Have you ever experienced 'it suddenly shoots into your back'? If so, it may be lumbago. Lumbago is an acute form of back pain, where you experience a sudden painful and cramped feeling in your back. In medical terms, it is also referred to as acute lumbago or lumbago, which literally means 'lower back pain'.
Kand characteristics of lumbago
Lumbago involves contraction of the deep lower back muscles. This causes a sudden and very intense shooting pain in the lower back. Because of this cramping, making movements with the lower back is made very difficult and you are limited in movement.
Initially, pain is felt very locally in the lower back. This may migrate to the left and/or right over time.
Common lumbago symptoms:
- Acute back pain
- Sharp and (in it) shooting pain
- Cramp
- Motion restriction of the low back
- Radiating pain (in the buttocks/upper legs)
- Unable to stand up
- Pain when sitting
Causes of lumbago
Lumbago is a result of small tears in the wall of an intervertebral disc, an elastic disc that sits between the bones of the spine. These small cracks cause a sudden tightening of the deep muscles in the lower back. This tightening is triggered by the body itself to prevent worse. Lumbago is almost always an acute complaint resulting from making a wrong movement such as bending, lifting, twisting, etc. But it is also quite possible that the complaint has existed for some time.
Small cracks in the wall of the intervertebral disc are generally signs of age or wear and tear. Overuse, sudden movements and stress can also be causes.
The main causes of lumbago listed:
- Strained back, due to heavy work, sports or driving, for example
- Moving the (low) back incorrectly
- Making a sudden unexpected movement
- Stress
- Presence of a herniated disc in the (low) back
- (Facet) osteoarthritis
Treatment of lumbago
In most cases, the pain recedes on its own. For this to happen, however, it is important that you keep moving responsibly, for instance by taking regular walks. Of course, this does not eliminate the cause of the problem. The real problem is that 'residual' damage remains, which can manifest itself in instability of the (lower) back or other lasting complaints. It is therefore still advisable to seek treatment from our specialised physiotherapists.
Your physiotherapist will make it clear to you where your symptoms are coming from, so that you also understand what is really causing your back pain. Depending on the results of the examination, the most effective treatment method for your lumbago symptoms will be determined. These may include, for example, the treatment methods below:
