2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44
There is no need to wait until "it passes by itself."
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Why does my back hurt?
Anonymously
Tore off my back, twisted, pinched, blew, ached, grabbed and does not let go - this is how patients often talk about back pain. So why does it hurt? There can be many reasons:
- Degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs and facet joints. For example, spondylolisthesis, herniated disc, spinal stenosis, osteoporosis, fractures.
- Congenital changes: severe kyphosis or scoliosis.
- Oncological diseases: spinal cord tumors, lymphoma or metastatic lesions of the vertebrae.
- Infections: vertebral osteomyelitis, purulent disc inflammation, paravertebral or epidural abscess, tuberculosis.
- Rheumatological diseases: ankylosing spondylitis (ankylosing spondylitis), psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis.
Also, back pain can be a manifestation of diseases of other organs: prostatitis, endometriosis and chronic inflammatory diseases of the small pelvis, urolithiasis and pyelonephritis, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, stomach and duodenal ulcers.
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The list is impressive, but more than 85% of patients have nonspecific back pain. This means that it is musculoskeletal (muscles, ligaments, joints hurt) and it does not have a clearly defined cause such as metastases, fractures or disc herniation. So the entire list of possible causes of back pain is not a reason to immediately send every person with lower back pain for an MRI.
If your back hurts, see your doctor. Better to see a neurologist, but if he is not available, then you can also see a therapist. He will ask you in detail and carefully examine you in order not to miss warning symptoms - "red flags". These include signs of cancer, infections, acute surgical pathologies, and fractures.
A red flag is a reason to prescribe tests and studies as early as possible, for example, MRI, CT or X-ray. But nonspecific back pain in most cases does not require additional examinations after examination.
What you should definitely not do in case of back pain is to "lie back" and wait until it passes. If there are no serious reasons for the pain, it is necessary to maintain as much physical activity as possible for you. Sometimes you need to take painkillers, but you need to see a doctor for these appointments.
And to reduce the frequency of pain, control your body weight and engage in regular physical activity.
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