Severe back pain in women

Despite the fact that hard physical labor, which does not best affect the state of hard and soft tissue structures of the spine, is considered the prerogative of the male half of humanity, women have much more reason to complain about spinal pain. On this subject, you can write a whole thesis on the unenviable female fate.

As with men, severe back pain in women can occur with inadequate physical exertion, for example, when trying to sharply lift a heavy object or an older child. Often, such troubles are and during classes so popular in our time fitness, requiring a gradual increase in loads. But our women, in pursuit of a beautiful figure, are eager to begin immediately in exercises that cause maximum calorie consumption, especially when you have summer and beach season on your nose.

Lack of regular moderate physical exertion is no less dangerous than abuse of them. Today, work on the Internet is gaining much popularity. Online sales and consulting require you to allocate enough time to work at the computer, and when it becomes long-term and regular problems begin with the neck and back. The same waits for those who work on a permanent basis as a web designer, computer typing operator, copywriter, etc., or simply loves communication on the Internet and “work” on an online farm, in modeling business, etc. (gameplay delays women no less than men, just the choice of games may be somewhat different).

In the weaker sex can be purely female hobbies: embroidery, knitting and other types of needlework (and today there are a great many). Such a hobby, which many give enough time, makes a woman sit for a long time in a sitting position, and the static posture and tension of the back muscles only provoke unwanted changes in her tissues.

There are no less reasons to chill the lower back and then suffer from pain in it in women than in men. Middle and older age makes it mainly while working in the country and the garden, and young people - parading in early spring and autumn, their forms in the waist area (tops and pants with a low waist). Fashionable short fur coats and jackets also do not contribute to the health of the waist.

We will not repeat, listing all sorts of diseases of the spine, in which there can appear various types of severe back pain. As we have already understood, women share almost all the same diseases as men. In addition, the course of acute and chronic pathologies in the weaker sex is the same as in the strong, with a difference only in the stage of the disease and sensitivity to pain.

With regard to infectious and inflammatory pathologies of internal organs, diseases of the kidneys, bladder, liver, stomach and other organs occur in women with the same frequency as in men. But they still need to add gynecological pathology. The location of the female genital organs is such that bacteria, fungi and viruses penetrating into them receive “shelter” with all the comforts and the ability to actively and practically imperfectly reproduce, provoking inflammation of the vagina, appendages, ovaries, and uterus. And the inflammation and dysplastic processes caused by it in the uterus and vagina, which increase the risk of cancer, are often accompanied by unpleasant, aching sensations in the back. During exacerbation, they can take on quite high intensity, and the woman begins to complain that she has a lot of pain in the lower back and hurts (aches, pulls) the stomach.

With the reproductive system, women are associated with occasional severe back pain before menstruation, as well as during menstruation, especially in the early days. About 2/3 of women complain of pain in the back and abdomen during certain periods of the menstrual cycle. This phenomenon even corresponds to a special medical term - dysmenorrhea.

Menstruation is characterized by an increase in the level of female sex hormones, which is diagnosed even a few days before the onset of menstrual bleeding. Such hormonal changes cause the contraction of the muscle walls of the uterus, so the abdominal pains resemble those during contractions, but only of lower intensity.

While actively contracting, the uterus, located near the spine in its lumbosacral region, can irritate the nerve endings, and the pain begins to be felt even in the lower back. By the nature and intensity, it does not differ from the pain syndrome provoked by spinal pathologies, but it is always accompanied by pain and spasms in the lower abdomen.

Increased activity of the thyroid gland and high sensitivity to pain are risk factors for the appearance of different types of severe back and stomach pains on the eve and during menstruation. But the cause of the fact that during menstruation a bad back hurts, there can be a disturbance in the exchange of fluids in a woman’s body.

In some diseases, the liquid can accumulate in soft tissues, increasing their volume (edema) and weight. Hormonal imbalance only exacerbates such disorders, which leads to pain syndrome, which has 2 reasons:

• squeezing of the nerve roots with increased volume and thickened tissues,
• increase in total body weight with an increase in load on the spine and back muscles.

If the pain syndrome during menstruation is accompanied by pulling pains in the lower abdomen and pathological secretions from the genitals during the intermenstrual period, the reason should already be sought in another. In most cases, with such symptoms, infectious-inflammatory pathologies are found in women, including sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). And sometimes even we are talking about cervical cancer, which, increasing in size due to a tumor, puts pressure on the spine and nerve roots of the spinal cord, provoking the appearance of severe back pain.

It also happens that the cause of pain during menstruation lies not so much in the reproductive system itself, as in other neurological problems, which in this period are usually exacerbated.

We can not exclude the pain of a psychogenic nature, peculiar to the weaker sex than men. The unpleasant symptom in this case is associated with increased female suspiciousness and the expectation that pain should appear during menstruation. Stress resistance in women is usually lower than that of the stronger sex, they are more likely to experience various problems and troubles, and on the eve of menstruation are generally ready to flare up like a match for any reason. The increased excitability of the nervous system against the background of other processes occurring in a woman’s body during menstruation can cause pain not only in the stomach but also in the back and legs, headaches, fatigue, etc.

Fluctuations in hormonal background are also observed during menopause, although in this case we are talking about reducing the production of female sex hormones. It would seem that this should be the prevention of back pain, but in fact, such changes negatively affect the state of the bone tissue, making it less durable. A rather frequent consequence of climacteric changes in the body is the development of osteoporosis. This fully explains the fact that in post-menopausal women, osteoporosis is diagnosed much more often than in men.

But back to the young women who have back pain can occur during pregnancy. Much has already been said about the increased load on the entire body during this period, and the spine is no exception. But in the early stages of pregnancy, when the main problem is only the intensification of the production of female hormones that support pregnancy, back problems rarely occur. And if they appear, then in a complex with pains in the lower abdomen, indicating a threatened miscarriage.

True, during this period many women still work. Frequently, not heavy, sedentary work, which, in the course of an 8-hour working day, has time to put on a tight back. This is what can cause back pain, not dangerous for pregnant women, but still unpleasant and tedious.

Starting at 4 months of pregnancy, when the fetus, and with it the tummy, begin to noticeably increase in size, back pain is no longer a rarity. The enlarging uterus begins to put pressure on the spine and nerve endings that respond to pain in the back. The pains of future mummies are aching in nature and the more the fetus becomes, the more often they appear, acquiring a chronic character at the time of birth.

Another reason for the severe back pain during  late pregnancy (34-37 weeks) is a change in the posture of a woman. An increase and weighting of the tummy, as well as some processes of preparing the body for childbirth, lead to the fact that in order to maintain balance, a woman has to move the upper body back. A strong bend forms in the lower back. This change in posture increases the load on the muscles of the lumbosacral, so the future mothers so often have a backache in the lower back.

As the child approaches the birth, the baby descends below and the uterus may already press on the lower part of the spine, especially if the fetus is large. In this case, the woman may complain of pain in the lumbar region and the sacrum. To treat such pain with drugs is meaningless. Rest and rest will be more relevant, and in case of the threat of premature birth, bed rest will be provided.

There is no pathology in this, unless, of course, this is not about placenta previa. In this case, back pain will occur in combination with nagging pains in the abdomen, and sometimes with suspicious colored discharge, if the presentation is complicated by placental abruption.

Back pain during pregnancy can greatly impair the quality of life of the expectant mother, but even after childbirth problems do not end. Quite a lot of happy pregnant women in the beginning begin to experience all different types of severe or moderate back pain. What could be the reasons for such discomfort:

• Fetal growth in the womb is accompanied by an increase in the uterus, which in turn puts pressure on the abdominal muscles, which are forced to stretch under pressure. In the last trimester of pregnancy, the pelvic bones gradually disintegrate, which is preparation for childbirth. These events, plus the displacement of internal organs and the strong tension of the ligaments with which they are attached to the spine, contribute to the appearance of quite intense back pain.
• The tension of the abdominal muscles leads to a noticeable tension of the associated lower back muscles. After the baby comes out, the back tissues will need some more time to return to normal. Any of their tension (for example, when bending or raising a child in his arms) may be accompanied by severe back pain.
• Many women during pregnancy gain excess weight, which again increases the load on the spine. The more the weight of a happy mother, the greater the risk of pain in the back.
• The uterus that increases during pregnancy contributes to the displacement of the internal organs, and in particular the kidneys, which will take time and some effort to restore the former position. This process may be accompanied by pulling pain in the lumbar region.
• Severe back pain after childbirth can occur against the background of existing chronic diseases of the spine, which may well be exacerbated after a serious shake-up. It is about osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernia and disc protrusion.
• During labor, the pelvic bones diverge even more. And the tailbone tilts back, letting the child into the light. It is not surprising that after childbirth, women may complain of pain in the tailbone and sacrum.
• Sometimes pain syndrome is caused by injuries of the joints during labor.
• Large loads on the back during pregnancy require time for tissue repair, but the birth of a baby requires the young mother to actively move and perform various physical work to care for the child. In this regard, the restoration of the back may take 2 or more months.
• Usually moms complain of lower back pain. If the pain syndrome appears in the area of the shoulder blades, then it is most likely caused by stomach problems, which are not uncommon in this period, or lungs (hormonal changes strongly affect the immune system of the woman, so the cold and infections after childbirth surprise no one).

It is especially hard for those who have undergone a cesarean section. Any surgery has negative consequences for the body, which, one way or another, affect the patient's condition and well-being. An incision in the tissues of the peritoneum for a long time can remind oneself of painful sensations, which over time acquire a pulling character and decrease in intensity.

If this does not happen, and discomfort in the back joins the abdominal pain, there is a possibility that an infection was introduced during or after the operation. In this case, the woman will suffer from spilled pain, which can be felt in the neck, in the back and in the lower back.

Cesarean section involves the use of anesthesia. Some drugs used for this purpose violate nerve conduction and are not always well tolerated by patients. One of the complications can be back pain that appears after the effect of the drug departs. Especially often this is observed when using spinal anesthesia, when a risk is added during an injection to damage nerve fibers.

After cesarean, as well as after natural childbirth, there is a high risk of exacerbation of existing chronic diseases, regardless of when they were acquired: before conception or already during pregnancy (for example, scoliosis, which often develops due to changes in the posture of the future mother).

Many internal organs and tissues of the peritoneum are innervated by fibers extending from the spinal cord. After cesarean section, rather large scars remain on them, which heal gradually and painfully. Damaged nerve fibers during surgery can cause the appearance of reflected back pain. And the more cuts and damaged nerves, the more intense and longer the pain syndrome can last, which can aggravate the causes of a psychogenic nature, because a woman with large incisions in the peritoneum is constantly waiting for the pain to occur, it is only necessary for her to strain her abdominal muscles.

[1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6]