One awkward movement and suddenly nothing works. The lumbago comes completely abruptly. With the right measures, however, the discomfort is soon eliminated. The good news first: lumbago is extremely unpleasant, but not dangerous. In most cases, the condition improves within a short time. With simple measures, the healing process can also be well supported.
Definition: what is lumbago?
But what is actually hiding behind the pain? The vernacular says “lumbago” or “cross torn”, the doctor writes “lumbago” or “acute lumbalgia” in the patient file. What is meant is the same thing: a sudden pain in the back that triggers a blockage and makes an upright posture seem impossible. Acute lumbago does paralyze sufferers from one moment to the next, but normally there are no long-term consequences and it is over after a period of a few days.
Lumbago: typical symptoms
Lumbago is manifested by a sudden onset of a drilling or stabbing low back pain, which causes a kind of locking sensation, so that the affected person can not straighten up and hardly move. As a result, the person usually adopts a stooped protective posture, which in turn can lead to new pain or tension. The pain usually occurs on one side of the lower back, between the buttocks and the loin. It can occur with or without pain radiating into a leg – the latter is technically referred to as “lumboischialgia” because then the sciatic nerve is often involved. A tingling sensation may also occur.
Causes of lumbago
The cause is usually thought to be a pinched nerve because of the severe pain. In fact, various reasons may be responsible:
- The blockage of a vertebral or sacroiliac joint.
- A herniated disc in the lumbar region
- Pronounced muscle tension or
- Wear and tear of vertebral joints
As an immediate reaction to the pain, the back muscles tense so violently that sufferers usually can no longer maintain a normal posture, have the feeling of a “lock” in the back.
There is not always a trigger
Because the lumbar region is lush with pain-conducting nerve fibers, even minor triggers can cause violent attacks of pain. Often the trigger is an awkward twisting motion, bending over incorrectly or lifting too heavy. Damp cold or psychological factors can also promote lumbago. However, lumbago can also occur days after such a trigger. In some cases, no specific trigger can be found and often factors such as lack of exercise, shortened muscles or overstrained ligaments precede the lumbago. Except for children, almost all age groups can be affected by lumbago. Doctors, however, differ in their opinions as to whom it most often affects.
What to do if you have lumbago? 8 tips for self-help.
Often, lumbago does not require a visit to the doctor. Provided that the discomfort does not last longer than two to three days and the pain does not radiate into the leg and cause numbness or tingling there, those affected can initially help themselves:
- First lie down in a step position (supine with knees bent at right angles) or lie on your side with your legs drawn up. You can take this position several times a day.
- Whether local heat or cold is perceived as pleasant, is individually different – who has lumbago for the first time, should just try it.
- If heat does well and the skin tolerates it, a heating pad or a heat patch from the pharmacy helps. Also Fango to heat in the microwave can be applied to the painful region.
- Who prefers cold in acute muscle tension, can help themselves, for example, with a cold bag with so-called cryogel from the pharmacy or a cooling gel.
- Over-the-counter painkillers break the cycle of pain, relieving posture, muscle tension and even more pain from the tension.
- Nature also holds pain-relieving agents: devil’s claw, willow bark extract, cayenne pepper tincture or ointment.
- When sufficient mobility is again available, you should treat yourself to a hot bath or an extensive shower.
- Today, sparing is no longer recommended, that is, do not plan for several days of bed rest. Instead, gentle exercise (walking, gentle exercises) is advisable.
Light painkillers, such as ibuprofen, can help relieve the pain in the short term in small doses.
When to see a doctor?
If the pain increases or lasts longer than three days, the limit of self-treatment is reached and a visit to the doctor is necessary. Otherwise, a vicious circle of pain and tension develops, which is “noted” in the pain memory of the body and encourages a chronification of back pain. If the pain persists for more than two weeks, X-ray examinations or computer tomography must also be performed to determine whether a slipped disc is behind the lumbago. This requires more intensive treatment. If there is numbness or tingling in the leg, if chronic diseases such as diabetes or osteoporosis are present, if there is a high fever and chills, or if certain medications (such as cortisone) are being taken, the back pain should be examined by a doctor immediately. The doctor will first try to determine the cause of the lumbago.
Treatment of lumbago
Treatment is more successful the more precisely the cause is known. Examples of specific medical treatment include chiropractic therapy, which involves setting blocked vertebrae or the sacroiliac joint, or, in the case of joint wear, the administration of a locally acting painkiller by injection. The prescription of physical therapy and physiotherapy is particularly useful if the problem is mainly muscular. manual therapy measures on the lumbar spine are also performed by qualified physiotherapists or physiotherapists. Physiotherapy itself is usually not possible at all in acute lumbago, but helps in the period afterwards to strengthen the back muscles and thus prevent a relapse.
