Lumbago is a sudden pain in the back that occurs after intense movements that lead to very painful tension of the back muscles.
Due to the pain, which resembles a sting or a blow, the patient blocks in his movement.
In the spine there are paravertebral muscles.
These muscles support the spine and the weight of the upper body.
The lumbar spine and its muscles are very important for stabilizing the pelvis and spine during movement.
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What are the causes of lumbago?
The strain may be caused by violent twisting, muscle overexertion, or trauma.
One of the most common causes is not lifting a weight properly (for example, in bodybuilding).
Whiplash is an injury that usually occurs in a rear-end collision. The body hits the backrest violently and is then thrown forward to the steering wheel.
Everyone thinks that whiplash only causes neck pain. In fact, however, the backrest first hits the back and then the neck.
As a result of these pathologies, one or more muscles stretch over their physiological length, leading to the injuries.
There are several situations that increase the risk of a strain on the back or a distortion:
- bending in the lower back to pick up an object,
- obesity or overweight,
- weakness of the back muscles,
- weakness of the abdominal muscles,
- pregnancy (due to the weight of the child),
- contracture in the posterior thigh muscles,
- sports activities such as football, weightlifting, etc.
Symptoms of lumbago
The most common symptoms are:
- Pain in the lower back.
- The central or lateral lumbo-sacral zone can be painful to the touch.
- The pain occurs suddenly.
- Stiffness and severe restriction of movement.
- The patient remains in the wrong position (bent forward).
- Muscle spasms.
- The patient usually feels better in a resting position and has difficulty standing or walking for long periods of time.
- As a rule, acute lumbar pain quickly passes; intermittent complaints can occur over a few weeks and rarely become chronic.
Symptoms are usually confined to the back and do not radiate to the legs.
What to do? Therapy of lumbago
A lumbar strain can be very painful. Most cases recover in a short time.
Drug therapy
The first group includes anti-inflammatory agents.
These medicines control inflammation and relieve pain.
There are many nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on the market, for example, ibuprofen (Dolormin), ketoprofen (Alrheumun) or diclofenac (Voltaren).
Nimesulide (Aulin) has been prescribed frequently in the past, but unfortunately many people developed side effects. As a result, trade has ceased in many countries around the world.
In the acute phase, the doctor may also prescribe cortisone such as betametasone (Bentnesol) to relieve pain and inflammation.
The second group of pharmaceuticals are muscle relaxants.
There are also many active ingredients for these drugs.
For patients with spastic symptoms on the back, muscle relaxants are effective in combating the symptoms, for example by injecting methocarbamol (Ortoton).
Painkillers such as acetaminophen (ben-u-ron) are used less because it is less effective.
Exercises
Once the back pain has passed, regular physical exercises must be performed.
Gymnastics keeps the back muscles strong and flexible.
The exercises help to heal and reduce the likelihood of getting further muscle strains in the future.
Gentle sports with a low load level, such as swimming or cycling, are recommended.
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