How to treat low back pain

When back pain appears, the idea of ​​radiculitis arises immediately. In fact, even pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract can become the cause of discomfort in the lower back. Therefore, before designing a therapeutic regimen, doctors carefully examine the patient. When there is back pain in the lower back, only a neuropathologist can decide how to treat the condition. Often, doctors with narrow specializations are involved in the therapy - gastroenterologist, endocrinologist, oncologist, gynecologist, urologist. Depending on the diseases diagnosed, additional treatment is carried out at home or in the hospital.

Basic treatment principles

The pain that affects the lumbar spine can be uncomfortable, uncomfortable or violent. If, during the examination, the patient does not present pathologies of organs from other vital systems, the following measures will be included in the therapeutic scheme:

• taking pharmacological drugs to relieve inflammatory processes, eliminate pain, restore damaged bones and joint tissues;
• performing physiotherapy procedures to accelerate the regeneration of skeletal muscles and vertebrae;
• physiotherapy or gymnastics.

In case of acute and severe pain that restricts movement, patients are given medications for intramuscular injection. As a rule, in this case, hospitalization is carried out in a hospital. After improving the patient's condition, he is discharged for recovery at home.

The right approach to treatment

The main cause of low back pain is a destructive degenerative lesion of the vertebrae or an intervertebral hernia formed. As successful as treatment is, doctors recommend that patients eliminate the factor that caused the pathology from their usual way of life. Otherwise, the disease will return after some time or it will become a chronic form, dangerous due to its recurrences.

Start treating acute pain or withdrawal should be in bed. When the inflammatory process becomes the cause of the pathology, even insignificant physical activity contributes to its spread. Neuropathologists advise buying orthopedic pillows and mattresses. They will reduce the load on the sore back, avoiding contracting and pinching the muscles and nerve roots. If it is not possible to buy special appliances, then you need to choose a mattress and a pillow of medium hardness to sleep.

To speed up recovery, you must follow the following medical recommendations during treatment:

• avoid any physical activity and active sports. In the rehabilitation phase, you can do yoga, swim or just take a long walk outdoors;
• Eliminate fatty and fried foods from the diet. They negatively affect the condition of blood vessels located in the lumbar spine and contribute to the deposition of harmful cholesterol. Deficiency of nutrients and biologically active substances is one of the causes of the destruction of bone tissue;
• don't drink or smoke. If it is impossible to completely overcome the harmful addiction, then, at least during treatment, you must forget about it. Poisonous resins, nicotine, ethanol have a detrimental effect on veins, arteries and capillaries, delaying the recovery of bone, joint and cartilage tissue in men and women.

Intake of balanced complexes of vitamins and microelements will help accelerate recovery. Some of them contain increased amounts of calcium, but these drugs can only be taken as directed by the doctor. Therefore, it is advisable to purchase simple medicines.

Pharmacist

Despite the efficacy of folk remedies and physiotherapy procedures, only pharmaceutical preparations can quickly eliminate severe back pain. If the discomfort is poorly expressed, a regular intake of capsules, pills and tablets will help. And with severe pain, neuropathologists prescribe intravenous and intramuscular injections to relieve the patient's condition. Many of the drugs used to treat the lower back have serious side effects and many contraindications. Avoiding negative consequences will allow strict compliance with medical recommendations regarding the dosages used and the duration of the course.

Injection solutions

For the treatment of low back pain, injectable forms of preparations containing vitamins B are almost always used. They exhibit neurotropic activity:

• normalizes the innervation of skeletal muscles;
• restores the transmission of nerve impulses;
• promotes the regeneration of damaged nerve fibers;
• speeds up the metabolism of substances;
• increases the functional activity of the central and peripheral nervous system.

The preparations also include pain relievers, so the B vitamin preparations have moderate analgesic properties.

Injectable drugs are prescribed for acute pain, which is often called "lumbago". And when the pathology becomes chronic, its use does not bring the expected result. Vitamins are used as a single medicine and in combination with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. It is NSAIDs that are becoming the first choice in the treatment of low back pain. Solutions for intramuscular administration in a few minutes stop inflammation, reduce the severity of discomfort and eliminate soft tissue swelling.

Some drugs are structurally analogous, but may differ in the intensity of the therapeutic effect and the number of side effects. When choosing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, the doctor takes into account many factors. For example, certain medications have a pronounced analgesic effect, but at the same time they severely damage joints and cartilage. And there are drugs that, unlike others, do not hinder the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

Despite the effectiveness of NSAIDs in treating back pain, neuropathologists prescribe them with caution, especially in injectable forms. The fact is that even a single intramuscular injection of the solution can cause ulceration of the mucous membranes of the digestive tract. It is strictly forbidden to use NSAIDs in injections or pills for people who have been diagnosed with gastritis, as well as ulcerative lesions of the stomach and duodenum. The treatment of low back pain in men and women with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs should be combined with any proton pump inhibitors.

Pills, capsules, dragees

NSAIDs and B vitamins after a cycle of injections, the patient takes pills or capsules to consolidate the outcome of the therapy. If the lower back hurts and injectable non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are contraindicated, the doctor prescribes pills with these active ingredients.

For the treatment of pathologies of the spine, drugs with a combined composition are often used.

Pain in the lower back region occurs with muscle spasm.

Nerve roots are elongated, causing the development of secondary root syndrome. Muscle relaxants help to normalize the innervation of nerve impulses and to stop spasms. In case of acute pain, a short cycle of injections is administered and then the patient continues treatment with pills.

Chondroprotectors are recommended during the rehabilitation period. The tablets often contain stimulants for the regeneration of cartilage tissue, shark cartilage extracts and medicinal plants that help restore bone structures in the spine. Before treating low back pain with chondroprotectors, the doctor assesses the degree of damage to the articular and cartilaginous tissues. When diagnosing serious destructive changes, therapy with these drugs can last for more than a year.

Polishes, gels, creams, balms

Along with drugs for parenteral and oral administration, neuropathologists prescribe drugs for external use. They are applied to the lower back several times a day until the painful sensations are completely eliminated. Some ointments contain bee and snake venom, paprika extract and essential oils.

All of these organic substances have a heating effect. Patients with sensitive skin may experience burns and symptoms of allergic reactions. And before treating low back pain caused by an inflammatory process, you should consult your doctor about the safety of using these external agents. As a rule, neuropathologists prescribe the following ointments and gels:

• homeopathic. They contain plant extracts and chemical compounds that improve metabolism and have an analgesic effect. Many doctors are skeptical of homeopathy, but patients who do not consider it a pseudoscience can be cured. One of the serious disadvantages of such ointments is the long duration of therapy;
• NSAIDs. An ointment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is well absorbed by the skin and quickly penetrates the damaged area. After a single application, the severity of the pain syndrome decreases, the mobility of the vertebrae is restored.

Effective stimulation of tissue metabolism normalization and relief of dystrophic changes occur after a course of use of external agents with chondroprotectors.

It does not matter if a vertebra is sick or if the inflammation has affected the entire lumbar region - ointments with chondroprotectors help to restore the articular and cartilaginous tissues damaged by the pathological process.

Physiotherapy

Most of these treatments are not prescribed for patients with pain caused by acute inflammation. The procedures are started after their relief with pharmacological drugs. Physiotherapy is used to normalize tissue metabolism, regenerate tissues and prevent further degenerative changes in the lumbar spine. Which physiotherapy procedure you can use to get rid of back pain:

electrophoresis
• . Therapeutic manipulation is designed to ensure rapid delivery of drugs (NSAIDs, analgesics, anesthetics, chondroprotectors) to the injured areas of the lumbar spine. In the process of conducting electrophoresis, swabs soaked in medicinal solution are placed on the patient's back. At the top, special plates are superimposed, where the current passes. Under the influence of electrical impulses, chemical molecules rapidly penetrate the area of ​​inflammation;
• ultrasound therapy. The oscillation of ultrasonic waves stimulates blood circulation in the lower back. Biologically active substances and nutrients, as well as molecular oxygen, begin to penetrate damaged tissues. After 5-10 procedures, the patient's pain disappears as a result of relieving muscle spasm and increasing metabolism;
laser therapy
• . Polarized laser light is used to treat destructive changes in lumbar intervertebral discs. Under the influence of infrared radiation, the blood supply to the articular and cartilaginous tissues is restored, the metabolism is normalized.Physiotherapy helps to remove toxins, toxins, end products of the inflammatory process of the spine;
• magnetotherapy. During the procedure, a wave magnetic field is applied to the patient to stimulate blood circulation in the damaged tissues.

Medical manipulation is prescribed to prevent further damage to the lumbar vertebrae and to prevent the spread of inflammation to healthy tissues. The result is the disappearance of painful sensations and the restoration of the full range of motion.

For the treatment of severe pain that can radiate to the leg, arm, coccyx, physiotherapy is combined with the use of pharmacological drugs. And during the period of rehabilitation or during the remission of chronic pathologies of the spine, patients are recommended for mud therapy, mineral water baths, classic and precise massage, acupuncture.

Traditional recipes for healers

Traditional healers recommend drinking plenty of fluids to treat low back pain. Pure water, chamomile and rosehip tea, berries and fruit jams help to quickly remove the end products of inflammation, toxins and toxins from the spine. As an abundant drink in folk medicine, infusions and decoctions of medicinal herbs are used. Useful plants contain biologically active substances with anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antiseptic properties.

How to cure back pain with healing infusions:

• Pour 3 tablespoons into a thermos. tablespoons of lingonberry leaves, St. John's wort and marigolds, pour a liter of boiling water and leave for about an hour. Strain, drink aromatic infusion instead of coffee and tea;
• in an enamel or glass container, place a handful of dried rose bushes, blueberries and juniper berries, pour 2 liters of hot water. Cook in a water bath for 30-40 minutes, strain and drink 0. 5 cups of infusion before each meal.

Back pain can be treated with a compress or ointment made from natural products. How to make a potion:

1. Melt 3 tablespoons in a double boiler. tablespoons of natural honey, let cool and mix with 2 tablespoons. pharmacy alcohol spoons.
2. Gently add 100 ml of petroleum jelly to the mixture and rub in the damaged areas of the lower back.

This remedy is also used for medical compresses for back pain. For this, the mixture should not be rubbed, but distributed in a thin layer on the skin. You need to put a plastic wrap over it and then wrap it with a warm tissue. The duration of the procedure is 3-4 hours.

The treatment of low back pain is usually done at home. Only when an acute inflammatory process is diagnosed, is the patient admitted to the hospital. Depending on the cause of the condition, therapy takes from two weeks to several months. But if medical recommendations are followed, recovery is significantly accelerated, as evidenced by assessments of cured patients.

• “One morning, I just couldn't get out of bed, I even thought I was paralyzed. But the pain refuted such an assumption, it was so strong that it hit my legs. They were treated in a hospital with injections of NSAIDs and a muscle relaxant and drank them at home for about a week. The pain had passed on the second day, but the doctor prescribed treatment until a successful recovery. "
• “My pain gradually got worse, as I suspect, after swimming in a cold river. The lower back just didn't bend, I had to go on sick leave. I followed all the doctor's advice, drank NSAIDs and a muscle relaxant, smeared with anti-inflammatory ointment, mustard patches glued to the back. She was healed in five days. "
• “The doctor warned that pain is not the worst thing. During the diagnosis, I found that my vertebrae are collapsing quickly. For about a year, I took chondroprotectors and rubbed them on the back. For the pain, I drank NSAIDs with a proton pump inhibitor. After a new examination, the neuropathologist was satisfied that no new injuries were found. "