Lumbago

Lumbago
Lumbago is a sharp severe attack of pain like a lumbar lumbar. It can last from several minutes to several hours. Accompanied by motor limitations. It can have a primary or secondary nature. In the first case, lumbago occurs as a result of changes in the spinal column that occur in the human body with age. Secondary lumbago can be as a consequence of another disease (hernia, osteochondrosis, etc.). Often it is the secondary type that occurs. The age category of patients is over 25.

The content of the article:
The causes of lumbago can be:
Symptoms of lumbago
Diagnosis of lumbago
Lumbago treatment
Prognosis and prevention
Lumbago
Lumbago does not manifest in children and adolescents. Lumbago pain should be differentiated from sciatica pain, as it has a distinctive nature, unrelated to the pathological process in sciatica. If lumbago occurs, the patient is able to move only with small steps forward. This disease almost immediately turns into a chronic form.

The causes of lumbago can be:
intervertebral hernias in the lumbar region;
spinal ligament damage;
stretching of fibrous rings in the lumbar region;
wear of intervertebral discs, taking into account the elderly age of a person;
osteochondrosis, in which the nerve endings of the spinal cord are squeezed;
congenital pathologies of the vertebral column;
injury — dislocation of the vertebrae;
overstrain of the back during heavy physical exertion or sharp turns, bends;
rheumatism;
the presence of oncological neoplasms in the lumbar region;
prolonged hypothermia;
sedentary work or prolonged stay in an uncomfortable position.
In some cases, the causes of lumbago remain unclear. Lumbago is a pathology that can occur against the background of other diseases, for example, diseases of the abdominal cavity or pelvis.

Factors that stimulate the manifestation of lumbago can be oxygen starvation of the body, prolonged depression.

Symptoms of lumbago
The very first and main symptom of lumbago is a sharp, severe pain, shooting and pulsating nature. The pain increases when moving or trying to change the position of the body. Therefore, a person freezes in one position (bent over) and becomes practically helpless. Patients characterize the onset of a lumbago attack as a spontaneous electric shock, burning pain in deep tissues. Often during an attack there is profuse sweating. If a person stays in one position, the pain may subside slightly, but it increases even with the slightest movement, cough or sharp inhalation. Sometimes the pain can radiate to the thoracic region and make breathing difficult. There may be headaches, as well as pain in the pelvis and in the buttocks.

There are so-called protective poses with lumbago:

Knee-elbow position.
Lying on your back with your legs bent.
Lying on your stomach with a pillow.
It is impossible to bend your back in the lower back because of severe pain – the so—called string syndrome. Usually the attack lasts about a week. In the absence of adequate treatment, the frequency and strength of seizures can increase significantly.

With severe compression of nerve endings, symptoms of sciatica (“ponytail”) may be added to the traditional symptoms of lumbago:

numbness of the legs;
urinary incontinence or urinary retention;
violation of potency;
constipation.
If lumbago is combined with sciatica, then a mixed pathology is stated — lumboishialgia. In such cases, the pain may be reflex in nature. The occurrence of pain of this nature is associated with pain receptors of the ligaments, capsules in the intervertebral joints. Sometimes lumboishialgia is a root pain that occurs when the spinal root is mechanically squeezed. In this case, puffiness and inflammatory processes may appear.

Diagnosis of lumbago
Lumbago is most often diagnosed based on the clinical picture.

When applying, a neurologist makes a thorough examination, during which:

determines the intensity and nature of pain, the condition of the lumbar muscles;
examines motor and sensory function;
conducts some biomechanical tests (performing certain movements by the patient);
prescribes standard laboratory tests of blood and urine to detect the inflammatory process in the body.
The diagnosis of this pathology is also based on an X-ray examination, which gives the concept of:

previous injuries of the patient’s vertebrae, their nature:
possible displacement of vertebrae and intervertebral discs;
congenital defects of the spinal column;
the presence of tumors of the vertebrae or neighboring organs;
osteochondrosis or osteoporosis (destruction of the structure of the vertebrae).
The patient is also assigned a computed tomography to examine sections of the spine at different levels and a three-dimensional image of the spinal column.

Magnetic resonance imaging is performed as one of the main types of diagnostics. Tomography makes it possible to assess the condition of soft tissues, intervertebral discs and nerve roots.

Spinal scintigraphy is also often performed. In the process of this diagnostic method, a safe isotope is injected intravenously into the patient, which accumulates on the vertebrae. Next, a picture is taken, on which the places of accumulation of isotopes are clearly visible.

This allows you to determine:

localization of the tumor or its metastases in the vertebrae;
cases of non-development of vertebral arches;
purulent inflammation in the vertebrae or cavity with pus.
Electroneuromyography is another method that is used in the diagnosis of lumbago. This study resembles an ECG. There is a registration of electrical impulses that pass through the muscles of the patient. As a result of the study, it is possible to identify violations in the functioning of the spinal roots when they are infringed.

Lumbago treatment
Treatment takes place strictly under the supervision of a doctor or after a detailed consultation. During seizures, bed rest, a special position of the body (the so-called kyphosis of the spinal column) is recommended. The patient should lie on his back with his legs bent at the knee and hip joints, putting an object for elevation under his feet.

One of the methods of treatment will be stretching the spine on specially adapted beds with mechanisms for fixing the shoulder girdle. A load is suspended from the legs.

The patient may also be prescribed a course of massage to speed up the recovery process and reduce pain. The massage is carried out gently and gently, no more than ten minutes. Soft stroking, kneading and rubbing movements massage the lumbar spine.

A positive impact can be made by practicing physical therapy under the supervision of a coach or consultant competent in this matter.

In parallel with physical methods, medical treatment is necessarily carried out.

Among the drugs that are attributed to the treatment of lumbago:

aspirin, ibuprofen or nurofen are used as anti—inflammatory and analgesic drugs;
diclofenac, orthophen, rapid — strong painkillers;
dimexide is an anti—inflammatory agent, used in the form of lotions and compresses, analgesics;
tranquilizers are taken and given strictly according to a doctor’s prescription to eliminate nervousness and anxiety in patients;
sleeping pills — used for insomnia with severe pain;
spasmolitin is a drug that eliminates muscle spasms and blocks nerve endings (the dosage is selected strictly individually, since the drug may have side effects in case of improper use).
With especially severe pain, a diet is prescribed, since fatty, spicy and too salty food increases pain in the body, therefore it should be excluded from the patient’s diet for the duration of treatment.

The effectiveness of alternative treatments for lumbago has not been proven.

After the main course of treatment, you should adhere to the strict recommendations of the doctor and during the rehabilitation period. It takes some time (determined individually for each depending on the complexity of the disease) to wear a corset, give up hard physical work until full recovery. Even after the end of rehabilitation, it is recommended to perform spa and sanitary medical procedures and undergo a course of therapeutic massage at least once a year.

Prognosis and prevention
The prognosis for lumbago is positive. It is important to seek professional help in time and start adequate treatment. Ignoring the symptoms of lumbago, even minor ones, can lead to negative consequences — chronic diseases of the spine (sciatica, etc.) or even disability.

Prevention of lumbago includes dosing loads on the spine — after physical work, you should immerse yourself in cool water and give the whole body a full rest, avoid hypothermia of the back, sudden careless movements of the trunk.

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