Low Back Pain

Low Back Pain

Back pain can be felt in different ways. Batman can be felt as aching, burning, stinging, sharp and blunt. In some patients, low back pain is localized, while in others it is scattered. Pinpoint pain can be easily localized, whereas diffuse pain cannot be precisely located. The pains that accompany them may attack from time to time and may feel mild or severe.

The causes of low back pain can be based on different causes; low back pain can be caused by bone, cartilage, joint capsule, vessel and disc. On the other hand, the exact cause of every pain may not be known. In some patients, pain may persist due to stimulated nerve endings even if the cause of the back pain is eliminated. In addition, the intense stress experienced by patients is among the factors that make it difficult to locate low back pain.

Regardless of which tissue is the cause of low back pain, the tissues causing the pain are displaced or enlarged. If these changes in the tissues put pressure on the nerves, patients may experience pain, warmth, numbness and incontinence in their legs.

What is Acute Low Back Pain?

Every person experiences severe back pain at least once in their life. Low back pain lasting less than 6 weeks is called acute low back pain. Acute low back pain may be caused by trauma or may occur independently of trauma. Eighty percent of people with acute low back pain experience complete relief within six weeks, while approximately 30% of people who have experienced severe low back pain once in their lives are likely to experience recurrent episodes of low back pain.

What is Chronic Low Back Pain?

If it lasts longer than 3 months, it is defined as chronic low back pain. Touch irritation in the lumbar region causes stimulation of the surrounding nerve endings. Stimulated nerve endings cause pain. In addition, inflammation and swelling, which are part of the body's reactions, can also contribute to lower back pain. Chronic low back pain is usually associated with reduced blood flow to the area and therefore reduced oxygenation.

This change in blood flow makes it difficult to remove harmful wastes from the area. For this reason, the sources of pain should be meticulously investigated and treatments should be planned according to these causes so that appropriate treatment can be planned.

Low Back Pain and Activity

People often believe that methods such as avoiding daily activities and lying down to rest are helpful in relieving back pain. However, especially when it comes to acute low back pain, it helps to relieve the pain more quickly if patients continue their active lives as much as they can tolerate. This is because activity increases blood flow to the area and reduces muscle tension and inflammation.

People with low back pain should avoid competitive sports and activities and heavy lifting, while cardio exercises such as walking are recommended. In addition, it will be useful to apply hot or cold to the area of pain. Hot application will help relax the muscles while cold application will help reduce inflammation. However, the contribution of hot and cold applications to long-term recovery has not been fully proven.

Symptoms of Low Back Pain

We can list the symptoms of low back pain that almost every person experiences as follows:

• It may worsen with sitting,
• It lightens with movement,
• They have limited mobility,
• There is a stabbing pain in the lumbar region,
• They cause muscle spasms,
• They can be felt in any part of the back and can extend up to the buttocks and legs,

Causes of Low Back Pain

The functions of the lumbar region include movement, structural support and protection of certain body tissues. Pain in this area can be caused by the discs between the vertebrae, the bones of the spine, the spinal cord and nerves, the ligaments around the spine, the muscles around the waist, the skin covering the lumbar region and the internal organs in the abdomen.

The most common causes of mole pain are nerve irritation, back strain, bone problems, problems in the nerve roots coming out of the spinal cord and joint problems.

Lumbar strain is explained as the stretching of the muscles or tendons in the lumbar region due to various reasons. Tensions in that area cause micro-tears and tissues are damaged. Straining is considered one of the most common causes of low back pain.

Another common cause of low back pain is nerve irritation. The nerves coming from the spine in the lumbar region reach the skin. Irritation of these nerves for any reason causes low back pain, especially inflammation of the nerves due to shingles, problems in the bones and disc disease cause irritation of the nerves.

Lumbar radiculopathy is nerve irritation caused by damage to the discs between the vertebrae in the lumbar region. Among the causes of lumbar radiculopathy, the disc wear of the outer ring, damage to the disc and traumatic injuries.

Another cause of back pain is pressure on the bones. If the lumbar vertebrae are enlarged or displaced, they can limit the space available for the spinal cord and nerves, which causes back pain.

One of the most common causes of back pain is bone and joint conditions. These areas are subject to wear and tear, injury, wear and tear, joint inflammation and congenital defects.

Another cause of back pain is damage to bones and joints. It is especially common in people with osteoporosis and long-term use of cortisone medication.

Another cause of low back pain is arthritis. Types of arthritis, especially those affecting the lumbar and hip joints, frequently cause low back pain in patients.

Treatment Methods for Low Back Pain

In order to treat low back pain, the underlying cause must first be identified. Afterwards, treatment is applied to cure the disease that causes low back pain. In addition to the treatment recommended by specialists, patients can also benefit from alternative medicine methods.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture, which allows the release of energy by inserting thin and stylized needles into special points on the body, is one of the effective methods to deal with low back pain.

Spinal Manipulation

Spinal manipulation applied by experts in the field is one of the methods of applying pressure on the spinal cord. Spinal alignment can be corrected with these applications.

Massage

Massage performed by specialized physiotherapists to relax the muscles that cause low back pain is another method used to relieve low back pain.

Yoga

Regular practice of yoga, which includes stretching movements, is another effective method used to relieve low back pain.

PRP

Especially in the elimination of low back pain caused by disc wear and applications are helped. PRP injections accelerate the healing process of the discs between the vertebrae.

Prolotherapy Injections

For more than 50 years, prolotherapy injections, one of the alternative medicine methods used for low back pain, have been injecting an irritant into the body to activate natural mechanisms. This accelerates the healing of tissues and the growth of cells.