When back pain appears, the idea of radiculitis immediately arises. In fact, even pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract can become a cause of discomfort in the lower back. Therefore, before developing a treatment regimen, doctors carefully examine the patient. When the back hurts in the lumbar region, how to treat the pathology, only a neurologist can decide. Often doctors of limited specialties are involved in therapy: gastroenterologist, endocrinologist, oncologist, gynecologist, urologist. Depending on the diagnosed diseases, further treatment takes place at home or in a hospital.
Basic principles of treatment
Pain affecting the lumbar spine can be bothersome, annoying, or violent and violent. If, during the examination, the patient does not have pathologies of organs of other vital systems, the following measures are included in the therapeutic scheme:
- take pharmacological drugs to relieve inflammatory processes, eliminate pain, restore damaged bone and joint tissues;
- perform physiotherapy procedures to accelerate the regeneration of the vertebrae and skeletal muscles;
- physical therapy or gymnastics.
For severe, sharp pain that restricts movement, patients are prescribed medications for intramuscular injection. As a rule, in this case, hospitalization is carried out in a hospital. After the improvement of the patient's condition, she is discharged for further recovery at home.
The correct approach to treatment
The main cause of low back pain is destructive-degenerative damage to the vertebrae or a formed intervertebral hernia. No matter how successful the treatment is, doctors recommend that patients remove the factor that provoked the pathology from their usual way of life. Otherwise, the disease will return after a while or turn into a chronic form, dangerous for relapses.
Start treating acute pain or pulling your back 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 an orthopedic pillow and mattress. They will reduce the burden on back pain, prevent muscles and nerve roots from being squeezed and pinched. If it is not possible to buy special devices, then you should choose a mattress and pillow of medium hardness for sleeping.
To speed up recovery, you should follow the following medical recommendations during treatment:
- avoid any physical activity and active sports. In the rehabilitation stage, you can do yoga, swim or just take a long walk in the fresh air;
- Eliminate fatty and fried foods from the diet. They negatively affect the condition of the blood vessels located in the lumbar spine and contribute to the deposition of harmful cholesterol. The deficiency of nutrients and biologically active substances is one of the causes of the destruction of bone tissue;
- don't drink or smoke. If you cannot overcome the harmful addiction completely, then at least during treatment you should forget about it. Poisonous resins, nicotine, ethanol have a detrimental effect on the veins, arteries and capillaries, slowing down the recovery of bone, joint and cartilaginous tissues in men and women.
Intake of balanced complexes of vitamins and microelements will help speed recovery. Some of them contain higher amounts of calcium, but these drugs can only be taken as directed by a doctor. Therefore, it is advisable to purchase simple medications.
Pharmaceuticals
Despite the effectiveness of folk remedies and physiotherapy procedures, only pharmaceutical preparations can quickly eliminate severe back pain. If the discomfort is poorly expressed, an intake of capsules, pills and tablets will help. And with severe pain, neuropathologists prescribe intravenous and intramuscular injections to alleviate the patient's condition. Many of the medications used to treat the lower back have serious side effects and many contraindications. Strict adherence to medical recommendations regarding the doses used and the duration of the course will help to avoid negative consequences.
Injectable solutions
For the treatment of low back pain, injectable forms of preparations containing vitamin B are almost always used. They show neurotropic activity:
- normalizes the innervation of skeletal muscles;
- restore the transmission of nerve impulses;
- promote the regeneration of affected nerve fibers;
- accelerate the metabolism of substances;
- increase the functional activity of the central and peripheral nervous system.
The preparations also contain pain relievers, so vitamin B preparations have moderate analgesic properties.
Injectable medications are prescribed for acute pain, which is often referred to as "low back pain. "And when the pathology becomes chronic, its use does not bring the expected result. Vitamins are used both as a single drug and in combination with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. It is NSAIDs that are becoming the first option in the treatment of low back pain. The solutions for intramuscular administration in a few minutes stop the inflammation, reduce the severity of the discomfort and eliminate the swelling of the soft tissues.
Some drugs are structurally analogous, but they 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 many factors into account. For example, certain drugs have a pronounced pain-relieving effect, but seriously damage the joints and cartilage. And there are drugs that, unlike others, do not disrupt the work of the gastrointestinal tract.
Despite the efficacy 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 tablets for people who have been diagnosed with gastritis, as well as ulcerative lesions of the stomach and duodenum. Treatment of low back pain in men and women with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs should be combined with any proton pump inhibitor.
Tablets, capsules, lozenges
NSAIDs and B vitamins after a cycle of injections, the patient takes tablets or capsules to consolidate the result of therapy. If your lower back hurts, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in injections are contraindicated, the doctor prescribes pills with such active ingredients.
For the treatment of pathologies of the spine, drugs with a combined composition are often used.
Pain in the lumbar region of the back occurs with muscle spasm.
Pinch the nerve roots, causing the development of secondary root syndrome. Muscle relaxants help normalize the innervation of nerve impulses and stop spasms. In acute pain, a short cycle of injections is given and then the patient continues the pill treatment.
Chondroprotectors are recommended during the rehabilitation period. The tablets usually contain stimulants for the regeneration of cartilage tissue, extracts of shark cartilage and medicinal plants that help to restore the bone structures of the spine. Before treating low back pain with chondroprotectors, the doctor evaluates the degree of damage to the articular and cartilaginous tissues. When diagnosing severe destructive changes, therapy with these drugs can last for more than a year.
Ointments, gels, creams, balms
Along with drugs for parenteral and oral administration, neuropathologists prescribe drugs for external use. They are applied in the lumbar region several times a day until the painful sensations are completely eliminated. Some ointments contain bee and snake venom, paprika extract, essential oils.
All these organic substances have a warming 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 such external agents. As a general 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 about 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 into 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 normalization of tissue metabolism and relief of dystrophic changes occurs after the use of external agents with chondroprotectors.
It does not matter if a vertebra is diseased or inflammation has affected the entire lumbar region: ointments with chondroprotectors help to restore articular and cartilaginous tissues damaged by the pathological process.
Physiotherapy procedures
Most of these treatments are not prescribed for patients with pain caused by acute inflammation. The procedures are started after its relief with pharmacological drugs. Physiotherapy is used to normalize the metabolism of tissues, regenerate them, and prevent further degenerative changes in the lumbar spine. What Physiotherapy Procedure Can You Use To Get Rid Of Back Pain?
- electrophoresis. Therapeutic manipulation is designed to ensure the rapid administration of medications (NSAIDs, analgesics, anesthetics, chondroprotectors) to the damaged areas of the lumbar spine. In the electrophoresis process, cotton swabs soaked in a medicinal solution are placed on the patient's back. In the upper part are superimposed special plates through which the current passes. Under the influence of electrical impulses, chemical molecules quickly penetrate into the area of inflammation;
- ultrasound therapy. The oscillation of the ultrasonic waves stimulates blood circulation in the lower back. Nutrients and biologically active substances, as well as molecular oxygen, begin to penetrate damaged tissues. After 5-10 procedures, the patient's pain disappears as a result of relief of muscle spasm and increased metabolism;
- laser therapy. Polarized laser light is used in the treatment of destructive changes in the lumbar intervertebral discs. Under the influence of infrared radiation, the blood supply to the joint and cartilaginous tissues is restored, the metabolism is normalized.
Physiotherapy helps to eliminate toxins, toxins, end products of the inflammatory process of the spine; - magnetic therapy. During the procedure, a wave magnetic field is applied to the patient to stimulate blood circulation to the damaged tissues.
Medical manipulation is prescribed to alleviate further damage to the lumbar vertebrae and prevent the spread of inflammation to healthy tissues. The result is the disappearance of painful sensations and the restoration of full range of motion.
For the treatment of severe pain that can radiate to the leg, arm, coccyx, physiotherapy procedures are combined with the intake of pharmacological drugs. And during the rehabilitation period or during the remission of chronic pathologies of the spine, patients are recommended mud therapy, baths with mineral water, 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, berry and fruit compotes will 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 cranberry leaves, St. John's wort and marigolds, pour a liter of boiling water and leave for about an hour. Strain, drink a fragrant infusion instead of coffee and tea;
- in an enameled or glass container, place a handful of dried rose hips, blueberries and juniper berries, pour 2 liters of hot water. Cook over low heat 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:
- Melt 3 tablespoons in a water bath. tablespoons of natural honey, cool and mix with 2 tablespoons. tablespoons of drugstore alcohol.
- Gently add 100ml of Vaseline to the mixture and rub into the damaged areas of the lower back.
This remedy is also used for medical compresses for back pain. To do this, the mixture should not be rubbed, but spread in a thin layer on the skin. You need to put plastic wrap on top, and then wrap it with a warm scarf. The duration of the procedure is 3-4 hours.
Treatment of low back pain is usually done at home. Only when an acute inflammatory process is diagnosed, the patient is admitted to the hospital. Depending on the cause of the pathology, therapy lasts from two weeks to several months. But if medical recommendations are followed, recovery is significantly accelerated, as evidenced by reviews of cured patients.
- “One morning I couldn't get out of bed, I even thought I was paralyzed. But the pain refuted that assumption, it was so strong that it gave way to the legs. They were treated in a hospital with injections of NSAIDs and a muscle relaxant, and then drank them at home for about a week. The pain was gone on the second day, but the doctor ordered that it be treated until a victorious recovery. "
- “My pain gradually worsened, as I suspect, after swimming in a cold river. The lower back just didn't buckle, I had to go on sick leave. I followed all the doctor's advice, drank NSAIDs and a muscle relaxant, applied an anti-inflammatory ointment, and plastered mustard plasters on my back. It was cured in five days. "
- “The doctor warned that the pain is not the worst. During the diagnosis, it turned out that my vertebrae quickly collapsed. For about a year I took chondroprotectants and rubbed them on my back. For the pain, I drank NSAIDs with a proton pump inhibitor. After further examination, the neuropathologist was glad that no new lesions were found. "