Low back pain

Did you know that one in four people has pain in the lower back or lumbar area at some point in their life?

At present, low back pain has been recognized as one of the most important health problems in work and organizational contexts, representing the most frequent cause of occupational health disability in Nicaragua. The conditions of the work environment, such as the use of improper tools, positions, postures and movements are one of the main causes of low back pain.

Definition.

It is defined as the pain syndrome located in the lumbar region (lower back) with eventual irradiation to the gluteal region. Produced for any cause.

Classification:

According to its evolution time, we can classify it into:

• Sharp
• Subacute
• Chronicle

Acute low back pain: presents a time of evolution of less than 6 weeks, this pain is recurrent in 60-80% of cases. Incorporating aerobics and yoga as flexibility exercises can decrease the frequency and intensity of pain recurrences.

Subacute low back pain: It presents an evolution time between 6 and 12 weeks.

Chronic low back pain: there is no absolute consensus regarding its evolution time. Some authors describe it as one that already exceeds 3 months.

Types:

Low back pain is divided into two large groups:

• Specify: It is the one to which the cause is reached. (20% of cases). For example: degenerative arthritis (deterioration of the cartilage that covers or protects the vertebra, osteoporosis (decrease in bone density that causes the bones to be more fragile) Hernia.
• Nonspecific: In these cases, the structure that causes the pain is not clearly identified. (80% of cases).

Causes:

• Bad postures when sitting.
• Sudden or frequent movements.
• Trauma (Injuries)
• Lift something heavy.
• Physical activity (Sports) without having warmed up.
• Kidney infection
• Muscle spasms
• Hernia
• Sciatic pain (pain caused by the sciatic nerve)
• Scoliosis (abnormal curvature of the spine)
• Presence of kidney stones ("kidney stones")

Signs and symptoms:

• Pain in lumbar region
• Painful limitation of mobility
• Pain on palpation (touch)
• Muscle contracture (knot)
• Pain that radiates to the lower limbs (legs)
• Pain that worsens when standing or walking.

Diagnosis:

The main objective is to rule out in patients those serious causes whose clinical manifestation is low back pain (example: tumors). For this, an exhaustive medical history must first be carried out followed by a physical examination, paying attention to the patient's clinical symptoms and other recent diagnoses that have been performed:

• Age over 55 years.
• Family background
• Previous diagnosis of cancer.
• Duration of pain greater than a month.
• Lack of relief with bed rest.

Note: The diagnosis will be made by a health professional, and will depend on the symptoms presented by the patient and the examinations prior to the consultation.

Treatment:

Treatment will depend on the cause:

If it is caused by muscle or nerve root problems, treatment can be directed to medicinal products such as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, muscle relaxants.

The application of hot or cold compresses, during the first days after the pain starts, accompanied by exercises, can help relieve pain.

Alternative therapies such as acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, electrostimulation, Ayurvedic massages, shiatsu accompanied by phytotherapeutic treatment (treatment with medicinal plants) are proven to reduce low back pain by a large percentage, as long as you go periodically being disciplined with the treatment.

In Ayurveda there are several massage techniques (Kadeevasti, Body massage, Shiro Abhyanga) that help reduce partial or total low back pain, these help to strengthen the muscles in the area, promote greater blood irrigation and therefore to perceive improvement in the lumbar area decreasing back pain.