The back pain, low back pain or lumbago affects the area located in the lower back on either side of the column. It is a very common ailment and one of the main causes of visiting the traumatologist. It is estimated that 80% of the population will suffer some type of low back pain at least once in their life.
Symptoms of low back pain
Low back pain can present with one or more of the following symptoms:
Low back pain can occur acutely (immediately) on exertion, usually lifting a weight or twisting the trunk. It can also occur subacute, that is, not immediately after performing the movement that causes the pain, or chronically, when the pain lasts for a long time.
Low back pain symptoms can last from several days to weeks or months. In the case of acute low back pain, it can last up to six weeks. Chronic low back pain is considered when the pain exceeds twelve weeks.
It is important to treat low back pain properly to prevent it from becoming a chronic condition. Also, some studies associate back pain with episodes of anxiety or depression.
Low back pain can move to other areas of the body, since, compared to pain in that area, other regions, such as the hips, may try to compensate for the effort and ultimately lead to an additional problem.
Causes of low back pain
The cause of low back pain is often unknown or undetected. It is estimated that only in 20% of cases the specific cause that causes low back pain is identified, which may be due to a specific non-serious disease, such as osteoarthritis, a herniated disc or spinal stenosis, or a derived symptom of an underlying serious illness.
In the remaining 80% of cases, the origin of the pain is not clearly identified, which occurs benignly and for a limited time, and which is generally caused by some type of traumatic injury to the ligaments or muscles of the zone. One of the muscles that produces the greatest episodes of low back pain is the quadratus lumbar, which we will talk about later.
To identify the possibility that there is a pathology behind low back pain, it is important to go to the orthopedic surgeon or the emergency department, who can rule out the existence of a major problem.
The quadratus lumbar muscle
The quadratus lumbar is a muscle that begins in the pelvis and engages with the lower rib. It helps stabilize the pelvis when we are standing and supports our body when breathing. It is also one of the main sources of low back pain.
There are different reasons that can cause pain in this muscle and therefore in the lumbar area, such as:
Treatment of low back pain
A medical diagnosis should precede any treatment for low back pain to rule out any underlying disease.
Depending on the problem and its severity, the following treatments can help reduce or prevent low back pain:
Cold or heat to treat low back pain?
It is one of the most recurring questions. The truth is that a combination of both may be the most appropriate, since cold helps reduce inflammation in the area while heat increases blood flow and reduces pain.
Consult your doctor to find out how to apply cold or heat depending on the origin of your ailment.
Stretching
Performing some stretches can help prevent contraction of the quadratus lumbar muscles. Here we propose a couple of exercises:
Upper stretch
Standing with your feet hip-width apart, raise your left arm and pass it over your head, leaning to the left until you feel slight discomfort. Hold the pose for 20 seconds and then repeat with the other arm.
Lying stretch
Lying on your back, extend your arms to the sides of your body. Bend both knees and cross your right leg over your left. Then let the legs drop to the right as far as possible before it hurts. Hold for 20 seconds and repeat with the other leg.
Prevention of lumbago
Finally, we leave you some tips that will help you prevent low back pain:
One of the primary advantages you'll doubtless notice once following a ketogenic diet is that your brain feels sharpy. medicine inflammation is insidious and has been joined with depression, anxiety, and poor cognitive operate. Inflammation is usually gift within the body. Some is advantageous, however, an excessive amount of quickly becomes a problem. whereas there are several ways to combat unnecessary inflammation, a ketogenic diet could be a powerful tool to possess.