Low back pain: discover the cause and how to remove pain fast

My back hurts!

When the pain in the lower back is acute, it can leave you "stuck" or half incapacitated for the more normal things like sitting for a while or walking freely. When it is chronic, even if it is bearable, it continues to be annoying and reduces your quality of life. Whatever your pain, it hurts more on the left or right, we will tell you what could be causing it, what is the best treatment, the exercises that are best for you to relieve it and prevent relapses, and what habits will help you.

Have you made a bad gesture or have you lifted weights?

This is usually the most common cause of low back pain. Bending over forcibly or lifting weights incorrectly can strain ligaments or muscles and cause a contracture or inflammation of the lower back from overuse. Other causes of low back pain can be chronic spinal problems such as herniated disc - which usually leads to sciatica -, lumbar osteoarthritis, spondylolisthesis …

How is your pain?

If the pain goes down the buttock and the leg and can reach the foot, then it is usually sciatica, usually due to a herniated disc. On the other hand, if it hurts when sitting for a while, the most common reason is lumbar osteoarthritis. When the pain is when walking, it is most often a spondylolisthesis, that is, due to a displacement of two lumbar vertebrae that has compressed a nerve root. And if the pain is acute and leaves you "nailed", it is usually due to a bad gesture or improperly carrying weights.

What if it wasn't your back?

Low back pain does not always have to do with the spine, sometimes it is a reflex pain due to other ailments such as kidney or biliary colic, kidney infections, rheumatism, psoriatic arthritis or osteoporosis, even in rare cases it can be due to a bone infection , a valve disease, or a tumor.

Low back pain from emotional causes

Above all, due to stress, which makes the body tense and more vulnerable to muscle contractions, which can trigger pain in the lower back. If you feel stiff, stretch. If you are sitting, bring your torso forward, resting your chest on your thighs and letting your arms hang to relax your shoulders. It can also help you to drink relaxing infusions (valerian, passionflower, California poppy …).

Ease the pain

When the pain is severe and prevents you from continuing your activity, lie on your side, bending one leg and supporting it on a pillow or folded towel. As soon as the situation allows it, consult your doctor by phone or by going to your health center where you will be treated on an outpatient basis.

Cold or hot? What will relieve me?

At first, apply cold on the lumbar area - you can use a package of frozen peas covered with a fine kitchen cloth - to help reduce inflammation. But after a few hours, the ideal is to apply heat to the area - with a hot water bottle, an electric mat, etc. - for 2 or 3 days.

Lumbar massage

Regardless of the origin of the pain, relieving the "stiffness" that you feel in the area always helps recovery. To do this, gently massage your lower back with an anti-inflammatory cream, such as arnica.

Beware of self-medication

Go to the doctor so that he is the one who tells you which medication is the best for you. He can prescribe analgesics, anti-inflammatories and / or muscle relaxants as he sees fit. And most importantly, it will guide the dosage, frequency and time of the medication. In certain cases, if the pain is very severe, it may be necessary to inject pain relievers or anti-inflammatories.

Prevent it from happening again by watching your weight

Prevent it from happening again by taking care of your weight

To prevent the pain from recurring, take care of your spine by adopting good habits. For example, excess weight puts a strain on the lower back and can cause it to become inflamed and cause low back pain. The ideal is to stay at a healthy weight and if for this you need to lose some weight, see in this link which is the diet that best suits you.

Get off the heels

The heel of the shoe greatly influences the alignment of the back. If you wear a high heel, the weight of the body shifts and overloads the lower back, causing pain. For everyday wear, wear a heel that does not exceed 4 centimeters and leave the heels for special occasions.

Smoking exposes you to low back pain

Smoking increases your risk of low back pain because it predisposes you to rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, etc. Free yourself from bad fumes.

Sleep and relax your back

We spend a third of the day in bed, so the posture you adopt and how the bed is have an influence on the health of your back. The posture that best relaxes the back is to sleep on your side, with your legs bent and with a cushion between your legs. On the bed, opt for a firm but not hard mattress and for a not too high pillow that respects the curve of your cervicals.

And when it comes to getting up …

Don't do it in any way, certainly not by jumping up. Ideally, after waking up, you stretch out while you are still stretched, roll onto your side, drop your legs until your feet touch the ground, and then, leaning on your arm, raise your trunk. When you're sitting down, stretch again.

When you bend over …

To pick up something that is on the ground, instead of bending your back, spread your legs bringing your feet to the hips, bend your knees and then yes, bend over. If you bend your back without having bent your knees, you are straining your lower back.

To load pesos …

Crouch down as we have told you before, with your feet at the hips and bending the knees. Grab the weight and bring it as close to your torso as possible. Go up little by little with her. Ideally, you shouldn't carry it around for too long. Help yourself with carts, wheelbarrows or whatever is necessary to move weights, especially the heaviest ones or those that you have to carry for a longer time.

Smart shopping

A small purchase can be carried in a backpack with wide handles that is stuck to the back. If it is older, do not carry it in a single carrycot, try to divide it in two, so as not to unbalance the spine. And if you are going to carry a lot or for a while, better do it using a shopping cart and one of those that are pushed forward. And if you make a purchase with bottles, cans and other heavy products, it is recommended that they take it home.

Iron with "help"

When doing activities that force you to stand for a while in the same position, such as ironing or washing dishes, use a footrest. Raise one foot while doing the activity to balance your spine and not overload your lower back and after a while, lower it and raise the other. The ironing board should be at a height that allows you to move your arm by slightly flexing your shoulder.

Sit well

We spend many hours a day sitting, either in front of a computer, television, etc. The correct posture is one in which the back is supported by the back of the chair - never on the edge of the seat - with the feet resting on the floor or on a footrest. If you are in front of a computer, your eyes should be in the middle of the screen and your arms should rest well on the table.

Stand

When you spend a lot of time standing, distribute the weight alternately on one leg and the other, try to take small walks from time to time. And, if you can, do as when ironing, put one foot on a footrest and then the other alternately.

Vitamin D for your back

A study published in the Pain Physician Journal has found that supplementing with this vitamin in people who are deficient can help reduce chronic low back pain. Getting enough vitamin D is generally as important as getting calcium for good bone health. You synthesize it by exposing your skin to the sun for a time that in summer can be around 15 minutes and, in winter, when the intensity of radiation is lower, it can reach an hour and a half. And there are also some foods - few - that provide it, such as salmon or mushrooms.

Get up and walk

Sedentary lifestyle is one of the worst enemies of the back and the best way to combat it is to lead an active life. The easiest way to do this is to park your car and walk as much as possible. When walking, keep your back upright, feeling as if an invisible thread was pulling your head, contracting your belly and buttocks a little, to place your spine in a good position. And, if you can, walk in the mountains or on the beach, areas on which there is less impact.

Lumbar stretches

Stretching is key in recovery after a crisis and later, to prevent them from happening again. If you want a very easy board to make at home and that you will take care of your lumbar region, don't miss this article.

A strong core

The core is the set of deep abdominal muscles that function as a natural "corset." It is very important to have a strong core, because it is what supports and gives stability to the spine and the pelvis. Here we give you a table to work the core with very easy, safe exercises that you can do at home.

Yoga with conditions

Yoga can help you take care of your back as long as you choose the appropriate discipline among the variety of disciplines that exist (Hatha, Vinyasa, Iyengar …), a teacher who knows how to adjust the exercise to your needs and that you do not want to force yourself beyond your possibilities .

Swimming, yes but …

Swimming is very good for taking care of your back, especially if there are extra kilos because the water supports your weight, but … with the condition of having a good technique and giving up styles such as the butterfly, which force the lumbar area a lot.

When lumbar pain, in the lower back, leaves you "nailed" or makes you see the stars when bending down, sitting, walking, running … you need to remedy it quickly because it not only limits your movements, but also conditions your whole life: you can't go to the gym, you can't stand sitting or in front of the TV… Also, your mood inevitably turns sour because feeling pain all the time wears you out.

And although the ill of many is no consolation, the truth is that low back pain is very common. According to the Spanish Society of Rheumatology, 80% of the population will suffer from it at some point in their life and, in addition, women tend to be more prone to it.

Let's see what are the causes of lumbago or lower back pain and put a remedy to it, to prevent it from leaving you out of the game again.

It almost always has to do with the back

The most common is that this painful inflammation of the lower back is due to a contracture or an overload of the muscles or ligaments. To find out why, analyze what your pain is like:

It has left you "nailed" and you cannot or find it difficult to join. Surely it is a strain or stretching of the muscles or ligaments due to a sudden movement or having lifted a weight … They heal on their own with a little rest, application of cold / heat, stretching …

The pain runs down your glute and the back of your thigh. This pain –which is felt on the left or right side, affecting only one leg– can go down from the lower back through the gluteus, the leg through the back and reach the foot and produce, in addition to pain, tingling, or weakness in the affected leg. It is sciatica and is usually due to a herniated disc. It lasts about three weeks and it is usually necessary to take medication, rest and some type of recovery. She rarely gets surgery.

It hurts when you are sitting. It may be due to lumbar osteoarthritis and, very contrary to what is usually believed, it is not something for older people, it also affects young people. This osteoarthritis is a consequence of the thinning of the lumbar intervertebral discs, which not only cause inflammation in the lower back, but can also lead to sciatica.

It hurts more when you walk or move. In this case, it can point to a spondylolisthesis, that is, when there is a displacement of the lumbar vertebrae and it can compress a nerve root. Sometimes it is necessary to intervene.

But it doesn't always have to do with your back …

Sometimes the pain we suffer in the lower back has nothing to do with our spine, but is a symptom of other ailments such as the following:

Kidney problems Whether it's kidney colic or a urinary infection. In both cases the pain radiates to the lower back.
Liver problems In this case, lumbago can be caused by a gallstone, that is, by small stones in the gallbladder that block the bile duct.
Psoriatic arthritis People with psoriasis may notice low back pain especially at night due to the inflammation of the area.
Osteoporosis. By weakening the bones, there may be small fractures in the spine that cause low back pain.
Rheumatism. If your pain is more frequent at night, improves when you start up and worse when you are still, it is probably due to a rheumatic disease.
Bone infection It is not very frequent, but a bacterial or fungal infection may cause an infection in the bones of the lumbar spine.
Tumor. It is also not common, but if there is a tumor in the spinal cord, it can cause low back pain.
Valvular heart disease. Another very unlikely cause but … that sometimes occurs. Malfunctioning heart valves can lead to kidney embolisms or heart attacks and cause sharp, constant pain in the lower back.

But it also has an emotional cause

The stress is responsible for many of our ills and one of them may be back pain. When you are stressed, you tense your muscles and this leads to contractures in the back that stiffen the lower back and cause discomfort.

When you notice that your body is tense, try to make movements to relax the muscles, stretching, even in the same chair (for example, bringing the trunk forward, to support it on the thighs and relax the head and shoulders), and take a relaxing infusion.

Don't confuse it with …

Herpes zoster. It is a virus that inflames certain lymph nodes, if it does so in the lower back it can be confused with low back pain, but the difference is that herpes causes the appearance of small blisters on the skin. If you see them appear, quickly consult your doctor to prevent them from spreading and worsening the situation.

What You Can Do To Relieve Low Back Pain

Rest but not more than three days. As soon as you can, try to get up and move around a bit. If the pain is severe, go to the doctor.
Cold or hot? At first, apply cold to reduce inflammation in the area, but afterwards it is better to give heat.
Gentle exercise. As soon as your doctor says it's okay, do stretches for your lower back.
Self-massage. Gently massage the area with an anti-inflammatory cream such as arnica, for example.
Don't self-medicate. Consult with your doctor what you can take, in what dose and for how long.

Good habits to prevent another crisis

Lead an active life. A sedentary lifestyle is the back's worst enemy
Sleeping on your side
Wear shoes with a maximum heel between 1 and 3 centimeters
Spread the weight when you go shopping
Bend your legs to crouch down, do not bend your body
Maintain a good posture when walking, with your back aligned as if an invisible thread were pulling your crown, your eyes looking straight ahead and your belly and buttocks slightly contracted
If you work with a computer, sit with your back against the backrest, your knees higher than your hips and your eyes centered in the middle of the screen.
If you spend a lot of time on your feet, shift your weight from one foot to the other.