Lower back pain is common for many men. The strong half of humanity often exposes their body to serious stress. This is what leads to pain in the lumbar region. Men “attribute” the pain to gravity and do not consult a doctor. And in vain!
Often, pain in the lumbar region in men is a symptom of the onset of serious pathologies. You should at all costs find out the cause of the discomfort. A specialist will help you with this. If you are experiencing lower back pain, consult a therapist to begin diagnostic procedures. The doctor will refer you to the right specialist, after performing a series of procedures to identify the cause of the pain. After passing urine and blood tests, undergoing a kidney ultrasound and examination, you may be left with a therapist, redirected to a urologist or neurologist, and possibly to an oncologist.
Are you experiencing lower back pain? Call us today at multi-channel phone number 8 (495) 221-21-14 or fill out the online appointment form. Therapists at Diamed clinics are available by appointment. The Contacts page contains the addresses of our clinics, detailed directions, contact numbers and work hours.
Types of lower back pain in men
Depending on the nature, location and intensity of pain, preliminary assumptions can be made about the disease that caused it.
Strong and sharp
Acute, paroxysmal pain in the lower back in men should be a reason to immediately seek medical help. It can signal such serious conditions as:
- fracture of the spine or its processes;
- displacement of intervertebral discs;
- acute disruption of the blood supply to the spinal cord (stroke);
- epidural abscess (abscess);
- renal colic;
- hepatic colic;
- pleurisy;
- “acute abdomen” (intestinal obstruction, appendicitis, perforated ulcer, etc.).
Sometimes, if there is severe back pain in the lumbar region, the reasons for men are much more harmless, for example, muscle strain or arthrosis of the hip joint. Infections and parasitic infestations (tuberculosis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and so on) can also manifest as pain syndrome.
Pulling and aching
Dull, periodically occurring mild painful manifestations are a symptom of chronic pathology. They can be caused by osteochondrosis, spondyloarthrosis, deforming spondylosis, metastases in the spine, prostatitis, intestinal problems and other diseases. If a metastatic process is suspected, a man should quickly make an appointment with an oncologist.
Cause 1. Spinal infections
Another name is spinal infections. These are viral lesions that affect the internal structures of the vertebrae or the interdisc space. Viruses can enter the body from the outside (wound infections - due to injuries, operations) or be complications of viral diseases (often various types of myelitis, coccal infections, etc.).
Symptoms of spinal column infection depend on the type of infection. This may be unexpressed aching pain in the back and chest area, or sudden intense pain. The focus is quite difficult to determine. The patient usually says “everything hurts.” The condition is accompanied by limited mobility, chills, fever, weakness, and body aches.
If you have these signs, we recommend calling an ambulance immediately. Spinal infections are fraught with paralysis and other irreversible (!) restrictions on mobility. But they are quite rare.
Causes and diseases causing back pain
Self-diagnosis is not allowed. If the lower back hurts, the reasons for the pain in men may be different. To make a correct diagnosis, you should consult a doctor. This symptom is most often encountered by therapists, neurologists, orthopedists, traumatologists and urologists.
If there is back pain in the lumbar region, the causes in men can be divided into three large groups:
- Associated with diseases of the spine, joints, muscles and soft tissues.
- Caused by diseases of internal organs and systems.
- Triggered by unfavorable external factors (stress, physical activity, etc.).
Sometimes lower back pain can have several causes.
Stress
If your back hurts in the lumbar region, what should you do? When trying to determine the etiology of the disease, stress is usually forgotten. But pronounced psycho-emotional stress often manifests itself as painful sensations in different parts of the body.
Stretching
It is not difficult to injure and strain the muscles of the lower back, especially if a man is involved in heavy physical labor or strength sports. A sprain can be caused simply by suddenly lifting a large load from the floor.
Bias
Spondylolisthesis (slipping of a vertebra relative to the underlying one) can occur for various reasons. More often it appears after an accident, an unsuccessful fall, a long stay in one position or after an unsuccessful lifting of a load.
Osteochondrosis
Degenerative changes in the spine are the most common cause of pain. With osteochondrosis, lower back pain in a man can have a different nature and severity.
Radiculitis
Inflammation of the spinal nerve roots almost always manifests itself as painful sensations of varying intensity. The more the nerve fibers are compressed, the stronger the pain will be.
Spinal hernia
Intervertebral disc protrusion sooner or later manifests itself with a clear clinical picture. A herniated disc can lead to a number of complications, including compression of the spinal cord and paralysis.
Kidney and bladder diseases
Urolithiasis, inflammatory processes and tumors of the urinary system can manifest as lower back pain. As a rule, in addition to this symptom, there are other signs of the disease (high body temperature, frequent urination, etc.).
Bowel diseases
Sometimes the causes of left lower back pain in men lie in the pathology of the sigmoid colon. If the symptom is localized on the right, inflammation of the cecum or appendix is possible.
Osteoporosis
In men over 45-50 years old, a common cause of lower back pain is age-related destruction of the bone tissue of the spine. Osteoporosis is considered one of the most common diagnoses that lead to chronic pain syndrome. It develops due to a lack of calcium and can also manifest itself as discomfort, weakness and muscle cramps, stooping and bone deformation.
Pinched nerve
The cause of lower back pain in men can be pinched nerves. Pinching can occur at work, at the gym, or at home while doing heavy housework. As a rule, painful sensations occur acutely, have a pronounced intensity, and radiate to the lower extremities.
Performing blockades for pain in the lumbar region
Paravertebral blockade or the injection of a “cocktail” of analgesics, corticosteroid hormones, vitamins and other drugs into the soft tissues of the back is a therapeutic procedure aimed at combating pain and inflammation. Most often, indications for blockades are hernias and protrusions of intervertebral discs, radiculitis, spinal injuries, and pinched spinal cord roots. When performing a blockade, a persistent analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect is achieved, muscle spasm is relieved, microcirculation and metabolism in the spinal nerves improves. The procedure is much more effective and safer than uncontrolled use of analgesics, provided that it is performed by a qualified neurologist.
Physiotherapeutic treatments
Physiotherapy is a method of treatment and prevention of spinal diseases, based on the use of physical influences with electric current (galvanization, electrophoresis, diadynamic currents), heat (UHF, ozokerite, paraffin applications), laser radiation, etc. This achieves pain relief, improves microcirculation and metabolism, improves nutrition of the soft tissues of the spine, and relieves inflammation.
Manual therapy
Manual therapy is a method of treating diseases of the musculoskeletal system (spine), based on physical influence by the hands of a specialist (neurologist, vertebrologist). Using special manual therapy techniques, you can relieve muscle spasms, unblock a pinched spinal nerve, improve nutrition of the cartilage of intervertebral joints and discs, and stimulate metabolism.
Surgery
Surgical treatment for diseases of the spine is indicated in the absence of effect from conservative therapy, or in the presence of serious neurological disorders (paralysis, impaired sensitivity and motor function, dysfunction of the pelvic organs, atrophic phenomena in muscles and soft tissues). The surgical plan and type of intervention depend on the diagnosis, the patient’s condition, his age and the presence of complications.
Diagnostic methods
The doctor will be able to answer why the lower back hurts in men after conducting a comprehensive examination. After completing the survey and examination, the patient is sent for additional examinations:
- radiography;
- CT;
- MRI;
- myelogram (contrast study of the spinal canal);
- Ultrasound of internal organs and soft tissues;
- laboratory tests (general clinical blood and urine tests, biochemistry, and so on).
Men may need consultations with several specialists (neurologist, orthopedist, vertebrologist, traumatologist, urologist, nephrologist, gastroenterologist, oncologist, infectious disease specialist).
Diagnostics
Medical history is important for making an accurate diagnosis, as lower back pain can be caused by various conditions. What matters is the time of onset of pain, the connection with physical activity, the presence of other symptoms, such as cough, fever, bladder or bowel dysfunction, the presence of seizures, etc. A physical examination is carried out: identification of pain points, the presence of muscle spasms, and a study of the neurological status. If there is a suspicion of diseases of the abdominal or pelvic organs, then an examination is carried out (ultrasound of the abdominal organs, ultrasound of the small and pelvic organs, urine blood tests).
If the somatic genesis of lower back pain is excluded, then instrumental research methods such as radiography, CT or MRI can be prescribed.
X-ray is the initial method of examination and allows you to determine the presence of changes in bone tissue and indirect signs of changes in the intervertebral discs.
CT allows you to visualize the presence of various changes, both in bone tissue and in soft stones (especially with contrast).
MRI is the most informative research method, allowing to diagnose morphological changes in various tissues.
Densitometry is necessary in cases where there is suspicion of osteoporosis (usually in women over 50 years of age)
EMG (ENMG) is used to determine conduction disturbances along nerve fibers.
Laboratory tests are prescribed (blood tests, urine tests, blood biochemistry) mainly to exclude inflammatory processes in the body.
Medication
If the cause of lower back pain in a man is osteochondrosis, then NSAIDs, muscle relaxants, chondroprotectors, B vitamins, antispasmodics, local anesthetics and vascular agents are prescribed. For inflammatory infectious processes, the basis of therapy will be antimicrobial drugs.
Pills
For “tolerable” pain, treatment always begins with taking NSAIDs in tablet form. The course should not exceed 5-7 days.
Injections
Injections into a muscle or vein are given for severe lower back pain. If they do not produce results, and the man continues to suffer with proven spinal pathology, injections into trigger points and blockades are indicated.
Ointments
Local anti-inflammatory drugs are recognized as indispensable aids for low-back pain of mild to moderate intensity. Men can combine them with other forms of drugs.
Plasters
If men experience periodic lower back pain, special patches may be the best option. They are easy to use, have fewer side effects and provide a stable concentration of the active component in the pathological focus.
Reason 3. Intervertebral hernia
Intervertebral hernia is the “squeezing out” of the nucleus pulposus by neighboring vertebrae. The nucleus pulposus is a kind of hinge that is located in the center between the vertebrae and ensures their mobility. Therefore we can bend in all directions. But this structure is semi-liquid, and with increased or sudden physical activity it can “crawl” beyond the intervertebral space, forming a hernia.
The pain is acute, pronounced, and sharply intensifies with exercise. May be accompanied by impaired sensitivity in the arms and legs, numbness and pain in the extremities, and radiate to the buttock.
An intervertebral hernia can be diagnosed by an orthopedist, neurologist, neurosurgeon, or vertebrologist.
Treatment at home
Before using traditional recipes, you must obtain the approval of a doctor. Home treatment for lower back pain in men often involves the use of the following popular methods:
- dry heat (scarves and belts made of animal hair, heating pads, heating lamps);
- rubbing and warming compresses with alcohol tinctures of red pepper, burdock, horseradish, radish and other medicinal plants;
- taking medicinal herbs or herbal medicines;
- massage with honey, essential oils and special products.
- salt compresses.
If after “home therapy” the lower back hurts more in men, which may be the result of incorrect actions, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Making life easier on the lower back
The main thing a person suffering from lower back pain after sleeping in the morning should do is pay attention to their mattress. If you sleep on a double-humped sofa, then you should not be surprised at the pain. The same goes for pillows. Without replacing the mattress and pillow, no doctor can help; medicine can only relieve pain.
If your lower back hurts after sleeping during pregnancy, positional therapy will help, and it is better to start doing it as soon as the gynecologist has confirmed that the woman is expecting a child. There is nothing complicated about this, you just need to spend 15-30 minutes standing on all fours. This must be done three times a day, and the first time - just after sleep.
Exercise will not only relieve the lower back, but will also help with other problems characteristic of pregnant women: it will restore uterine blood flow, reduce the load on the urinary tract and gastrointestinal tract, and can help with edema.
Other usual preventive measures - physical therapy, ergonomic furniture in the workplace and in the kitchen - will not hurt in the case of morning pain in the lower back, but will also help little. But if the doctor has diagnosed dystrophic changes in the spine, proliferation of connective tissue and other diseases, it is better to do all this. Such simple measures will help significantly slow down the progression of the disease.
Prevention
For lower back pain in men, the causes and treatment are of great importance. However, it is always better to prevent a disease than to fight it. Prevention for each disease will be different. General recommendations include:
- try to adhere to the rules of a healthy lifestyle, provide the body with a sufficient supply of vitamins and minerals, especially calcium and phosphorus;
- avoid any factors that provoke pain (hypothermia, sudden movements, lifting heavy loads, etc.);
- Perform a set of preventive exercises daily (breathing exercises, spinal traction, strengthening the lower back muscles);
- treat diseases of internal organs, infectious and inflammatory processes;
- protect yourself from injuries and stress.
It is important to follow the rule: while there is pain in the lower back, any exercise is contraindicated until the man has fully recovered.
Which doctor should I contact?
As has already become clear, there are many reasons why pain appears in the groin and left or right lower back. Determine independently whether in this case it is necessary to be treated by a urologist-andrologist
or
a gynecologist
, a
neurologist
or a surgeon, it is not possible. The best solution in such a situation is to make an appointment with a general practitioner. After the specialist performs an examination, he will draw preliminary conclusions about your state of health and prescribe the necessary types of diagnostics. Based on the results of a more detailed examination, it will become clear which specialist you need to be redirected to, and whether this will be necessary at all. Then you will be prescribed adequate treatment tactics that will allow you to improve your health.
