Lumbaralgia refers to sudden and severe back pain in the lumbar spine. We explain how it occurs and what helps.
What is lumbalgia?
Lumbaralgia (also: lumbago) refers to very severe back pain that occurs suddenly and is usually stabbing. The area of the lumbar spine is affected. Since the pain usually causes the patient to adopt a relieving posture in which he leans forward, it is also referred to as "lumbago". In most cases, the back pain disappears on its own after a few days, but lumbago can also become chronic and thus cause permanent pain.
What can be the cause of lumbago?
Often, an awkward or abrupt movement is enough for sudden back pain to occur due to a vertebral blockage. In this case, the joints of the spine get caught in each other or two vertebrae that move in opposite directions get blocked. Due to the many nerves and nerve fibers at the joints, such a blockage quickly leads to severe pain. The following causes can be responsible for lumbalgia:
- Sudden and/or awkward movement.
- Incorrect lifting of heavy objects
- Deep muscles of the spine tense up or are strained
- Herniated disc (only in rare cases)
- Narrowing in the vertebral region, e.g. due to inflammation (also rare)
There are also several risk factors that increase the likelihood of lumbago. These include:
- Lack of exercise
- Sitting for long periods
Therapy: What helps against the pain in the back?
As paradoxical as it may sound at first, light exercise is often the best remedy for acute back pain - whether it's a real case of lumbago or "just" a minor complaint. At the very least, you should continue to go about your daily life as best you can; ideally, those who can take short additional walks every day. Those who want to treat lumbalgia with medication should try paracetamol - but only as an adjunct to exercise therapy.
A frequently relieving exercise for acute lumbago is also the so-called step position, which can reduce the pain. To do this, lie down with your back on the floor, pull your knees in at a 90-degree angle and place your lower legs on a chair or stool. The back should lie really firmly on the floor so that there is no hollow back. You stay like this for two to five minutes and breathe deeply, then carefully roll onto your side to stand up. The step position relaxes the spine and relieves the intervertebral discs. We reveal even more exercises in the article "The 3 best SOS tips against back pain".
Prevention: How can lumbago be avoided?
Lumbago cannot be completely prevented, as it can theoretically be triggered by a careless movement. However, the likelihood of lumbago can be reduced by addressing the risk factors. Targeted muscle development, more movement in everyday life, and the reduction of excess weight are sensible measures for this. People who spend the majority of their working hours sitting down should make sure that they compensate for this by exercising after work.
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