Causes and nature of lower back pain
The causes of lower back pain when lying on the stomach are different and may indicate diseases of the spine, internal organs, and neuralgia .
Lower back pain usually appears due to diseases of the spine. Below is a list of the most common
The causes of pain are divided into primary and secondary. The primary type is characterized by dystrophic and functional disorders of the spinal column, congenital pathologies of the shape of the vertebrae. Secondary causes are caused by mechanical damage, disruption of internal organs, infections and viruses, and neoplasms.
Common factors for low back pain:
Disease | Symptoms | Nature of pain |
osteochondrosis | dystrophic disorders in the cartilage of the spinal discs | sharp back pain. When lying down, lumbar pain radiates to the legs |
spondyloarthrosis | the disease is chronic. Occurs due to inflammatory diseases of the joints, types of arthritis | the nature of the pain is aching. When lying down, the pain spreads to the gluteal region. Stiffness in the lower back in the morning |
scoliosis | lateral curvature of the spine, appears at school age | As a result of deformation, muscle tension occurs, which leads to painful spasms |
osteoporosis | thinning of bones. Most often, an age-related pathology caused by a lack of calcium | the pain is dull, aching. Is permanent. Has a wide range of distribution: from ribs to lower extremities |
ankylosing spondylitis | inflammation that results in fusion of spinal cartilage | severe morning pain, intermittent |
referred pain | occurs in diseases of the genitourinary system, pancreas, gastrointestinal diseases | It's a dull pain. With a disease of the genitourinary system, pain from the lower back will spread to the lower extremities |
neuralgia | pinched nerve roots of the lumbar region | acute attacks of pain, can be burning and aching |
Why does my lower back hurt after sleep?
In this article we will take a closer look at the question of why pain occurs, but first we will divide all the main reasons into three main categories:
- Sleep on an uncomfortable surface. The mattress on the bed is incorrectly selected in terms of firmness. As a result, due to incorrect position, the muscles become numb and a spasm occurs. Problems also occur when using a sofa with low-quality filling or a block with dependent springs for sleeping. Sleeping on this is bad for your health. But this is the least serious reason for pain - the problem can be easily eliminated by changing the sleeping place or buying a new mattress.
- There were problems with the spine. Sources of pathology are congenital and acquired. During sleep, due to lack of physical activity, they begin to appear. These are intervertebral disc displacement, hernia, bone diseases.
- Inflammatory processes in internal organs. The problems in this case are the poor condition of the kidneys, liver, and urinary system organs. Other pathologies are also common and should not be discounted.
- Nerve problems appear. Common causes of back pain include inflammation or pinched nerves. So, due to low activity, the sciatic nerve makes itself felt.
Now that we have identified the common causes of problems, we will try to consider the most common of them.
Other causes of pain
In addition, there are many additional reasons that cause discomfort and pain in the lower back when lying down:
- infectious and viral diseases, inflammatory processes in joints with rheumatoid arthritis;
Infectious lesions of bone tissue and cartilage also lead to severe pain
- mechanical damage to the spine, stretching of muscles and ligaments during force loads in sports;
- degenerative age-related disorders of the musculoskeletal system, femoral neck fractures, formation of spinal hernias.
- office sedentary work, long periods of standing, heavy physical labor create muscle tension and increased pressure in the lumbar region.
You can learn more about lower back pain in the following articles:
- You will find out what the nature of shingles pain in the lower back may be on the page
- What contributes to pain in the back left and behind is described here
- Find out what to do if you are shot in the back and have acute pain in the lower back by following this link
- You can learn about the causes of lumbar pain when bending over here
- Why does a dull pain appear in the legs and pull in the lower back?
- More information on how to get rid of lower back pain when walking is described in the article.
Harmless situation or serious problem?
We figured out why women and men have lower back pain after sleep. But there are similar situations that cannot be left to chance. For example, when:
- after sleep, the back hurts above the lower back - this is how thoracic osteochondrosis or neuralgia manifests itself, the usual preventive measures will help, but additional treatment is needed;
- in women during menopause or later, sharp pain first appeared - perhaps it was a spontaneous vertebral fracture due to osteoporosis;
- a woman or man has lower back pain during sleep, sometimes so severely that the pain wakes you up and prevents you from falling asleep - this indicates serious overexertion during the day or a progressive disease of the spine, most often osteochondrosis or spondylosis, but an intervertebral hernia can also manifest itself in this way.
The patient may confuse relatively harmless lower back pain with internal organ problems. Most often, pain is felt in the lower back due to pyelonephritis, kidney stones and pancreatitis. These diseases require mandatory treatment from a doctor.
Therefore, if lower back pain occurs for the first time, or the sensations this time are different from usual, consultation with a doctor is required. Home remedies may be useless and in some cases even harmful.
Elimination of lower back pain
The appearance of pain in the lumbar region is a signal of a disruption in the functioning of the body. It is necessary to establish the exact cause of the disease that provokes the pain, after which treatment is prescribed.
A visual inspection is not enough to accurately diagnose the problem. It is necessary to do an x-ray, computer or magnetic resonance imaging. Such an examination will help make the correct diagnosis and choose appropriate treatment.
First of all, it is recommended to eliminate pain, stop the inflammatory process, and relieve swelling. For this purpose, medications are used in the form of tablets and ointments - NSAIDs, muscle relaxants, steroid drugs. In case of severe acute pain, anesthetic injections are used. .
When medication treatment is contraindicated, physiotherapy, massage, and manual therapy are used to relieve pain and relax muscles. The method of acupuncture is effective.
Traditional methods for lumbar pain
The natural components of compresses have an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect, help relieve morning stiffness, improve the functioning of internal organs and normalize the body’s salt metabolism. They are used as independent treatment or in combination with conservative methods.
Compress recipes:
- grated horseradish with the addition of sour cream is applied to the place of pain, covered with a linen napkin and wrapped in woolen cloth. The compress relieves muscle tension caused by pain;
Check out the traditional medicine recipes for treating the lower back; the healing effects of using burdock leaves have been proven. Dried leaves are doused with boiling water and applied to the lumbar region. Cover with a warm cloth and keep the compress for no more than one hour;- A cold compress made from a mixture of garlic and lemon is effective. Chopped garlic is mixed with lemon juice, applied to a cotton cloth and applied to the area of pain for 20 minutes. Helps with chronic pain;
- moisten gauze in horse chestnut tincture and leave as a compress overnight;
- a warming compress of sea salt diluted in hot water in a ratio of 1 to 10. After moistening cotton cloth or gauze, apply to the site of pain projection, cover with a warm cloth;
- Infuse 40 grams of crushed golden mustache stems in 500 ml of bischofite for two weeks. Strain and make compresses at night.
Physiotherapy
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It is important to eliminate problems in the lumbar region by using physiotherapy, which includes electrotherapy and physical therapy .
The most effective method of electrotherapy is medicinal electrophoresis. Magnetic therapy is used to reduce swelling and pain. Phonophoresis relieves inflammation and provides micromassage at the cellular level.
The use of Darsonval is popular; ozonized currents restore blood circulation and relieve muscle tension. Darsonval is convenient for use at home.
Therapeutic exercise is mandatory and is prescribed during the period of reducing lumbar stiffness and pain . Classes help normalize motor functions, strengthen and elasticity of muscles, and flexibility of the spine.
Specially developed complexes of physical therapy exercises are performed on the recommendation of a physiotherapist. At home, when doing physical education, you must be careful, without stress, sudden movements or bending.
The use of physiotherapy helps relieve muscle tension in the lumbar region and eliminate pain. The mobility of the spine returns.
Video: “Effective exercises for lower back pain”
Massage
Therapeutic massage is aimed at stretching blocked muscles and restoring blood circulation , carried out carefully using gentle stroking movements. The massage is performed by a qualified specialist. In addition, the use of stone therapy, shiatsu, and acupressure is effective. There are situations when massage needs to be done at home.
You can help yourself by doing a massage yourself:
- gentle stroking movements in the direction of the tailbone for 3 minutes;
- for the next 3 minutes, stroke from the spine to the sides;
- stroking movements of the lumbar region using oils that have a relaxing effect.
Massage is one of the most effective means of spinal therapy. Compositions of lavender, thyme and sage oils are used. Rosemary or nutmeg oil stimulates blood circulation. Eucalyptus oil, camphor, pine essence and resin have a warming effect.
Vacuum cups are also used, which improve blood flow in the lumbar region . It is convenient to use a roller massager, Lyapko or Kuznetsov applicator at home. A bag filled with pine or spruce cones can replace the applicator and have the same effect. A regular plastic bottle filled with warm water can warm up the lower back area and relax the muscles.
a bath with the addition of essential oils of eucalyptus, juniper or sea salt will help relax muscles and eliminate pain .
If you have lower back pain when lying down, it is advisable to sleep on a hard bed with a cushion under your feet. This will relieve back muscle stiffness and reduce pain. .
It is recommended to wear a special corset for the lumbosacral region , due to which, within a short time, pain in the lower back is completely eliminated.
Prevention
If lower back pain occurs while lying down, it is necessary to avoid sudden movements and bending, physical activity, heavy lifting, and prolonged stay in an uncomfortable position . The sleeping area should be hard. Your back, spine, and lower back will relax and get complete rest on an orthopedic mattress.
It is necessary to walk more and take breaks during the day to do gentle physical exercise.
Dancing, yoga and swimming will relieve problems not only in the lumbar region, but also improve the health of the entire body. Following a healthy diet, moderation in alcohol consumption, quitting smoking, and losing excess weight will help avoid many diseases.
Making life easier on the lower back
The main thing a person suffering from lower back pain after sleeping in the morning should do is pay attention to their mattress. If you sleep on a double-humped sofa, then you should not be surprised at the pain. The same goes for pillows. Without replacing the mattress and pillow, no doctor can help; medicine can only relieve pain.
If your lower back hurts after sleeping during pregnancy, positional therapy will help, and it is better to start doing it as soon as the gynecologist has confirmed that the woman is expecting a child. There is nothing complicated about this, you just need to spend 15-30 minutes standing on all fours. This must be done three times a day, and the first time - just after sleep.
Exercise will not only relieve the lower back, but will also help with other problems characteristic of pregnant women: it will restore uterine blood flow, reduce the load on the urinary tract and gastrointestinal tract, and can help with edema.
Other usual preventive measures - physical therapy, ergonomic furniture in the workplace and in the kitchen - will not hurt in the case of morning pain in the lower back, but will also help little. But if the doctor has diagnosed dystrophic changes in the spine, proliferation of connective tissue and other diseases, it is better to do all this. Such simple measures will help significantly slow down the progression of the disease.
Why might my right side hurt?
The causes of this symptom are usually associated with internal organs. “This is a sign that something located on the right side of the abdomen is suffering,” says Bulat Yunusov, a surgeon at GMS Clinics and Hospitals. “The cause of damage to these organs can also be different, for example, inflammation, oncological processes, trauma, consequences of previous operations, neurological disorders.”
However, this symptom may have other reasons. “An unpleasant sensation in the right side can be muscular in nature, especially if it occurs after physical activity. If a person falls on their right side, the pain may be associated with muscle contusion or injury, such as myositis. Gallstones can also cause an uncomfortable tingling sensation in your side. The stones close the ducts, which leads to swelling of the bladder and, as a consequence, to the occurrence of calculous cholecystitis, that is, an inflammatory process. All this, of course, is accompanied by pain,” commented an invited specialist from another medical center. Let's look at the main causes of pain in the right side.