Spinal pain-causes, symptoms, treatment

Effectiveness of treatmentBackacheDirectly depends on the accuracy of the deliverydiagnosis. . . However, the pain syndrome itself is not some characteristic symptom-it is a common symptom, based on which it is impossible to determine the cause of the disease. There are many different pathologies that can causeBackache, Not all of these are related to musculoskeletal diseases.

When self-medication, the patient mistakenly believes that the most important thing is to deal with pain, and ignores that every kind of pain has a cause. Taking analgesics is a symptomatic treatment and will not affect the outcome of the disease or the cause of the pain.

The main cause of low back pain

Consider the maindiseasecauseBackache. . . To facilitate diagnosis, the doctor divides the back into three parts: upper (cervical spine), middle (thoracic spine), and lower (lumbosacral).

Upper back pain

Back pain symptoms

Pain in the cervical spine requires special attention. The reason lies in the unique anatomical characteristics of the cervical spine: the vertebral artery passes through the cervical spine and supplies blood to the brain; the first and second cervical vertebrae form a movable compound joint with the skull, which is responsible for rotating and tilting the head; any disease that occurs at this levelBoth may cause serious nerve damage, because the cervical spinal cord injury or even slight compression will immediately cause the movement and/or sensory function of other parts of the body to be impaired.

Cervical osteochondrosis

Usually, the intervertebral discs, joints, ligaments, and tendons do not have their own blood vessels; their blood supply depends on the strength of blood supply to nearby muscles and bones. If this process is disturbed, for example, for office workers who lead a sedentary lifestyle, they will begin to experience changes in degenerative malnutrition. The nutrition of the intervertebral disc and articular cartilage is impaired, the ligaments and tendons become thicker, and the spinal canal becomes narrowed due to sclerosis, and the distance between the vertebrae is reduced.

Among non-professionals, this disease is called osteochondrosis of the spine. Although degenerative dystrophy is a characteristic of the entire spine, osteochondrosis is the most common cause of cervical spine pain. In addition, like other parts of the spine, this disease may be complicated by intervertebral hernias. However, due to the particularity of the cervical spine anatomy, even a small hernia can cause serious complications.

trauma

Neck pain causes back pain

Although spinal cord injuries are more common in the lumbar spine, nearly 50% of spinal cord injuries occur in cervical spine trauma. This is due to the particularity of the anatomical structure of the neck: lack of a developed muscle frame and large vertebral body, even if there is no direct physical influence (for example, a sudden stop during exercise or a blow from behind), high mobility will also causetrauma. The so-called whiplash injury of the neck often occurs in accidents, which is caused by the sharp extension of the cervical spine after a sharp bend). Pain is a frequent companion of any spinal injury.

Myositis

Myositis or inflammatory muscle diseases are a group of diseases characterized by muscle pain. The most common cause of mediocre muscle inflammation is the forced posture when doing any work, hypothermia, and drafting. Muscle pain may be the result of cervical osteochondrosis and intervertebral hernia-muscles bear most of the load on the neck, which ultimately leads to overwork, muscle spasms, damage to microcirculation and inflammation.

Neuralgia

Neuralgia is a condition in which nerve fibers themselves become the source of persistent pain impulses. Pain is paroxysmal and can be exacerbated and induced by turning or tilting the head, and cold weather. The causes of neuralgia are related to spinal diseases-osteochondrosis, intervertebral disc herniation, scoliosis, etc. The direct cause of the pain is that when the root of the spinal cord is clamped in the intervertebral space, it is stimulated and the muscles spasm, which destroys the metabolism of the nerves that pass through the spasm muscle. Unlike neuritis or neuroinflammation, the pain of neuralgia is periodic, and the nerve fiber itself has no pathological changes.

heart disease

Heart diseases such as angina, ischemic heart disease, and coronary atherosclerosis are often accompanied by pain radiating to the neck, jaw, shoulder and left forearm. The pain may be accompanied by numbness and skin tingling, which mimics the pain of cervical osteochondrosis with intervertebral hernia. Usually, patients receive massage, physical therapy, and see other doctors, even though the electrocardiogram is sufficient to diagnose the cause.

A feature of this pain is that anti-angina pectoris drugs can improve blood flow through the coronary arteries (isoket, nitroglycerin) to relieve the pain within a few minutes.

Pain in the middle of the back

Pain in the middle of the back

The thoracic spine consists of 12 thoracic vertebrae, each of which has a pair of ribs. Together they provide protection for the chest organs. The size of the thoracic vertebrae gradually increases, starting from the first thoracic vertebrae, and then to the beginning of the lumbar vertebrae-this can be explained by the gradual increase in the load on them. The mobility of the middle of the back is significantly lower than that of the neck, and the ribs provide extra protection, which is why traumatic injuries of the thoracic spinal cord are less common.

Spine curvature or scoliosis

Scoliosis or scoliosis disease is a pathological curvature of the spine in multiple planes. The cause of scoliosis is unclear, and the disease begins in childhood. School children’s lack of physical activity, back muscle weakness, improper posture and improper workplace organization are considered contributing factors. Due to the obvious flexion, the load distribution and biomechanics of the spine are impaired, and the muscles are overstretched to compensate for the partial load.AppearChronicBackache.

Arthritis (spinal arthritis)

The intervertebral joints and the intervertebral discs connect the spine as a whole. Each vertebra has 4 articular surfaces, which form joints with adjacent vertebrae. Like any other joints, the intervertebral joints may become inflamed. This pathological condition is called spondyloarthritis. There are two main reasons for inflammation of the intervertebral joints. These are systemic rheumatic diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis) or reactive inflammations that occur due to the increased burden of osteochondrosis, scoliosis, and other spinal diseases. Inflamed joints lose function: exercise stiffness, spinal stiffness,Long-term back pain.

Gastrointestinal diseases and back pain

Diseases of the abdominal organs are usually the cause of reflex pain in the back and spine. There is also a direct link between pathology of the gastrointestinal tract and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Diseases such as chronic colitis or gastroenteritis are the background of spondyloarthritis or osteochondrosis of the spine.

In most cases, the pain that reflects back pain occurs in gastric and duodenal ulcers, hiatal hernias, and acute or chronic pancreatitis. This phenomenon stems from the peculiarities of the sympathetic nerve and parasympathetic nervous system, whose nerve fibers exist in every organ in the abdominal cavity. Part of the pain impulse they felt returned to the root of the spinal cord, simulating the pain of the spine and back.

Kidney disease and back pain

The kidneys are a pair of organs located in the retroperitoneal space. Like the abdominal organs, the kidneys are closely connected to the root of the spinal cord through nerves. In the presence of inflammation, stones or other urinary tract diseases, some of the pain pulses will reach the spinal cord, simulating spinal disease.Back pain symptomsAcute pyelonephritis, renal colic, and renal abscess may occur. A typical symptom is tension in the back muscles of the protrusion of the kidney, which is caused by inflammation of the kidney or an abscess in the tissue surrounding the kidney.

Lumbosacral pain

Lumbosacral pain

The lumbosacral spine bears the most pressure. Up to 60-70% of adults in developed countries complain of back pain. This is the favorite location for intervertebral hernia. A patient is most often diagnosed with 2-3 hernias in the lumbosacral spine. In addition, pain in the lower back and sacrum often occurs in gynecological and urological diseases.

Intervertebral hernia

Intervertebral hernia is the result of long-term osteochondrosis of the spine. In the cervical spine area, the load on the intervertebral discs is relatively small, while in the lumbosacral area, each intervertebral disc is under tremendous pressure. Since the semi-fluid core acts as a hydraulic shock absorber, a healthy brake disc can compensate for any weight. However, due to osteochondrosis, the fibrous fibrous cartilage (annulus fibrous) that runs along the periphery of the intervertebral disc loses its elasticity and strength, and some parts of it may rupture. As the load increases sharply, for example, when lifting weights, the pressure in the diseased intervertebral disc increases, so its contents can actually "shot" into the damaged cartilage and fall into the spinal canal cavity-this is the formation of an intervertebral hernia.

Back pain caused by intervertebral hernia

The nucleus fragments shed from the intervertebral disc squeeze the spinal cord and spinal cord root. As a result, nerve tissue swells and blood circulation is impaired, accompanied by severe pain and protective muscle spasms. The pain may be unbearable until narcotic analgesics are required. One feature is the irradiation of pain in the lower extremities. The skin of the calves and thighs may be impaired in sensitivity to pain, tingling, and numbness.

Herniated disc

The main difference between a herniated disc and a hernia is the maintenance of the integrity of the annulus. The cause of the pain is that the spinal cord and its roots protrude and compress along the periphery of the intervertebral disc. However, if this process continues, the protrusion can easily become a hernia. The symptoms and pain are similar to those of a herniated disc, because the severity of the pain syndrome depends not only on the size, but also on the location of the herniation or hernia.

Spondylopathy

Overloading and degenerative dystrophy processes in the spine can lead to ossification of cartilage tissue, which is saturated with calcium salts and becomes sharp coracoid outgrowths or growths that appear along the periphery of the vertebral body. As the process progresses, these outgrowths can merge with the same outgrowths on adjacent vertebral bodies. Over time, all the vertebrae grow together, and the spine loses its flexibility and elasticity. Pain occurs due to irritation of the spinal cord and its roots, reactive inflammation, and malnutrition of the soft tissues, ligaments, and muscles surrounding the spine.

Radiculitis

Nerve radiculitis is called severe pain caused by circulatory disturbance and spinal root ischemia, strangled by hernia or a protrusion of osteochondrosis of the spine. Various skin sensitivity diseases in the buttocks, perineum, thigh and calf areas are possible. Initiating sciatica can cause muscle atrophy and weakness. A typical symptom is sciatica, which is aggravated by exercise, weightlifting and cold weather. This condition is called sciatica or sciatica.

Spinal infection

The vertebrae are composed of spongy bone tissue rich in bone marrow. When the infection enters the blood in the vertebral body, an inflammatory process-osteomyelitis may occur. The gradual decay of bone tissue is accompanied by necrosis-this picture is also a typical manifestation of spinal tuberculosis. Pain may be caused by stimulation of nerve endings, or it may be caused by pathological compression fractures of the spine, which is weakened by inflammation.

Gynecological and urological diseases

Cervical cancer in women, endometriosis or adnexitis (inflammation of the appendages of the uterus) in women, prostatitis or prostate cancer in men are often accompanied by severe pain in the lumbosacral area. The nature of pain can be explained by nerve stimulation in the area of inflammation or the growth of the nerve trunk of the tumor.

Pain in the back muscles along the spine

Muscle pain along the spine

Developed back muscles are a sign of spine health, because a muscular corset can relieve some of the pressure and stabilize the spine. In chronic diseases of the spine, the muscles bear excessive load, and the weak and atrophic muscles cannot bear it. As a result, muscle cramps occur, and due to metabolic disorders of muscles and pain. This condition is called myofascial syndrome and is characterized by osteochondrosis of the spine, hernia, and herniated disc.

Postoperative pain

Spine surgery is usually accompanied by extensive trauma-in order to stabilize and restore the integrity of the vertebrae, doctors can resort to installing metal structures, screwing screws into the vertebrae, and removing non-viable tissue. The pain in this case is not only caused by the disease itself, but also by surgery. With proper rehabilitation and post-operative care, the pain will gradually disappear. However, if you ignore the doctor's instructions and neglect mandatory exercises during the postoperative period, the pain may become chronic.

How to diagnose the cause of back pain?

To diagnose back and spine pain, you must seek medical help from a qualified neurologist in time. In the first stage, neurological examination, patient investigation, reflex and symptom research are performed. An experienced and competent doctor has a good understanding of back and spine pain due to certain causes and characteristics.

You should be especially vigilant for back pain without obvious cause. This may be related to reflex pain in other organs and systems, as well as spinal cord tumors and diseases.

Diagnosis of low back pain

To find out the cause of back and spine pain, a neuropathologist may prescribe magnetic resonance imaging. It is the most effective and safest way to diagnose almost all possible causes of back pain. The program is based on the ability of magnetic fields and radio waves to provide clear and detailed images of the spine and spinal cord without the use of X-rays and other harmful factors.

How to relieve spine pain

In order to relieve rather than treat back pain, let us take analgesics for a few days, which requires consultation from an expert. In most cases, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs are used for this purpose. However, it is important to remember that this group of drugs can cause dangerous side effects, and this possibility increases with time. This is why it is important not to delay visits to doctors and examinations.treatmentdiseasespineAnd reasonBackache.

Spinal Pain Treatment

As stated at the beginning, the effectiveness of back pain treatment depends on the accuracy of the diagnosis. Although it is obvious, many patients have been "curing" pain for many years, not the disease itself, and every time they postpone seeing a doctor, turning to traditional therapists, osteopaths, and chiropractors. In addition, for some diseases of the spine, this operation is not only contraindicated, but also dangerous.

There are a variety of effective and scientifically proven treatmentsSpeciesDisease causedBackache. . . Many of them require the patient's perseverance and perseverance to fight the disease. It is important to remember that there is no pill or injection that can cure osteochondrosis—you can only do this through the hard training and physical exercise that a neurologist will show you.

Which doctor should I contact for spinal pain?

Back pain is one of the most common neurological symptoms, which occurs due to the involvement of nerves and spinal cord in the pathological process. Therefore, the first specialist who must be consulted in the case of spinal pain will be a neurologist. Depending on the results of the examination and magnetic resonance imaging, you may need to consult other doctors. If the back pain is caused by heart disease, the patient will be referred to a cardiologist, and if the problem lies in the digestive tract, the patient will be referred to a gastroenterologist. But in most cases, the pain syndrome is completely related to the pathology of the spine.