Lower back pain has a highly variable etiology. If you have low back pain, you may have a degenerative condition, such as arthritis, or have suffered acute trauma, such as a fracture. Each disease has a number of peculiar symptoms; you may therefore be able to rule out some by paying attention to the complaints you complain about. If the pain persists, it is best to seek medical attention for a formal diagnosis.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Consider the Common Causes of Minor Pain
Step 1. Reflect on recent trauma
If you've recently had an accident of any kind, the pain could be from an injury. Specifically, if the discomfort started soon after an injury, you are much more likely to be suffering from an acute episode rather than a degenerative disease.
- There are many different types of trauma, such as a fall, a car accident or a too vigorous workout in the gym.
- In some cases, it is a minor injury that heals on its own, but in other circumstances it may be something more serious. If the pain doesn't subside within a few days, go to the doctor to make sure you haven't suffered an injury worthy of medical attention, such as a fracture.
- Strains and sprains are quite common during physical activity, but usually heal within a week without a doctor's intervention.
Step 2. Assess your activity level
Sitting for a long time, especially at the computer, can cause lower back pain. Although inactivity sometimes leads to back conditions that require specialist care, in other cases the treatment is as simple as the cause itself. If you feel low back pain comes from a too sedentary lifestyle, try to increase your activity level to find some relief.
- Try getting up often to take a break from walking throughout the day. It is important to leave your desk at least once every 60 minutes; you can set reminders on your computer or watch to keep that commitment.
- If possible, use a desk to work standing up to avoid sitting all day.
- If you can't move during business hours, try to improve comfort by using lumbar support pillows or an ergonomic chair.
- If these remedies do not improve the situation, there may be a more serious problem, so it is worth making an appointment with your doctor.
Step 3. Consider your sleep habits
Sleeping the wrong way or on an unsuitable mattress could cause lower back pain. by changing habits or buying a better mattress, you can easily put an end to your ailments.
- The prone position is the worst for the lower back; try to rest on your back to see if the pain subsides. You could also put a pillow under your knees for extra support; alternatively, sleep on your side by tucking a pillow between your knees. You can try different thickness pillows until you find the right one for you.
- The mattress should be firm to support the back, but not too hard to feel shoulder discomfort; medium hard models are generally best suited for most people.
Step 4. Analyze the footwear
It is very important that the shoes provide good support for the health of the spine. If you wear uncomfortable or poorly supported ones often, this habit could be the source of the pain.
- Avoid high heels, as they alter the alignment of the spine.
- If you opt for low models, make sure they offer arch support; flat shoes, such as flip-flops, are just as bad for the back as high ones, if not worse.
Step 5. Monitor your load lifting technique
In some cases, low back pain is triggered by carrying heavy objects badly, especially if the work has lasted a long time. If you often carry bags or other similar loads, try to reduce their weight to see if they impact your low back pain.
Children often complain of back pain due to heavy backpacks; to prevent this from happening, check that the weight of your child's satchel does not exceed 20% of that of his body
Step 6. Balance your physical activity
Sometimes low back pain is caused by excessive activity, especially if you are not fit or exercise sporadically. Evaluate whether you have recently done any exercise that may have contributed to the suffering; for example, sports such as golf that involve repetitive twisting of the trunk are often the cause of pain.
Running is also a factor responsible for this disorder; running on uneven surfaces or the track also triggers other problems related to foot pronation, which impair muscle movement and spread pain to the back
Part 2 of 3: Evaluating the Symptoms
Step 1. Assess the location and type of pain
There are many different types of low back pain. By identifying the exact sore spot, as well as the kind of pain (painful, burning, sharp, and so on), you can trace the cause.
- Spondylolisthesis can trigger pain in the lower back, butt and legs;
- If you experience acute, isolated pain in one side of the lower back, you may have kidney stones;
- Irritation of the sciatic nerve causes pain and tingling in the lower back, which may, however, extend to a leg and / or foot;
- Lumbar degenerative disc disease often triggers twinges or a painful numbness in the back;
- Fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread pain in many areas of the body, including the loins;
- The discomfort caused by muscle knots is usually localized or spreads to the buttocks or upper thighs;
- However, remember that low back pain is a complex disorder and on occasion the symptoms do not agree with the diagnosis. This is why it is vital to undergo a full evaluation by your doctor, so that he can recognize the disease and identify the cause of the suffering.
Step 2. Consider when the discomfort occurs
The various lumbar pathologies can make certain activities or positions painful. Write down when you begin to feel the disorder, which movements seem to exacerbate it, and which positions have a soothing effect.
- If the situation worsens when you stand, lean back or twist your torso but improve when you lean forward, the problem could affect the joint processes of the vertebrae;
- If the pain is triggered for no apparent reason and is accompanied by a "popping" sensation, you may have sciatica pain;
- If the pain escalates when you sit down, you may have a herniated disc;
- If you feel worse when you walk, but find some relief from bending forward or sitting down, the pain could originate from spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spaces between the various elements of the spine.
- The discomfort that appears and disappears throughout the day can be related to an internal organ, such as a kidney or pancreas.
Step 3. Look out for numbness and weakness
There are several other diseases that can trigger these symptoms in addition to low back pain; in this case, you must be very precise in communicating the exact location and intensity of the discomfort to the doctor to identify the underlying cause.
- Spondylolisthesis is a source of weakness in the back and legs;
- Spinal stenosis causes weakness problems when walking;
- Sciatica typically triggers this symptom in only one leg;
- Infections are a source of generalized weakness, fever and chills;
- Cauda equina syndrome, a severe spinal cord injury, causes numbness in the genital area and inner thighs.
Step 4. Take note of the stiffness
Some conditions that cause lower back pain can also trigger muscle stiffness, preventing movement; if you complain of this symptom, tell your doctor as it is a good diagnostic clue.
- Spondylolisthesis generates lumbar stiffness;
- There are several inflammatory joint diseases, such as Reiter's syndrome, which cause muscle stiffness, especially in younger patients.
Part 3 of 3: Undergo Medical Exams to Confirm Diagnosis
Step 1. Get examined
When you see your doctor about low back pain, you undergo a comprehensive physical exam that involves a series of tests designed to isolate the exact spot of pain. The doctor evaluates the opportunity to perform one or more specific tests based on the symptoms.
- Patrick's test (also known as FABER test) allows you to identify pathologies affecting the sacroiliac joint.
- The presence of the Lasègue sign makes it possible to identify the herniated disc. The doctor asks you to lie on your back and lift one leg keeping it straight; if you experience pain when moving, there is likely to be a hernia.
- The doctor makes you lean back to see if there is a spinal stenosis; patients suffering from this pathology complain of pain during this movement.
Step 2. Get blood tests
It is very likely that the doctor wants to perform laboratory tests; Strange as it may seem, it is an important diagnostic tool. Blood tests are used to rule out underlying conditions that could contribute to low back pain, such as infections.
Step 3. Take x-rays
This is often the first check required by the doctor to try to identify the origin of the pain; during the procedure, radiation is used to create images of the bones.
- It is a useful diagnostic tool for recognizing bone problems, such as fractures and bone spurs, but it cannot identify pathologies affecting soft tissues.
- He is aware that radiographs are only part of the tools available to the doctor to arrive at a diagnosis; X-rays are not enough to provide a definitive answer. There are people whose radiographs show degenerative changes but who do not feel pain; for example disc degeneration, osteoarthritis of the articular process (zygapophysis) and osteophytes are present in almost 90% of the population over 64 years of age.
Step 4. Get an MRI or computed tomography scan
If the doctor thinks that the pain is caused by a soft tissue disorder, he or she is likely to ask for this type of examination; both procedures are capable of recreating images of tissues, including ligaments, cartilage and intervertebral discs.
They are useful tests for diagnosing diseases such as herniated disc, spinal stenosis and degenerative diseases of the joints; however, your doctor evaluates the results of these tests against other results to come to a logical conclusion about your health. Positive findings on MRI are not necessarily a cause for concern, as studies have shown that between 52 and 81% of asymptomatic patients have a protruded disc
Step 5. Get a bone scan
While not as common a procedure as other imaging tests, it is sometimes used to get a better look at the bones and involves injecting a small amount of radioactive material into the patient's body before taking the images.
Bone scan is very effective in detecting tumors and osteoporosis
Step 6. Undergo electromyography (EMG)
If you have symptoms such as numbness or painful twinges, your doctor may opt for this test, which measures the body's electrical activity to diagnose nerve damage or compression.
Both nerve damage and compression can have several causes, such as a herniated disc or spinal stenosis. EMG cannot pinpoint the source of the neurological problem, but it does help your doctor understand the underlying condition affecting you
Warnings
- Simply self-diagnosing the problem could cause more harm than good; if you have severe symptoms or symptoms that last more than a few days, see your doctor right away.
- There are many less common causes of low back pain, including cancer, aneurysm, and uterine fibroids.
