Back muscle pain

Back muscle pain in some people can be a consequence of ordinary physical fatigue, a long stay in an uncomfortable, or as physiologists say, in an unnatural physiological position. This often happens in the summer with gardeners and vegetable growers who spend most of the day in a bent position over the beds. Poor posture in schoolchildren and office workers becomes one of the provocateurs of back pain in everyday routine almost all year round, regardless of the age and gender of the person.

For others, back muscle pain may be a signal of a resumption of a chronic process, which is inevitably accompanied by pain in the back. Moreover, the disease does not necessarily have to cover the musculoskeletal structure of the back, an echo in the form of back pain may be a lesion of any organ in the body, regardless of its location.

There is also a third category of people who have constant back muscle pain, changing only the degree of its intensity and the nature of its manifestation. This category includes patients who have had serious back injuries in the past, including the muscular-ligamentous apparatus and damage to the spinal column itself. For example, herniated discs can provoke the appearance of minor, aching pain in the affected area, or can cause serious pain attacks accompanied by loss of motor activity, although they may not manifest themselves for a long time with any pain. A spinal contusion will cause pain in the back muscles for a long time, and even after complete recovery, there is a high probability of pain in a certain body position or when making sudden movements.

Each reason that results in pain in the back muscles or other parts of the body must certainly be considered in a comprehensive manner, without taking into account the influence of external factors, a person’s lifestyle, his professional activity and the presence of concomitant diseases, which, first of all, can become the provocateurs of painful symptoms in the back.

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What causes back muscle pain?

Pain caused by severe muscle spasms can be called myofascial (dysfunctional disorders of the myofascial tissue), dorsalgia (a term that directly refers to pain in the back muscles) or myalgia (a general term for all muscle pain). Since in any case we are talking about muscle pain, in the text we will use the general term "myalgia".

Myalgias occur as a result of lack of oxygen in a pinched, twisted, overstrained muscle. This is possible, in fact, in the wrong position of the body, frequent neglect of correct posture and other situations.

Musculofascial pain is also caused by serious disorders such as:

• vertebral osteochondrosis,
• scoliosis,
• hernias.

Diseases, one of the characteristic symptoms of which is pain in the back muscles, include:

• bruises, injuries, sprains of muscles and ligaments of the spinal region;
• inflammation of the back muscles themselves (myositis);
• radiculitis of the lumbosacral region;
• lumbago;

In addition, there are a number of diseases that are not related to the back muscles, but are nevertheless accompanied by pain in that area, often with radiating symptoms:

• cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary heart disease;
• kidney stone and gallstone disease;
• many diseases of the pelvic organs;
• hip joint diseases;
• oncological damage to organs, including the spine.

A separate point should be stressful situations and nervous strain. According to many scientists, such emotional states in themselves are not always capable of provoking severe muscle pain, but in the presence of one of the diseases in which increased muscle tone is observed, the occurrence of muscle spasms at the time of stress increases many times over. Therefore, one should not exclude the emotional factor from the probable reasons for which pain in the back muscles may occur.

How to recognize in the back muscles?

The most optimal diagnostic methods among instrumental ones include:

• X-ray examinations;
• magnetic resonance imaging;
• computer tomogram.

It is imperative to take into account the clinical and biochemical parameters of the blood test.

Back Muscle Pain and Its Treatment Methods

The very first and necessary measure to resort to when back pain occurs is to create peace and a level body position for the patient. Providing maximum peace can significantly reduce the pain syndrome. After the person is laid down, it is necessary to use a painkiller from among the antispasmodics. It is good if there is a person with a medical education in the immediate environment. It is quite difficult to cope with muscle pain in the back on your own, unless we are talking about a patient for whom such a case is not unexpected.

As a rule, people suffering from constant back pain keep all the necessary drugs for quick pain relief "at hand" and are even able to give themselves an intramuscular injection. But it is still worth trusting such procedures to professionals, so as not to aggravate the situation by adding complications from an incorrectly performed injection.

Treatment of patients with back pain, in the acute phase, is generally preferable to be carried out at home, thereby ensuring maximum comfort for the patient, without forcing him to make a lot of movements once again to receive an injection in the hospital procedure room. Such tactics of patient management are possible in the case of an uncomplicated disease, in other words - if the situation allows. If the case requires the patient's presence in the hospital, where there will be access to all the necessary equipment, both therapeutic and diagnostic, then there is no point in insisting on home treatment.

The main focus of treatment, in addition to rest, is on drugs from among non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics and muscle relaxants. The treatment complex includes massages and therapeutic exercise, physiotherapy. In some cases, cryotherapy courses are indicated.

In addition to conservative treatment, surgical intervention is also possible. The decision on the need to switch to a surgical method is made either from the very beginning, when the situation leaves no choice, such as in the case of a spinal injury or a ruptured back muscle due to a rib fracture, or after complications arise due to ineffective treatment, when a progressive disease cannot be stopped by drugs alone. This happens in cases with tumor-like neoplasms.

Modern treatment methods have reached their maximum heights and therefore, even surgical intervention can be carried out with minimal damage to tissues, both external and internal. Postoperative recovery periods after such interventions are much faster and painless.

A healthy back is an indicator of wisdom

In order for the organs of our body to always be in a healthy condition, it is necessary to build the right attitude towards them. If nothing hurts in the body, this does not mean that it is completely healthy. Examinations carried out comprehensively twice a year will allow us to control all the processes occurring inside our body and, as they say, keep our finger on the pulse. An annual examination should become a necessary norm of behavior, without which further exploitation of one's own body is impossible. Technical inspection of the car is carried out at a strictly allotted time, and every driver knows that if he misses this time, a punishment in the form of a fine will certainly follow. From the side of our body, such punishments follow in the form of various pains and diseases that were not detected in time.

Trained muscles can withstand greater loads than untrained ones. You need to pay attention to your back not only when it has already started to hurt. Daily exercises aimed at developing the muscles of the whole body will take the average person no more than 20 minutes a day, but will allow you to saturate all the cells with oxygen, start many chemical, organic processes in the tissues and raise your vitality to the proper level.

Back muscle pain, like most diseases, is much easier to prevent than to treat, so learn to treat your body wisely and it will not ignore it.