Lumbalgia: Difference between revisions

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'''Low back pain''' is a generic term used to describe a symptom related to the lower section of the [[human spine]].  The pains can be described with every variety of intensity, frequency, duration, and quality depending on the cause and stage of injury or illness.  It can be considered either [[Acute (medical)|acute]] (of recent origin) or [[Chronic (medicine)|chronic]] (longer term) in nature, though these give little insight as to a particular cause of the pain. The degree of pain can range from a mild annoyance to totally disabling and will affect 8 out of 10 people at some stage in their life. It accounts for more sick leave taken than any other single condition.
'''Low back pain''' is a generic term used to describe a symptom related to the lower section of the [[human spine]].  The pains can be described with every variety of intensity, frequency, duration, and quality depending on the cause and stage of injury or illness.  It can be considered either [[Acute (medical)|acute]] (of recent origin) or [[Chronic (medicine)|chronic]] (longer term) in nature, though these give little insight as to a particular cause of the pain. The degree of pain can range from a mild annoyance to totally disabling.  Persistant and recurring low back pain affects 60 - 80% of people at some stage in their life and is the most common reason for lost work.<ref>Waddell G, Burton AK(2000) ''Occupational health guidelines for the management of low back pain at work: evidence review''. London:Faculty of Occupational Medicine. [http://occmed.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/51/2/124.pdf PDF version]</ref>
 


An acute lower back injury may be caused by a traumatic event, like a car accident or a fall.  It occurs suddenly and its victims will usually be able to pinpoint exactly when it happened.  In acute cases, the structures damaged will more than likely be soft tissue like [[muscle]]s, [[ligament]]s and [[tendon]]s. With a serious accident, vertebral fractures in the lumbar spine may also occur.
An acute lower back injury may be caused by a traumatic event, like a car accident or a fall.  It occurs suddenly and its victims will usually be able to pinpoint exactly when it happened.  In acute cases, the structures damaged will more than likely be soft tissue like [[muscle]]s, [[ligament]]s and [[tendon]]s. With a serious accident, vertebral fractures in the lumbar spine may also occur.

Revision as of 20:50, 18 July 2007

Low back pain is a generic term used to describe a symptom related to the lower section of the human spine. The pains can be described with every variety of intensity, frequency, duration, and quality depending on the cause and stage of injury or illness. It can be considered either acute (of recent origin) or chronic (longer term) in nature, though these give little insight as to a particular cause of the pain. The degree of pain can range from a mild annoyance to totally disabling. Persistant and recurring low back pain affects 60 - 80% of people at some stage in their life and is the most common reason for lost work.[1]


An acute lower back injury may be caused by a traumatic event, like a car accident or a fall. It occurs suddenly and its victims will usually be able to pinpoint exactly when it happened. In acute cases, the structures damaged will more than likely be soft tissue like muscles, ligaments and tendons. With a serious accident, vertebral fractures in the lumbar spine may also occur.

Chronic lower back pain usually has a more insidious onset, occurring over a long period of time. Physical causes may include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, degeneration of the discs between the vertebrae or a spinal disc herniation, or tumors (including cancer). However, some causes are psychological or emotional, and have been diagnosed as TMS or tension myositis syndrome.[1][2]

Causes

Possible causes of low back pain:

Diagnosis

Often, getting a diagnosis of the underlying cause of low back pain and/or related symptoms, such as sciatica, is quite complex. A complete diagnosis is usually made through a combination of a patient's medical history, physical examination, and, when necessary, diagnostic testing, such as an MRI scan or x-ray [3].

Treatment

The management goals when treating back pain are to achieve maximal reduction in pain intensity as rapidly as possible; to restore the individual's ability to function in everyday activities; to help the patient cope with residual pain; to assess for side effects of therapy; and to facilitate the patient's passage through the legal and socioeconomic impediments to recovery.

Not all treatments work for all conditions or for all individuals with the same condition, and many find that they need to try several treatment options to determine what works best for them. Only a minority (most estimates are 1% - 10%) require surgery.

  • Exercises can be done the patient individually, or under supervision of a professional such as a physical therapist. Generally, some form of consistent stretching and exercise is believed to be an essential component of most back treatment programs. However, a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials by the Cochrane Collaboration found that exercises are effective for chronic back pain, but not for acute pain [5]. One randomized controlled trial found that back-mobilizing exercises in acute settings are less effective than continuation of ordinary activities as tolerated [6].
    • Physical therapy and exercise, including stretching and strengthening (with specific focus on the muscles which support the spine), often learned with the help of a health professional, such as a physical therapist. Physical therapy, when part of a 'back school', can improve back pain [7].
  • Massage therapy, especially from a very experienced therapist, may help. Acupressure or pressure point massage may be better than classic (Swedish) massage [8].
  • Acupuncture has a small benefit for chronic back pain. The Cochrane Collaboration concluded that "for chronic low-back pain, acupuncture is more effective for pain relief and functional improvement than no treatment or sham treatment immediately after treatment and in the short-term only. Acupuncture is not more effective than other conventional and alternative treatments." [11]. More recently, a randomized controlled trial found a small benefit after 1 to 2 years [12].
  • Education, and attitude adjustment to focus on psychological or emotional causes (e.g. TMS)[13]. respondent-cognitive therapy and progressive relaxation therapy can reduce chronic pain [14].
  • Most people will benefit from assessing any ergonomic or postural factors that may contribute to their back pain, such as improper lifting technique, poor posture, or poor support from their bed or office chair, etc. Although this recommendation has not been tested, this intervention is a part of many 'back schools' which do help [7].

Surgery

There are a number of different types of spine surgery to treat a variety of back conditions. Surgery should be considered if a patient has a significant neurological deficit, or if they fail non-surgical therapy. Regarding the role of surgery for failed medical therapy in patients without a neurological deficit, a [review http://www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab001352.html] by the Cochrane Collaboration concluded that "limited evidence is now available to support some aspects of surgical practice". The ongoing Spine Patient outcomes Research Trial (SPORT) is addressing the role of surgery [15]. Some of the more common forms of surgery are:

  • Kyphoplasty and Vertebroplasty, minimally invasive procedures designed to treat pain from osteoporotic compression fractures and sometimes other forms of fracture, such as a fracture caused by certain types of cancer.

Treatments with uncertain or doubtful benefit

  • Cold compression therapy is advocated for a strained back or chronic back pain and is postulated to reduce pain and inflammation, especially after strenuous exercise such as golf, gardening, or lifting. However, a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials by the Cochrane Collaboration concluded "The evidence for the application of cold treatment to low-back pain is even more limited, with only three poor quality studies located. No conclusions can be drawn about the use of cold for low-back pain" [2]
  • Bed rest is rarely recommended as it can exacerbate symptoms [18], and when necessary is usually limited to one or two days.

References

  1. ↑ Waddell G, Burton AK(2000) Occupational health guidelines for the management of low back pain at work: evidence review. London:Faculty of Occupational Medicine. PDF version
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 16641776 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "pmid16641776" defined multiple times with different content
  3. ↑ van Tulder M, Touray T, Furlan A, Solway S, Bouter L. "Muscle relaxants for non-specific low back pain.". Cochrane Database Syst Rev: CD004252. PMID 12804507.
  4. ↑ van Tulder M, Scholten R, Koes B, Deyo R. "Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for low back pain.". Cochrane Database Syst Rev: CD000396. PMID 10796356.
  5. ↑ Hayden J, van Tulder M, Malmivaara A, Koes B. "Exercise therapy for treatment of non-specific low back pain.". Cochrane Database Syst Rev: CD000335. PMID 16034851.
  6. ↑ Malmivaara A, Häkkinen U, Aro T, Heinrichs M, Koskenniemi L, Kuosma E, Lappi S, Paloheimo R, Servo C, Vaaranen V (1995). "The treatment of acute low back pain--bed rest, exercises, or ordinary activity?". N Engl J Med 332 (6): 351-5. PMID 7823996.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Heymans M, van Tulder M, Esmail R, Bombardier C, Koes B. "Back schools for non-specific low-back pain.". Cochrane Database Syst Rev: CD000261. PMID 15494995. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "pmid15494995" defined multiple times with different content
  8. ↑ Furlan A, Brosseau L, Imamura M, Irvin E. "Massage for low back pain.". Cochrane Database Syst Rev: CD001929. PMID 12076429.
  9. ↑ Assendelft W, Morton S, Yu E, Suttorp M, Shekelle P. "Spinal manipulative therapy for low back pain.". Cochrane Database Syst Rev: CD000447. PMID 14973958.
  10. ↑ Cherkin D, Sherman K, Deyo R, Shekelle P (2003). "A review of the evidence for the effectiveness, safety, and cost of acupuncture, massage therapy, and spinal manipulation for back pain.". Ann Intern Med 138 (11): 898-906. PMID 12779300.
  11. ↑ Furlan A, van Tulder M, Cherkin D, Tsukayama H, Lao L, Koes B, Berman B. "Acupuncture and dry-needling for low back pain.". Cochrane Database Syst Rev: CD001351. PMID 15674876.
  12. ↑ Thomas K, MacPherson H, Thorpe L, Brazier J, Fitter M, Campbell M, Roman M, Walters S, Nicholl J (2006). "Randomised controlled trial of a short course of traditional acupuncture compared with usual care for persistent non-specific low back pain.". BMJ 333 (7569): 623. PMID 16980316.
  13. ↑ Karjalainen K, Malmivaara A, van Tulder M, Roine R, Jauhiainen M, Hurri H, Koes B. "Multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation for subacute low back pain among working age adults.". Cochrane Database Syst Rev: CD002193. PMID 12804427.
  14. ↑ Ostelo R, van Tulder M, Vlaeyen J, Linton S, Morley S, Assendelft W. "Behavioural treatment for chronic low-back pain.". Cochrane Database Syst Rev: CD002014. PMID 15674889.
  15. ↑ Birkmeyer N, Weinstein J, Tosteson A, Tosteson T, Skinner J, Lurie J, Deyo R, Wennberg J (2002). "Design of the Spine Patient outcomes Research Trial (SPORT).". Spine 27 (12): 1361-72. PMID 12065987.
  16. ↑ Nelemans P, de Bie R, de Vet H, Sturmans F. "Injection therapy for subacute and chronic benign low back pain.". Cochrane Database Syst Rev: CD001824. PMID 10796449.
  17. ↑ Yelland M, Mar C, Pirozzo S, Schoene M, Vercoe P. "Prolotherapy injections for chronic low-back pain.". Cochrane Database Syst Rev: CD004059. PMID 15106234.
  18. ↑ Hagen K, Hilde G, Jamtvedt G, Winnem M. "Bed rest for acute low-back pain and sciatica.". Cochrane Database Syst Rev: CD001254. PMID 15495012.

See also


External links

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