon as possible, as soon as you suspect a back injury, otherwise the inflammatory process will only increase, complicating your well-being and delaying further treatment!

If the pain is so acute, you should immediately consult a neurologist. Our clinic has a wonderful doctor!

Diagnostics

Effective treatment depends on a correct diagnosis. Diagnostics includes a set of methods, which include an initial examination of the patient and his interview. During the collection of the patient's medical history, it is clarified when and under what circumstances the pain occurred in order to understand the cause of its occurrence.

After the examination, if necessary, the patient undergoes magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography, ultrasound. The type of diagnosis is determined by the doctor, depending on the nature of the patient’s complaints.

Signs and characteristic symptoms of back pain

Symptoms do not differ between men and women. The main signs of a tear include:

Severe, aching pain radiating to the lower limbs and gluteal muscles.
The back muscles are tense.
The damaged area of the vertebrae protrudes.
My back lost sensitivity and began to tingle.

Typical symptoms of a sprain are:

Acute pain syndrome when bending, turning, or touching.
Swelling of the affected area.
Can't move freely.
Fever.

Treatment of back and lower back pain in men

Drug treatment

The basis of drug treatment for back pain is analgesics (most often non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that block inflammatory processes) that relieve pain and inflammation. It is important to know that taking painkillers is symptomatic therapy. Analgesics relieve pain, but do not eliminate its cause. Therefore, they must be supplemented with drugs to improve microcirculation (improve nutrition and metabolism), chondroprotectors (protect cartilage from destruction, stimulate its regeneration), muscle relaxants (relieve pathological muscle spasms) and some other drugs.

Shpidonov Gennady Stanislavovich

Neurologist

Rostov State Medical University (neurology)

10 years of experience

When to see a doctor

When the first symptoms appear (severe pain in the injured area, loss of sensation in the legs) that arose as a result of injury, you should immediately consult a doctor. The result of back injuries can be not only muscle strain, which is also very painful, but also displacement of the vertebrae and the presence of an intervertebral hernia.

You should sound the alarm if the aching pain does not subside for a long time, when it is felt at rest, and you cannot move independently (bend, straighten your back).

Symptoms

If you lacerate your back, symptoms may not appear immediately. However, in most cases, at the time of injury, the patient experiences an acute lumbago, which subsides over time and transforms into an aching and nagging pain.

If a woman has strained her back, then, in addition to the main symptom, she may be bothered by discomfort in her legs and buttocks. In order not to aggravate the problem, it is important to contact a specialist in a timely manner or provide yourself with first aid. A person who has sprained his back does not always know what to do at home. But you can always relieve pain with the help of special medications or folk remedies.

However, it’s better not to do it

self-medication - contact the clinic to avoid any complications. The following pathologies can become such problems:

Dislocation of the lumbar region - a similar diagnosis is indicated by acute pain and swelling of the lower extremities;
Displacement of segments of the spinal column - hematomas and compactions form at the site of injury;
Spinal hernia, causing numbness in the legs.

Causes of lumbar spine failure

The main causes of back pathology are:

Intense dynamic and static physical activity during lifting, moving and holding weights.
Sports (jumping, football, tennis, weightlifting, etc.).
At training.
Sudden movements.
Fall, blow.
Forced prolonged sitting in one position.
Uneven load on the spine.

In addition to common reasons, you can hurt your back due to the following factors:

The presence of spinal diseases in a person (protrusion of the intervertebral disc, hernia, disorders in articular cartilage).
Winter time (icy conditions).
Sedentary lifestyle.
Excessive fullness.
Alcohol, drug intoxication.
Advanced age.
Women and girls after childbirth.

What does “strained my back” mean?

This is usually said about nagging back pain that occurs after excessive physical exertion. “In medical terminology, the condition of “straining your back” is called dorsalgia,” says Grigory Zhezha the SportMedica clinic , exercise therapy and sports medicine doctor, and rehabilitation specialist .
There are many reasons for this condition. “There can be many reasons for pain, and it’s difficult to say which one provoked it at one time or another,” comments Alexander Kolesov, head of the rehabilitation department of the MEDSI Clinical Diagnostic Center on Krasnaya Presnya, sports medicine doctor, physical therapy doctor, manual therapy doctor . “But if you don’t expect any serious damage, then most often it’s a muscle spasm.” If the pain is felt somewhere in the depths, then, most likely, we can talk about overstrain of the deep stabilizers of the spine - the multifidus, interspinous and intertransverse muscles.”

Many fitness professionals do not consider the phenomenon of “ strained lower back during training ” to be something serious and continue to exercise despite the discomfort. But this is wrong, doctors say. “The concept of “muscle strain” does not exist,” explains Alexander Kolesov. — A muscle can either spasm until a trigger point forms, or become injured, and this is, at best, a microtear, that is, a mechanical rupture of a large and small part of the muscle fibers. Both the deep, small muscles, which we mentioned earlier, and the superficial, large ones can be affected: the erector spinae muscle, the upper or lower trapezius, the quadratus lumborum muscle and others.”

What not to do if you have a spinal disorder

In order not to harm yourself when your back is twisted, you should know what not to do:

Self-medicate without the advice of a specialist.
Massage the damaged area, which can lead to a hernia. A massage is prescribed by a doctor after determining the diagnosis.
Use warming ointments, creams and apply heat to the sore spot (bath, compress).
Adjust the vertebrae yourself.

Self-therapy can provoke negative consequences that will take a long time and be problematic to eliminate.

Incorrect actions during treatment

A fairly common phenomenon is an inadequate approach to the treatment of certain diseases. Regarding the breakdown of the back, such actions may consist of the following actions:

Self-treatment, categorical refusal to accept professional medical help. It is naive to assume that the problem will go away on its own, or to listen to the “competent” recommendations of others. Only a qualified specialist can provide adequate assistance. Even when there is no too intense pain, this does not mean that everything is really okay with your back. Sometimes serious pathologies do not have clearly defined signs, so they can only be detected by instrumental and laboratory testing. Massage that is not prescribed by a doctor. Sometimes such physical impact can only aggravate an unpleasant situation, provoking the formation of a hernia. The manipulations must be performed by a professional, before and only after a medical prescription, through qualified influence on the injured back.
Warming ointments. Sometimes such remedies really help to quickly relieve pain, but this does not apply to the situation described in the publication. If the back is torn, the inflammatory process is already progressing in it, so warming actions can only intensify the unpleasant manifestations. A similar prohibition applies to visiting the bathhouse. When exposed to elevated temperatures, the situation will only become more complicated.

How to treat

The course of treatment is approved by the doctor after diagnosis. The duration of therapy depends on the severity of the injury and the general health of the patient.

Therapy is as follows:

Relieve inflammation and pain (use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs three times a day).
Remove tension in muscles and ligaments (inject muscle relaxants).
Bring spinal mobility back to normal (physiotherapy).

First aid

Providing first aid for a torn back:

The patient should take a horizontal position on a hard and level surface, without bending his back, to avoid new pain attacks.
Call an ambulance or transport the patient to the hospital yourself.
If possible, apply a cold compress to the victim, which may alleviate his condition.
Secure the affected area with a tight bandage.

Drug treatment

Treatment with medications is prescribed by a doctor, taking into account the patient’s absence of allergic reactions.

To eliminate acute pain, medications in the form of injections are initially used. After severe pain develops into aching, tablets are prescribed (Analgin, Baralgin).
To remove inflammation and swelling of tissues, Diclofenac, Ibuprofen and other non-steroidal drugs are used.
To eliminate symptoms such as muscle spasms, muscle relaxants (Meprotan, Baclofen) are used.
On the third day of the main treatment, warming gels (Capsicam, Finalgon and others) and balms are used.
To prevent dystrophic processes, Chondroxide and Mucosat are prescribed.

Physiotherapy and massage

It is possible to speed up the process of muscle and ligament recovery thanks to such physiological procedures as:

Electrophoresis is an ultrasonic procedure through which the medicine quickly penetrates to the damaged area.
Shock wave therapy.
Laser treatment.
Acupuncture.
Warming up.
Massage.
Exercise therapy.

Folk remedies

If your back is torn in a mild form, after consulting a doctor, you can resort to traditional medicine. In the first two days, you should not use heat or cold on the affected area.

You can quickly cure your back at home with a simple and affordable remedy - a salt compress. To prepare it you need 1 tbsp. l. dissolve salts in 1 liter of boiled water. Apply sheep wool soaked in saline solution to the sore spot and fix it with a towel for 1.5 hours.

Surgical intervention

If the prescribed treatment does not help the patient, specialists offer the patient surgical intervention. Most often, people with intervertebral hernias, displaced vertebrae, and radiculitis are operated on.

After the operation, you should strictly follow the doctor's recommendations in order to finally get rid of back pain.

What exercises are at risk of breaking your back?

Breaking your back in training

can be done in almost any exercise. However, doctors consider only a few situations to be the most dangerous. “Incorrect performance of squats, deadlifts or crunches leads to tension in the lumbar spine,” says Alexander Kolesov. — An imbalance occurs in the muscles that stabilize the lumbar spine, when the back muscles are in spasm, and the gluteus maximus and abs are, on the contrary, stretched and weakened. This causes pain. Also, performing a rotation with a barbell on the shoulders with limited rotation in the thoracic spine results in an increased load on the lower back. This will cause inflammation in the facet joints of the spine and, as a result, back pain.”

Doctors generally associate lower back pain with physical inactivity. “Injuries to the lumbar region are associated with low physical activity (we don’t walk fast enough) and a long forced static position, for example, sitting at a computer,” says Alexander Kolesov. “In this regard, the muscles responsible for the stability of the spine cease to function adequately, which leads to injuries. The hardest part is getting them to work organically again. To activate them, there are exercises using balancing pads, as well as aerobic training: fast walking with wide strides, climbing stairs every two steps, exercising on an elliptical. It is fast walking that is effective; regular walks do not work in this case.”

Prevention

Preventive measures aimed at strengthening the back muscles will help prevent spinal injuries. The basic rules of prevention include:

Warm up before training.
Before lifting weights, you should not overestimate the physical capabilities of the body.
Active lifestyle.
Reducing excess body weight.
Control your posture.
Regular exercise.
Even distribution of loads on both hands.

Knowledge of how not to break your back will help you avoid spinal injuries.

Stretching exercises

There are a sufficient number of useful videos and photos on how to restore your back. If there are no contraindications to performing strengthening exercises, it is recommended to regularly perform muscle stretching exercises.

Execution rules:

Place your hands shoulder-width apart and grasp the bar.
Suspend completely and relax your back.
Feet should not touch the surface.

Exercise “Cat” stretches the back muscles well

Execution rules:

Get on all fours.
Point your fingers forward.
Arms should be straight, legs bent at an angle of 90 degrees.
As you exhale, lower your head down, bend your back as much as possible.
While inhaling, return to the starting position.
Bend your lower back down, lift your head and pelvis up.

Perform the exercise up to 10 repetitions.

Broke my back during training: causes of pain

Dorsalgia, according to doctors, can occur for a number of reasons. This:

Predisposition to exacerbations of dorsalgia. “In this case, it can be associated with training or even occur without it,” notes Grigory Zhezha.

Overtraining and muscle decompensation. Due to fatigue, some muscle groups “transfer” the load to others, causing discomfort.

Reflex muscle spasm. “This occurs if we ignore stretching after training,” says Grigory Zhezha. “What is necessary for normal muscle nutrition.”

No warm-up. Moreover, this applies not only to training, but also to everyday movements. “In everyday life, you can break your back if during motor activity, for example, lifting a heavy object from the floor, the back muscles - the extensors - are not prepared and suffer with any contraction,” says Ilya Frank, the X - martial arts direction in Russia .

Incorrect execution of the exercise. Especially if you are doing the movement from the wrong starting position. “For example, when doing crunches from a supine position or standing rows. In this case, the large muscles take the entire load on themselves, and the biomechanics of the body will not work fully. This can cause minor injury and reflex spasm,” explains Grigory Zhezha.

Flat feet. It leads to the fact that the back muscles receive an asymmetrical load, a reflex spasm occurs

Problems with intervertebral discs. “Most often they are caused by physical inactivity and the age factor - the nutrition of the discs deteriorates over the years,” explains Grigory Zhezha. — Let’s say, if a 30-year-old person sits in the office for 8 hours and then goes to the gym 2-3 times a week, it is quite expected that he will experience dorsalgia. You can ensure normal nutrition of the discs with daily exercises, which, by the way, will be an excellent prevention of protrusions and hernias.”

Spondyloarthrosis. This disease is associated with changes in the joints of the spinal column, which causes pain along it.

Excessive load when performing a particular exercise.