What Should You Do If You Experience Lumbago
Alleviating the pain is top priority. Hot or cold compresses, pain killers, topical pain ointments or the so-called psoas position help. However, the important thing is to remain active in general. This prevents the muscles from tensing up even further and atrophying. Go on short walks. Alternate between lying, standing and sitting. After all, bed rest and a lack of exercise make the pain worse and delay treatment. There is even a risk of suffering another bout of lumbago.
Where Can I Get More Information
For more information on neurological disorders or research programs funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, contact the Institute’s Brain Resources and Information Network at:
Office of Communications and Public LiaisonNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and StrokeNational Institutes of HealthBethesda, MD 20892
NINDS health-related material is provided for information purposes only and does not necessarily represent endorsement by or an official position of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke or any other Federal agency. Advice on the treatment or care of an individual patient should be obtained through consultation with a physician who has examined that patient or is familiar with that patient’s medical history.
All NINDS-prepared information is in the public domain and may be freely copied. Credit to the NINDS or the NIH is appreciated.
Lower Back Pain And Cancer
Cancer involving the lumbar spine is not a common cause of back pain. However, in people who have a prior history of cancer, for example, in the breast or prostate, or who have weight loss or loss of appetite along with back pain cancer needs to be considered.
Night pain can be a clue to cancer in the spine. A benign tumor called osteoid osteoma, which most often affects young people, causes pain that tends to respond well to aspirin. Multiple myeloma is a malignancy that occurs when the plasma cells in the bone marrow begin spreading uncontrollably. It is most common in older people, and can cause pain in many parts of the spine. When tumor or infection are suspected, blood tests may be ordered, including a CBC , sedimentation rate , and protein electrophoresis .
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Strong Muscles Thanks To Helsana Coach
Strengthen your back and stomach muscles or your torso and plan to take scheduled exercise breaks at work. In the Helsana Coach app, you will find numerous home training programmes.
Do you sit frequently? Pay attention to your posture. By adopting an incorrect posture in the workplace, we damage our muscles, ligaments, joints and intervertebral discs.
Exercise breaks with short workouts are just as important. Lifting loads correctly is also crucial. If you strain your body in a one-sided way, tension, neck pain or back pain are likely to occur. Stay active and relax in your daily life.
Home Remedy For Lower Back Pain
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Home Remedy For Lower Back Pain | Lower Back Pain Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis And Treatment
There are a wide variety of natural remedies to soothe your back, which can help reduce the intake of medications or provide an added benefit to your existing medical treatment.
Take a look at these natural pain-relieving strategies and find out what works best for you:
Read on to learn more about effective pain-relieving strategies for chronic back pain from natural methods.
1. Enjoy an anti-inflammatory drink every dayWhen you consume anti-inflammatory foods regularly, several antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and even anti-cancer agents can build up in your blood. Over a period of time, these potent agents can play a significant role in reducing and/or eliminating inflammatory reactions in the body.
#HomeRemedyForLowerBackPain #LowerBackPain
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Get Help From A Professional:
Massage – Getting pain treatment through massage is another great way to get rid of pain. While this may be a luxury approach, a monthly massage can be affordable and effective. There are many types of massage options, so be sure to ask about targeting your areas of pain. With the rising accessibility of massage guns, you can also get a frequent and affordable targeted massage. You can get a very high-quality massage gun for a few hundred dollars.
Go to a Chiropractor – Finding a good chiropractor can be the key to relieving your pain. Chiropractors are trained in musculoskeletal manipulation and can identify the cause of your pain and specifically treat areas of pain with specialized procedures. They can also advise you on managing your pain in your day-to-day life and suggest other activities that may help.
Physical Therapy – Often treating patients that have suffered trauma or recovering from surgery, physical therapists and their staff are also more than qualified to help treat back pain. Overlapping with treatment from a chiropractor, seeking help from a physical therapist can be another highly effective option for treating back and neck pain caused by sitting.
Chronic Low Back Pain Of No Specific Origin
Low back pain is defined as pain, tightness, and stiffness between the lower end of the rib cage and the buttocks. “Chronic” means the pain has lasted for twelve weeks or longer, and “no specific origin” means the pain cannot be traced to any specific cause, incident, or injury.
Most susceptible are individuals who perform heavy physical work, especially when there is ongoing anxiety, depression, and emotional stress at the same time. The longer the stress and back pain continue, the more difficult it is to ease the symptoms and return the patient to normal functioning.
Treatment involves nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and sometimes opioid medications for pain, though both have risks when used long term. Antidepressants may also be tried, along with psychological counseling.
Corticosteroid injections for the back are effective for some patients, and fusion surgery is sometimes attempted. Lifestyle changes in the form of improved diet, exercise, and stress management are very helpful in most cases.
Rarity: Common
Top Symptoms: lower back pain, unintentional weight loss, back pain that shoots to the butt, fever, involuntary defecation
Symptoms that always occur with chronic low back pain of no specific origin: lower back pain
Symptoms that never occur with chronic low back pain of no specific origin: thigh numbness, buttocks numbness, lower back pain from an injury
Urgency: Primary care doctor
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When Should I Call My Healthcare Provider
- Can’t stand or walk
- Temperature over 101.0°F
- Chills
- Frequent, painful, or bloody urination
- Severe belly pain
- Pain or numbness in your leg
- Pain in a new area of your back
- The pain isnt decreasing after more than a week
- Pain radiating down the leg.
- Pain that is accompanied by fever or chills, leg weakness, or loss of control of the bladder or bowels.
Stretches Alleviate Lower Back Pain
Stretching is a great way to help prevent lower back pain. The two most common types of lower back pain are acute, short-term muscle strain that typically disappears within four weeks, and chronic muscle strain. If youre experiencing acute pain, performing light stretching exercises can help speed up recovery time. Stretching can also alleviate chronic lower back pain by improving your flexibility and reducing tension in certain muscles. Make sure to do proper stretches that target key muscles like your quadriceps , glutes , hamstrings , hip flexors , hip rotators, and the iliotibial band all key muscles for maintaining a healthy back.
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Musculoskeletal Conditions That Can Cause Sudden Pain In Lower Back
The commonest cause of sudden lower back pain is injury or damage to the muscles and ligaments supporting the back and other joint related conditions. These include
- Injury to bones, joints, spinal vertebrae, muscles, ligaments, soft tissues and blood vessels in the lower back region. Sport injuries, falls, direct blows, accidents, etc. can cause damage to these structures leading to sudden lower back pain.
- Protrusion or herniation of intervertebral disc, annular tears and bulging of discs. These discs are protective cushions in between the spinal vertebrae, which if protrude from these original position, cause severe and sudden pain in lower back. This commonly occurs when the person is bending or lifting heavy objects or may occur with gradual wear and tear.
- Tensed muscles in the lower back can cause sudden sharp pain with a feeling of weakness in the muscles and inability to move or lift objects.
- Joint conditions and aging related problems like lumbar spondylosis, various types of arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis affecting lower back.
Being overweight and an inactive lifestyle can contribute to lower back pain. Poor posture, sitting for long hours, awkward movements, excessive use of lower back muscles causing overuse injuries or inappropriate ways of lifting weights, etc.
What Are The Signs Of A Back Injury
Signs you may have injured your back include:
- pain or tenderness
- pain that worsens with movement, coughing, sneezing or laughing
- stiffness or difficulty moving
- swelling
- pain that radiates down one or both legs
However, back pain has many causes. It could be caused by a disease such as osteoarthritis or osteoporosis, your age, physical fitness, smoking, being overweight, or the type of work you do.
It is important to find out the cause of your symptoms so they can be treated properly.
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Referred Pain To And From The Lumbar Spine
Pain in the area of the lumbar spine may be due to important problems that are actually unrelated to the back. Referred pain occurs when a problem in one place in the body causes pain in another place. The pain travels down a nerve.. Sources of referred pain to the low back may include abdominal aneurysm , tubal pregnancy, kidney stones, pancreatitis, and colon cancer. Clues to these maladies include pain that waxes and wanes over a short period, with frequent peaks of intense pain, weight loss, abnormalities found during abdominal exam, and trace amounts of blood in the urine. On the other hand, pain can be referred from the low back and be felt in another location, as is often the case with . For example, it is not rare for a patient with a slipped disc in the lower back to have pain in the back of the thigh, or in the calf or even the foot, and not have any low back pain. This situation requires a doctor to sort out the type of pain and to do the examination required to show that the pain is actually coming from the spine .
What Is Lower Back Pain
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Low back pain can result from many different injuries, conditions or diseases most often, an injury to muscles or tendons in the back.
Pain can range from mild to severe. In some cases, pain can make it difficult or impossible to walk, sleep, work or do everyday activities.
Usually, lower back pain gets better with rest, pain relievers and physical therapy . Cortisone injections and hands-on treatments can relieve pain and help the healing process. Some back injuries and conditions require surgical repair.
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What Are The Symptoms Of Lower Back Pain In Women
Pain in the lower back area can be acute or chronic . Paying attention to all symptoms you experience at the time can make management significantly easier. Symptoms of lower back pain in females depend on the cause.
As shown above, causes of pain in this area are numerous. In most cases, an affected person experiences a combination of the following symptoms:
- Dull or aching pain: refers to the pain that remains in the low back area. Pain can be stinging, burning, or sharp and it is usually accompanied by muscle spasms, pain in pelvis and hips, and decreased range of motion
- Pain feels better when changing positions: patients usually discover that some positions only enhance the pain in lower back while other positions alleviate it
- Pain gets worse after prolonged sitting: this symptom occurs in most cases of low back pain because sitting puts pressure on discs in your spine
- Pain is worse after waking up: a vast majority of patients who experience lower back pain report the discomfort is enhanced the first thing in the morning. However, pain decreases after getting up and moving
- Pain traveling to butt, legs, and feet: in some instances the pain doesnt remain in low back area, but it travels through your buttons down the legs and feet i.e. you experience symptoms of sciatica
If your lower back pain is accompanied by the following symptoms, you should seek immediate care:
- Fever and chills
- Loss of bowel and bladder control
- Severe abdominal pain
- Reproductive organs
When Are Diagnostic Tests For Lower Back Pain Necessary
Many patients do not need X-rays in the first few weeks of pain because their pain will end up resolving. Many more do not need CT scans or MRI imaging, which are overly sensitive and often reveal abnormalities not related to the patients pain. These forms of imaging can be extremely useful, however, if a person has chronic or severe pain, and/or neurological symptoms. Blood tests may be ordered if an infection or tumor is suspected.
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Spinal And Nerve Related Conditions That Can Cause Sudden Lower Back Pain
Many spinal conditions can cause sudden lower back pain:
- Fracture of spinal cord, compression fractures of spine, occurring due to osteoporosis and any other injury to the spinal vertebrae.
- Conditions of spine like spinal stenosis which is narrowing of the spinal canal, can cause sudden pain. It is often associated with nerve compression symptoms like burning sensation, numbness and tingling and sometimes weakness.
- Congenital or acquired conditions, which affect the curvatures of spine like scoliosis, kyphosis can cause sudden pain in lower, due to worsening of condition.
- Infections affecting the spine, tuberculosis, etc. and other spinal conditions like spina bifida, which causes acute damage to the nearby structures and certain types of cancers affecting the spine, etc. can cause sudden lower back pain
- Sciatica and other conditions causing nerve compression often cause sudden lower back pain with numbness and tingling in one or both legs.
- Sudden injury or damage to a nerve in the lower back can cause sharp, severe lower back pain.
Persistent Low Back Pain
Nonspecific low back pain is classed as chronic if it lasts for longer than six weeks. In some people it lasts for months, or even years. Symptoms may be constant. However, the more usual pattern is one in which symptoms follow an irregular course. That is, reasonably long periods of mild or moderate pain may be interrupted by bouts of more severe pain.
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Can A Virus Make Your Back Hurt
In the early stages, the only sign of an infection you might have is back tenderness that doesn’t seem to get better. As the infection progresses, more symptoms become apparent, which should clue you in that there’s a problem. Often, back pain is one of those symptoms, along with others like: Chills.
Triggers And Consequences Of Lumbago
Uncontrolled turning, bending, standing or lifting something heavy can be all it takes to trigger acute lumbago. One wrong move and the deep muscles of the spine cramp up. In order to prevent pain in the lower back, the brain reacts reflexively. The muscles tense up, so that we no longer move. It is one of the bodyâs protective mechanisms. As a result, the muscles tense up even more, too much strain is put on them and they become hardened. It is a vicious circle because this makes the back pain even worse.
The most common causes of lumbago are a blocked vertebra in the lumbar region, muscle tension or strain, and degenerative disc disease. Sudden-onset lumbago can be caused by vertebral flaring and protrusion. The pain results from the bulge which touches the nerve directly or from the resulting inflammation.
Herniated disk or lumbago?
Lumbago can be a symptom of a herniated disc. In case of a herniated disk, neurological symptoms often occur: a tingling feeling in the leg or temporary paralysis of the leg muscles. Those affected find it difficult to stand on their toes or heels. A doctor can diagnose lumbago or a herniated disc. For example, he or she checks sensation in the lumbar vertebrae and legs, mobility and reflexes.
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What Can Cause Lower Back Pain
Most acute low back pain is mechanical in nature, meaning that there is a disruption in the way the components of the back fit together and move. Some examples of mechanical causes of low back pain include:
Congenital
- Skeletal irregularities such as scoliosis , lordosis , kyphosis , and other congenital anomalies of the spine.
- Spina bifida which involves the incomplete development of the spinal cord and/or its protective covering and can cause problems involving malformation of vertebrae and abnormal sensations and even paralysis.
Injuries
- Sprains , strains , and spasms
- Traumatic Injury such as from playing sports, car accidents, or a fall that can injure tendons, ligaments, or muscle causing the pain, as well as compress the spine and cause discs to rupture or herniate.
Degenerative problems
- Intervertebral disc degeneration which occurs when the usually rubbery discs wear down as a normal process of aging and lose their cushioning ability.
- Spondylosis the general degeneration of the spine associated with normal wear and tear that occurs in the joints, discs, and bones of the spine as people get older.
- Arthritis or other inflammatory disease in the spine, including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis as well as spondylitis, an inflammation of the vertebrae.
Nerve and spinal cord problems
Non-spine sources
What Are The Symptoms Of Lower Back Pain
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Symptoms of lower back pain can come on suddenly or appear gradually. Sometimes, pain occurs after a specific event, such as bending to pick something up. Other times, you may not know what caused the pain.
Pain may be sharp or dull and achy, and it may radiate to your bottom or down the back of your legs . If you strain your back during an activity, you may hear a pop when it happened. Pain is often worse in certain positions and gets better when you lie down.
Other symptoms of lower back pain include:
- Stiffness: It may be tough to move or straighten your back. Getting up from a seated position may take a while, and you might feel like you need to walk or stretch to loosen up. You may notice decreased range of motion.
- Posture problems: Many people with back pain find it hard to stand up straight. You may stand crooked or bent, with your torso off to the side rather than aligned with your spine. Your lower back may look flat instead of curved.
- Muscle spasms: After a strain, muscles in the lower back can spasm or contract uncontrollably. Muscle spasms can cause extreme pain and make it difficult or impossible to stand, walk or move.
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