More than 25% of the world's population and more than 50% of people of working age suffer from back pain.Unfortunately, evolution has not made sure that people over 35-40 live comfortably.The biomechanical structure of the spine is such that the absence of back pain is not a guaranteed reality, but a happy (and, unfortunately, temporary) coincidence.Especially now, when the body of the average office worker has to sit in front of the computer for 8-12 hours without a break.But we are adapted by millions of years of evolution in the wild to a completely different, much more active way of life!
Is it possible to treat spinal pain yourself?
Unfortunately, not everyone asks themselves this very correct question.The answer is: self-medication based on information from the Internet is extremely dangerous.This is a huge risk that can lead to disability.If we are talking about such internal pain as pain in the back and spine, then it is not worth "diagnosing" yourself and "prescribing" treatment.Nerve endings in internal organs are located differently than on the surface of the skin.The pain inside is difficult to localize and sometimes it seems that one thing hurts, but in fact the cause is another.For example, back pain can be caused by cancer of the gastrointestinal tract.And the pain that another person may describe on a forum or in an article as very similar to yours may be caused by completely different causes 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, glenohumeral periatrosis, cervicobrachialgia - all these terms are useless to you. There are dozens of such diseases in the textbooks of medical universities and even with various clarifications and modifications. You must learn and remember the name of your diagnosis when itplace a qualified physician, but not before."
Worrying symptoms
Most often, unpleasant sensations appear in the cervical and lumbar regions of the spine, but pain in the chest is much less common.It is subjected to less load, so osteochondrosis, protrusion and herniation of the intervertebral discs do not affect it very often.However, chest and chest pain can be caused by spinal problems.
Discomfort may occur from time to time, but it is often not dangerous.If it is a muscle pain (although it may not be similar to the pain in the muscles of the hands after hard work and is felt more strongly), then the cause is most likely due to overstrain due to long standing in one position or too much load.If the pain goes away after a change of position or a short walk and does not return, then the problem is unlikely to be serious.Although you have to deal with minor problems, for example, change your usual postures, increase your physical activity and do physical exercises.And only a doctor can determine the seriousness of the problem.If there is even the slightest possibility, then you should definitely go to the doctor: it is always much easier (and cheaper) to cure a disease in the early stages than an advanced case.
What is really dangerous?Here is a list of "alarm signals", after the appearance of even one of which it is necessary to start diagnosis and treatment as quickly as possible:
- the pain does not stop, changing the position of the body does not help;pain does not decrease with rest;pain worsens at night;
- numbness (reduced sensitivity) or reduced strength of the limbs occurs;
- problems with urination and defecation occur (for example, loss of the sensation of emptying the bladder; urinary and fecal incontinence or, conversely, retention; not to be confused with constipation);
- the temperature rises, but there are no other reasons to explain this, for example ARVI;
- pain wakes you up and interrupts sleep;
- complications after suffering from malignant tumors (the age does not matter);
- unexplained weight loss;
- complications after years of steroid use;
- complications after recent serious illnesses;
- complications after recent infectious diseases;
- loss of anal reflex;
- weakness in hips and knees;
- neurological deficit;
- progressive deformation of the spine;
- back pain that gets worse at rest;
- chest pain (ACS - ECG);
- general malaise.
Please note that you don't have to wait for everything to start together.If at least one of these symptoms appears, consult a doctor immediately.
Yoram Anekstein, Tel Aviv Medical Center: "The question often arises: I made an appointment with a doctor, but my back has already stopped hurting. Should I go or not? I definitely go."
Articles on the Internet very often try to describe what types of pain are characteristic of osteochondrosis and what are for sciatica, etc.This is a wrong approach, the reasons for which we have already explained above.It doesn't matter what the pain is: on the left, on the right, in the coccyx, everywhere, shooting, lasting a few seconds or hours and days.All these are symptoms that scream that qualified medical help is needed.
Causes of spinal pain
The most common cause is nonspecific pain associated with muscle tension, overstretching of tendons, ligaments, and fascia.
Much less often, the pain is associated with a herniated disc affecting a nerve root (~3% of cases).
Osteoporosis (including pathological fractures), infections (spondylodiscitis), tumors, tuberculosis, trauma and other rheumatological diseases cause pain much less often (about 1%).
Diseases of internal organs can also cause back pain (pancreatic cancer, peptic ulcer for example or acute coronary syndrome).
Degenerative changes called osteochondrosis, consisting of a complex of components (reduced elasticity and strength of the disc substance, reduced disc height, protrusion, hernia, changes in the vertebral bodies (Modic I-III), ligaments (spondylosis), facet joints (spondyloarthrosis) are not directly related to pain and other clinical manifestations.
It should be understood that only the group of spondylitis and spondyloarthrosis includes more than 10 diseases with different causes, course characteristics, symptoms, etc.The number of diseases of the back and especially of the spine is very large.But from the descriptions above you can understand for yourself that they are united by seriousness.Back pain cannot be ignored.Many of these diseases progress slowly, with long periods of remission.But at the same time, at each acute stage, the risk of complications (up to complete loss of mobility) increases.