What can hurt the back? 7 possible reasons

It is believed that this disease is not treatable and will go away. But in fact, things can be much more difficult. What could be the causes of back pain and some of them need medical care?

back pain

Muscle load

About 85% of cases of chronic or intermittent back pain associated with excessive stress. Don't be surprised: even if you have not used, do not carry heavy things and dig in the beds day and night, the muscles of the back again of the daily burden. When you sit, for example, in front of the monitor, that they have to maintain a large part of the body. Therefore, doctors recommend that those who work at the table as possible, "deeper" to sit on a chair, leaning on his back.

However, the diagnosis of "tired back" no one will deliver. As a rule, mild back pain is due to "unspecified reasons" (this may be temporary damage to the muscles or ligaments) and treated with rest and proper posture in the chair. If the pain does not go away after 2 weeks or recur regularly, you should ask your doctor to do more research.

Compression fracture

According to the American medical Association, the diagnosis is about 4% of patients with back pain. Compression fracture — fracture of a vertebra, most frequently in the elderly and osteoporotic patients. In this disease the bones become less dense and can break simply under the pressure of body weight. Therefore, fractures as a result of injuries in this category are not included. So the patient himself can see, how can you break his vertebrae to talk about it is just a sharp nagging pain.

Such fractures are treated with a strict bedtime routine and medications aimed at reducing pain.

Herniated discs

Herniated disc — a fairly common problem, which often occurs in people over 40 (although it can be diagnosed at an earlier age). Cause — degeneration of the muscles and connective tissue. With age, the spine as if to "solve" the vertebrae are pressed closer to each other, the intervertebral discs are flattened and bulge beyond the vertebral column. The result is the same compression of the nerve roots, causing severe pain in the lower back and legs.

As a rule, the localization of the pain can tell your doctor where you can have a hernia. But to confirm the diagnosis and accurately determine the location of the hernia is usually performed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Spondylolisthesis

This condition occurs in 5-7% of the population, although it is diagnosed much less frequently (most often chronic lower back pain, people just do not pay attention). Spondylolisthesis leg of one of the vertebrae (usually the 5. the lumbar spine) is deformed, whereby the bell "crawls" at the bottom, bulging in the same forward or backward. The relevant part of the spine becomes like a ladder and not a pole.

The symptoms are the same — pain in the lower back, sometimes in the buttocks, can rarely be given in the lower extremities. Misaligned vertebrae compress the nerve roots extend from the spinal cord, which leads to pain.

Ankylosing spondylitis

Another name for this disease — ankylosing spondylitis. Common among men, both older and younger people. A woman is less than one-sixth of all patients.

Bechterew's disease

Is mainly manifested by pain and stiffness in the lower back, aching pain in hips, constant tension in the back muscles. The reason is the inflammation of the joints and ligaments of the spine. It is a chronic progressive disease, that is, with the lumbar spine, the inflammation extends to the neck and chest. In addition, over time, can affect the connective tissue of internal organs, cardiovascular system, kidneys, lungs and even the eyes. However, the disease is quite rare — it "set" for about 0,35 patients.

Cancer

Approximately 0.7% of patients complain of back pain later detected cancer. It could be cancer, initially localized in the spine, or metastatic tumors in other organs. As can be seen from the statistics, such cases are extremely rare: generally cancer is "caught" by other symptoms, and if you don't have oncological diseases in the past, back pain is unlikely to usher you this terrible diagnosis.

Infection of the spine

One of the few causes of back pain (0,01%). Typically, the infection starts with the spine, and get the waist through the bloodstream from other parts of the body, where the urinary channel, for example. Like other infectious lesions, usually accompanied by a fever. However, a combination of "back ache + fever" does not mean that you have infection of the spine. The flu, for example, can cause the same symptoms.