Back pain: The solution is often very simple

Created: 09/27/2022, 08:30

By: Nina Dudek

Chronic illness: Back pain is high on the list of chronic illnesses in Germany.

© imago

Pain in the lower back in particular, which radiates into the buttocks, drives patients to despair, especially at night.

Possible causes and a simple solution to alleviate the symptoms

Note to our readers:

This article contains affiliate links.

This means we receive a commission from partners.

This changes nothing for you.

also read

Lose weight quickly and healthily – you can lose up to 10 kilos in 6 weeks

Your nasal mucus can have seven colors: When should you go to the doctor?

• Back pain: lower back as the main culprit in Germany

• Back pain in the lower back laterally: culprit sacroiliac joint?

• Lower back and butt pain: the most common causes

• Specific back pain: When diseases are the trigger

• Back pain: prevent and cure

• Back pain: Often "only" the mattress is to blame

Back pain: lower back is the main culprit in Germany

According to the Robert Koch Institute, back pain is one of the most common pain problems in Germany, along with headaches.

Chronic back pain in particular, i.e. recurring complaints, has long been one of the biggest health problems in this country.

In most cases, this includes so-called non-specific back pain, for which no specific cause can be found.

If there is pain in the lower back, many sufferers immediately think of a herniated disc.

The good news: More than 80 percent of all lower back pain is non-specific, i.e. not caused by an acute accident or illness.

In most cases, the interaction of fascia, muscles, tendons and ligaments is simply disturbed, which is the case above all with the so-called "ISG syndrome".

The same is true for upper back pain.

Back pain in the lower back laterally: culprit sacroiliac joint?

The sacroiliac joint, or ISG for short, is the central switching point between the torso and legs and has to cushion a lot of weight with every step.

If there is tension or inflammatory reactions in ligaments and tendons, the pain in the lower back is quite similar to that of a herniated disc.

Severe, stabbing, unilateral pain at the level of the lumbar spine, often radiating to the buttocks, thigh, or groin.

The pain in the lower back in ISG syndrome is particularly severe when the affected person turns over in bed.

But back pain can also be particularly severe when getting up from a stooped position or after sitting for a long time or climbing stairs.

Lower back and butt pain: the most common causes

The causes are manifold.

Anyone who already has a previous illness such as arthrosis or rheumatism often gets the ISG problems because of the smallest trigger.

A jerky misstep or an abrupt movement such as stumbling can lead to the irregular joint surfaces of the SI joint jamming and ligaments and muscles becoming painfully tense.

Techniker Krankenkasse TK has compiled the most common causes of back pain as follows:

• long-term sitting

• lack of exercise

• overweight

• Incorrect loading and one-sided loading

• genetic disposition

• mental stress

• job dissatisfaction

• Hard physical work

If you suffer from back pain more often, especially in the lower area, you should honestly listen to yourself.

How are you?

Are you stressed?

Dissatisfied?

In addition to poor posture and lack of exercise, psychosocial stress can also cause back pain.

The body reacts to strong mental tension with increased muscle tension.

Tensions are the result, which impede mobility, which can lead to a vicious circle of pain, protective posture and, in turn, increased pain.

Specific back pain: When diseases are the trigger

According to Apotheken Umschau, only around 10 percent of all back patients suffer from specific back pain that is triggered by a specific cause, such as a herniated disc or a fracture of a vertebral body. 

The main causes of specific back pain include:

• Inflammatory arthrosis of the vertebral joints

• scoliosis

• disc prolapse

• osteoporosis (bone loss)

• Scheuermann disease

• Chronic inflammatory diseases of the spine and joints such as Bechterew's disease

• Osteomalacia (bone softening)

• Sliding vertebrae (spondylolisthesis)

• Narrowing of the spinal canal (spinal stenosis)

• Metabolic bone diseases

• Inflammation of vertebrae, intervertebral discs or nerve roots in bacterial or viral infections

• tumors

Back pain: prevent and cure

First of all, it is important that you have a specialist clarify whether the symptoms are due to irritation of the sacroiliac joint or tension and not to a herniated disc.

Because this is subject to other therapeutic measures.

Doctors agree: exercise instead of rest is the drug of choice to deal with back pain.

However, many of those affected often have such severe pain that they are afraid that movement will make the symptoms worse.

In this case, moderate, gentle movement therapy and physiotherapy with controlled exercises under the expert guidance of a physiotherapist can help.

In this way, tense muscles in particular can be relaxed and incorrect posture corrected.

With Virtual Reality (VR) against back pain

A US study from February 2022 showed something amazing: An unusual method can help against chronic back pain.

Study participants with back pain (77% women) practiced strategies for pain and stress management using VR glasses for eight weeks.

In their study, the researchers were able to prove that therapy with special 3D software was more effective than sham treatment.

In the acute stage, pain therapy is also useful.

Anti-inflammatory agents such as ibuprofen or diclofenac can quickly provide relief in consultation with the doctor.

The old household remedy heat can also reduce the pain: hot water bottles or cherry pit pillows make the muscles and tissue around the ISG softer and more supple again.

Back pain: Often "only" the mattress is to blame

Many are of the opinion that a rather hard mattress is better for the back than softer models.

This theory was refuted by a study published by the medical journal.

The randomized, double-blind study examined 313 patients who suffered from chronic non-specific back pain in the lumbar spine area, especially in bed when lying down or getting up.

The result: After 90 days, it became apparent that subjects on medium-hard mattresses complained of fewer complaints.

But what to do with your own hard mattress, which may still be in good condition and far too good to throw away?

An inexpensive solution is a mattress topper.

These extra-thick pads are easy to put on the mattress - and can reduce back pain after just a few nights.

With topper for back pain

Memory foam toppers adapt perfectly to the contours of the body and distribute the weight evenly.

In this way, the joints are relieved and the musculoskeletal system can regenerate optimally.

Toppers such as the RenewON topper from Third of Life

score with extras such as anti-static, anti-bacterial and odor-neutralizing material and nubbed underside to prevent slipping.