In developed countries, almost 75 percent of the population consults a doctor at least once due to back pain.Nine out of ten people will experience back pain at least once during their lifetime.Most often, back diseases affect people between thirty and fifty years old, that is, of active working age.Of all patients who come to the clinic, more than a third do so for back pain.There are effective medications to relieve pain.
Types of back pain
Back pain is acute if it is located in the spine and began no more than six weeks ago.Acute pain is difficult for patients to tolerate, but in many cases it is a relatively benign symptom that can be treated.With timely treatment, patients return to their professional activities within a month.
If the pain lasts more than six weeks, it becomes chronic, which is an equally dangerous problem, since there is a significant deterioration in the quality of life of patients of working age.The proportion of patients with chronic back pain is ten percent.
Reasons
It is worth noting that the causes of the development of pathological processes on the back have been studied quite well.Back pain can occur due to both risk factors and a developed disease.Most often, pain in the back and spine occurs when:
- overweight;
- muscle strain;
- injury to the intervertebral joints;
- spasm;
- hypothermia;
- osteochondrosis;
- protrusion and herniation of the intervertebral disc;
- neuralgia.
It is well known that the presence of excess body weight significantly increases the load on the musculoskeletal system: the load on the lumbar spine increases by forty kilograms with an increase in the body mass index by one unit.A sedentary lifestyle, prolonged exposure to a static position with incorrect posture and lack of physical activity cause both acute and chronic back pain.
osteochondrosis
First among the causes of back pain is spinal osteochondrosis.Spinal osteochondrosis is a destructive pathological process that develops in the intervertebral discs.As the disease progresses, the bodies of the adjacent vertebrae, the intervertebral joints and the ligaments that support the spine become involved in the degenerative process.
Initially, the process takes place in the core of the disc, which becomes less elastic due to moisture loss.These processes in a relatively localized area of the spinal segment lead to inevitable changes in the adjacent vertebrae and intervertebral joints, which ultimately affect the mobility of the spine as a whole.
herniated disc
Lumbar disc herniation is the most common.The patient feels pain in the back, which radiates to the leg, buttocks, reaches the foot or is located on the inner thigh.
Mobility is limited.Sensitivity is affected, which can manifest itself in the form of burning and tingling.
neuralgia
The presence of muscular neuralgia can be judged by the appearance of a sharp stabbing pain in the back.It occurs due to compression of the nerve under the influence of inflamed surrounding tissues.
The most common place where pain occurs is in the narrow spaces between the ribs in the back.Neuralgia occurs in both childhood and adulthood.
Injections for back and lower back pain.
Today, the treating doctor in matters of therapy is guided by data from the scientific literature, his own experience and the experience of his colleagues, since there are no standards for the diagnosis and treatment of back pain that would be officially recommended by the Ministry of Health.
The following medications can be used to treat back pain:
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
- muscle relaxants;
- chondroprotectors;
- vasodilators and improve microcirculation;
- synthetic drugs;
- B vitamins.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
This group of drugs is indispensable for diseases of the musculoskeletal system.Sold without a prescription.
Available in the form of ointments, gels, tablets, suspensions, capsules, rectal suppositories, injections for intravenous and intramuscular injections.
Prescribed:
- Anti-inflammatory drug from the group of phenylacetic acid derivatives with analgesic effect.Well tolerated and effectively relieves pain.Side effects include inhibition of proteoglycan synthesis in cartilage tissue and ulcerogenic properties, that is, promotion of gastric ulcer formation.
- Anti-inflammatory drug from the sulfonamide class with analgesic effect.The difference from the previous remedy is the prevention of the destruction of proteoglycans and cartilage tissue, a selective effect on inflammatory mediators, which reduces the risk of gastric ulcers and enhances the effect of corticosteroids.Ideal for quickly relieving acute pain.Side effects include the risk of toxic liver damage.
Steroid anti-inflammatory medications
It is used in cases where non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs do not have the desired effect.
They have a rapid effect, have a systemic anti-inflammatory effect and reduce pain in the pathological focus.Available in the form of ointments, tablets, injections for intramuscular, intravenous and intra-articular injections.
Used in severe cases.They are only sold with a doctor's prescription because they have many side effects: weight gain, edema, osteoporosis, ulcerative processes in the stomach and intestines.
muscle relaxants
They are used only as part of complex treatment with drugs from other groups.The action is based on the relaxation of the muscles, that is, they themselves do not have any therapeutic effect.But muscle relaxation helps in the presence of prolonged spasms that cause pain and to increase the effectiveness of manual therapy, massages and physiotherapy.
They are used both together with NSAIDs and in cases of intolerance to them or the presence of contraindications for them.
They are only available with a prescription, as they have side effects: sudden changes in blood pressure, seizures, muscle weakness and a depressant effect on the central nervous system.
Chondroprotectors
These include glucosamine and chondroitin preparations.Chondroitin promotes calcium retention and slows bone resorption.Glucosamine helps improve the functions of the affected joint by increasing the production of hyaluronic acid.Available in the form of ointments, tablets, injections for intramuscular and intra-articular injections.Prescribed in combination with NSAIDs.They have practically no contraindications or side effects.
In this case, to obtain the best effect, oral administration should be combined with parenteral administration:
- Injections for intramuscular administration: one ampoule three times a week for one to two months.
- Powder: dissolve in water and take half an hour before meals.Take one packet once a day for one to three months.
- Tablets: Take two tablets three times a day with meals.
Vasodilators
The medicine based on deproteinized blood derivative of calf blood helps to dilate blood vessels and reduce trophic and microcirculatory disorders by improving the supply of oxygen and nutrients.There is a decrease in hypoxia in the pathological focus with radiculopathies, osteochondrosis and intervertebral hernias.Available without a prescription in the form of tablets and injections.
Intravenous injections of a purine derivative are carried out in the morning and during the day, 200-300 mg of the drug.Intramuscular injections are carried out two or three times a day, 100 mg.Tablets, when taken simultaneously with injections, enhance the effect of the drug and take one tablet two to three times a day.
B vitamins
Used as part of complex therapy.Only three vitamins from this group are used.Thiamine participates in energy metabolism, improves the conduction of nerve impulses, relieves pain and promotes the restoration of intervertebral discs.Pyridoxine prevents hypoxia and improves trophism of intervertebral discs.Cyanocobalamin relieves inflammation, increases tissue trophism and restores the structure of nervous tissue.
Available without a prescription.They have practically no contraindications or side effects.Available in the form of tablets and injections.Use one ampoule a day for ten days.If the pain is not acute, a regimen is used in which 3 ampoules are used per week (every other day) for three or four weeks.
The above medications should be combined depending on the type of disease.But whatever it is, the main treatment will be aimed at eliminating pain, stopping inflammation and restoring the functions of the musculoskeletal system at the origin of the pathology.
The following are used as therapeutic measures:
- massage;
- manual therapy;
- physiotherapy;
- physiotherapy;
- electrical neurostimulation;
- therapeutic blockade;
- decompression and surgical stabilization.
A general practitioner prescribes appropriate therapy after a thorough examination.If necessary, he will refer the patient to a specialist: neurologist, gynecologist, urologist.
Lock for back pain
Performing a paravertebral block makes it possible to ensure the administration of the drug directly to the pathological focus, which is the cause of acute pain.Patients experience immediate relief when the block is performed.But it can only be done in a hospital and only by a competent specialist.Pain relief is temporary, but noticeable.The procedure also has diagnostic value.If after the block there is no immediate pain relief, then the reason is not related to a spinal disease.
The blockade can be performed in biologically active points of muscles and tendons, in soft tissues surrounding the affected segment of the spine, in nerve sheaths, nerve ganglia, joints and joints.In this case, the injection consists of one, two, three or more medications.These can be local anesthetics, corticosteroids, NSAIDs, vitamins, ATP.The effectiveness of blocks is undeniable in osteochondrosis, herniated disc, spondylosis and spondyloarthrosis, lumbago, radiculitis and acute and chronic spinal pain.
Lockout procedure
When performing a blockade with any of the above medications, the following is observed:
- immediate feeling of the effect by the patient;
- almost total absence of contraindications;
- creating a high concentration of the drug specifically in the pathological focus.
Procedure description:
- examination of the pathological focus with localization of the site of maximum pain;
- the patient is placed face down;
- treat the blockage site with an antiseptic;
- anesthesia of the puncture site and drug administration.
There are few contraindications for the blockade, but they exist: pregnancy, individual intolerance to drugs, infection in the procedure area.
There are many ways to get rid of back pain.It is advisable to resort not only to pills or injections for back and lower back pain, but also to remember home remedies.First aid at home consists of applying cold to the back (ice from the refrigerator, frozen meat, meatballs from the freezer).The painful spasm is relieved with massage.