Back pain is a common ailment of modern civilization: almost everyone suffers from low back pain at least once in their life. Fortunately, in about 90 percent of cases, the causes are not threatening. That is why those affected can do a lot themselves against back pain – from heat packs to exercises against back pain. Read more about the causes and treatment of back pain here.
Back pain: is one of the most common types of pain of all and mainly affects women. Most often, the pain is located in the lower back and is non-specific (no cause can be determined).
Classification:
By duration (acute, subacute and chronic back pain),
By location (upper, middle or lower back)
By cause (specific and non-specific back pain).
Causes: In non-specific back pain, no cause can be determined. In contrast, specific back pain has a demonstrable trigger (muscle tension, vertebral blockage, ISG syndrome, herniated disc, osteoporosis, inflammation of the renal pelvis, heart attack, prostatitis, lung tumor, etc.).
Treatment: for specific back pain, treatment of the cause. For non-specific back pain, among other things, heat treatment, medicinal plants, proper bending and lifting, exercise and back-friendly sports, back school, back-friendly workplace, relaxation techniques, acupuncture.
Back pain: description & classification
Low back pain, lumbago or simply stiff back ; back pain is a multifaceted ailment.
The people affected are as varied as the type and extent of the complaints: Back pain can affect people of almost any age. It is one of the most common pain problems. Women in all age groups report back pain more frequently than men – a phenomenon that is also evident in other types of pain.
Doctors classify back pain according to various criteria:
Localization:
Upper back pain : Pain that occurs at the top of the spine (neck region) can be acute to chronic. It often radiates to the shoulders, arms and/or back of the head. Triggers for neck pain include incorrect posture at work, herniated discs or psychological influences.
Middle back pain : Back pain in the thoracic spine is rarely caused by injuries. More often, they are caused by irritation (irritation) of large muscle groups in this area or by dysfunction of the rib-vertebral joints.
Lower back: back pain is most often located in the lower back. This is because the lumbar spine (LS) is more susceptible to injury and damage than the cervical and especially thoracic spine. Possible causes include herniated discs or muscular strain.
Duration:
Depending on the duration of the complaints, doctors distinguish between acute, subacute and chronic back pain:
Acute back pain: acute back pain is back discomfort that occurs for the first time or after at least six pain-free months and lasts a maximum of six weeks. The prognosis is generally good: acute back pain improves within a few weeks in the majority of people
Subacute back pain: If the back pain lasts longer than six weeks to a maximum of three months, it is considered subacute.
Chronic back pain: Chronic back pain or chronic recurrent back pain lasts longer than three months. The severity of the pain can vary during this time – sometimes the back pain is weaker, sometimes it is more severe. Chronic back pain is more common with age.
Chronic back pain is usually more than just pain in the back. Additional conditions (comorbidities) often occur. These include, for example, wear-related (degenerative) and inflammatory joint disease, osteoporosis, stroke, heart failure, depression, painkiller abuse, severe overweight (obesity), and chronic bronchitis. When a patient comes to the doctor with back pain, the doctor will take such comorbidities into account when evaluating and treating the symptoms.
Cause:
Depending on whether or not there is a clear cause for the symptoms, doctors distinguish between specific and non-specific back pain.
Non-specific back pain
In cases of non-specific back pain, the doctor cannot find a clear cause for the symptoms. The vast majority of all cases of back pain fall into this category.
Specific back pain
Specific back pain has a clearly identifiable cause. However, this does not necessarily have to be in the area of the spine (as in the case of a herniated disc, for example). Instead, a wide variety of diseases of other organs are often the reason for the discomfort in the back: The range here extends from shingles and pneumonia to kidney stones and heart attacks. The following is an overview of important causes of specific back pain:
Muscle tension: Very often, muscle tension is the cause of back pain. With incorrect posture, one-sided loads and lack of movement, the muscles are unevenly loaded – some muscles are overstrained, others not strained. As a result, muscles shorten or harden, which can cause tension and pain. A pinched nerve can also result from muscle tension and cause back pain.
Blockage (vertebral blockage, vertebral misalignment): over time, a tight muscle can pull a vertebra out of its normal position. Such a vertebral misalignment or blockage can also occur if you suddenly do something your body is not used to (such as a movement during sports). Vertebral blockages can cause pain in the muscles, vertebral joints or the exit channels of the nerves from the spinal cord. Sometimes the pain radiates to the arms or legs.
Sacroiliac joint syndrome (ISG syndrome): ISG syndrome is an example of the vertebral blockage described above and is quite common. The blockage here affects the joint between the sacrum and the pelvic bone, called the sacroiliac joint (ISG) or sacroiliac joint. Unlike other joints in the body, it can only move to a limited extent because it is held tightly together by strong ligaments. In ISG syndrome, the articular surfaces of the sacroiliac joint shift against each other and lock due to increased muscle tension. This can cause back pain.
Herniated disc: The intervertebral discs lie as cushion-like shock absorbers between the individual vertebral bodies. They consist of a soft gelatinous core surrounded by a ring of fibrocartilage. If the gelatinous core slips and breaks through the fibrous sheath, a herniated disc is present. It causes severe back pain when the mass of gelatin that escapes from the slipped disc presses on the adjacent nerves.
Most commonly, the sciatic nerve is pinched, or more precisely, one of the nerve roots that emerge from the spinal cord in the lumbar and sacral regions and join below the pelvis to form the sciatic nerve. This thickest and longest nerve in the body runs down the back of the thigh to the foot after multiple branches. A pinched sciatic nerve can therefore cause pain that radiates from the buttocks down the back of the leg and into the foot. Such sciatica can also have other causes besides a herniated disc.
Wear and tear of the spine (osteoarthritis of the spinal joints, facet syndrome): With increasing age, the spinal joints in the body wear out. If this age-related wear and tear on the joints goes beyond the normal level, doctors refer to it as arthrosis. Such arthrosis of the spinal joints can cause back pain. The complaints occur particularly at the beginning of a movement (for example, when getting up in the morning). During movement, they slowly subside.
Spinal canal stenosis: The spinal canal runs through the spinal column with the spinal cord located in it. This carries nerve signals from the brain to the body and back. In spinal stenosis, the spinal canal is narrowed in places and presses on the spinal cord or the emerging nerve roots. The result is back pain, for example in the sacral region (low back pain).
Spinal curvature: In a condition known as scoliosis, the spine is curved sideways. This leads to premature wear and tear, which can cause muscle tension and back pain, among other things.
Spondylitis ( Morbus Bekhterev): This is a chronic rheumatic inflammation of the spine and the joint that connects the spine to the iliac bone (sacroiliac joint). The progressive disease triggers deep-seated back pain and can make the joints increasingly stiff over time. This is why ankylosing spondylitis is also called ankylosing spondylitis, which translates to “stiffening vertebral inflammation.”
Vertebral slippage (spondylisthesis): In this condition, the vertebrae are unstable, so they can shift easily. This happens mainly in the lumbar region. Many affected people have no or hardly any complaints. However, back pain can occur, for example, during stress and certain movements. If a displaced vertebra presses on a nerve root, neurological deficits such as sensory disturbances or paralysis are also possible.
Osteoporosis (bone loss): In osteoporosis, the bones become increasingly brittle. They can then break even under the slightest stress (such as falling down, bumping into something). This often leads to vertebral body fractures, which are accompanied by back pain. The preliminary stage of osteoporosis – osteopenia – can also be accompanied by back pain.
Pregnancy: Many pregnant women experience back pain. There are several reasons for this. For example, the hormonal changes in pregnant women cause tendons and ligaments in the pelvic floor area to loosen. This causes them to lose stability, which can trigger pain in the pelvis and lower back. In addition, the growing unborn baby shifts the woman’s center of gravity. To compensate, many pregnant women fall into a hollow back. This can also result in back pain. In addition, preterm labor and early labor can also be accompanied by back pain.
