Causes of pain in the spine. Osteochondrosis, disc protrusion, intervertebral hernia. Prevention of diseases of the musculoskeletal system

Pain in the spine are among the most common clinical disorders. In most cases, it is not possible to accurately identify the mechanism of pain.

Spine this is the most important part of our body. It helps us move, freely turn our head and torso separately from each other, and move our arms. The spine's special structure allows it to perform these functions correctly. The main concept is the spinal motion segment: the connection of two adjacent vertebrae, interacting with the help of the disc, intervertebral joints, ligaments and muscles.

If only one of the components fails for any reason, the functioning of the entire spine is disrupted. At the initial stage of all spinal diseases, a person experiences discomfort and pain.

Pain in the spine due to diseases

Spinal pain most often has many causes. The most common cause of pain in the spine is dystrophic lesions spine, namely:

• osteochondrosis with damage to the intervertebral discs and adjacent surfaces of the vertebral bodies;
• spondylosis, manifested by arthrosis of the facet and/or facet joints;
• spondylitis

Osteochondrosis

The term "osteochondrosis" means a degenerative process of articular cartilage and underlying bone tissue. All parts of the spine are susceptible to osteochondrosis, but to a greater extent pathological process expressed, as a rule, in the lower cervical, upper thoracic and lower lumbar spine. A feature of osteochondrosis is the breadth of its distribution. Degenerative-dystrophic By the age of 40, spinal damage is found in almost all people.

Initial manifestation osteochondrosis is pain in the affected part of the spine. The pain can either be relatively constant, like lumbodynia (prolonged pain in the lumbosacral region). Subsequently, as the pathological process progresses, a predominance of pain in one or another part of the spine is observed. Characteristically, the pain intensifies during physical activity, prolonged immobile or sedentary positions, being in an uncomfortable position, or a feeling of discomfort. Further development osteochondrosis can lead to severe spinal deformities by type of kyphosis, lordosis or scoliosis.

Typical for osteochondrosis are numerous and varied neurological disorders, the severity of which depends on the stage of the disease (exacerbation or remission). In the uncomplicated course of osteochondrosis, periods of rather long remission are observed when the symptoms of the disease are not pronounced. For acute stage Characterized by the appearance of sharp pain in the corresponding part of the spine, followed by radiation to the arm, lower back or leg.

Lumbago

Lumbago occurs with awkward or sudden movement, lifting heavy objects and is accompanied by sudden shooting pain lasting for several minutes or seconds, or throbbing pain in the spine, aggravated by cough and sneezing. Lumbago causes limited mobility in lumbar region spine, "pain-relieving" posture, flattening of lordosis or kyphosis. Tendon reflexes are preserved, sensitivity is not impaired. Pain in the spine lasts from several hours to several days.

Lumbodynia

Lumbodynia occurs after significant physical activity, long-term awkward position, driving, hypothermia. Clinically, it is accompanied by a dull aching pain in the spine, which intensifies with changes in body position (bending, sitting, walking).

The pain may spread to the buttock and leg. Static changes are less pronounced than with lumbago. Movement in the lumbar region is difficult, but the restriction is minor. Pain is detected when palpating the spinous processes and interspinous ligaments at the level of the lesion.

When bending back, the pain disappears; when bending forward, there is a sharp tension in the back muscles. Knee reflexes and reflexes from the heel tendons are preserved. The disease process is often subacute or chronic form.

Intervertebral disc herniation

An intervertebral disc herniation is a rupture of a spinal disc due to overload, malnutrition or injury. As a result of rupture of the outer fibrous ring of the intervertebral disc, its internal contents (nucleus pulposus, which is a gelatinous mass with a diameter of 2 - 2.5 cm, surrounded by a dense cartilaginous ring) protrudes into the spinal canal. A bulging part of the disc can impinge on the nerves and vessels of the spinal cord, which results in pain in the spine and other disorders.

Spinal instability is pathological mobility V spinal segment. This can be either an increase in the amplitude of normal movements, or the emergence of new degrees of freedom of movement that are uncharacteristic for the norm.

The main symptom of spinal instability is spinal pain or neck discomfort. IN cervical spine spine in patients with instability in the atlanto-occipital joint, irritating pain can be periodic and intensify after physical activity.

Pain is the cause of chronic reflex tension neck muscles. In children, instability is the cause of the development of acute torticollis. At the onset of the disease there is increased tone paravertebral muscles, which leads to their overwork.

Microcirculation disorders occur in the muscles, the development of malnutrition and decreased tone. There is a feeling of uncertainty when moving in the neck. The ability to withstand normal load is impaired. There is a need for means of additional immobilization of the neck, including supporting the head with the hands.

Other reasons

To more rare causes of pain in the spine include:

• congenital defects of the spine, manifested in a different number of vertebrae, most often in the lumbar region.

We can talk about either extra lumbar vertebrae (the 1st sacral vertebra turns into the 6th lumbar vertebra, the so-called lumbarization of the sacral spine) or their deficiency (the 5th lumbar vertebra turns into the 1st sacral vertebra - sacralization);

• spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis.

A defect in the interarticular part of the vertebral arch, which, in the case of complete separation of the arches (spondylolysis) and bilateral localization, can lead to a forward shift of the damaged vertebral body (spondylolisthesis);

• ankylosing spondylitis (ankylosing spondylitis).

Painful inflammation of the spine, starting in the sacrolumbar joints.

• Osteoporosis can cause pain in the spine in women (during menstruation) and in older people.

The vertebral bodies in this disease have reduced density bone tissue, and therefore, in the presence of pressure, they deform to a wedge-shaped shape or to the shape of the so-called fish vertebra (enlarged pits on the upper and lower surfaces of the vertebral bodies).

• pain in the spine can also be caused by tumor processes.

Most often they are metastases tumors of the chest organs, including lungs, prostate and thyroid glands, kidney.

• infection of the spine (most often staphylococcal nature), associated with entry into the blood and transfer of an infectious agent from a focus in the lungs or genitourinary organs.

Another infection that affects the spine, especially in previous years, is tuberculosis.

• pain in the spine caused by diseases of the internal organs.

This is most common in women gynecological diseases: changes in the position of the uterus, cysts, inflammation and tumors of the ovaries.

Diseases prostate, infection urethra and bladder stones can also cause back pain.

In some cases, back pain is a consequence psychosomatic reaction, meaning that some patients endure their depression, nervous stress, neuroses in the spine and feel them there in the form of pain. In these cases, pain in the spine may be the result of psychological defensive reactions associated with increased muscle load. The perceived pain in turn increases depressive and neurotic state, and the overall situation worsens even more, difficulties are consolidated and become chronic.

Is it possible to treat spinal pain yourself?

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 of no use to you. In textbooks for medical universities dozens of such diseases, and even with various clarifications and modifiers. You should learn and remember the name of your diagnosis when a qualified doctor makes it. But not before."

Alarming symptoms

What is really dangerous? Here is a list of “alarm signals”, after the occurrence of even one of which it is necessary to begin diagnosis and treatment as quickly as possible:

• the pain does not stop, changing body position does not help; pain does not decrease with rest; pain worsens at night;
• numbness (decreased sensitivity) or decreased strength of the limbs occurs;
• problems arise with urination and defecation (for example, loss of sensation of bowel movement Bladder; urinary and fecal incontinence or, conversely, 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 up and interrupts sleep.
• complications after suffering from malignant tumors (the statute of limitations does not matter);
• unexplained weight loss;
• complications after years of taking steroids;
• 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 at rest;
• chest pain (ACS - ECG);
• general malaise.

Yoram Anekstein, Tel Aviv Medical Center: “The question often arises: I made an appointment with a doctor, but my back has already stopped hurting. Should I go or not? Definitely go."

Articles on the Internet very often try to describe what types of pain are characteristic of osteochondrosis, and 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 type of pain: on the left, on the right, in the tailbone, everywhere, shooting, lasting a couple of seconds or hours and days. All these are symptoms that scream that qualified medical care is needed.

Causes of pain in the spine

Much less often, pain is associated with a herniated disc affecting the nerve root(~3% of cases).

Osteoporosis (including pathological fractures), infections (spondylodiscitis), tumors, tuberculosis, trauma, b. Ankylosing spondylitis and other rheumatological diseases cause pain much less frequently (about 1%).

Diseases of the internal organs can also cause back pain (pancreatic cancer, peptic ulcer, for example, or acute coronary syndrome).

Degenerative changes, called in Russia osteochondrosis, and consisting of a complex of components (reduced elasticity and strength of the disc substance, decreased disc height, protrusion, hernia, changes in the vertebral bodies (Modic I-III), ligaments (spondylosis), facet joints (spondyloarthrosis) directly related to pain and others clinical manifestations Dont Have.

It should be understood that the group of spondylitis and spondyloarthritis alone includes more than 10 diseases with for various reasons, features of the course, symptoms, etc. The number of diseases of the back and spine in particular is very large. But from the descriptions above, you yourself can understand that they are united by seriousness. Back pain cannot be ignored. Many of these diseases occur slowly, with long stages of remission. But at the same time, at each acute stage there is a risk of complications (up to total loss mobility) increases.

IMPORTANT:

1. do not self-medicate your spine;
2. show "zero tolerance" to alarming symptoms- If you are sick, then see a doctor.

Dr. Anekshtein, Head of the Department of Vertebrology in private clinic Tel Aviv Medical Center. Specialization - decompression operations cervical-lumbar region spine.

He graduated from Hadassah Medical School at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Did an internship at medical center"Assaf Arofeh" and the orthopedic department of the University of Louisville in the USA.

He belongs to the medical elite of Israel, very often participates in the examination committees of medical faculties of Israeli universities, in symposia of the world's leading vertebrological societies, including American and European.

Wrote numerous scientific publications on maintaining mobility of the musculoskeletal system after surgery, biomechanics spinal column and the use of the TOPS orthopedic system, which he also uses in his practice.

Back pain, according to statistics, about 80% of people of different age categories experience this unpleasant and frightening symptom at least once in their lives. It is important to be able to distinguish between situations in which painful sensations should worry and when not to worry.

Of course, if the onset of pain was preceded by physical activity or a minor blow, it will dissipate within 2-3 days, there is no cause for concern. But if your back hurts a lot, long time and the pain is not similar to muscle pain, rush to see a doctor.

The causes of back pain vary, from minor external factors, before the development of all kinds of pathological processes, of which there are also many. At the same time, doctors still identify 3 common reasons The most common ones are:

1. Nonspecific pain - combines a number of factors, among which the most common are muscle pain caused by incorrect posture, prolonged stay in one position (uncomfortable), overstrain due to excessive physical stress on the spine and back. This point can also include painful sensations that arise after hypothermia; in such cases they say “”.
2. Radiating pains are somewhat less common, but they cannot be excluded. This includes diseases of internal organs located in other parts of the body. For example, the formation of tumors and pulmonary tuberculosis, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, heart and others. In each of these cases, pain can radiate (give) to the back in its various areas.
3. Mechanical damage and pathologies of the spine - pain in the spine also occurs due to a huge number of factors, we are talking about pathological processes. These include any diseases of the spinal column, from injuries (bruises, fractures, etc.) to radiculitis, hernias and other pathologies spinal region affecting the spine.

These are the main causes of back pain, if we identify them in general terms. All of the problems mentioned threaten serious problems with the functioning of the spine and require mandatory consultation with a doctor.

In some cases, without receiving adequate treatment there is a risk of developing serious problems threatening serious complications. If the tissue of the spinal column or spinal cord is affected, there is a risk of paralysis of the limbs or even the entire body.

Symptoms

In order to consult a doctor in a timely manner and correctly describe your complaints to him, you need to have an idea of ​​the symptoms. At the same time, the symptoms of back pain may differ somewhat, and if we take into account the fact that pain itself is a symptom, we should highlight its main manifestations, which vary in nature and location:

• By nature, painful sensations can be: sharp, dull, stabbing, cutting, aching, pulling, burning, etc.
• Painful sensations can be strong, moderate and weak; these indicators are individual for each person. However, they must be taken into account, for example, when determining treatments for chronic back pain.
• Back pain along the entire spine is quite rare. More often, painful sensations are either point-like or are assigned to a specific part of the spinal column (cervical, thoracic, lumbar).
• However, it also happens that pain in the upper part of the spine (or any other part) radiates. In this case, the pain syndrome affects other areas of the back; it is often called wandering.
• As a rule, acute pain in the spine brings maximum discomfort and most strongly affects Everyday life, but they are often wavy and easier to treat. In the same time dull pain differ in less high intensity, but are constantly present, fixed for more a long period and respond worse to therapy.

These are general provisions related to painful sensations on different areas backs. But beyond understanding general symptoms pain, it is also important to know that depending on the disease, clinical picture may change. So in one case, pain is felt between the vertebrae of the cervical spine, in another case it is localized in the lumbar region and has a different character.

For this reason, it is worth considering the symptoms of various pathological processes accompanied by back pain separately.

Osteochondrosis

If your back hurts in the spinal area, the most likely diagnosis will be osteochondrosis, since this disease is more common than others. It is also important to understand that doctors distinguish three types of osteochondrosis: cervical, thoracic and lumbar.

In each of these cases, pain between the vertebrae is associated with different departments spinal column. The disease itself involves the destruction of cartilage tissue in intervertebral discs, while the pathological process also occurs in the vertebrae, because due to the reduction of the space between them, they are erased.

The main symptom of the disease is pain, but clinical signs from the nervous system may also be present, since the spinal cord is most likely affected and its roots are pinched.

Myositis

A rare disease characterized by an inflammatory process in the muscle tissues of the body, including the back. More often it is accompanied by aching pain, but sharp pain or so-called lumbago in the back is also possible.

The pain syndrome is localized directly in the place where the inflammation muscle, but the pain can radiate to nearby areas.

Spondylosis

If your spine hurts, one of the probable causes could be spondylosis. This pathology is characterized by proliferation of bone tissue of the vertebrae, as well as their degenerative changes. In this case, painful sensations appear during physical activity due to long stay in one position, for example, during sedentary work.

Sciatica

The term means with its further inflammation. The pathological process is accompanied by cutting, stabbing, sharp pains. With sciatica, pain is not felt constantly, it occurs suddenly and comes in waves.

With sciatica, there is severe pain directly in the place where the pinching or inflammation occurred. However, due to the fact that sciatic nerve has a very large extent, painful sensations are present in different areas, most often the legs hurt.

Osteoporosis

The disease develops due to calcium deficiency in the body. As a result, bone tissue along the entire spinal column loses its elasticity and rigidity, and microtraumas and cracks form everywhere.

With this pathological process, the entire spine hurts, especially in the late stages development of the disease.

Herniated disc

Acute and severe pain in the spine may be evidence. In this case, the pain syndrome is constant, but intensifies with physical activity, bending over, coughing, sudden or careless movements.

In most cases, a hernia forms in the lumbar spine, which is explained by the vulnerability of this area to excessive loads and heavy lifting. A hernia often occurs as a complication of osteochondrosis, which is due to the peculiarities of the course of this pathology.

In this case, a hernia is dangerous not only due to pain, there is a risk of pinching the nerve branches of the spinal cord and the development of neurological symptoms.

Excessive mobility of the spine

Otherwise, this problem is called vertebral hypermobility or. A clear sign of pathology is pain, which intensifies with intense physical activity and lifting weights. Painful sensations in the back are fickle; they either subside or suddenly reappear.

The cervical spine suffers the most; if the disease progresses, it becomes difficult for a person to hold his head up.

Scoliosis

Oddly enough, but curvature of the spine is the direct cause of pain. One of the most common problems is scoliosis. Pain with scoliosis is more of a muscular nature. This is explained increased load certain back muscles while others are relaxed.

With scoliosis, due to the curvature of the spinal column, individual spinal discs are compressed and cartilage tissue is deformed. Painful sensations with scoliosis are constant, aching or pulling, their intensity is low, in in rare cases the pain is strong and sharp.

Spinal injuries

Of course, any mechanical damage, even minor, is painful. In this case, the more severe the damage, the more severe the pain, and sometimes even with a seemingly insignificant bruise, acute pain is felt, which may indicate severe internal damage. In this case, blows, bruises, sprains, and dislocations are taken into account, but the most severe type of injury is fractures.

It is noteworthy that old, long-healed injuries make themselves felt decades later. So back and neck pain can remind you of how you fell on the ice as a child.

Ankylosing spondylitis

This dangerous disease is also called ankylosing spondylitis. The pathology is characterized by a chronic inflammatory process in the joints, in other words – inflammation of the spine.

Ankylosing spondylitis is accompanied by severe pain, and the intensity of the pain syndrome is high from the very beginning of the pathological process and only intensifies in the future. In this case, the pain intensifies after rest and depending on weather changes, but it is well relieved with medications NSAID groups and physiotherapy.

Oncological diseases

Cancer is the most dangerous pathology, a clear sign of which is pain. In this case, pain syndrome appears both with benign and with malignant neoplasms, if they are localized not far from the spinal column and put pressure on it.

Even more dangerous manifestation oncology are metastases. In this case, the pain is constant and severe; it haunts the person always and everywhere, regardless of body position or any actions. The back hurts just as much even in a lying position.

Kidney diseases

The causes of pain in the lumbar region do not always lie in back problems. Because of anatomical location kidneys, pathologies affecting them also respond strongly pain syndrome in the lumbar region. The pain can be dull and drawing or sharp stabbing, the intensity varies depending on the disease and the degree of its progression.

It is important to understand here that pain can be on both sides or only on one, which indicates which kidney is involved in the pathological process.

Cardiovascular pathology

The opinion that in diseases of the cardiovascular system pain occurs exclusively in chest area are wrong. For example, when coronary disease heart and myocardial infarction, painful sensations encircle, radiating to the back in the thoracic region. They are characterized as sharp, stabbing, and occur abruptly.

Pathologies of the cardiovascular system include aneurysms of the aorta, in which acute sharp pain occurs near the spinal column in the thoracic region.

Pathology of the digestive tract

Diseases of the digestive tract also often provoke back pain, however, in such cases there are always a number of distinctive clinical signs. In addition to pain, there are stomach upsets, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or diarrhea, as well as general malaise.

Infections

Among infectious diseases accompanied by back pain, the most severe and dangerous is bone tuberculosis. The disease is accompanied by severe pathological processes in the bone tissues, the entire spinal column hurts. The pain is different in nature, sometimes nagging, sometimes stabbing, but always constant.

Respiratory diseases

The lungs occupy most of the thoracic region of the body, so pulmonary pathologies are often accompanied by back pain. Among such ailments are pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis, pleurisy, etc.

At similar pathologies the pain intensifies when coughing, sneezing, deep breaths, or yawning. In addition, the clinical picture is enriched by cough, shortness of breath, and other similar symptoms.

Congenital pathologies

Factor congenital anomalies extremely rare, but still occurs. In this case, the main suspicions fall on a congenital excess or insufficient number of vertebrae in the spinal column. This affects the muscles and ligaments, the structure of the body, and threatens protrusion of the spine or compression, which is invariably accompanied by pain.

Pregnancy and childbirth

Pregnancy is also one of the causes of painful back symptoms. Pain in the spine and other problems of a similar nature appear more often by the third trimester, which completely depends on the growth of the fetus and the increased load on the spine.

In such cases, the pain is usually dull, drawing, it subsides or temporarily disappears after a short rest, when expectant mother lies down.

Inflammatory processes

A lot of different inflammatory processes lead to the development of pain, some of which we have already talked about. Take, for example, spondyloarthritis (Bechterew's disease). This pathology originates in the lumbosacral region, then inflammation, and with it It's a dull pain in the back, rising up the spinal column.

Pain radiating to the spine

As mentioned at the very beginning, there is a class of pain called radiating pain. This means that back pain “radiates” to the spine from other parts or organs in which the disease has flared up. Let's talk about such pain in more detail.

Pathologies of the heart and great vessels

About the most probable diseases cardiovascular system, accompanied by pain in the back was mentioned earlier. It is only important to understand that in addition to pain, such pathologies are accompanied by disorders blood pressure, arrhythmia and pallor skin, this is their distinctive feature.

Gallbladder diseases

The clearest example of such pathological processes is cholecystitis, which leads to irradiation of pain in the area right scapula and the central part of the spine in the thoracic region.

The acute form of the disease is accompanied by severe pain, chronic pain is more difficult to diagnose, since the pain is inconsistent and of low intensity.

Pancreatic lesions

The most common disease of the pancreas is pancreatitis. Clinical sign In this condition, there are pains in the abdominal area, but they can also be girdling, characterized as sharp, stabbing. However, in addition to pain, the patient suffers from nausea, vomiting, and painful sensations appear after eating fatty, sweet, or fried foods.

Pathologies of the kidneys and upper urinary tract

Kidney diseases and urinary tract are also accompanied by pain, and it is usually intense. Severe pain arise during urolithiasis, but they are felt not only in the lumbar region. Severe discomfort is present in the lower abdomen and groin area.

Diagnostics

As can be seen from huge list possible problems To eliminate pain in the spine, it is necessary to identify the main causes of its occurrence. To do this, you must consult a doctor and conduct a full diagnosis, which includes:

• – simple and effective method determine the condition of the spine, detect deformities and various pathologies.
• – computed tomography more accurately identifies pathologies of intervertebral discs and vertebrae.
• – magnetic resonance imaging is even more advanced and most effective method diagnostics, which will show not only problems in the structure of the vertebrae and intervertebral discs, but will also make it possible to identify or exclude involvement of nerves and the spinal cord in the pathological process.

If these examinations do not produce results, contact specialists in other fields. Perhaps the problem lies in diseases of the heart, gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, pelvic organs, etc.

How to treat back pain

Treatment acute pain in the back requires an integrated and systematic approach. Fighting methods become clear after a full examination and staging accurate diagnosis. It is also important to understand that in case of problems of this nature, only a doctor can take care of it; self-medication is unacceptable.

The attending physician will determine a treatment regimen, which will most likely include drug therapy, physiotherapy, exercise therapy and a course of massages.

Physiotherapy

It is one of the main methods of combating pathologies affecting the spine. Treatment of back pain involves following procedures: (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) - prescribed in the form of ointments, tablets, injections, sometimes in the form of suppositories. NSAIDs have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects and reduce local temperature.

Duration drug therapy, the frequency of drug use and dosage are determined by the doctor.

Massage

A course of massages is another effective method to get rid of pain. Prescribed when the pain subsides, carried out exclusively by a specialist.

Massage therapy can stimulate blood circulation, relieve pain, restore nose and muscle elasticity, etc. For achievement tangible effect a course of massages consisting of at least 10 sessions is required.

Prevention

To minimize the risk of developing pathologies in which pain is felt in the spine or reduce the risk of recurrence of diseases, you need to follow simple preventive recommendations:

• Eliminate bad habits.
• Eat right, eat less junk food, switch to a fractional power system.
• News active image life, go in for sports, preferably swimming or some kind of gymnastics.
• It is good for your back to hang on the horizontal bar at least 3-4 times a week.
• When working sedentarily, take breaks to warm up.
• Avoid heavy physical activity and injury.
• If it is impossible to avoid lifting weights, do everything correctly, lift heavy things with a straight back.
• Sleep on a moderately hard bed, buy an orthopedic mattress.

Remember, if the pain does not go away for more than 4-5 days or if it is so intense that it is difficult to bear, consult a doctor immediately. Timely treatment can preserve health and avoid a host of dangerous complications.

The phrase that the back hurts in the middle of the spine can be heard even from young people leading an active lifestyle. What is the reason for these unpleasant sensations? Doctors assure that without certain diagnostics It is almost impossible to clarify this issue. So for those people who have encountered it at or just above the waist, we will try to find out this in the article.

The most common causes of back pain

Occurs in every second person who has reached the age of 30. The problem has become so common and popular because of the lifestyle that people lead. After all great amount time a person spends at a computer.

What should those who have back pain in the middle of the spine do? The doctors' answer is obvious - do not delay treatment and find out the cause. And in fact there can be a huge number of them:

1. Mechanical damage caused by enormous load. This problem is most common among young mothers who are forced to carry a child in their arms for a long time and among athletes who lift heavy equipment.
2. Stress. It would seem like mental condition person may be associated with Neuropathologists say that during stressful situations nerve endings give impulses to vertebral region, resulting in pinching and characteristic pains.
3. Osteochondrosis is the most common cause. If left untreated, growths will form on the spinal discs.
4. Diseases of internal organs: heart, kidneys.
5. Scoliosis. Incorrect position body can lead to similar disease And

Remember painful sensations unnatural for healthy person. If they occur, you need to visit a doctor and find out their cause.

My back hurts. Which doctor should I contact?

Many people ask: if your back hurts in the middle of your spine, what should you do? First of all, you need to see a doctor. But to what purpose, we will find out further.

First you need to be examined by a therapist. Pass necessary tests (general analysis blood and urine). Thanks to them, the doctor will find out whether inflammatory process in organism.

After this, a trip to the surgeon is required. By using visual inspection the doctor will find out whether the spine is curved, whether there are intercostal hernias, or whether the discs are displaced. Don't be lazy to go through X-ray examination and MRI lower section spine.

If the cause cannot be determined, you should contact a cardiologist. It often turns out that the cause lies in heart disease (microinfarction, stroke). To make sure that these diseases are absent, you need to undergo an electrocardiogram.

The last doctor you will need to visit is a gastroenterologist. After all, kidney problems can also cause characteristic back pain.

Back pain while sleeping

If your back hurts in the middle of the spine during sleep, most likely you have osteochondrosis. The disease is quite popular and common. In this case, you cannot do without MRI and massage.

Also, the reasons may be more banal:

• incorrect body position during sleep;
• uncomfortable pillow;
• mattress too soft;
• muscle spasm due to a sedentary lifestyle;
• lack of calcium in the body.

If you notice that your back hurts in the middle of your spine after sleep, and the discomfort goes away during the day, try purchasing an orthopedic sleeping pillow and a comfortable mattress.

This terrible word is osteochondrosis

Often the back hurts in the middle of the spine due to incipient osteochondrosis. Moreover, this disease occurs in both young and elderly people. This happens for a number of reasons, the main ones being sedentary image life, poor nutrition, scoliosis.

You need to watch your posture early age control the child so that he is not hunched over, sits up straight, chooses the right school backpack, takes him to swimming, gymnastics, and dancing.

Getting rid of osteochondrosis is not so easy. Must be complex treatment: massage, diet, spinal stretching, acupuncture.

We begin treatment

If the doctor finds out that your back hurts in the middle of the spine due to mechanical damage, muscle strain or physical activity, treatment should consist of massages or manual therapy.

Taking a hot bath with essential relaxing oils helps. Don't forget about contrasting soul. It will not only relieve pain, but also strengthen the immune system.

If back pain occurs daily due to sedentary work, you can purchase a special massage pillow. Its cost is about 10,000 rubles. But the result is amazing, patients relax, the pain goes away.

If the cause is something else, it is necessary for a doctor to recommend the right treatment.

Traditional methods

Many people prefer to treat back pain traditional methods. For example, with the help of bee stings. The procedure is not pleasant. Drones are planted at special points on the back, which, when biting a person, inject bee venom into the blood.

There are many contraindications, so to decide on such a procedure, you need to consult a doctor.

Leech bites are also popular. They suck bad blood, thereby increasing the flow of lymph. As in the first case, such a procedure should be carried out only in a medical center under the strict supervision of doctors.

Many people ask: if your back hurts in the middle of the spine, how to treat it? This question can only be answered by a doctor who has found out the cause and carried out comprehensive examination patient. You cannot self-medicate.

But, unfortunately, such an attitude towards the spine sooner or later leads to serious consequences. One day, pain can overshadow all other events in life. Therefore, it is better to start studying the biomechanics of your back in advance. After all, pain in the spine has its causes, consequences, methods of prevention and treatment.

The difficult life of an intervertebral disc

Osteochondrosis is, as they say in scientific articles, dystrophic disorders in articular cartilage. And if translated from medical into Russian, osteochondrosis is simply aging of the spine. What does this process look like in practice?

The intervertebral disc consists of two parts. Its center - the nucleus pulposus - looks like a gelatinous mass with a diameter of 2-2.5 mm. Around the core is a dense cartilaginous (or, scientifically, fibrous) ring. The intervertebral disc is provided in our body in order to prevent the vertebrae from rubbing against each other.

The disc has elasticity due to water, which the nucleus pulposus absorbs from the surrounding tissues at the first opportunity. But what to do if the tissues are poorly supplied with blood and there is not enough fluid? This happens due to the fact that the owner of the spine does not use it for its intended purpose: he sits at the computer and refuses to move, causing blood stagnation. As a result, the disc loses water and flattens, so our back bends worse and hurts when moving.

What happened with me?

The symptoms of hernia and protrusion are very simple to explain: back pain. Sometimes not very much, sometimes unbearably and constantly. In more difficult cases the pain can radiate to different parts of the body. If a pinched nerve occurs in the cervical region, the pain shoots to the head or arm. If it is in the lumbar region, the leg and pelvic organs hurt. The most incomprehensible sensation comes from pinching in the thoracic region: the pain can radiate to the heart or abdomen.

Often the pain from a formed hernia or protrusion is confused with radiculitis and they try to wait it out. Doctors recommend seeking medical help for any acute back pain and never delaying it until later. Because any hernia has a chance to become sequestered and begin an attack on the spinal cord.

In addition, with prolonged pinching, an arm or leg deprived of normal supply may begin to lose weight. First, numbness and tingling occur in them, and over time the tissues will atrophy and the muscles will “deflate.”

Manual mechanics

A chiropractor is still, in uninformed minds, equated to a village chiropractor. In 1997, the medical specialty “chiropractor” was officially included in the register of the Ministry of Health and Social Development.

When treating hernias and protrusions, the priority task is chiropractor– restore mobility to the spine below and above the place where the disaster occurred. And don’t listen to specialists who say they can “reset” a hernia in no time. This is from the realm of sadistic fiction.

How to regain mobility? As a rule, the intervertebral disc comes out where the vertebrae have slightly shifted: one has become at an angle to the other. On one side the disc is compressed, and on the other it has complete freedom. So he went. Why are the vertebrae tilted relative to each other? In 60% of cases, the culprit is muscle spasm.

In response to an injury, an awkward position, or even a minor blow to the back, the brain reacts like an overly heroic mother hen: it tightens the muscle next to the source of pain to protect the spine. The muscle tenses and hurts. In response to increasing pain in the muscle, the brain panics more and more: it spasms the muscle even more, believing that this way the spine will definitely be protected. As a result, the overstrained muscle puts pressure on the vertebra and slowly moves it.

The chiropractor’s task is to make all the muscles affecting the spine relax. After this, you can return the vertebrae that are not in contact with the hernia to their normal position - with a characteristic click that frightens patients so much.

After mobility is restored, the chiropractor begins to stretch the spine so that there is space between the vertebrae for pumping water into the thin, dehydrated intervertebral discs. And when space appears between the vertebrae, the disc disfigured by the herniation itself will strive to fall into place. Very slowly, but persistently.

Of course it is described here schematic treatment– only principles. In practice, a chiropractor selects individual treatment and solves specific problems, which in most cases are not similar to each other.

Chiropractor or osteopath?

Manual (or structural) therapy involves working with the musculoskeletal system. Visceral – work with internal organs. Depending on the cause of your back disease, you should contact either a chiropractor or an osteopath. Let's figure out who they are.

A traumatologist or a neurologist with a higher education degree can become a manual technician. medical education. To do this, he needs to undergo a four-month advanced training course for doctors.

But a person who is certified as a chiropractor can go further. In the last 15 years Russian specialists began to actively master osteopathy. The course of training for an osteopath is 4 years.

As a result of training, the osteopath receives three therapeutic tools: structural, visceral and cranial (work on harmonizing the nervous system). In total this is about 3.5 thousand healing techniques. Compared to manual techniques, osteopathic techniques are performed more painlessly.

However distinctive feature any good specialist– whether a chiropractor or an osteopath – is the desire to find out and eliminate the cause of the disease. A competent doctor will treat not the symptom, but the trouble that caused the spinal disease (flat feet, leg or pelvic injury, disease of the internal organs, etc.). After all, as the famous Russian doctor S.P. Botkin said, a correct diagnosis is 50% of success in treatment.

Common causes of hernias and protrusions

Congenital weakness connective tissue . People with this defect are easy to recognize: they are thin, long, stooped, and they usually have visual impairments. Due to weakness of the muscles and ligaments, they develop scoliosis. And then everything follows the classical scheme: the vertebrae are located at an angle to each other, the disc is compressed on one side, and free on the other. And let's go!

 Joint injury– ankle, knee or hip. Due to injury, one leg becomes shorter than the other. Not visible to the eye, but hip joint reacts and warps. Following this, the spine bends. And again the disk comes out at the bend.

Flat feet. Because of it, the foot does not absorb shock. Every step with flat feet is like driving a pile. The shock wave from each step is transmitted upward, through the joints, to the spine. He gets injured: microcracks appear. Small tubercles grow on them bone. And again we get a familiar situation: on one side of the vertebra there is a tubercle, on the other there is freedom. The disc tries to hide from the pressure and moves away from the tubercle.

What to anoint with?

For back diseases, oral medications are prescribed exclusively by a neurologist. Patients usually like to choose products for external use - ointments and gels - themselves. What will help me? What would you use to anoint yourself with this? There are many benefits from gels and ointments, but if you use them for other purposes, you can seriously harm your already suffering back.

Medicines have many different names. But it often happens that the names are different, but the active substance is the same. The active substance is written in small print under the name of the drug. What substances can you put on yourself for back pain?

Preparations with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. If the gel or cream contains the substances ketoprofen, nimesulide, diclofenac, idometacin or ibuprofen, then this product is intended to relieve pain and inflammation. Such drugs help with lumbosacral radiculitis, osteochondrosis with radicular syndrome and post-traumatic pain.

Drugs that have a local irritant and analgesic effect. From such ointments, the rubbed area burns - the product warms up the tissues, increases blood flow to them and has an analgesic effect. The composition of such drugs includes various substances: nonivamide, nicoboxil, gum turpentine, etc. They are used for lumbago, muscle pain.

Chondroprotectors are drugs for the restoration of cartilage tissue. One of the most popular substances they contain is chondroitin sulfate. It slows down degenerative processes in intervertebral discs and restores their normal structure. The main indication for use is osteochondrosis.

Homeopathic and phytotherapeutic products based on plant extracts, mumiyo, bee venom etc. Also indicated for osteochondrosis, muscle pain and swelling. Nourish and restore cartilage tissue, increase blood circulation and metabolism.

If herbal preparations cannot do much harm (but also will not help with acute pain), then the use of all other medicines should be discussed with your doctor.

Spine Facts

1. U different people different number of vertebrae. The normal limits range from 30 to 34 vertebrae: 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral and coccygeal - from 1 to 5 pieces.

2. The atlas (the so-called first vertebra in the spine) is attached to the occipital bone of the skull. Thanks to the articular connection, the occipital bone of the skull is mobile.

3. The coccyx on average consists of 3-5 fused vertebrae and is a rudimentary (that is, underdeveloped) tail, inherited from potential monkey ancestors.

4. In humans, the spine is formed until the age of 18-20, and then the aging phase begins. That is, he does not have time to remain in a “plateau” state – a stable and mature stage of work.

5. Inside the spinal canal is the spinal cord. He gets on everyone's nerves internal organs. Therefore, pinched nerves in the spine can affect the breast, liver, intestines, etc.