More than 25% of the world's population and more than 50% of working-age people suffer from back pain.Unfortunately, evolution has not ensured that people over 35-40 live a comfortable life.Due to the biomechanical structure of the spine, the absence of back pain is not a guaranteed reality, but rather a happy (and unfortunately temporary) coincidence.Especially now that the average office worker's body has to sit for 8-12 hours at a time.But through millions of years of evolution in the wild, we have adapted 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 poses a major risk that can lead to disability.In particular, when it comes to internal pain, such as back and spine pain, it is not worth trying to “diagnose” yourself and “prescribe” treatment.Nerve endings in internal organs are located differently than on the surface of the skin.The internal pain is difficult to pinpoint, and sometimes it seems like one thing hurts, but in reality the reason is something else.For example, back pain can be caused by cancer of the gastrointestinal tract.And the pain that another person describes on a forum or in an article as very similar to yours may have completely different causes and require completely 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 textbooks for medical universities and even with various clarifications andModifications.You should learn and remember the name of your diagnosis if you qualify.”The doctor does it.But not before.
Alarming symptoms
Unpleasant sensations most often occur in the cervical and lumbar spine, but chest pain is much less common.It is exposed to less stress, so osteochondrosis, bulges and herniated discs are not affected very often.However, chest and thoracic back pain can certainly be caused by problems with the spine.
Occasionally there may be symptoms, but these are often not dangerous.If this is muscle pain (although it may not be comparable to the pain in the arm muscles after hard work and is more noticeable), the cause is most likely due to overexertion from staying in one position for a long time or too much strain.If the pain goes away after changing positions or taking a short walk and does not return, the problem is unlikely to be serious.Although you will have to cope with minor problems, for example, change your usual posture, increase your physical activity and do physical exercises.And only a doctor can determine the severity of the problem.If there is even the slightest possibility, you should definitely go to the doctor: it is always much easier (and cheaper) to cure a disease in the early stages than in an advanced case.
What is really dangerous?Here is a list of “alarm signals”, after which it is necessary to start diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible:
- the pain doesn't stop, changing your posture doesn't help;the pain does not subside at rest;the pain worsens at night;
- Numbness (reduced sensitivity) or reduced strength of the limbs occurs.
- Problems with urination and defecation occur (e.g. loss of the feeling of emptying the bladder; urinary and fecal incontinence or vice versa, retention; not to be confused with constipation);
- the temperature rises, but there are no other reasons that can explain this, for example ARVI;
- Pain wakes you and interrupts sleep;
- Complications after malignant tumors (the statute of limitations does not matter);
- unexplained weight loss;
- Complications after taking steroids for years;
- Complications after recent serious illnesses;
- Complications after recent infectious diseases;
- loss of anal reflex;
- weakness in the hips and knees;
- neurological deficit;
- progressive spinal deformity;
- back pain that gets worse with rest;
- chest pain (ACS – ECG);
- general malaise.
Please note that you do not have to wait for everything to start together.If at least one of these symptoms occurs, seek medical attention immediately.
Yoram Anekstein, Tel Aviv Medical Center: "The question often arises: I have made an appointment with the doctor, but my back no longer hurts. Should I go or not? Definitely go."
Articles on the Internet very often try to describe what types of pain are characteristic of osteochondrosis, what types of pain are characteristic of sciatica, etc.This is the wrong approach, the reasons for which we have already explained above.It doesn't matter what kind of pain it is: left, right, in the tailbone, everywhere, stabbing, lasting a few seconds or hours and days.All of these are symptoms that indicate the need for qualified medical care.
Causes of pain in the spine
The most common cause is non-specific pain associated with muscle strains, overstretching of tendons, ligaments and fascia.
Much less commonly, 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 significantly less often (approx. 1%).
Diseases of the internal organs can also cause back pain (for example pancreatic cancer, stomach ulcer or acute coronary syndrome).
Degenerative changes, called osteochondrosis, consisting of a complex of components (reduced elasticity and strength of the intervertebral 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 is understood that the group of spondylitis and spondyloarthritis alone includes more than 10 diseases with different causes, course characteristics, symptoms, etc.The number of diseases of the back and spine in particular is very large.But from the above descriptions you yourself can understand that they are united by seriousness.Back pain cannot be ignored.Many of these diseases progress slowly and have long periods of remission.At the same time, the risk of complications (including complete loss of mobility) increases with each acute stage.