Causes of a pinched nerve in the lower back and why the pain radiates to the leg: symptoms and treatment of the disease

According to statistics, every fourth adult inhabitant of the planet knows firsthand what a pinched nerve in the lower back is. Moreover, older people and those who are engaged in physical labor are more susceptible to this condition. The cause of the pathology is the pinching of the nerve endings that depart from the spinal cord. This may be the result of protrusion or muscle spasm. What to do with a pinched nerve in the lower back?

Nerve endings extend from the spinal cord to various body tissues. If they are squeezed, a person feels a sharp pain in the back (left or right, depending on the location of the pinched nerve), which can radiate to the leg. The reason why this happened may be very different. Basically these are the following:

1. Excessive physical activity, especially those that are accompanied by heavy lifting.
2. Hypothermia of the back.
3. Injuries in the lumbar spine (vertebral displacement, dislocation, etc.).
4. The presence of neoplasm.
5. Osteochondrosis, as a result of which there is a narrowing of the intervertebral space.
6. Protrusion.
7. Pregnancy in women.

The neuropathologist Radion Gennadievich Ignatiev tells about the causes of the development of the disease, symptoms and stages:

1. Large body weight.
2. Posture disorder.

1. A nutritional disorder associated with insufficient intake of certain vitamins and minerals into the body.
2. An inactive lifestyle, a long stay in a sitting position, associated with the peculiarity of the profession.
3. Infectious diseases.
4. Spasm of the spinal muscles, which can occur due to hypothermia, stress and other factors.
5. presence of osteophytes.

Symptoms

The main symptom that characterizes the infringement of the nerve in the lower back is severe pain. Its regularity and intensity will depend on the reason why it happened. Other symptoms of pinching include:

1. When pinched, buttocks.
2. Burning sensation in the lumbar region.
3. The limbs are numb.
4. Violation of the work of certain muscle groups.

Lower back pain radiates to the leg

1. Weakness in the limbs.
2. Gait disturbance.
3. Limb mobility is limited.
4. When coughing, sneezing, laughing, the pain intensifies.
5. The mobility of the lower extremities is limited.

Symptoms will also depend on which radicular nerve is pinched by the victim. If there is a compression of the autonomic nerve, then there may be a malfunction of the internal organs with pain radiating to the region of the heart, stomach or intestines. When the pinching has occurred with the motor nerve, the gait is disturbed, the limbs become weak and numb.

Based on where the nerve root is pinched, the doctor will make a diagnosis:

1. - Pain radiates to the buttocks, thigh or even the heel. The main reason for this is osteochondrosis. Due to the heavy physical load, the vertebrae are able to move, thereby pinching the nerves in the holes between the vertebrae.
2. Lumbago - shootings in the back with spread along the entire leg. Most often, pain occurs at the moment of tilting the torso forward. The cause is a herniated or displaced disc.
3. Sciatica or sciatica is a disease associated with inflammation or pinching of the sciatic nerve. Soreness appears with a sharp turn or lifting of weight and spreads to the lower limb. This condition appears due to hypothermia of the lower back, osteoporosis, injuries or neoplasms in the pelvic area.

All these symptoms help the doctor make the correct diagnosis and prescribe treatment for a pinched nerve in the lower back.

Diagnostics

In addition to the survey, visual examination and palpation of the lower back, the doctor will prescribe additional diagnostic methods to make a diagnosis:

• Blood analysis.
• An X-ray examination, as a result of which you can see damage to the discs, vertebrae and muscles.
• Computed or magnetic resonance imaging, which make it possible to examine the vessels and identify neoplasms.

Magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine

First aid

What to do if it appeared? The therapeutic course should be prescribed by the attending physician after a comprehensive examination of the patient. But, there is an opportunity to alleviate the patient's condition before a visit to the doctor.

For this you need:

1. During the lumbago, lay the person on a hard horizontal surface and immobilize the damaged area.
2. Take any anesthetic ("Analgin", "Pentalgin", "Ketanov"), which will make it possible to temporarily stop the pain.

Pharmacist Maria Luneva talks about the preparation of ketanov in the video:

1. If the pain does not disappear, in addition to the pain medication, you need to take any sedative ("Valerian extract", etc.).
2. If breathing is difficult, release the victim's chest and provide him with air access.

Treatment

How to treat a pinched nerve in the lower back, the attending physician will tell after a comprehensive examination and a specific diagnosis. The main therapy should be aimed at eliminating the cause and signs of pinching.

Drug treatment consists in prescribing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Diclofenac, Ibuprofen, Voltaren, etc.) to the patient. It can be tablets or injections, depending on the degree of pain and the reasons for their appearance. These drugs have analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects.

For local use, ointments "Finalgon", "Fastum Gel", etc. are prescribed. Injections of novocaine help to stop severe pain.

To enhance the functioning of the nervous system, the patient is shown the use of drugs based on B vitamins (Neurubin, Milgamma, etc.). At this time, it is important to follow a diet during which alcohol, coffee, spicy and salty should be excluded from the diet.

During an exacerbation of a pinched nerve in the lower back, the patient must observe strict bed rest. In this case, you should lie exclusively on your back. After the elimination of acute manifestations of the pathology, the patient is prescribed massage, physiotherapy, reflexology, a course of exercise therapy, which are able to eliminate residual effects. All these procedures help to improve blood circulation and restore metabolic processes in the lumbar region.

Surgical intervention

In cases where conservative treatment has not given the desired effect and does not disappear, the attending physician may decide to perform an operation. Surgical intervention is also indicated in the case when a hernia became the cause of pinched nerves. This operation is called a microdiscectomy. During it, the surgeon will remove the damaged disc and the tissues around it. Recovery after this is quite long and can take up to 3 months.

Microdiscectomy

If during the diagnosis a violation of the integrity of the nerve is revealed, the patient needs a neurosurgical operation, which is aimed at restoring damaged fibers.

The use of folk remedies

Together with drug therapy, home treatment involves the use of traditional medicine. But before you start using them, you need to consult with your doctor, as they may also have contraindications. Have high efficiency:

1. Infusion of bay leaf. To do this, 2 tablespoons of crushed laurel leaves are poured with 1 glass of high-quality vodka and infused for several days, after which it is filtered and rubbed into the place where the pain arose.
2. A compress made from natural honey and wheat flour, taken in equal proportions (100 g each). Obtained after their connection, the resulting cake must be applied to the place on the lower back where acute pain is felt. You need to make such a compress at night.

Treatment of folk remedies for osteochondrosis of the lumbar:

1. Baths based on infusions of horse chestnut, calamus or oak bark.
2. Freshly squeezed celery juice. One tablespoon of this juice should be drunk before meals. The cake left after squeezing the juice is applied to the sore spot.
3. Rubbing the lower back with tincture of valerian or fir oil. After that, it is important to insulate the sore spot with a warm scarf.

Therapeutic gymnastics and massage

Many patients with a pinched nerve avoid exercise, preferring to treat the pain with medication, massage, or physiotherapy. But it turns out that exercises that are aimed at stretching the muscles of the lower back and strengthening the muscles in this area are simply necessary. You can perform them at home.

1. Get on your knees with both hands on the floor. While inhaling, you should try to sit on your heels, and while exhaling, bend forward as much as possible.
2. Standing on your knees, turn your legs in different directions.
3. Kneeling and resting your hands on the floor, bend and unbend your back, as a cat does.
4. Lie on the floor or a hard surface with your knees bent. Alternately lower your legs in different directions.
5. Lie on the floor with your legs straight. Pull the legs in turn to the stomach.
6. Perform push-ups from the floor.

1. Simulation of cycling in the supine position.
2. Lie on your stomach and gently lift the body up, trying to press your legs and pelvis as hard as possible to the floor.
3. Sit on the floor and walk on the buttocks.
4. Sit on the floor with legs extended forward. Stretch your arms to the sides. Twist the body in the lumbar region.
5. Standing straight, alternately lean in different directions, while reaching out with your hand in the direction of the slope.
6. You need to complete the gymnastics with relaxed-twisting movements that help stretch the spine.

Lumbar massage is an effective treatment for pinching. To do this, the patient lies on a hard surface on the stomach, relaxing as much as possible. First, to warm up the spinal muscles, stroking is carried out in the direction from below to the place where the pain occurs. Next, circular and comb-like movements are performed with the hands. There will also be a stretching of the back. The session ends with stroking movements.

Prevention

Any disease, including pinched nerves in the lumbar region, is much easier to prevent than to eliminate their consequences later. It is noted that people who lead an active lifestyle and regularly play sports are less susceptible to pinching. Therefore, daily gymnastics, aimed at strengthening the muscular corset and stretching the muscles of the lower back, are considered the main prevention of pathology. Other preventive measures include:

1. Avoid hypothermia of the back and lower extremities.
2. A balanced diet with enough vitamins and minerals in food.

1. Rejection of bad habits.
2. Avoidance of stressful situations.
3. Timely treatment of any infectious diseases.

If you ignore low back pain and do not treat pinched nerves, this can lead to various neuropathic changes, which are characterized by complex damage to the spinal nerve endings, which can eventually cause temporary paralysis of the legs. Nerves are able to recover and gradually sensitivity and mobility may return, however, for this a person may need years of hard work. In order to prevent such a condition, it is important when the first ones appear, which may indicate a pinched nerve, immediately consult a doctor and begin the treatment prescribed by him.