The lower back requires special attention — don’t expect sciatica

The lower back works when you get out of bed or pick up a mug of coffee. She participates in greeting a friend — you wave your hand. You stress it even more when you bend down to pet the dog. But the most dangerous thing is turning the toilet to drain the water.

Many who experienced a back injury were puzzled by the discrepancy between the insignificance of the provoking action and the severity of the resulting pain, writes xrust. How can such a small, harmless movement cause such paralyzing pain that lasts for weeks, months, years, and in some cases, decades?

The reason is that in most cases, lower back pain is not the result of damage to muscles, tendons or bones. Most often they start with something as innocuous as a muscle spasm, which then triggers the process of sensitizing the nerves in the lower back and causing pain that is difficult to treat.

The absence of serious underlying injuries may be little consolation for the estimated 80% of the population who will suffer from low back pain at some point in their lives. But the good news is that preventing lower back pain is much easier than treating it, and if it does occur, in many cases it will go away on its own over time.

The spine works in all planes

The spine is essentially a support that protects the spinal cord and nerves, supports us in a standing position, but at the same time allows us to bend, turn and twist. This requires a lot of moving parts. So many structures can be involved in the process of back pain: so many joints, so many muscles — large muscles, small muscles — intervertebral discs.

And we practically do not use these structures. “The joints need to be moved,” doctors say. We put a lot of stress, especially on the lumbar spine, not allowing it to adapt and move.

Don't ignore the triggers of back pain

Back problems are the third most common disease in Australia and account for 2.2% of the national health budget. At any given time, one in six Australians suffer from back problems.

The reason back pain is so common is that many people first experience back pain during adolescence, and there is a high likelihood of recurrence: about one-third of people who have an episode of low back pain will have another one within a year.

But what causes back pain? We know that there are genetic factors that predispose you to back pain, we know that there are lifestyle factors, and we know that there are factors related to mental health.

Often the most likely explanation for the first muscle spasm is simply exhaustion. It is now believed that in most cases — and this is about 95% of cases of back pain — they occur during periods of stress, lack of sleep, low activity, fatigue, and then, for example, you bend over, lift something, and immediately the back spasm begins. This acute pain then causes us to tense up, move less, and protect the affected area, which in turn causes changes in the surrounding tissues and nerves, making them sensitive to even the most minor and harmless stimuli. Anyone who has experienced lower back pain may be surprised to learn that it is rarely caused by a serious injury. However, studies using imaging techniques such as X-rays, CT scans and MRIs show that in most cases there is no obvious difference between people with pain and people without pain.

Follow a healthy lifestyle.

As with many musculoskeletal problems, prevention is better than cure with painkillers. A recent Australian study showed just how important this is: lifestyle changes such as improving sleep, quitting smoking, eating healthier and increasing physical activity can save people thousands of dollars in medical costs for low back pain.

The spine requires movement in all directions

Experts say that the solution to most back pain problems is constant movement. One option that provides variety is yoga.

Playing sports with back pain does not mean ignoring the pain, but doing everything possible despite it.” You need to change the technique of movements, but at the same time continue to move.

Xrust The lower back requires special attention — don’t expect sciatica