When should you seek medical help for lower back pain?
Lower back pain is a very common problem and usually goes away without requiring any major medical intervention. While it could be due to faulty posture, or structural defects, it could also signal a medical emergency at times that will require immediate or prompt medical attention.
In this article, let us discuss the same, the symptoms that you must watch out for. There are a few signs that are known as red flags. So, what are these in the first place? Find out in the paragraphs that follow or you can even visit Train Back for more insight. (1)
Signs that you need prompt help
Check these out-
- Abdominal pain that is severe and will not go no matter how many medicines you take
- Fever has no reason at all. You do not have a cold and cough, not wheezing either, or contracted flu.
- You have no control over your bladder (incontinence) both bowel and bladder
- The groin area has no sensation
- You are suffering from weight loss that is not planned and one that is accompanied by pain
- You cannot stand straight and are having pain in the stomach area
- Weakness in the leg that gets worse over time accompanied by gradual numbness that progresses to the other parts of the leg.
Most importantly, if your pain starts after you have had a bad fall or injured your back, it requires an immediate check-up since you could have suffered an injury in your spinal cord.
What do the symptoms above indicate?
Just as numbness in the leg that is progressive is indicative of compression of nerve sac, fever above 101degree F in adults could signal infection in the bone.
Not every time will back exercises help you if the condition is out of hand and needs immediate medical attention.
If you notice progressive numbness and you cannot control your bowel or bladder, it means you could be suffering from Cauda Equina Syndrome, in which there is compression of the nerves in the lower back area. If however, you treat it well before your symptoms progress, you can avoid a paralytic attack.
Unexplained weight loss and if you lose appetite even for the foods that you love requires a prompt visit to the doctor's clinic. It could be cancer.
If you experience sudden pain in the abdomen or the lower back that has not happened after you have injured the area or have had a fall, means you must visit a medical practitioner. Why? This is because it could signal the onset of a condition that is an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Also, it is quite likely that there has been a rupture of blood vessels in the same area. (2)
What must you do when you first experienced these symptoms?
You will not require any medical intervention if you can treat these conditions on your own or if they are not severe. However, do not wait for too long to recover on your own. You can wait for not more than a week or less is better once you start experiencing the above problems.
The sooner you seek an appointment, the better it is. If you visit a doctor right away, you are in a better position to reverse many diseases and find a cure for the same.
