Among the various pains that occur in the body of adults, low back pain is a high-frequency “pain”, and its prevalence is second only to colds.
In addition to illness, sedentary, menstrual period, exercise, lifting heavy objects… These times may touch the low back pain switch.
The Lancet, a top international medical journal, shows that low back pain has become the leading cause of disability in the world.
The Lancet: Low back pain, leading cause of disability worldwide
A recent review of 165 studies published in The Lancet showed that low back pain is the leading cause of lost productivity globally, the number one killer of healthy life lost in 126 countries, and the leading cause of disability globally.
The above report shows that the prevalence of low back pain increases with age:
Prevalence of 7-10 years old: only 1%-6%;
Adolescent prevalence: 18%;
Prevalence among people aged 40-69: 28%-42%.
In addition, the prevalence of middle-aged and elderly women between the ages of 40 and 80 is particularly high.
In China, 80% of people have experienced low back pain in their lifetime, and the prevalence is second only to colds. The prevalence of low back pain among people aged 45 and over is 18%, and the prevalence of low back pain among people aged 65-69 is the highest.
Low back pain is the most frequently diagnosed disease in orthopedic outpatient clinics. In the past, the older generation often did heavy physical labor, and even if they had low back pain, they often did not go to see it.
Nowadays, people pay more and more attention to health, and the number of timely medical treatment increases, and the incidence rate is getting higher and higher.
As a disease mainly characterized by lumbar spine and muscle degeneration, the older you are, the higher the incidence of low back pain and the more severe the symptoms. As the average life expectancy increases, the prevalence will increase naturally.
Low back pain has brought huge losses to individuals and society. Many countries have paid huge social costs for the treatment of low back pain, including medical expenditures and lost productivity.
A survey published in The Lancet 2021 shows:
U.K
The economic burden of low back pain is £28 billion per year.
Australia
Treating low back pain costs A$48 billion a year.
America
The annual cost of treating low back pain exceeds $100 billion.
According to statistics, about 2/3 of the economic losses caused by low back pain come from indirect costs, such as loss of productivity, personnel accompanying and so on.
Low back pain has the characteristics of high disability rate, which is also the reason for its high social cost. The loss caused by poor work performance of patients is even higher than medical expenditure.
In addition, there are some cost losses that are difficult to measure, such as being unable to do housework, take care of family members, reduce opportunities to participate in society, and have psychological problems such as anxiety and depression.
5 overlooked causes of low back pain
The pathogenesis of low back pain is diverse, including intervertebral disc degeneration, radicular pain, joint disease, myofascial pain, sacroiliac joint pain, lumbar spondylolisthesis, and lumbar spine tumors.
The main cause of low back pain is a problem with the bones or muscles in the lower back.
bone damage
Under the condition of good stability and maintaining normal lumbar and thoracic angles, the human waist can bear a weight of one or two hundred pounds. If the weight is too large, the stress of the joints around the lumbar spine will increase significantly, and the cartilage surface in the facet joints of the lumbar spine will be worn.
Under normal circumstances, the intervertebral disc has a certain resilience, similar to the shock-absorbing spring of a car, and can be restored, but if the load is too large, the lumbar intervertebral disc will undergo pathological degeneration, resulting in bone hyperplasia, accelerated lumbar aging, and cause pain.
It is worth noting that sitting and standing for a long time can especially hurt the waist. Judging from the outpatient situation, nearly 70% of patients with low back pain are related to prolonged sitting. Drivers, white-collar workers, and students are all people with a high incidence of low back pain.
Osteoporosis
This is an important cause of low back pain in middle-aged and elderly people.
With the increase of calcium loss rate, chronic migratory low back pain may occur after further development of osteoporosis. In severe cases, sneezing may induce thoracolumbar compression fractures, causing sudden severe low back pain.
lumbar muscle strain
A lot of low back pain stems from a strain of the lumbar muscle, known as myofasciitis. There are two types of muscles that protect the waist:
One is the muscles that maintain the stability of the lumbar spine, such as the transversus abdominis and the multifidus;
The second is the muscles that provide back strength and perform certain special movements, such as the trapezius, erector spinae, etc., which usually only exert force when bending over to take things, hold heavy objects, etc.
If the lumbar spine maintains a position for a long time, the fascia or muscles are constantly stretched, and chronic inflammation and strain may occur, resulting in low back pain.
In all age groups, the prevalence of low back pain in women is higher than that in men. This is because women usually have weaker lumbar muscles and lower bone mass, and their lumbar support and muscles are not as good as men’s to protect the lumbar spine.
Women experience high-frequency low back pain during:
Pregnancy: The load on the waist increases, and the incidence of low back pain also increases.
Menopause: The incidence of osteoporosis in women is 3 to 4 times that of men, resulting in a significant increase in the incidence of low back pain.
Bacterial infection
Such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Brucella infection. When the body’s resistance is weak, bacteria may colonize and proliferate on the spine, destroying surrounding tissues and causing pain.
This kind of back pain often starts slowly and gets worse little by little. Some patients with mumps will experience extreme low back pain because there are a large number of lymphoid tissues next to the spine. The inflammatory cells of the parotid gland spread along the lymphatic system, causing infection of the tissues around the spine, causing psoas major abscesses, and even destroying the lumbar intervertebral space.
Cold waist
In the presence of musculoskeletal pathology, a number of triggers can cause sudden exacerbations of pain symptoms.
When cold, in order to protect the lower back, the muscles will be in a state of tension and spasm. After a long time, the lumbar muscle strain will be aggravated, resulting in stiffness and strain, the load on the lumbar intervertebral disc will be greatly increased, and the pain will be aggravated.
In addition, urinary tract stones may also induce low back pain. This type of pain usually comes on suddenly, with severe pain, accompanied by discomfort in urination, pain on both sides of the ribcage and back, but no pain in the spine.
Diseases of the waist and abdomen, such as herpes zoster and pelvic inflammatory disease, can also cause low back pain. It is recommended to go to the hospital for a clear diagnosis and prescribe the right medicine.
3 types of low back pain have their own countermeasures
Many people often don’t care when they have low back pain, some are stiff, some go to the pharmacy to buy some plaster and pain reliever, some go for massage, and some patients do not follow the doctor’s instructions even if they go to the hospital for a definite diagnosis. , worried about side effects.
In fact, there are different ways to deal with different low back pain:
Cute low back pain
Can not wait
In the event of sudden severe low back pain, you cannot take painkillers at will, and you need to go to the emergency department immediately to investigate some dangerous emergencies, such as lumbar spine fracture, lumbar disc herniation, infection, urinary system stones, ectopic pregnancy, aneurysm, arterial dissection rupture, etc.
lower back pain
observable
If there is faint low back pain, the symptoms gradually worsen from very mild, and then become mild again after two days, and there are no other system symptoms, you can observe it.
Belts can be worn during the onset of low back pain to provide good support and protection. It is generally used for 2 to 3 weeks, but no more than 4 weeks. After the symptoms are relieved, the belt should be removed to avoid the decline of the muscle strength of the waist.
Chronic low back pain
Do not be nervous
If the low back pain recurs, you need to go to the hospital to clarify the cause, such as lumbar disc herniation, low back muscle pain, pelvic inflammatory disease, menstrual pain, etc., you can take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as prescribed by the doctor, such as loxoprofen, Voltaren, Fenbid.
There is a process from the appearance of muscle inflammation to the peak. The sooner the blockage is, the faster the symptoms are eliminated. Especially for patients with low back muscle inflammation, in addition to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants are also used. The medication time is usually 4 to 6 weeks.
In addition, experts also remind that massage should be cautious to relieve low back pain, and it is recommended to go to a regular hospital or clinic. Some health centers use unprofessional techniques and excessive force, which may cause injuries or even fractures.
6 things to do to prevent low back pain
Some inadvertent bad habits in life will not only increase the pressure on the lower back, but also make the lower back pain recur. Therefore, to prevent low back pain, do the following:
Avoid prolonged sitting and standing
People who work at a desk for a long time can buy a lumbar pillow to help maintain the physiological curvature of the lumbar spine. At the same time, they should get up and move for a while every hour. If conditions permit, they can do radio gymnastics once in the morning and in the afternoon.
Drivers who drive for a long time should also find an opportunity to get out of the car and walk around for a while.
keep warm
When the temperature drops sharply, especially when the seasons change in spring and autumn, to avoid getting cold on the waist, it is recommended to wear a waistband.
Softness of the bed
For the elderly and young women, bedding that is too hard or too soft is not good. A 3-5 cm mattress should be placed on the bed to ensure that the spine is parallel to the bed board when lying on the side.
Balanced nutrition
In addition to more sun exposure, middle-aged and elderly people should also pay attention to calcium and vitamin D supplementation, and eat more vegetables and whole grains.
A study from the University of Pittsburgh in the United States shows that low back pain is related to diet, and an anti-inflammatory diet based on whole grains and a lot of fruits and vegetables can reduce the incidence and severity of low back pain.
Correct posture when lifting heavy objects
Many people have suffered lower back injuries due to incorrect posture when lifting heavy objects. When lifting heavy objects, the body should be as close as possible to the heavy objects, bending the legs without bending the waist, and not bowing the waist forward.
Strengthen psoas muscle function exercise
General exercise
Walking backwards, swimming, walking, jogging, plank;
Advanced exercise
Lie on your stomach, stretch your hands and feet up, hold for a few seconds and then lower.
Five-point support method: Lie on your back, use your head, shoulders, and feet as support, slowly raise your abdomen to form an “arch bridge”, and put it down after a few seconds.
It should be emphasized that the abdominal muscles should not be exercised through sit-ups, because when you stand up, the force is concentrated on the lumbar intervertebral disc, which will accelerate its degeneration.
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