Symptoms and types of lumbalgia in children and adults, in pregnancy

The main symptom of lumbago is pain – acute or chronic, piercing or prolonged. It can be aching and bother a person for 24 hours, or it can be paroxysmal. Often the pain intensifies at night, and becomes weaker in the morning, after the muscles relax and the bone receives more nutrients. It is also worth noting that one of the symptoms is a dysfunction of the lumbar region – this can be hunching, stiffness, contractures.

With lumbago, deformation and abnormal mobility sometimes develop. Sometimes deformation, shortening or retraction of certain parts of the spine (individual vertebrae) can be observed. Later, hemorrhage, an inflammatory process, which is accompanied by an infectious process, can appear. In this case, an inflammatory or purulent exudate, as well as a hematoma, can appear. In some cases, one of the symptoms can be a general impairment of mobility, which causes pain when walking, as well as the inability to stand up. If this is due to injury, then it is better not to try to stand up, it is better, on the contrary, to ensure immobility.

Pain syndrome in lumbago

It can be expressed in different ways. Many people have a dull, aching pain in the lumbar region, but sometimes they also notice a sharp, piercing pain that radiates from the lumbar region along the entire length of the nearby nerve, and radiates to the buttocks, and sometimes to the intercostal muscles, neck, and along the spine. There can be acute pain, and chronic pain, which sometimes subsides for a certain period of time, then intensifies, when the period of exacerbation occurs.

Lumbago with radicular syndrome

It also manifests itself as a pronounced pain localized in the lumbar region. The pain spreads along the spine and affects the lumbar vertebrae, giving off severe pain in the intervertebral and intercostal space. The nerve roots that pass through these vertebrae are affected, which is called radicular syndrome. The pain is usually sharp and piercing, and runs along the entire nerve fiber.

Lumbago left, right

It can be associated with pain in the paravertebral zones, that is, those areas of the spine that are located on both sides of the spine itself. In addition to these areas, pain can radiate from other areas of the spine. The liver and spleen can also be a source of pain. Pain can radiate to the lower back along the nerves, including the trigeminal nerve. Often the pain spreads to the buttocks, to the hypochondrium. Quite often, pain in the kidney area is confused with pain in the lower back, since there is a concept of "irradiation", which implies that the pain radiates along the entire course of the nerve fiber. It can occur with diagnoses such as pyelonephritis, nephritis, glomerulonephritis, and other pathologies of the kidneys and urinary tract.

Bilateral lumbago

It is often a consequence of damage to the paravertebral muscles, as well as damage to the intervertebral discs, intercostal areas and the area in the kidneys, adrenal glands. At the same time, it is worth noting that quite often such pain on both sides indicates the development of pain syndrome in the nerves, in which the nerves are subject to an inflammatory process, and the pain radiates to various areas. It is worth noting that often in this case, pain on both sides develops against the background of intercostal neuralgia. It is important to take into account that pain on both sides can also develop in the case of inflammatory and infectious damage to the lungs and bronchi. In some cases, such sensations arise against the background of radiculitis, intervertebral hernia, damage to the spinal canal, and even the spinal cord.

Dorsalgia

It is a lesion of the posterior spinous processes of the spine. In this case, both mechanical damage and inflammatory and even infectious damage may occur. It is accompanied by the development of an inflammatory process, damage to the spinal canal, excessive accumulation of leukocytes in the area of damage, which causes an inflammatory process. There is also a decrease in the immune system, a violation of the hormonal background. For treatment, a correct diagnosis is required, as well as strict adherence to the doctor's recommendations. Both drug therapy and various physiotherapeutic procedures can be used.

[ 1 ]

Lumbago and sciatica, with sciatica

It is a pain in the lumbar region, which also affects the sciatic nerve area. The pain is localized both in the lumbar region and in the buttocks area. The pathogenesis of this syndrome is based on compression of the spinal nerve root. The main compression occurs in the sciatic nerve area, as well as in the lumbar region. In addition to pain, there are other syndromes, which in each case are strictly individual and very diverse.

The closest synonym for the concept of "sciatica" today is radiculitis, affecting the sacrum and sciatic nerve. There may be many reasons, including radiculopathy, radiculoischemia, and other pathologies. When literally translated, this disease means an inflammatory process that affects the nerve. However, it has now been established that the process in most cases is non-inflammatory in nature, since there is mechanical compression of the nerve by various factors, including intervertebral zones. It can also develop as a consequence of various injuries, damaging effects, tumors, hematomas.

This disease is typical mainly for patients aged 40-60 years, which is caused by age-related features and degenerative processes in the brain and spinal cord, spine and intervertebral discs. It is often a consequence of compression and prolonged immobility. This is often observed in people with disabilities who are forced to sit for a long time (in a motionless position), as well as in those who are in a lying position for a long time (for example, seriously ill people, people with fractures, lying in traction). Sciatica is also often found during pregnancy. The cause may be both immobility in general, and limited mobility of individual parts of the body, and compression of individual areas of the spine, sciatic nerves.

Lumbago and lumbodynia

Lumbago is a sharp, shooting pain that affects the lumbar region. In this case , there is a severe lesion of the spine itself, intervertebral discs and the surrounding space. Lumbago is an acute inflammatory process that is accompanied by sharp and acute pain. Whereas lumbago is a protracted, chronic process, the essence of which also comes down to the development of a pain syndrome, which may not be so sharp, but more moderate, weak. As for the pain in lumbago, it is rather aching, protracted in nature, and more often accompanies a non-acute, chronic process.

Lumbago in children

Most often in children, this is a congenital process, which consists either of genetically determined anomalies affecting the spinal nerves and spinal cord. Or these can be congenital deviations that appeared during intrauterine development, or directly during childbirth, if the child received a spinal or sacrum injury. In children, this process can be curable, but sometimes incurable pathologies occur that can only be supported, but cannot be completely cured. Exacerbations can occur under the influence of various factors, including hypothermia, fatigue, prolonged exposure to stress, and a sedentary lifestyle. In children, the lumbosacral zone and the vertebrae located near the sacrum are most often damaged. In this area, the vertebrae are closely intertwined with each other, forming nerve plexuses and fibers.

They are formed, as a rule, by the roots of the spinal cord, which are closely intertwined with each other along the inner side of the spine. It is from this nerve plexus that the sciatic nerve emerges, which is often subject to mechanical pinching. It passes through the entire surface of the buttock and comes out to the shin. In the area of the shin, it divides into 2 nerves. The sciatic nerve is a paired organ that forms large nerve plexuses on the left and right.

Lumbago during pregnancy

Quite often during pregnancy, the lower back hurts. The pain can be different, but most often it is aching and pulling. It can also intensify in the evening, and if the woman stays in one position for a long time. The pain from the pelvic areas and the sacrum area rises directly to the lower back area.

The pain can be sharp and shooting, and it intensifies with sudden movements, turns, and simply when trying to stand up. It often happens that the pain from the lower back is so strong that it feels like it is impossible to stand up. The pain can radiate to the sacrum, as well as to the pelvic area. Quite often it affects the front surface of the thigh (less often - the lateral surface).

In this case, there is a feeling of a shooting pain, a sharp blow. It is difficult to lean on the leg, there is a fear that you can fall, because, according to many women, the legs "give way". It is impossible to completely eliminate this condition, since it is caused by the fact that the fetus puts pressure on the lumbar region, and this affects the nerve fibers and nerve plexuses. The basis of the pain syndrome during pregnancy is also the compression and constant mechanical damage to the sciatic nerve, which is why the pain is not localized strictly in the lumbar region, but diverges along the entire nerve, and also gets into the buttocks and thighs.

The longer the pregnancy, the stronger the pain syndrome in the lumbar region, since the size of the fetus and the force of its pressure are constantly increasing. It is worth noting that the only reliable means of getting rid of pain is physical exercise aimed at the lumbar region, hips, and pelvic area.

It should also be noted that there are special bandages that allow you to unload the lumbar region, reduce the load on it. Such a bandage should be worn regularly to prevent excessive load on the spine, lower back. They start wearing it from about 20-25 weeks of pregnancy, but it is possible earlier. You need to look at your own well-being, and the doctor's recommendations, which are based mainly on the results of ultrasound and laboratory tests. Usually, the need for such a bandage is determined by the size and weight of the fetus itself.

Sleeping on your stomach is not recommended. It is better to sleep on your back or side, as this reduces the load on your lower back. It is better to do physical exercises in several approaches of 10-15 minutes. It is recommended to do up to 5-10 approaches to doing physical exercises per day. The main goal of physical exercises should be to relieve the lower back, remove excessive load, normalize metabolic processes, prepare the pelvic area and lower back for the upcoming birth. It is imperative to do morning and evening exercises. The remaining approaches should be depending on how severe the pain syndrome is.

Forms

There are different types of lumbago. The wide variety of types of this pathology has determined the diversity of classifications that underlie the division of this phenomenon. Thus, in accordance with one of the classifications, which is based on the localization of pain and damage, there are vertebrogenic lumbago, lumbago of the lumbar, sacral spine. Spondylogenic form, muscular-tonic syndrome, as well as intercostal and vestibular lumbago are separately distinguished. Depending on the form of the disease, acute, subacute and chronic forms are distinguished. Depending on the severity of the pathology, mild, moderate, medium, severe forms of the disease are distinguished.

Vertebrogenic lumbago

It refers to a form of lumbago that affects various parts of the spine. This involves damage to the intervertebral discs, the vertebrae themselves, and their processes. Often, a nerve is pinched. It is worth noting that the name comes from the Latin "vertebra", which means vertebra. Accordingly, it is not difficult to guess that the damage affects the vertebrae and the spine as a whole.

Lumbago of the lumbar spine

They mean a separate form of lumbago, in which the lumbar spine is damaged first. In this case, severe pain is felt in this section, the vertebrae are damaged and pinched. As for the irradiation of pain, this phenomenon also exists and implies that the pain spreads along the nerve and can be felt in other sections.

Most often, the sciatic nerve is pinched in parallel, which entails pain and damage in the sacrum, pelvic area, and the pain also spreads to the thigh, shin. Lumbago of the lumbar spine occurs with improper loading of the lower back, with hypodynamia, as well as against the background of a cold, hypothermia, stress, injury.

Lumbago of the sacral region

Most often, it is assumed that pain in the sacrum area occurs as a result of trauma. It should be noted that such pathology is not noted as an independent pathology. In most cases, it is a consequence of the spread of pain from the lumbar region, along the entire spine, or to the sacrum, coccyx. Separate damage to the sacral region can only be discussed if there is trauma and a sedentary lifestyle. Most often, the trigger for the development of lumbago is precisely the impact on the sacrum of a damaging nature, which entails a violation of the integrity of the bones, the development of an inflammatory process, and the involvement of nearby areas in this process.

Spondylogenic lumbodynia

It is a damage of intervertebral discs, in which they are pinched between two adjacent vertebrae. In this case, we are talking about damage in the lumbar spine. In this case, the leading symptom is pain, which is acute. Without treatment, it can become chronic. It is worth noting that treatment with physical rehabilitation alone (massage, therapeutic exercise) is not able to completely eliminate the pathology. In this case, mandatory drug treatment is required, as well as physiotherapy.

Lumbago with muscular tonic syndrome

Involves the traditional form of lumbago, in which the lumbar spine is damaged, and the muscular system is also involved in the pathological process. A sharp decrease in muscle tone is noted. In addition to the main symptoms (pain, stiffness), an inflammatory process in the paravertebral muscles is also added. They gradually weaken, are unable to maintain the necessary tone, and, accordingly, cannot provide the necessary mobility.

Gradually, in the absence of treatment, the tone continues to decrease, the pathology progresses and spreads to neighboring areas as well. An increasing part of the musculoskeletal system is involved in the pathological process. Convulsions may be observed. In the absence of treatment, it can progress to complete loss of mobility and disability.

Intercostal lumbodynia

It is damage to the areas between the ribs. In this case, the intercostal muscles are primarily involved in the pathological process. A characteristic feature is the involvement of the diaphragm muscles and chest muscles in the pathological process. As for the spread of the pathological process, pain can radiate along the nerve fiber, which is also involved in the pathological process.

Vestibular lumbago

It is a special form of lumbago, which, in addition to pain in the lumbar region, is also characterized by a disorder of the vestibular apparatus, which manifests itself as headache, slight dizziness, burning in the back of the head, and impaired coordination. The cause is damage to the spinal cord, as well as progression to the brain area.

Vertical lumbago

Vertical lumbago means the spread of pain in the vertical direction from the coccyx to the brain. There is damage to the spinal cord, its various parts. As a rule, such a syndrome is removed with the help of drug treatment methods, various physiotherapy procedures, as well as with the help of specially selected physical exercises.