General information
Back pain is not a rare phenomenon in our lives and can have many different causes. Patients who suffer from back pain therefore ask themselves: what to do? What to do is closely related to the cause of the back pain.
In order to find the right treatment, it is therefore first necessary to uncover the cause of the back pain. In addition to general practitioners, orthopedists, neurologists and neurosurgeons are involved in the diagnosis and treatment. But specialists from other disciplines can also be involved. Among the most common causes are postural deformities and incorrect weight bearing due to overweight, poor posture or congenital malpositions.
Treatment of acute back pain
If back pain occurs for the first time or if the pain changes suddenly, it is always advisable to consult a doctor as soon as possible. In this way, serious and threatening illnesses (e.g. injuries, inflammations, tumors) can be excluded. In particular acute restrictions in mobility, sensory disturbances or changes in bowel movements or urination should lead to an immediate, emergency presentation to the doctor.
It is best to consider how best to describe existing back pain before the consultation. For documentation purposes, a pain diary can be very helpful, which can also be presented to the doctor. The following questions should be answered at the doctor’s appointment: Often the doctor can make a suspected diagnosis by means of simple clinical tests, which is then confirmed by additional examinations (e.g. X-ray, CT or MRI of the spine).
Based on the diagnosis, the specialist will then make recommendations on what further action should be taken to relieve the back pain. Further examinations by other specialists may follow until a final therapy recommendation can be made.
- How strong is the pain?
- How is the pain (dull, stabbing, pulling, burning)?
- Where is it strongest?
Where does it radiate to?
- Is the pain permanent? Does the intensity fluctuate?
- How long has it existed? Was there a trigger for the pain?
In which situations is the pain particularly strong?
- What relieves or aggravates the pain?
- Are there any other symptoms?
In the case of back pain, it is particularly important to start pain-relieving therapy early on in order to prevent the pain from becoming chronic and the formation of a pain memory. In addition, this is intended to prevent a relieving posture with the subsequent development of pain in other joints. For pain therapy, a medication (analgesic, possibly in combination with other substances) can be injected locally at the painful site or an analgesic drug can be taken.
However, this pain medication should always be temporary. The goal of both doctor and patient must always be to find the cause of the back pain and to treat it permanently. Sufficient exercise is important for the well-being of the back and can prevent back pain in many cases.
If the back pain is rather light and dull, the cause is often an incorrect posture or incorrect loading of the back. Sport and back exercises can help in this case. If you are overweight, a reduction in weight often also leads to a reduction in back pain.
Sports such as walking, swimming and cycling are particularly gentle, but should be complemented by targeted training of the back muscles. If the back pain persists despite increased movement, back training, etc., a doctor should be consulted. Interested in exercises to relieve back pain?
All articles in this series:
