Lumbar spine pain

The lumbar spine

As Lumbar spine In medical terminology, the lower part of the spine is referred to and as lumbago the colloquial "Lower back pain.“The common abbreviation for the lumbar spine is Lumbar spine and that of the associated lumbar vertebrae LWK.

The lumbar spine is below the Thoracic spine and begins with the first vertebral body, on which none rib is more palpable. This connects to the 5 vertebral bodies of the lumbar spine coccyx whose original vertebral bodies have fused into a single bone in the course of evolution.
The individual vertebral bodies are over one another Band washers and the so-called Facet joints connected. Everyone whirl consists of a massive Vertebral bodies as well as the Vertebral archesthat the Spinal canal enclose. The intervertebral disc connects the vertebral bodies and the facet joint connects the vertebral arches.
The intervertebral disc acts as a kind Shock absorbers or buffer between the vertebrae and consists in its interior of a gelatinous mass that soaks up with water and thus absorbs stress peaks and shocks and gives the spine its enormous mobility.
Between the vertebral arches and vertebral bodies pave the way Nerve bundles from the spinal cord to the distant parts of our body around there Muscles or to control other body functions. Pain in the spine, so Back pain, belong next to Colds one of the most common reasons for visiting a doctor in Germany.

Symptoms and causes

Lumbar pain can vary widely from oppressive to stabbing or dull. It is also important to distinguish whether the pain is always are there, only at a certain load (e.g. only while sitting, standing or lying down) or even just at certain times of the day occur.
If the pain is present after a short-term event such as moving house and disappears again within a few days after the end of the load, from temporary overload can be assumed to be the cause. Even short-term pain caused by one-sided stress is usually short-lived and disappears on its own.
In the event of violence on the back, a Vertebral fracture be considered and urgently clarified.
In general, a doctor should be consulted immediately if the symptoms do not improve or even get worse. Typical causes are then often a Lumbago, a disc prolapse, the Facet syndrome or one degenerative (= wear-related) Root cause.

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Who am I?
My name is dr. Nicolas Gumpert. I am a specialist in orthopedics and the founder of .
Various television programs and print media report regularly about my work. On HR television you can see me every 6 weeks live on "Hallo Hessen".
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The spine is difficult to treat. On the one hand it is exposed to high mechanical loads, on the other hand it has great mobility.

The treatment of the spine (e.g. herniated disc, facet syndrome, foramen stenosis, etc.) therefore requires a lot of experience.
I focus on a wide variety of diseases of the spine.
The aim of any treatment is treatment without surgery.

Which therapy achieves the best results in the long term can only be determined after looking at all of the information (Examination, X-ray, ultrasound, MRI, etc.) be assessed.

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Further information about myself can be found at Dr. Nicolas Gumpert

Lumbago

The lumbago, as the name suggests, often comes suddenly and unprepared from a completely insignificant movement. It is immediately noticeable with a sharp stabbing pain in the lumbar region, which makes any movement impossible and forces the person affected to remain in this position.

Lumbago is caused by irritation of the nerve tracts that emerge from the spinal canal between the vertebrae. The irritation leads to the immediate tension of the muscles in this area, which ultimately leads to the inability to move due to strong tension of the muscles and the affected person to remain in this position with severe pain. But no matter how excruciating the pain, lumbago is really uncomfortable for the person affected, but not dangerous for him.

Further information is available under our topic: Lumbago

Facet syndrome

Facet syndrome takes its name from the facet joints of the spine that connect the vertebral arches. Due to natural aging, intervertebral discs lose fluid in their interior over the course of life. On the one hand, their function as shock absorbers and, on the other hand, their height decreases continuously. As a result of these changes, the facet joints experience more and more stress and begin to rub against each other, which is associated with severe pain for the person concerned.

If the vertebral bodies get closer, the nerve tracts that leave the spinal canal at this point can still be pinched, which could have major consequences. In the case of facet syndrome, pain is caused not only by the joint-related causes but also by reflex tension in the spinal muscles, which can then end as a blockage of the spine.
The most common type of pain and restricted mobility in this area are caused by blockages in the joint. These can be treated well by experienced physiotherapists.

Further information is available under our topic: Facet syndrome

ISG syndrome

In medicine, the ISG is the sacroiliac joint. As Os Ilium is referred to here as the pelvic bone, which forms the pelvic blade and as Os Sacrum the coccyx bone. The sacroiliac joint describes the connection between these two bones.

This joint is of particular importance as it connects the pelvis with the spine and ensures that people can walk upright. It also serves to transfer power from the legs to the rest of the body.
All of these tasks are associated with stress on this joint and can therefore be disturbed, which often ends in pain. This pain is then found in the lower lumbar spine area (lumbar spine) and in the area of ​​the tailbone.

Further information is available under our topic: ISG syndrome

Herniated disc of the lumbar spine

A herniated disc of the lumbar spine can be identified very clearly in many cases via the Radiation of pain to the legs determine. The lumbar spine (lumbar spine) is heavily strained by almost the entire body weight due to its high stress and is most often prone to injuries or age-related and wear-related consequences.

Anatomical causes of a herniated disc of the lumbar spine are parts of a disc slipping out to the rear, left or right. If this part that slips out presses on the nerve cords occurring at this height, the nerve signals can no longer be transmitted: The muscles can no longer react to the stimuli and other stimuli, e.g. the the skin can no longer think of that brain be sent.
The patient notices the disturbance in the nerves Pain, tingle or Numbness in the legs. Also the Reflexes change in the affected parts of the body. An experienced doctor can use the pattern to find out where the numbness occurs, where the tingling sensation is, where the reflexes are changed or where the muscles are weak and exactly which nerve cord is affected from which height in a vertebral body.
The causes of this painful prolapse of the lumbar disc are usually found in the everyday life of the patient. This forms the most common causes incorrect lifting and carrying, bad posture (especially wrong sitting) or extreme loads during sporting activity. Despite many known causes, however, in many cases no cause can be identified.

Wear = degenerative spine syndrome of the lumbar spine

Wear and tear is a completely normal process in our body. The Lumbar spine is particularly often affected by the great strain and mobility caused by one's own body weight. Due to the natural aging of the intervertebral discs, they lose height due to increasing water loss and the vertebral bodies and joints change their shape due to years of constant stress. Similar to one arthrosis these changes lead to the greatest discomfort for those affected.

If no cause for the pain can be found, then even rarer causes for back pain should be considered and investigated. A very typical diagnosis when the pain get better sitting down is the Spinal stenosis of the lumbar spine. Here, bone protrusions narrow the spinal canal (= Spinal canal) and the nerves are stressed, which, like the herniated disc, manifests itself in nerve pain and back pain. The fact that the pain is getting better when sitting makes this clinical picture very clear since with the vast majority of other causes, standing pain is best endured.
Also a few rheumatic diseases take place in the spinal area and should be clarified by a blood test. Especially those affected come into consideration who experience this pain over a period of more than 6 weeks and the symptoms mainly occur in the morning and will get better during the day.
In the elderly and in women from menopause should always go to one osteoporosis be thought. In osteoporosis, the bone structure becomes thinner and more fragile and the bones break very easily and often without external force. So it is entirely possible with osteoporosis going unnoticed Broken bones to suffer. These are then only noticed by the resulting pain. Osteoporosis is next to long bones like that Thigh or upper arm mainly affects the spine.
In addition to osteoporosis, older men should also have the option of one if they have new back pain Tumor be thought. In men, a tumor is the most prominent in this regard prostate in question, since this type of tumor very often forms its daughter tumors in the vertebral bodies.

What to do?

If you are not yet affected by symptoms, but tend to do so, effective preventive measures are the most important treatment. Strength building through to the stomach and back Back training such as back-friendly work are the most important measures here.
Obese sufferers should give her reduce weight to reduce the stress on the spine. This must support the entire body weight with a surface area of ​​just a few centimeters. The lower the weight, the lower the load on the individual vertebral bodies.
Movement should be the order of the day as often as possible, not only to reduce weight but also to strengthen the back muscles. Nice half an hour of walking every day can significantly alleviate the symptoms.
Training exercises for the home can support muscle building just as effectively. However, the training should always be carried out according to precise instructions, as incorrect execution of the exercises can lead to further worsening of the symptoms. The worst way to tackle spinal pain is not to move at all.
As with many other diseases of the skeletal system, cold or heat applications are also suitable. The temperature can for example by Moor packs, red light mud packs, compresses or simply a hot water bottle get on the back. Even a cozy warm full bath or a sauna session can relax the muscles to such an extent that the symptoms subside quickly.
If pain occurs for a long time, it tends to become chronic pain as the body enters it Pain memory trains. In the future, this area in our brain will react much more intensely to non-painful stimuli and lead to permanent pain without stimuli.

If the pain does not improve despite simple measures as described above, a doctor will sooner or later help you Medication take action against the pain. In this case he will always be one Painkiller prescribe. It will also be injected directly into the area of ​​the spine affected by the pain when appropriate.

Also from the field of traditional chinese medicine has especially the acupuncture Well proven for the treatment of long-lasting back pain.

For the body position, there is the helpful tip to use the so-called step position. With this the legs and the pelvis are angled and supported at a 90 ° angle. The aim is always to reintegrate those affected into everyday life as quickly as possible.