Low back pain can be sharp, dull, constant or intermittent. It may start suddenly or gradually. Sciatica pain due to herniated disc may spread from the waist to the hips, legs and feet.
Acute back pain begins suddenly. It is usually caused by injury to a muscle or ligament. Acute pains were generally short-lived; It lasts between a few days and a few weeks. However, it tends to recur, although it does not last long.
Chronic low back pain is mostly low back pain that lasts longer than 12 weeks. It may be caused by vertebral fracture, disc herniation, narrowing of the spinal canal (spine stenosis) and rheumatism. Persistent ongoing pain tires the patient emotionally and physically.
Sciatic nerves originate from the lower part of the spine and run along the buttocks and the back of both legs. Sciatica, caused by pressure on the nerves (sciatic nerves), can be felt as a stabbing pain in one or both of the legs from the hips to below the knee.
Risk Factors of Low Back Pain
- Sedentary work and life pattern
- Driving for long periods of time
- Frequent bending and bending
- Do not pull up heavy thing,
- Obesity
- Disorder in posture and sitting position
- Making coercive and adverse movements
- Mental depression, stress, anxiety
- Smoking accelerates the wear of the discs.
Spinal Discs
There is a cartilage cushion called a disc between the vertebrae. The outer part of the disc is solid and fibrous, and the inner part is soft and jelly-like. These discs absorb impacts like the shock absorbers of automobiles, and act as a buffer when we move, preventing the vertebrae from rubbing against each other. Each disc has outer layers consisting of solid collagen bundles called annulus fibrosus and a soft and jelly-like central structure called nucleus pulposus on the inside. The center contains a large amount of water, giving the disc flexibility and enabling shape changes in accordance with the vertebral movements.
As discs age, the amount of water they contain decreases, the outer layer wears out and they lose their flexibility. The height of the dried discs decreases. As people get older, their height becomes shorter for this reason.
Disc Herniation
With aging, the blood flow feeding the discs decreases and the soft core dries and flattens. Small cracks appear on the outer layers of the disc. The inner jelly-like substance breaks through the outer layer and balloons. This condition is called a hernia. This herniation compresses the adjacent nerve, puts pressure on it, disrupts its nutrition, and causes loss of pain, sensation, and strength.
Spondylolisthesis-Slipped waist-Slipped vertebrae
The integrity of the spine is disrupted as a result of cracks and fractures in the vertebral ring structure that forms the spinal canal of the spine due to structural deformities, trauma or excessive strain. Weak bones are separated and the vertebrae slide forward relative to the next vertebra. The natural balance of the spine is disrupted, ligaments and joints are stretched, and narrowing occurs in the spinal canal. Most of these patients develop chronic pain or experience severe pain when moving from sitting to standing.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia, which means fiber-muscle pain, triggers pain in the muscles, tendons and ligaments. Pain is evident when pressure is placed on certain sensitive points of the body. The patient can point to this area with his finger. Fibromyalgia can develop as a result of muscle stiffness, microtraumas and stress tension.
When should I consult a doctor?
- If you cannot bend your waist
- If you are limping
- If your pain is constant and severe and continues for 2 days
- If you have pain, loss of sensation, tingling and weakness in your legs
- If lifting your leg causes pain
- If you have urinary or fecal leakage
- If you have night pain
- If you have frequent recurring pain attacks
- Symptoms such as fever and weight loss