Pain | Duration of a lumbar spinal syndrome

Pain

The definition of a spinal syndrome merely describes an unspecific pain in the area of the spine. In the lumbar spine syndrome, this manifests itself specifically in pain in the lumbar spine area, which can radiate to the lower extremities, even to the feet. They manifest themselves as dull, stabbing or pulling pain and often occur very acutely and suddenly.

Depending on the cause of the lumbar spine syndrome, there may be tingling, numbness and weakness from the lower back. The form, intensity and time of occurrence of the pain are relevant for an accurate assessment of the syndrome. A very common form is “lumbago“.

This is a sudden, stabbing pain. It often occurs for the first time when bending down deeply or lifting heavily and has various causes. Mostly it is only a blockage of the vertebral bodies or a pulled muscle, in worse cases it can lead to a slipped disc.

In any case, it is very painful, especially when the affected area is suddenly moved. If the pain is rather dull and slowly increasing, it may be short-term muscular problems on the one hand, but it may also be an indication of already existing wear and tear of the lumbar spine. The risk of this increases with age and is caused by long-term incorrect loading and incorrect posture.

Here, too, it is necessary to examine whether degeneration of muscles, ligaments, bones or joints is present. If the pain also radiates into the legs, this can in some cases indicate the involvement of the sciatic nerve (sciatic nerve). This syndrome is then called “lumboischialgia“. It can lead to tingling, numbness and paralysis in the legs and in particularly severe cases to bladder and bowel emptying disorders.Often a cause for this is a herniated disc, where in severe cases surgery may be necessary.

Sick leave

The lumbar spine syndrome is one of the most common causes of sick leave. About 20% of all sick leave is due to damage to the spine alone. The duration of the sick leave cannot be determined in a generalized way and depends on the causes of the disease and the orthopedist in charge.

Similar to the duration of treatment and healing in lumbar spine syndrome, sick leave can last from days to many months. If at least the pain is treated successfully and physiotherapy is started at the same time, a sick note is sometimes not necessary. If the syndrome becomes chronic and there is no improvement in sight, the situation must be clarified individually with the employer or the employment contract must be inspected, because the orthopedist can theoretically give the patient a leave of absence for many months.