Back pain: know the symptoms, causes and treatment

Pain or pain in the back is a fairly common complaint. In fact, it can be said that at least low back pain that is mild and temporary will be experienced by everyone once in a lifetime. Usually, low back pain occurs when muscles tighten after doing heavy work. However, more severe back pain can be based on a more serious condition, such as dehydration, urinary tract infections, or kidney disease. Come on, find out more about the symptoms, causes and how to treat them.

Symptoms and signs of low back pain

Back pain or flank pain is a type of problem in the musculoskeletal system. This condition causes pain that appears both on the right and on the left of the back of the back, precisely in the area below the ribs and above the pelvis.

Pain sensation is usually felt worse on one side of the waist. There are those who feel more back pain on the right or pain in the left waist. The pain can even spread to the front of the body to the bottom.

This one movement system disorder has several common signs and symptoms that you need to pay attention to, including:

• Heat sensation in the waist.
• Muscle pain and tingling.
• Stiff pain to muscle cramps that radiate to the leg area.

Low back pain can feel achy and dull at first, or feel stabbing and sharp like cramps. The pain you feel will come and go. Gradually, the pain can make it difficult for you to move and stand upright.

Not only around the ribs and waist, pain can also spread to the hips and legs. However, other more specific signs and symptoms of low back pain can also appear according to the cause.

The cause of the appearance of pain in the waist area

The most common cause of back pain or pain is muscle tension. This may happen if you are in an incorrect posture or if you have a habit of practicing bad posture.

However, apart from these things, low back pain can also occur due to certain medical causes. Here are some health problems that may trigger pain in the waist area:

1. Muscle injury

If you do high-intensity exercise or do other activities such as lifting heavy objects, back pain may occur. The reason is, both of these activities have the potential to over-stretch the muscles in your body resulting in muscle injury.

Not only that, the muscles in the waist area may experience trauma from physical activities such as car accidents and falls, so that the muscles press on the spine and have the potential to cause the support for the bones in the waist area to break.

2. Osteoarthritis

One type of arthritis or calcification of the joints on this one can also cause back pain. The reason is, when you have osteoarthritis in the spinal area, the cartilage will be damaged and irritate the nerves in the spine. If so, pain in the waist area may not be avoided.

Apart from osteoarthritis, several other types of arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis and spondylitis, can also cause pain in the waist area.

3. Problems with the kidneys

According to the Keck Medicine of USC, back pain may have nothing to do with the condition of your skeletal system or your muscular system. The reason is, the two kidneys, which are located on the right and left side of the spine, can also cause pain.

One of the problems with the kidneys that may arise is kidney stones, for example, is pain that starts from the back and also the waist. In addition, kidney infections, which may occur due to urinary tract infections that move from the bladder to the kidneys, can also cause back pain.

4. Degeneration of the spine

This disease that occurs in the human spine usually occurs when the discs in the lumbar region (spine) begin to break down due to destruction. Perhaps, you have also known him by the name "calcification" of bones.

Usually a lot occurs in elderly people or sometimes caused by obesity because calcification of the bones will occur when there is greater pressure on the joints. Do not rule out, the easier the joints will become more fragile and cause back pain.

5. Irritate Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a digestive system disorder that affects the work of the large intestine, causing muscle contractions in the large intestine to be problematic.

The triggers for this disease include eating habits, diet, digestive tract infections, and stress. Generally the symptoms of IBS include bloating, constipation, diarrhea, headaches, to back pain on the right or on the left.

6. Endometriosis

This condition can also be a cause of low back pain in women. Endometriosis is an abnormal condition characterized by the growth and thickening of the uterine lining tissue outside the uterus. Uterine wall tissue that grows outside the uterus can settle around other reproductive organs and trigger inflammation and pain.

Symptoms that you can feel from endometriosis are lower abdominal pain, pain in the pelvis, back pain during menstruation, pain in the genitals, to chronic back or back pain.

Risk factors for back pain

Everyone, from children, adolescents, adults, to the elderly, must have experienced back pain. If not careful, there are many contributing factors that can increase the risk of low back pain. Some examples are:

• Genetic factors.
• Smoking habit.
• Weight gain.
• The body is not fit, because you rarely exercise.
• Increasing age can increase the potential for low back pain.
• A profession that requires you to do strenuous physical activity.

Medication and care for back pain

If back pain has hit, of course you want to immediately relieve and overcome it. There are several ways that can be done to treat and relieve pain in the back. Among others are:

1. Use of drugs

There are several pain medication options that you can take when you feel pain in the waist area. These pain medications can be adjusted according to the symptoms, causes, and how long back pain has been going on.

Usually, if this condition has been going on for a long time and does not go away on its own, the doctor will prescribe specials such as pain relievers, such as ibuprofen and naproxen, which can help relieve pain.

In addition to pain relievers, your doctor may also prescribe muscle relaxants, pain relieving ointments, antidepressants, or stronger medications such as opioids. Although several types of drugs can be obtained over the counter at pharmacies, it would be better if you buy them by prescription from a doctor.

Don't forget to pay attention to the side effects of using drugs. Such as anti-inflammatory drugs that can cause stomach upset, rashes, and kidney problems. Likewise, muscle relaxants can cause drowsiness and dizziness.

2. Physical therapy

If your low back pain is severe enough and can't be relieved with just medication, you can do physical therapy to train flexibility in the muscles in the waist area, strengthen your back and stomach muscles, and improve your posture.

In addition, the therapist who helps you will also teach you how to find a safe position or movement if back pain recurs at a later date.

3. Use of natural ingredients

Apart from chemical drugs, there are also natural ingredients that can help you relieve back pain. The following are natural ingredients that can be used to reduce pain in the waist area:

• Capsaicin

In medicine, capcaisin can be used as an active substance that is used to help treat minor aches and pain in muscles or joints, such as arthritis, back pain, or sprains. This drug can also be used as a drug for low back pain and nerve pain.

• Ginger

Ginger extract is thought to help with joint and muscle pain due to pregnancy phytochemicals. Phytochemicals is a compound that helps stop inflammation, so it can be used as a traditional medicine for low back pain.

4. Compress or soak with warm water

If you don't want to take drugs, this one method is powerful enough to treat back pain naturally. When compressing, you can use hot or cold water, and don't forget to give a break of at least 20 minutes so that the skin can rest.

Meanwhile, when you take a warm bath, the tensed nerves and muscles relax, making you more relaxed. Not only that, soaking in warm water can also improve blood circulation and stimulate the production of the hormone dopamine to fight stress in the body.

5. Lose weight

Having excess weight can indeed be one of the causes of back pain. Therefore, losing weight can help you deal with low back pain that often occurs.

To make this happen, you can start by adjusting your diet. Try to adopt a healthy diet. In addition, don't forget to exercise regularly, at least five times a week. The duration of exercise that you can do in a day is 45 minutes to an hour.

6. Exercise regularly

Even if you are not overweight, regular physical activity can reduce pain in the back. However, make sure you do sports that are also in accordance with your body condition.

Remember that it is also not recommended that you do excessive or extreme exercise, because instead of relieving the pain, it can actually make the pain worse while it is problematic.

Get plenty of rest at the waist and reduce physical activity for 1-3 days after symptoms appear. However, don't rest your body longer than recommended. Some exercise options that you can take to reduce back pain include:

• Swimming.
• Yoga.
• Taichi.
• Leisurely strolling.

7. Stretch

Doctors generally recommend that you rest and reduce physical activity for 1-3 days after the pain appears. This time frame is considered ideal because too long resting time can actually increase pain and loss of muscle strength.

However, during rest, it does not mean that you are not moving at all. Lumbago stretches are an important way of dealing with pain as well as helping the spine become more stable.