What should I do if I hurt my back or waist?

If we put aside obvious causes such as injury, muscle strain, or hypothermia, back pain in adults is often related to degenerative changes in the structure of the intervertebral joints and the vertebral bodies themselves.This process has different names in different countries, but the essence does not change: with age, due to metabolic disorders and asymmetric or excessive loading, the cartilage that lies between the vertebrae and ensures their mobility thins and becomesthick. This results in microtrauma and inflammation of the intervertebral joints and surrounding tissues.Inflammation can be quickly eliminated with the help of medications, but cartilage regeneration is a long process: Cartilage wears away faster than it can be restored. Therefore, once spinal pain occurs once, it often returns periodically.What to do: Get an MRI, see a neurologist, have a chiropractor break your bones, take pills, or practice alternative medicine?

First, see a neurologist!

This is where you should start when your back hurts for the first time. Doctors must rule out all truly dangerous causes of pain, such as compression fractures (which are sometimes overlooked), spinal tuberculosis, or tumors.Most likely, the doctor will only perform a simple examination and prescribe a 3-5 day treatment plan, followed by suggestions for correcting your lifestyle. If the pain comes back in the future, you'll be able to deal with it on your own.Doing your own voluntary spinal MRI is a waste of money and time. In most cases, the findings will not impact your health by affecting treatment options, strategies, and prognosis.You absolutely need to see a neurologist: If back pain is accompanied by weakness in the legs or arms, if there is a problem with the sensitivity of the body below the sore point (numbness, crawling, tingling) or if the function of the pelvic organs is impaired (urination, erection problems), ETC. ). In these cases, a more in-depth examination is required.

Ongoing pain is harmful

Pain can cause muscle spasms, which increases pressure on spinal nerves and joint pain receptors and limits movement. To recover faster, you need to break this chain.Therefore, if the pain is severe, you should rest in bed for the first 1-3 days. Everyone will choose the position with the least pain for themselves, but more often it helps to lie on your back on a hard base with a cushion under your knees and lower back and your head on a low pillow. Sometimes it's easier to be in the fetal position: lie on your side, round your back, and put a pillow between your bent knees.Medications include pain relievers and anti-inflammatories for 3-5 days. Generally speaking, you will be much better after just 1 injection. You can also take tablets of these medicines: the intensity of action does not change, but the effects appear later.Vitamins B1, B6, B12 are taken with pain relievers. They help cope with pain, inflammation and improve the metabolism of nervous tissue.A neurologist or therapist may prescribe muscle relaxants. They help relax spinal muscles and reduce inflammation and pressure from sources of pain, but can have serious side effects, so it's best not to take them without expert advice. If everything is done correctly, the pain should subside within 3-5 days. The further fate of your back lies in your hands. How much your quality of life will change now depends not on the qualifications of your treating doctor, but on your readiness to properly exercise your muscles and joints!

How to get yourself moving?

Natural selection has laid down a rule: avoid pain and thereby protect damaged parts of the body from destruction. But back pain is an exception.During a week of bed rest, you may lose up to 20-30% of your muscle strength, significantly reducing your chances of full recovery in the future.Why build muscle?first,Strong back and abdominal muscles are able to bear most of the load when absorbing movement and stabilize the spine in the correct position, allowing the intervertebral joints to assume optimal configuration and reduce wear and pain. It turns out that people with poor muscle development are more likely to suffer from chronic back pain.second,Training your back muscles can increase bone density in your vertebrae. This is an excellent way to prevent osteoporosis and compression fractures, which is especially important for women over the age of 45. When moving, lubrication is produced in the joints, blood circulation is improved, and the cartilage regeneration process is accelerated.third,Proper physical activity can make the ligaments that hold the vertebrae in place stronger. This is an important factor in preventing chronic back pain in people with hypermobile joints: those who can reach their thumbs into the forearm bones of the same hand or who can hyperextend their arms at the elbows and knees.Therefore, the best way to prevent low back pain is to exercise, but the exercise must be correct!

Three rules of physical therapy

The ideal option is to undergo complex physical therapy under the supervision of a trainer: a physiotherapist, a sports therapist, a neurologist or a chiropractor. Once you learn the technique, you can practice it on your own without the help of an expert.It is important to follow three rules, without these three rules no exercise will work!

1. Exercise should become a daily habit, not a firefighting measure. Choose 4-5 mobility and coordination exercises that can be done within 15-20 minutes after getting up every day. According to statistics, the group of people who most often suffer from back pain are "weekend athletes" - people who don't have time to exercise during the week and only have the opportunity to make up for lost time on weekends.
2. The second part of the event is a set of strength exercises. Their purpose is to strengthen the muscles of the back, abs, arms, legs and stabilize the spine, so they should gradually become more complex. If you finish your workout without feeling fatigued, you've wasted your time: muscles that don't fatigue don't develop. Strength training takes more time, but the results are also longer-lasting. Therefore, it is enough to allocate 1 hour to them 2-3 times a week. If you have diseases of the cardiovascular system and lungs, it is important that the intensity of your exercise is controlled by a physiotherapist, at least initially.
3. The biomechanics of the spine are very complex. Therefore, there are no universal exercises that can correct all types of pain. A good expert will immediately narrow down the options. But if you practice on your own, let your feelings guide you. Training should gradually increase the pain-free range of motion of the back. If that doesn't happen, or the pain gets worse instead, you're doing it wrong.

A set of approximate exercises for the acute, subacute, and remission phases (when your back barely bothers you) can be downloaded on the Internet.

Do you have to give up sports?

It is recommended to replace certain types of activities with similar ones. For example, for running on rough terrain, it's better to try a treadmill, and instead of a road bike, try an exercise bike.It is recommended to avoid exercises purely hanging from the bar at the outset and instead perform exercises that support the back or legs. Exercises with dumbbells or barbells are performed supine or prone without vertical loading.Playing sports associated with jumping and sudden twisting movements may cause attacks of pain: volleyball, basketball, football, tennis, dancing. But that doesn’t mean it’s time to give up your favorite activities. If you want to get back in shape, you first need to properly exercise your back and abdominal muscles under the guidance of a doctor, and choose shoes with good shock absorption. Of course, you need to warm up properly before doing any activity.For most people, the ideal exercises to relieve back pain are swimming and water aerobics. However, some people with unstable spinal joints may experience increased low back pain after swimming. In this case, you need to start with dry training to strengthen the trunk muscles.The main causes of chronic back pain are excess weight, stress and poor posture. An active lifestyle allows you to address all three issues simultaneously.

How to check your posture?

The spine has 4 curves - 2 forward and 2 backward. Typically, they balance and relieve the vertical load on the vertebrae during walking and other movements. If you bend over or overextend your lower back, your weight will be distributed incorrectly and the load on individual vertebrae will become too high.For example, if you tilt your head forward and back (a standard posture for office workers), the tension on the neck and upper thoracic joints increases sixfold.To check your posture, stand with your back against a wall. Under normal circumstances, the back of the head, shoulder blades, hips, and heels should be in contact with the wall. In the lower back area, your fist should pass easily between the wall and your back, flattening out. Sit up straight, supporting your lower back. You can place a small pillow or folded sweater under your waist. To break the habit of crossing your legs, try placing a low stool or a box of office equipment under your feet. Try changing your body position more often, walking around the office regularly, and stretching your muscles to relieve tension. For example, like topical videos on the Internet.

How to avoid overworking yourself?

If you need to take something somewhere, follow safety precautions.Calculate your moves and sequence of moves ahead of time. Can you use surrounding objects for support? Where should the load be placed?To get into this pose: Bend your knees and hips slightly, but don't lean forward. Tighten your abdominal muscles to protect your pelvic organs. When lifting heavy objects, you should use your legs, not your back.Place the weight on your waist or chest with the heavy end facing you.If you need to turn, plant your feet but don't lean to one side or twist your spine.Keep your head straight. When you pick up a heavy object, look ahead, not at it.Know your limits! There's a big difference between what you can lift and what you can lift without risking your health. If in doubt, ask someone to help you.Don't pull. . . If you need to move something heavy across the floor, it's better to push it rather than drag it behind you.Distribute your weight evenly. When carrying shopping bags or luggage, try to put equal weight on both hands.

What else can help heal your back?

Physical therapy, acupuncture (reflexology), various massages, manual therapy and even taking antidepressants are all very effective methods used around the world to treat various types of chronic back pain. Their mechanism of action is simple: relieve muscle tension, improve blood circulation and metabolic processes in tissues, correct the biomechanics of movement.These methods are effective in the hands of an expert, but can be useless or even harmful in the hands of a charlatan. Therefore, always pay attention to the reputation of the clinic and the reviews of the doctor you contact.The bottom line is that all these types of treatments have only ancillary value. The most important things are correct posture, daily muscle exercises, proper nutrition and careful use of the spine.Using the service, you can make appointments with neurologists, physical therapists, chiropractors and any medical service. You can have an online consultation with a neurologist using the mobile app of the medical center in your city.