Lumbar pain in men after the age of 35 is considered common. In such a situation, many patients apply various ointments to the inflamed area, make injections and live, slowly coming to terms with daily suffering.
However, back pain occurs for various reasons. Injections or ointments alone will not get rid of low back pain.
In such a situation, the patient is diagnosed by a general practitioner, who identifies the causes of lower back disease and prescribes specific treatment.
Causes of pain
Why does the lower back hurt in men? Lower back pain in men occurs for the following reasons:
- with the formation of a hernia of the spine;
- due to the appearance of sciatica;
- with osteoporosis;
- due to osteochondrosis;
- due to pinching of the spinal nerves;
- due to the formation of a tumor in the back. This cause of the disease is also often the result of various diseases in the lumbar region of the back.
Pain also occurs during stressful situations.
Spinal hernia
Men often overlook back pain in the lumbar region. However, such diseases often lead to back hernias.
In such a situation, when the lumbar disc is destroyed, a hernia appears in the back, which sometimes leads to immobilization and injury.
With the formation of an intervertebral hernia, a person experiences severe discomfort in the lumbar region of the back (right or left), which is a consequence of damage to various parts of the spinal cord.
sciatica
What causes lower back pain in men? For example, from such a disease as sciatica. This disease is considered a complex of symptoms of pain that occur when pinching or squeezing the roots in the spinal cord.
Such a disease does not manifest itself as a disease in itself, but as a pathological process that is secondary.
Such sciatica occurs after the development of osteochondrosis - the destruction of the intervertebral discs.
The patient has another attack of sciatica in such situations:
- with physical stress;
- due to hypothermia;
- with colds, flu;
- due to general intoxication of the body;
- due to circulatory disorders;
- with sudden or random lumbar movements.
As a result, the man has the following symptoms of lumbar sacral sciatica:
- pain of varying intensity, which is exacerbated by a sharp movement of the back, with a fall. Also, the pain syndrome increases when lifting heavy objects and other physical exercises on the lumbar region of the back;
- back pain in the lumbar region when sneezing, coughing or tension in the abdominal muscles;
- movements are inhibited when the body moves sideways, forward, backward;
- the patient cannot stand on his toes or bend them.
Osteoporosis
If a person bends down and feels pain in the back and lower back, then most likely he has osteoporosis. This disease occurs due to a lack of calcium in the tissues.
As a result, osteoporosis occurs for the following reasons:
- with a deficiency of male sex hormones - testosterone;
- due to lack of calcium and vitamin D;
- with a sedentary inactive lifestyle;
- due to taking specific medications;
- with complications from various diseases;
- due to bad habits.
Initially, with osteoporosis, a person suffers from lumbar pain. Such attacks are diagnosed by the constant nature of the pain or occur with sudden movement, sneezing, coughing or laughing.
Osteoporosis is detrimental to humans because it destroys the vertebrae from the inside. Therefore, men with this disease experience unpleasant discomfort when leaning to the left and right.
Also, lower back pain in men occurs when walking. Thus, the back becomes fragile and under heavy loads fractures of the spine occur.
Osteochondrosis
What other causes of back pain in men are there? Low back pain may be the result of the development of spinal osteochondrosis. In such a disease, bone and cartilage vertebral tissues grow in a person, which compresses the spinal nerves and causes pain.
Osteochondrosis is common in athletes with increased physical activity.
In such a disease, the man has a feeling of "stiffness" in the lumbar region and the man can not fully straighten his back.Thus, the back begins to hurt with sudden movement or if a person bends low.
Doctors such as an orthopedist or surgeon know how to treat osteochondrosis. In the treatment of such a disease, doctors slow down the rapid growth of cartilage tissue. Thus, the doctor injects inhibitors of cell division into the patient's body, stretches the vertebrae and prescribes him to wear a corset.
In some situations, the surgeon performs back surgery. It then releases the pinched nerve.
stretching
When a man's back hurts, his back muscles stretch. A person suffers from muscle tension if he lifts weights or puts too much weight, at home or during sports activities.
To eliminate the inflammation when stretching the back, you need to put a cold compress on the sore spot with each product from the freezer. In addition, under the compress it is necessary to place a layer of cloth. Hold it for about 30 minutes.
The muscle strain is then removed by the ambulance doctors. They assess the patient's condition and prescribe a spinal diagnosis, while preventing the formation of more serious injuries.
Stretching the back and lower back is treated for several weeks. In such a situation, the patient must be at rest, otherwise the treatment of the lower back will be ineffective and the pain will become chronic.
pinched nerve
More often it is a short man who suffers from low back disease, which is formed by pinching the spinal nerves. This happens with sudden movements and exercises with weights, as well as when lifting heavy objects in everyday life.
To avoid pinching nerves, the patient should do all physical exercises with a certain technique - in particular to keep a straight back.
Nervous pinching of the lower back causes unpleasant diseases of the legs.In such a situation, the patient should lie on a warm bed.The patient should lie in a comfortable position - in one in which the lumbar muscles are completely relaxed.
Also in such a disease, a wrapped blanket is placed under the patient's knees to relax the lower back. Then the lower back is wrapped in a thick cloth - a warming woolen belt is placed on it.
If the nerve is pinched due to frost or wind, the above steps should be repeated. Also in a similar situation you can use different warming gels. If after 2 days the man does not feel better, you should seek medical help from a neurologist.
Low back pain as a symptom of a tumor
When lower back pain in men is not removed with any medication, a malignant tumor often appears in the internal organs. When such a tumor appears on the lumbar spine, severe pain develops. This occurs when the nerves are pinched after the formation of metastases.
Oncology is considered a serious disease, regardless of location. Almost every cancer affects every spinal segment with metastases.
It should be noted that some tumors cause neurological symptoms that make it difficult for the physician to identify the underlying cause.This applies to tumors that form on the spinal cord.
Tumors such as spinal carcinoma develop rapidly, progress and destroy neighboring organs. Cancer cells quickly reach the spine, so you can't manage your health. Even the initial stage of osteochondrosis leads to serious consequences without good treatment.
Stress
Men's lives are often filled with the pursuit of success, various victories and defeats. Thus, lumbar pain in men often occurs due to severe fatigue or nervous tension.
A person who is under stress often relaxes.Thus, the load on the lower back increases.
Therefore, such a patient needs a break, a visit to a new place or a change in the type of work. However, the correct diagnosis is made only by a neurologist, who sees exactly what diseases of the spine a person has.
Symptoms
One often has low back pain precisely because of the enormous stress. The constant pain is formed not only in the lumbar region of the spine, but can also radiate to the groin, lower abdomen, passing to the male genitalia and legs.
Painful pain in the lower back occurs in men due to such symptoms: painful urination and impotence.
When men have lower back pain, they experience various side effects. Therefore, each doctor makes a differentiated diagnosis for each patient.
In this way, the therapist excludes possible diseases of the internal organs and focuses on lumbar pathology.
Diagnosis
When contacting a doctor, many men complain of low back pain, but do not understand what is wrong. The therapist then uses pain to determine the cause of the lumbar disease and prescribes specific treatment for the patient.
When diagnosing unhealthy low back pain in men, the patient undergoes the following activities:
- CT;
- radiography (X-ray examination);
- resonant magnetic resonance imaging (MRI);
- myelography.
Treatment
After establishing the correct diagnosis, the therapist prescribes specific treatment to the patient: conservative or surgical.
In the conservative treatment of low back pain in men, the doctor prescribes the patient the use of various drugs and ointments, undergoing physical therapy and more. In this way, the patient performs the following actions:
- uses NSAIDs (injections, tablets, ointments);
- uses steroid drugs (injections, tablets);
- uses means to restore joints (injections, tablets, ointments);
- uses drugs that improve the metabolism of phosphorus and potassium (injections, tablets);
- uses tonics, vitamin complexes;
- adjust your weight and also change your diet;
- conducting the necessary physiotherapy;
- goes for a massage;
- engaged in physiotherapy.
Conservative approaches often use alternative therapies: acupuncture, kinesiology and manual therapy.
Medical treatment
How can a man treat his back in the lumbar region? When treating low back pain, the man applies various ointments to the inflamed area.They are very effective in treating the disease at home.
The ointment relieves low back pain, muscle tension or warms the affected area.
As a result, if the lower back hurts, the man applies the following ointments to the skin:
- analgesics that give anti-inflammatory effect (menthol, lavender);
- anesthetic ointments;
- various combination preparations used for sprains and injuries;
- various chondroprotectors that quickly restore articular cartilage.
The patient also takes such pills:
- anti-inflammatory;
- muscle relaxants;
- various corticosteroids;
- antidepressants (eg serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (prescribed only by a doctor);
- with chronic lower back pain, the patient takes tricyclic antidepressants;
- makes injections of B vitamins;
- the doctor injects the patient with a medicine that consists of several vitamins.
exercise therapy
What to do if a man's cross hurts? Therapeutic gymnastics is considered a good prevention and therapy for diseases of the spine.During the training therapy, the patient strengthens the muscular corset of the back and corrects posture.
In diseases of the lower back, the patient performs the following exercises:
- lie on your back, consistently lift your lower limbs by 15 cm and keep your feet on the weight for some time;
- lie on your shoulders, bend your legs at the knees at right angles and rise to great heights. After performing such an exercise, the man moves his bent legs left and right and touches the floor with them;
- slowly and smoothly tilts the body in certain directions. During such an exercise, the man does not bend his back at chest level, which makes him flat;
- stands on all fours and then immediately moves the right shin and left arm or vice versa.
Treatment with folk remedies
How else can you deal with low back pain in a man? For example, you can take traditional medicine. When treating a disease with folk remedies, the patient performs the following actions:
- use warming compresses of horseradish or radish, salt compresses or apply a fly tincture on the skin;
- rubs the sore spot. Man uses vodka tinctures of burdock root or paprika;
- wraps the lower back with a woolen belt or lies on a heating pad;
- treated with herbs - drinking decoctions or supplements that restore inflamed joints and lower back;
- massages the waist with honey and various warming agents.
All folk remedies can be used only after diagnosing and identifying the cause of lower back pain, as well as after consultation with your doctor.
Surgery
Lumbar surgery is rarely performed and only if the herniated disc causes severe pain or when the disease progresses. This is followed by prolonged recovery of the patient.
If the man has severe back pain in the lumbar region due to pathology of the internal organs, then surgeons first remove the main source of pain.
Prevention
Because any disease is easier to prevent than to cure for months or years, everyone needs to maintain their health every day.He must therefore follow specific methods of prevention.
To prevent lumbar spine pain, men who do not move much should take short breaks for walking, bending or pulling during work.
Do not spend all your free time in front of the computer. At least once a week you should walk in the park for 1-2 hours.
When sitting, the man should maintain a straight posture so that his back does not bend over time and does not form osteochondrosis or scoliosis.
The special training therapy strengthens the spinal muscles and increases the flexibility of the spine. In this way, exercise therapy prevents pinching of nerves and compression of blood vessels.
Also, the man must properly lift heavy loads, evenly distributing the load on the whole body and at the same time reduce the load on the spine.
Thus, timely prevention helps men maintain their own health and avoid many lumbar diseases.