Back pain is a very common symptom at any age. Often, this indicates the loss of various systems - musculoskeletal, respiratory, digestive. When your back hurts, do not self-medicate. Only a doctor can quickly determine the cause and treatment tactics.
Backache
Back pain is very different. May be associated with eating or coughing, psycho-emotional experiences. The causes of this symptom are gastroduodenitis and cholecystitis, bronchitis and pneumonia, angina pectoris and acute coronary syndrome. However, these diseases are often accompanied by other characteristic complaints, which allow the doctor to make an accurate differential diagnosis.
More often than not, back pain is a sign of damage to the musculoskeletal system. Occurs in such diseases:
- Osteochondrosis (thoracic, lumbar or common).
- Scoliosis.
- Extension.
- Intervertebral hernia.
- spinal stenosis.
By themselves, these degenerative diseases rarely present with pain. However, as the pathology progresses, nerve roots and fibers become involved in the process. Violation, their compression leads to the appearance of neurological symptoms:
- Pain in the back, chest, lower back.
- Unusual sensations - burning, tingling, numbness.
- Movement disorders.
Back pain can be chronic or acute. As a rule, in diseases of the musculoskeletal system, there is a clear relationship of concern with physical activity, movement or respiration. To remove them, doctors use ointments, tablets and painkillers.
Treatment
Injections for pain in the back and lower back are a very effective method of treatment. Often, it is with them that pain syndrome therapy begins, especially if the patient's concern is very pronounced.
Sometimes, in addition to injections, other forms of anti-inflammatory drugs are used:
- Gels and ointments.
- Tablets, capsules, powders.
- Rectal suppositories.
Very often the same medicine is available in different forms. And the doctor chooses the optimal option for the patient, relieving pain, taking into account its characteristics, tolerability and concomitant diseases. Some people can not stand the injections for fear of pain and just looking at a sharp needle can cause them to panic. Others, on the contrary, are distrustful of local forms, considering them as insufficiently effective.
Most often, however, injections for lower back or chest pain are the most popular and best-selling medications.
Injections
Anesthetic injections for back pain are used for moderate and severe forms of diseases of the musculoskeletal system. They are also prescribed when it is necessary to achieve a very rapid or long-lasting, lasting effect.
Some anti-inflammatory injections are described after surgery as pain relievers. The following medications are available in the form of injections:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs or NSAIDs).
- Steroid hormones.
- Muscle relaxants.
- Vitamins.
NSAIDs
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a broad and very popular group of drugs among physicians of various specialties. NSAIDs are widely used in the following medical fields:
- rheumatology;
- traumatology
- orthopedics;
- therapy.
The most common indications for their appointment are:
- osteochondrosis;
- intervertebral extensions and hernias;
- intercostal neuralgia;
- various radiculopathies;
- bruising and convulsions.
Steroid hormones
Steroid hormones are a special class of drugs. They have a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect. But there are many side effects of these drugs.
Hormone injections are used for back pain with hernia, rheumatoid arthritis and Bechterew's disease, radiculopathy. The main indications for their appointment are:
- Intense pain syndrome.
- A strong inflammatory process, especially of autoimmune and allergic origin.
- The need for a lasting analgesic effect.
Hormones can be produced in tablets, but for back, spine, joint pain, intramuscular and intravenous injections are the ones prescribed. This allows you to quickly reduce pain and stop inflammation.
Steroid hormones can be prescribed together with NSAIDs, but this combination requires careful monitoring of the patient's health.
Muscle relaxants
Muscle relaxants in the treatment of back pain began to be used relatively recently. However, due to their high efficiency, they are firmly placed in the lists of doctors' prescriptions for dystrophic and degenerative diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
The mechanism of action of muscle relaxants is radically different from that of NSAIDs. They do not affect in any way the inflammatory process, do not eliminate pathological edema and pain associated with it.
These medicines, as the name implies, relax the muscles. The mechanism of back pain is quite complex. It distinguishes not only the neuropathic component associated with nerve root damage. Of great practical importance is muscle spasm, which appears as a reflex reaction to degenerative processes in the spine and joints. It not only is associated with severe pain in itself, but also exacerbates inflammation in the lesion.
This is why the appointment of muscle relaxants along with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs allows you to stop the pain syndrome in a shorter time. What injections that relax the muscles are usually prescribed by doctors?
vitamins
By themselves, vitamin preparations are not painkillers. However, therapists and neuropathologists almost always prescribe them for back pain. What are the reasons for these recommendations?
The fact is that pain in the chest or back - between the edges of the shoulders and in the lower back - with degenerative lesions is always associated with the involvement of nerve roots in the process. It is their violation that leads to the appearance of unpleasant symptoms. However, the compression of the nerve fibers is fraught not only with pain, but also their wear suffers. As the process progresses, the nerves themselves are destroyed and radiculopathic manifestations intensify.
Group B vitamins have repair properties in relation to nerve fibers.
Group B
Vitamins of this group are available in the form of tablets, tablets and injections. In the acute period, neuropathologists usually prescribe injections according to the established scheme - as a rule, for a period of 10 days, and in the future they recommend switching to oral forms. They should be taken within a month.
Previously, such vitamins existed in three separate injections - B1, B6, B12. Given that each injection is painful in itself, giving such a cocktail caused the patient a lot of suffering.
However, today pharmacies offer a large selection of combined preparations, one ampoule of which already contains all the necessary B vitamins.
B vitamins are today an essential component of the established treatment regimen for various radiculo- and neuropathies. This is why these injections are always on the list of prescriptions for acute back pain along with NSAIDs and muscle relaxants.
Gels and ointments
Although anesthesia injection works quickly and effectively relieves discomfort, many patients prefer current forms of treatment. These include gels, lotions and ointments.
These products do not require special skills to use - even a child can apply the gel to the affected area. Moreover, the current forms are safer because the active substance is practically not absorbed by the skin. This means that the risk of systemic side effects of the drug is minimized.
This is especially true for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which have an impressive list of toxic effects.
Ointments, gels and creams often help with back pain when it comes to mild forms of the disease. They are also preferred in the following situations:
- In children and elderly patients.
- With bruising and compression of the ligament apparatus.
- With concomitant pathology - diseases of the blood coagulation system, gastrointestinal tract, with hemorrhoids with bleeding.
The use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory ointments and gels rarely leads to the development of complications, even with their uncontrolled application. This is often the sin of elderly patients with chronic pain and severe forgetfulness. In this case, the safest anti-inflammatory drugs become the drugs of choice.
Tablets, capsules, powders
Tablets and capsules are a great alternative to injections for back pain. The name of the drug can be the same or different.
Most non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are available in both oral and injectable form. In addition, there are a large number of medical analogues. This is why you should not substitute the medicine yourself if it suddenly turns out to be ineffective, because there is always the possibility to buy a medicine with the same active ingredient, but in the form of injections or under another name.
Tablets are the most common oral form of anti-inflammatory drugs. Almost any non-steroidal medication is available, including in tablet form. They are easy to use, separate and dosed. The tablets are suitable for patients of any age group, except children under 4-6 years, who may drown in them.
For the treatment of spinal diseases oral forms of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are preferred, as they are much more convenient to use.
In addition, some medications are sometimes just as powerful as injections.
Rectal suppositories
Rectal suppositories with an anti-inflammatory drug in the composition are widely represented in every pharmacy. They serve as an alternative to oral forms and injections used for back pain.
This form of release ensures a faster achievement of an analgesic effect than tablets and capsules. This is due to the accelerated absorption of the analgesic substance in the rectum. But at the same time, their action develops more slowly than with intramuscular and intravenous injections. Although the portability of rectal suppositories is much better.
Doctors, as a rule, prescribe this form for mild and moderate forms of spinal cord injury, after surgery, to obtain an anesthetic effect.
Due to the nature of the application, rectal suppositories are not suitable for all patients, however, they continue to be a safe, effective and popular remedy for pain.
Choosing the form of the drug for back pain syndrome is the prerogative of the doctor. It's the one who decides the issue in favor of injections or tablets, gels or suppositories - depending on the patient's specific illness and comorbidities. Most often, therapy is carried out according to a certain scheme - injections in the first days of the disease to relieve acute pain and pills or other forms - in the recovery phase.