Symptoms, exercises, recovery time

Low back pain means lumbar pain (pain in the lower spine) and can be caused by multiple factors such as overexertion or poor posture. It is a disease that mainly affects the lumbar area and is caused by alterations of the different structures that form the spinal column such as ligaments, muscles, vertebral discs and vertebrae.according to the Spanish Society of Rheumatology. The lumbar spine is the final segment of the spine and the area that supports the most weight. As a result, injuries are more frequent.

Low back pain, which is

Low back pain is equivalent to lumbar pain (pain in the lower spine). The pain is located in the area of the back between the last ribs and the buttock area.

When low back pain lasts for less than 6 weeks, it is called acute low back pain and if it is extended over a longer period of time it is called chronic low back pain.

When the pain travels from the lumbar region to the heel or foot, down the back or side of the thigh, we call it lumbosciatica (or simply sciatica).

Low back pain can occur in the vertebrae, the overlying bones that make up the spine, in the vertebral disc, which cushions the vertebrae, or in the ligaments and musculature. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish which of these areas is affected.

Symptoms of low back pain

Depending on whether the low back pain has mechanical causes, such as degeneration of the spinal disc, osteoarthritis of the vertebrae, osteoporosis or scoliosis (modification of the normal curves of the spine) or if it has inflammatory causes, such as inflammation of the spine, ankylosing spondylitis, the symptoms will appear at a different time.  If it is due to mechanical causes, the pain occurs when standing or if incorrect postures are used for too long. On the other hand, if the causes are inflammatory, the pain usually occurs at night, and the situation improves with activity and movement.

Exercises

After the first three days of having symptoms of low back pain, you need to get moving. Continued rehabilitation exercises and sports such as swimming are of great help to sufferers of low back pain.

In addition to taking care and prevention when picking up weights or performing certain movements, we make the following recommendations in the exercises:

• Do the exercises daily and after warming up the lumbar spine with a hot water bath. or with the electric blanket. Consistency is the starting point for shorter and more successful rehabilitation.
• Go little by little. Do the exercises 4 or 5 times at first and then increase the number of times.
• If you feel pain when doing the exercises, it is better to stop and reduce them by half or contact your doctor if they persist.
• Swimming, backstroke and gentle stationary cycling with raised handlebars are very suitable exercises.
• It is necessary to try to walk on flat ground for at least one hour a day.

Recovery time

Recovery time depends on the severity of the back injury. Severe cases can extend to several weeks for the most severe strains. In addition, each person heals at a different rate.

Once the low back pain has disappeared, it is advisable to make a regular exercise routine. This will make your back muscles stronger and more agile. This routine will help you recover, and reduce your chances of lower back strain in the future.

Whatever you do, don't rush things. Don't try to return to your previous level of physical activity until you're ready:

• You can move as easily - without stiffness - as you did before your injury.
• Do not feel any pain when bending, twisting, walking, running, and jumping.

Low back pain, the most common form of back pain

The causes of the lumbagoIn addition to ageing, these are postural factors and in developed countries it is common, probably due to the predominant types of work, as it can appear as a result of little physical activity or a sedentary lifestyle, but also due to work activities involving the lifting of weights or loads and also due to other factors such as smoking.

Low back pain and other rheumatic diseases account for 40 percent of general practitioner visits. It affects not only the elderly but also young people of working age.

Low back pain can have manifestations in other organs of the body.

Symptoms range from sustained pain for more than three weeks to fever, weight loss or mobility difficulties.

Finally, we conclude by recalling that rheumatological diseases are the leading cause of physical disability, not of mental origin, in the Western world.