Lumbago: A Lower Back Pain | Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis And Treatment

Acute lumbar pain is one of the commonest illness which presents to the surgeons. It frequently results from a bad posture leading to serve muscle spasm involving the back muscles. Predisposing factors include lack of spinal muscular exercise and obesity. Elimination of pain is the key in such cases.

It means lower back pain. Around 80 % people in the world suffer from lower back pain. But if you have lower back pain, it does not mean you are suffering from lumbago.

Symptoms of lumbago

signs of lumbago

So what are the symptoms that will let you know if you have lumbago or not?

1. Acute pain in the lumbar region of the spine leading to stiff lower back, tense muscles of the back, constant ache. In sever cases, mobility can be hampered.

2. Pain is often limited to a particular area

3. If you try to bend or lean, your spinal movement can be restricted

4. Pain can radiate from lower back to butts, groin or thighs.

5. Inflamed leg can indicate severity

6. If you cough and feel back pain, then it can indicate lumbago

7. Sciatica leads to numbness or tingling in legs, back or legs. It occurs when sciatic nerve is involved.

Causes of Lumbago

lumbago causes

There are several medical tests that can be done to diagnose lumbago.  Many factors that can cause it are heavy load lifting, excessive lower back use.

Too much bending can be responsible for it, spondylitis can be other cause for it.

Slipped or herniated disc, osteoporosis, spinal stenosis or compression of the spinal nerves or tumors can be the other causes.

Diagnosis

diagnosis of lumbago

A detailed history and physical examination will be done by your doctor. If it is just a muscle or ligament pull then it will heal by itself , unless a severe problem like tumor exists.

Diagnostic tests like an x-ray or MRI scan can be done for further diagnosis.

Treatment or Lumbago

lumbago pain

The treatment options available for cases of acute lumbago include:

1. Drug treatment: NSAIDs, opiates, muscle relaxants

2. Trans cutaneous electrical nerve stimulation

3. Exercise programmes

4. Spinal manipulation therapy

5. Spinal steroid injection

6. Epidural anaesthesia

An effective treatment with reduced NSAID dosage for shorter duration with early pain relief is the need of the day. Vitamin-B complex has been reported to be clinically useful either alone or in combination with NSAIDs in a variety of painful vertebral syndrome. This study proves the fact that a combination of vitamin-B complex with diclofenac sodium is far superior to than use of diclofenac sodium alone in patients of acute lumbago. The easy availability and affordable price with minimum side effects make vitamin-B complex an ideal drug to be used concomitantly with NSAIDs in patients of acute lumbago. Low back pain contributes substantially to the workload of general practice. During a year, 7% of adult population will consult doctor with this problem.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the first line drugs available for the treatment of lumbar syndromes. Their main role is elimination of pain. However the administration of NSAIDs is frequently associated with undesirable gastro-intestinal side effects which is

expected in 25% of all patients treated with NSAIDs.  Vitamin B have been reported to be clinically useful alone or in combination with non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs in painful spinal disorders like acute lumbago, polyneuropathy, neuritis, lumbago-ischalgia,

painful vertebral syndrome or rheumatic disease8. In animal experiments vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) and vitamin B12 (cyanocobalmine) in

combination were shown to posses anti-nocioceptive activity against chemical and heat induced pain.