Causes and methods of treating lower back pain in men

Pain in the lower back can be accompanied by a variety of diseases and injuries. The clinic, however, is diverse, patient complaints vary according to the nature, intensity, and location of pain. To establish the cause of discomfort, you need to consult a doctor and pass the appropriate examinations.

Causes of pain

Low back pain in men may be associated with a mass of diseases. The most common causes are:

  1. Crick. Pain associated with spasm of the muscles of the back. Discomfort occurs more often in the lower back, and mobility may be limited.
  2. Fractures of the spine or vertebrae. Compression fracture, not complicated by damage to the spinal cord - a common phenomenon, especially after forty years. Pain at the time of injury may be absent, but the discomfort will definitely appear after. The pains are aggravated during movement, sometimes radiating downward and resemble a "sharp stomach." The risk of fracture increases in patients with osteoporosis.
  3. Intervertebral disc offset. Pain in this give to the lower extremities. Sometimes lameness develops.
  4. Coxarthrosis of the hip joint. The disease is accompanied by sharp pains in the lower back and in the buttocks. A crunch occurs in the affected joint.

Pain in the lower back can be the result of other diseases:

  • infections (epidural abscess, tuberculosis, etc.);
  • violations of cerebrospinal circulation;
  • gastrointestinal tract diseases (intestinal obstruction, cholecystitis, atypical form of acute appendicitis);
  • diseases of the genitourinary system (renal colic, venereal diseases, etc.).

The risk category includes the following categories of men:

  • engaged in heavy physical labor (professional athletes, porters, etc.);
  • those who lead a sedentary lifestyle ("sedentary" work);
  • obese;
  • suffering from bad habits (alcohol, tobacco);
  • with a weakened immune system.

Types of back pain in men, localization and possible diseases

  • Lumbar pain of local character, worse standing or sitting, while turning or tilting.

Typical posture - the patient is bent in half. Pain syndrome occurs due to irritation of the nerve elements and muscle spasm.

This reaction takes a generalized character and covers all the muscles of the back. As a result, any movement hurts. Painful sensations can proceed as “shot through”. The described phenomena take place in lumbar osteochondrosis.

  • Intense pain, permanent (this is different from renal colic).

Pain in the lumbar region can be quite pronounced and appear even with a slight pressure in the lumbar region. These phenomena are observed in acute pyelonephritis associated with impaired outflow of urine from the kidney.

Pulling pain in the lumbar region, malaise, loss of appetite, and sometimes fever may indicate pyonephrosis. This disease is characterized by the transformation of the kidney into a thin-walled cavity as a result of purulent fusion of the parenchyma.

When urine outflow worsens, pain intensifies, urine brightens. Acute pain in the lumbar region may be a sign of acute paranephritis (inflammation of the pararenal fatty tissue). The disease begins with a high fever, and in a few days the pain in the lower back joins the fever.

  • Intermittent pain.

In this case, the problems concern not so much the back as the internal organs. So can be a tumor of the stomach and duodenum, pancreas, kidney disease, chronic prostatitis, ulcerative colitis, and so on.

Chronic prostatitis is characterized by pain to the left of the spinal column. If the pain is localized, the bladder may be inflamed (especially if there are problems with urination).

In acute epididymitis (inflammation of the epididymis), the pain appears suddenly: first in the scrotum, then spreads to the groin, the root of the penis, then to the sacrum and lumbar region. While on the move, the pain aggravates, so the man has to stay in bed.

  • Chronic, long lasting pains.

This type of pain may indicate deforming spondylosis, which is characterized by the proliferation of bone tissue, dystrophic changes in the lumbar vertebrae and calcification of the ligaments of the spinal column.

As a result, mobility is impaired. The pain is usually localized on the left. Long-lasting pain can accompany ankylosing spondylarthrosis, with a marked restriction of mobility in a calm state.

  • Dull pain on the left, along with neurological symptoms.

The persistent, long-lasting nature of such pain may indicate metastasis of malignant tumors (carcinoma of the gastrointestinal tract, kidney, prostate gland.
Such pains also occur in lymphomas, osteomyelitis, meningiomas, neurofibromas.

Diagnostics

Low back pain can accompany a variety of diseases and injuries, therefore, to make a diagnosis based on the nature of the pain syndrome alone is not possible. To find out the cause, you need to consult a doctor.

In exceptional cases, a possible cause of pain may be suggested by men associated with hard physical labor, or athletes. If the painful sensations have arisen recently and are not acute, intolerable, there can be a stretching of the muscles, but you should not make a diagnosis yourself even in this case.

First you should contact your local GP. After inspection, he sent to one of the narrow specialists:

  • if urinary system diseases are suspected, refer to a nephrologist or urologist;
  • with possible problems with the gastrointestinal tract - to the proctologist and gastroenterologist;
  • in the presence of injuries - to the orthopedist, the surgeon or the traumatologist.

In some cases, you may need to consult an infectious diseases specialist and even a cardiologist. There is no uniform algorithm for making a diagnosis of back pain.

The complex of diagnostic measures may include:

  • collection of anamnesis and complaints;
  • examination of the patient, palpation, percussion;
  • X-ray;
  • CT and MRI;
  • cystoscopy;
  • for diseases of internal organs - laboratory tests of blood and urine.

Medication Treatment

The first thing that many patients seek to take in case of pain in the lumbar region is some kind of analgesic (pain medication). This is fundamentally the wrong decision, since the causes of this phenomenon are diverse.

Analgesics can be used if only the patient knows what caused the discomfort (for example, “pulled” the back, etc.). In other cases, the drug only "drowns out" the picture, which complicates the diagnosis and can lead to complications.

If back pain is caused by diseases of the musculoskeletal system, drug therapy should be aimed at improving metabolic processes in the tissues, relieving inflammation and, of course, relieving pain syndrome. Among analgesics emit non-narcotic and narcotic.

The latter are used only for serious conditions (for example, injuries in order to avoid painful shock), and for cancer pains.

In other cases, the use of non-narcotic analgesic, which in combination is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent. For the back, you can use various gels and ointments (Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Indomethacin and others).

If the pain is associated with diseases of internal organs (for example, the genitourinary system), the doctor must make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe adequate treatment. The spectrum of drugs in this case is wide: antibiotics, immunomodulators, muscle relaxants, diuretics, angioprotectors, etc.

How to remove lower back pain folk remedies

Folk methods for relieving lower back pain include:

  • warming compresses (with horseradish, radish), salt lotions;
  • rubbing (with tincture of red pepper, burdock root);
  • application of dry heat (wool belt);
  • herbal medicine (decoctions to reduce inflammation and repair joints);
  • massage (warming, honey).

Folk remedies can be used only after identifying the exact cause of pain!

Preventive measures

Tips for reducing pain in the lower back:

  • with hypodynamia - walking more often, moving more;
  • do light exercises, exercises;
  • if possible, avoid lifting weights (due to the specifics of the work, ergonomic rules should be followed);
  • if necessary, wear a bandage;
  • take courses of professional massage and physiotherapy on the recommendation of a doctor.

Physiotherapeutic procedures deserve special attention. They are aimed at stabilizing the spinal column, strengthening the muscles of the back and improving metabolic processes in tissues.

For this purpose, polyclinics are subjected to electrophoresis with calcium, Euphyllin, Lidasa. Effective for back pain muscle stimulation, paraffin therapy, amplipulse, mud therapy.

Massage and therapeutic physical culture also help strengthen the muscular frame and stabilize the spinal column. After a course of massage and exercise, the pain may not remind of itself for a long time. However, these methods of prevention are suitable only after the relief of attacks of exacerbation of pain.

Otherwise, you can achieve the opposite effect - increase pain.

These recommendations will significantly alleviate the condition and reduce the risk of back pain, but for a complete treatment, you should be examined by a specialist.

One of the most common causes of back pain in men can also be found in the following video.

Watch the video: 60-Second Back Pain Fixes (March 2024).