Pregnant women quite often face such a problem as lower back pain. The body of the expectant mother works under increased stress to ensure the normal development of the fetus, so within forty weeks any weaknesses in the woman’s health can make themselves felt.
This also applies to the spine. The growth of the fetus leads to a shift in the center of gravity, which can cause lower back pain. But is it possible to cope with this problem using any safe methods?
In a pregnant woman, the femoral-sacral joints, usually immobile, begin to relax as they are affected by the hormone relaxin. This happens so that the baby passes through the birth canal more easily at birth. This process and an enlarged abdomen cause imbalance.
In this case, most women pull their shoulders back, bend their necks and protrude their stomachs even more, which only aggravates the problem. A strongly arched spine and lower back muscles, which are under constant tension, lead to pain.
The risk of pelvic and lumbar pain increases:
Lower back pain during pregnancy in the third trimester
In late pregnancy, pain can occur for various reasons, including various diseases.
Almost 50% of women experience lower back pain in the third trimester of pregnancy. Most often it appears due to increased load on the spine, as well as due to the fact that the abdominal muscles weaken. In most cases, such pain occurs after the fifth month of pregnancy and disappears only after childbirth. It can “give” to the leg, and also intensify after physical exertion, prolonged standing or sitting in an uncomfortable position, and prolonged walking.
Lumbar radiculitis, herniated disc and other neurological diseases can cause lower back pain in the third trimester of pregnancy. In this case, you will need to stay in bed, wear a soft corset, perform physical therapy, and in case of severe pain, take painkillers as prescribed by your doctor.
If pain occurs in the symphysis pubis and is combined with gait disturbance, this may indicate symphysiopathy. This is a hereditary disease in which the symphysis pubis significantly stretches and softens, and hemorrhage occurs in it. Treatment is carried out inpatiently, after which the pregnant woman’s condition must be constantly monitored by a doctor.
Periodically occurring pain in the lower back, in which tension of the uterus is also felt (the abdomen “turns to stone”), may be a sign of false Braxton-Hicks contractions. Such contractions should train the female body before childbirth. But it is still worth noting that if the pregnancy is short, discharge from the genital tract is observed and pain is felt in the lower abdomen, this may indicate a threat of miscarriage. In this case, it is recommended to consult a doctor as soon as possible.
If you follow certain recommendations, you can eliminate severe pain and even completely forget what it means to have lower back pain during pregnancy. First you need to learn how to sit correctly - place a pillow under your back and a bolster under your feet (knees should be higher than the level of the lumbar region). It is strictly not recommended to sit on a chair abruptly, as the intervertebral discs may be damaged. In addition, you cannot stand for a long time, but if you really need to, you need to at least raise one leg to a slight elevation - this will relieve the lower back.
During pregnancy, it is also necessary to pay special attention to the selection of shoes. High heels create extra stress on the spine, so you should avoid them while you are pregnant. Shoes should be as comfortable as possible and have a low, stable heel.
Experts advise, in cases where lower back pain occurs during pregnancy, to follow a diet based on calcium-rich foods (dairy products, fish, nuts, herbs, meat). For regular pain, it is advisable to start taking calcium carbonate or calcium lactate. In addition, it is very important to avoid any movements that may increase stress on your back. If you need to pick up a fallen object, you need to squat down and then rise, tensing the muscles of your legs and shoulders, but not your back.
It is better for pregnant women to sleep on an elastic and semi-rigid orthopedic mattress with a medium-sized anatomically shaped pillow.
For lower back pain, it is very useful to perform special gymnastics for pregnant women. Also indispensable are physical exercises that strengthen the muscles of the abdomen, thighs, buttocks and back. During pregnancy, swimming, aqua aerobics and yoga are excellent ways to combat pain. They not only relieve pain, but also prepare the expectant mother’s body for childbirth.
If your back pain does not go away even after applying all of the above recommendations, and you also experience weakness and tingling in your legs, you should consult your doctor.
Pain in the lumbar region bothers people regardless of age and gender. The resulting discomfort brings inconvenience when doing everyday work and overshadows the brightest moments in life. But before you start taking medications, you need to find out the reason why your lower back hurts. The resulting pain indicates spondyloarthrosis, osteochondrosis, scoliosis, rheumatoid arthritis, fracture of the spinal vertebrae, infectious diseases, tuberculosis, the presence of a tumor, the onset of menstruation or the approaching date of birth.
The intensity of pain, as well as its duration, may indicate the development of serious diseases that require immediate detection and urgent treatment. If there is pain in the lower back in the lumbar region, then this indicates the presence of acute, chronic, primary and secondary ailments. Such pain can be localized on the left back, radiating to the lower abdomen, left leg, buttock.
Complaints about lower back pain come from girls before or after menstruation, during pregnancy, after childbirth, with cystitis, after training. An accurate determination of the nature or intensity of pain, combined with the results of tests performed and an in-person examination by a doctor, can give a reliable determination of which internal organ signals a pathological condition.
Depending on the cause, the pain can be dull, burning, aching, sharp and spread throughout the lower back or localized to one point. If a woman complains that in addition to the entire lower back she also hurts below her abdomen, then consultation with a gynecologist, nephrologist, and then a surgeon is necessary. After tests and an ultrasound, doctors can diagnose:
If you feel that the entire lower back at the bottom of the spine hurts, radiating to the left leg and buttock, and makes it difficult to bend over, then this indicates a muscle strain. But if these symptoms are supplemented by a feeling of numbness in the toes, the appearance of pins and needles and increased pain when sneezing, prolonged sitting or walking, then the cause is presumably nerve root syndromes. When the lower back hurts for more than a day, you need to immediately consult a doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
Our spine is exposed to multiple loads every day, which subsequently lead to pain in the entire lower back. Remember that any pain is always the first signal of danger, early identification of which gives a better chance of achieving a speedy recovery. If your lower back hurts constantly, then you need to consult a doctor for examination to rule out the presence of the following pathologies:
Recently, more and more young people are turning to specialists for back pain of various localizations. Many doctors attribute this to the lack of mobility inherent in city residents who work in an office and travel by car. This lifestyle significantly increases the risk of various diseases of the musculoskeletal system, but the cause of such pain is not always associated with the spine. Let's take a closer look at why the lower back can hurt and at the same time radiate (radiate) to the legs.
Pain syndrome, in which the lower back hurts, radiating to the leg, can have varying intensity and character, be acute and chronic. Thus, patients may complain of burning, pulling, aching, shooting pain radiating to the buttock, thigh, lower leg, or foot. In this case, in different cases the following may be noted:
Against the background of this pain syndrome, which is scientifically called lumboischialgia, other symptoms are often observed:
The following factors can provoke the appearance of lumboischialgia:
The causes of such pain associated with diseases of the spine are often the following pathologies:
Lower back pain radiating to the leg, which is not associated with pathologies of the spinal column, can occur for the following reasons:
Treatment of lower back pain radiating to the leg
For a syndrome characterized by lower back pain that radiates to the leg, treatment is prescribed after diagnosis and clarification of the disease that underlies it. For this purpose the following is carried out:
In the acute period, general purposes are usually:
Once the pain subsides, treatment may include:
Balneological and reflexotherapeutic methods of treatment have a good effect. In the absence of a positive result of conservative therapy, surgery may be recommended.
Pain in the back, legs and arms can be associated with the spine and the nerves located in certain areas of it. Irradiation is the ability of pain to move throughout the body. As a result, it is not the organ that is really healthy that hurts, but a completely different part of the body. As a rule, the one that is more distant from the central nervous system. For example, a quite common symptom is when the back hurts, radiates to the leg, and the patient does not immediately understand where the pain actually hurts.
In medicine, back pain radiating to the leg is called ischalgia. If the source of sensation in the back is on the left, then the right limb will hurt and vice versa.
This happens due to anatomical features: the nerve roots are crossed in the spinal cord.
Unpleasant sensations arise due to developing inflammation of the nervous tissue. Each nerve occupies a specific position between the vertebrae.
And if there is a violation of the integrity of the spinal column or changes in its physiology, then the inflammatory process from the nerve roots and plexuses spreads quite quickly to the periphery.
MEDICAL FACT! Severe pain in the lower back, radiating to the legs, is the result of disorders of the nervous tissue at the level of the lumbar or sacral parts of the spinal cord, which lies inside the spine.
If a patient has pain in the lower back and legs, doctors will primarily examine the lower back, lower back and sacral spine.
Nerves to the lower extremities come from the lumbar and sacral plexuses, so doctors use the prefix to the word “ishalgia” to indicate the source of the disease:
Among the common causes of ischalgia, doctors name herniated intervertebral discs with pinched nerves, osteochondrosis, scoliosis, and narrowing of the spinal canal.
Ischalgia is somewhat less common in pregnant women, patients with ankylosing spondylitis, and those who are overweight.
INTERESTING! The cause of ischalgia and pain in the lower back can be a very simple but common phenomenon - stress. More precisely, its destructive form is distress. And the nervous system does not tolerate hypothermia.
Also, the risk of inflammation of large nerves increases in athletes, patients with spinal injuries, and cancer patients. Viruses, infections, and toxic syndrome occasionally also lead to the development of pathology in the nervous system (for example, with tuberculosis).
Lower back pain radiates to the leg when any of the nerves stretching from the spine to the limbs are inflamed.
At the level of the second lumbar vertebra there is an innervator for the muscles of the anterior surface of the thigh; at the level of the third - the knee area, the fourth - the lower leg, the fifth - the foot. The lumbar segments are primarily responsible for sensation in the back of the legs.
The doctor determines the nature and location of the pain. For example, a patient has lower back pain that radiates to the left leg, which means that damage will be looked for on the right side of the spine in the lumbar region. It goes to the right leg - the problem is on the left.
Back pain and leg strain are more common when it comes to an inflamed sciatic nerve. Depending on which segment and pair of roots are inflamed, the patient may experience various symptoms:
Patients prefer to endure the pain or dull it by taking pills (analgesics and NSAIDs). But they are often very frightened by their condition, when, due to the inflammatory process in the nervous tissue, the innervation of the limbs temporarily stops - the legs are simply lost!
Men may face potency problems, and women may lose erotic sensitivity and libido.
What to do? So that one day the patient does not lose his limbs due to an advanced hernia or scoliosis, it is worth undergoing an examination and finding out why the pain radiating to the leg occurred, and undergoing treatment.
Until nerve activity is restored, mobility and sensitivity to any part of the body will not return.
And since prolonged inactivity weakens muscles, gradually leading to atrophy, treatment must begin immediately, otherwise the patient risks remaining disabled.
For an experienced doctor, making a preliminary diagnosis is not so difficult.
Especially when the inflammatory process affects one or two nerve roots with corresponding symptoms.
But in any case, preliminary diagnosis requires confirmation. Treatment is prescribed on an individual basis.
Any vertebral pathology is examined using photographs - this is the most convenient method, but when the pain radiates to other organs, specific studies of the condition of these organs are required.
Among the main diagnostic methods today are:
Even if pain occurs on the right side and radiates to the left half of the body, manual methods will be applied to the healthy half, and the complex of drugs will have an effect on the entire body, primarily on the nervous system.
Prescribing medications and procedures does not guarantee the patient relief from pain.
Sometimes these drugs and procedures can only be a preparatory stage, for example, before surgery to eliminate a hernia or straighten the spine for advanced scoliosis.
In the outpatient treatment of ishalgia, not only analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs are used, which reduce pain and relieve inflammation in the nervous tissue.
To restore its integrity and conductivity, vitamin complexes are prescribed, often in the form of injections, followed by a transition to long-term oral administration.
Muscle relaxants relieve muscle spasms and restore normal nerve conduction.
This is necessary not only to eliminate pain, but also to ensure that the muscles provide uniform support to the skeleton, and the joints begin to work correctly.
It is difficult to spend the acute period of the disease on your feet, so bed rest and optimal posture are recommended. Manual therapy, acupuncture and reflexology are prescribed in the subacute period and at the rehabilitation stage.
Massage, therapeutic exercises and physical exercise are recommended to patients throughout their entire lives so that the disease does not return.
When the nerve extending from the lumbar or sacral segment of the spinal cord becomes inflamed, a specific syndrome occurs: back pain radiates to the leg.
Only the damaged lower back (lower back or sacrum) can radiate pain to the limb. If the disease is localized to the right of the lower back, the left leg gives pain, and vice versa.
At first, the muscle aches or there is a pulling sensation in it for a short time. Then a rare tingling sensation, short-term numbness, and skin lightening appear.
The external harmlessness of this symptomatology is deceptive: as the disease develops, the nervous tissue conducts impulses more and more weakly and may become completely silent. Then the patient’s internal organs fail, and one or both legs may be lost.
Treatment should be prescribed by a professional and carried out under the supervision of the attending physician with periodic repetition of all studies until complete cure.
Pain in the lumbar spine often radiates to the groin area.
There are many reasons for such “lumbago”, and each of them is a signal of a serious disease of the internal organs or malfunction of the musculoskeletal system.
Groin pain is not necessarily a sign of destructive and inflammatory processes in the pelvic joints or sacrum.
Localized in the lumbar region, it can radiate to the groin and cause very unpleasant painful sensations. The reasons may be of the following nature:
Inflammation of the pelvic joints also causes destructive processes in the musculoskeletal system.
In addition to the indicated possible diseases of the spine, sacrum and pelvis, characteristic pain in the groin area can cause serious problems in the functioning of internal organs.
Many patients come to the hospital with complaints about a situation where pain from the back area radiates to the groin.
The symptoms are very similar in most cases. The cause of this problem may be diseases of the internal organs:
The situation with back problems does not bode well. Extremely rarely, pain can occur as a result of ordinary overexertion or fatigue.
To establish the exact cause and begin treatment, it is necessary to correctly diagnose the disease.
First of all, you should not self-medicate. The alarm has been received and immediate action is required. You should immediately contact a specialist and undergo the necessary examination. It could be:
After a thorough diagnosis and examination, the doctor will be able to prescribe effective treatment.
The main groups of drugs: anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics that relieve pain, antibiotics for damage to internal organs, chondroprotectors for disorders of the musculoskeletal system, ointments for external use.
Self-administration of medications can only worsen the situation and cause a lot of side effects. Therefore, if you experience back pain, you should immediately contact a specialist.
By the way, now you can get my free e-books and courses that will help you improve your health and well-being.
The information in the articles is for general information purposes only and should not be used for self-diagnosis of health problems or for therapeutic purposes. This article is not a substitute for medical advice from a doctor (neurologist, therapist). Please consult your doctor first to know the exact cause of your health problem.
The sacrum is a large, triangular bone at the base of the spinal column. Together with the pelvic bones, it forms the upper lobe of the pelvic cavity. The upper part of the sacrum is connected to the lower lumbar vertebra, the lower part is connected to the coccygeal bone.
In children, the sacrum is absent. It is formed by soldering the lower five vertebrae (starts at 15, ends at 25), taking on the shape of a blade.
The sacrum is divided into lobes:
On the sides of the sacrum there are four openings through which spinal vessels and nerves pass.
Problems with the right connection. The deviation makes it impossible for blood flow to the right leg, which is fraught with pain in the muscle tissue and frequent cramps. The right pelvic bones may shift. The displacement puts pressure on the sacrum, the person loses weight, diarrhea develops, and the liver hurts. In women, gynecological diseases are added.
Displacement of the pelvic bones to the left side causes constant colds, constipation, lung dysfunction, and often heart pain. A person is gaining weight.
Women are more likely to suffer from this pathology. Associated with weakness of the muscles of the buttocks, the severity of physical activity, for example, when carrying a child.
Pain in the sacrum accompanied by abnormal movements in the pelvic cavity and adjacent areas is called sacrodynia.
This is a symptom of the disease. Sometimes this is prolapse of the connecting disc, neoplasms of malignant etymology, vascular, neurological, visceral disorders. The concept of “pain in the sacrum” describes the symptoms of pain relating to the connective disc, nearby ligaments and intervertebral ligament joints, due to which pain occurs. It is explained by a modification of the anatomical structure.
Complications associated with the cruciate bone cause pain in the legs and back. They intensify with activity - standing up, lifting heavy objects, bending over.
Pain does not occur simultaneously in the sacrum and lower back. Those who consult a doctor often experience coccygeal pain and sacral pain. Conduct self-analysis: press firmly on the sacrum with your fist. If pressure does not hurt, the sacrum is healthy. Notice if you experience pain from lying on a hard surface. If you have diseases of the spine, it is impossible to lie on your back.
Pain in the sacral area extending to the leg is caused by:
Sacral pain is one of the listed diseases. If pain occurs in the sacral area, consult a doctor immediately.
Sacral pain radiating to the leg is a sign of osteochondrosis. There is a feeling of stiffness in the muscles of the back, sacral region, tingling, numbness in the muscle tissues of the lower extremities (especially in the foot and lower leg). It is difficult for a person to bend over. Pain sensations appear in the morning and daytime hours, and fade away in the evening.
The shift of the sacral bones causes pain radiating to the legs. This happens as a result of a disorder in the sacroiliac joint. If the bones in the sacrum shift with a tilt to the right, the pain radiates to the right (provokes a disorder of blood flow to the legs). In addition to pain, painful cramps appear. Malfunctions in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and liver occur (indigestion begins, nagging pain in the stomach, diarrhea begins), and the general condition of the body is depressed. There is a sharp weight loss, and women begin to experience gynecological abnormalities.
When the bones in the sacral region shift to the left side, a pain syndrome begins with a transition to the left leg and disorganization of the functioning of the organs of the left and central side of the body (the heart muscle and lungs are the first to fail). Constipation and sudden weight gain appear.
In exceptional cases, with acute inflammatory processes in organs located in the pelvis, immediate surgical intervention, or a protracted period after childbirth, new problems appear, often thrombophlebitis of the pelvic veins, which is why the sacrum hurts. Begins to develop from the limbs of the lower body. The symptoms associated with thrombophlebitis include pain radiating to the lower back, bladder and vagina.
Patients complain about the sacrum, pain originating in the leg and lower back and “running” goosebumps. Since there are a large number of veins in the lower extremities, abnormal processes spread to both sides, which is fraught with severe swelling of the legs and expansion of the lumen of the veins.
Pain radiating to the legs is a companion to diseases of organs located in one of the parts of the pelvis.
For example, prostatitis in an advanced form is fraught not only with pain in the sacral part of the spinal column, but also with a frequent urge to defecate, a feeling of casulgia and suppression of male power.
Men complain about pain in the sacrum, spreading to the leg (usually the opposite leg). Sometimes the rectum, pubic area and even the external genitalia hurt. Often men diagnose themselves with sciatica and are treated accordingly, often with folk remedies.
In women, pain in the sacrum intensifies during menstrual periods and spreads to the legs. The cause is the uterosacral ligaments. In a small percentage of women, the uterus is slightly deviated from the standard position and at the right moment it easily enlarges before menstruation and hurts because it presses on the nerve hairs in the sacral joint. This creates pain in the lower body.
For regular and repeated pain in the sacrum, make an appointment with a neurologist, traumatologist, orthopedist or urologist (gynecologist). The doctor, after conducting an examination and conversation, will make an accurate diagnosis. To confirm, the patient is sent for a computed tomography or x-ray to exclude tumors and examine the bone tissue in the sacral part of the spinal column. Women undergo MRI of the pelvic organs.
To relieve pain in the lower part of the spinal column, get rid of the diseases that provoke them. The pain radiating to the legs will end with the end of the course of medical therapy.
It happens that the pain in the sacrum, radiating to the leg, becomes unbearable, then the attending physician prescribes painkillers, analgesics or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in tablet form or by injection. They are made by a professional, because they are inserted either into the spinal canal in the sacral part of the spinal column, or into the joint cavity, or into painful muscle points located next to the painful area.
In case of mild pain that extends to the legs, massage or acupuncture is prescribed. They will help bring the organs located in the upper part of the small pelvis into a standard position and relieve muscle tension. Blood flow and outflow of lymphatic fluid will return to normal.
Whatever the cause of the pain, avoid sudden movements and heavy physical activity so as not to overstrain the sacrum.
Doctors recommend strengthening the back muscles. Build the right nutrition system and begin a course of therapeutic exercises. To relieve pain, you can, on the recommendation of a doctor, purchase a semi-rigid corset for the sacral area.
Every person has to deal with pain. In this case, the sensations can be pulling, pressing, bursting, cutting, stabbing, and so on. Most often, women experience abdominal pain. It may be related to reproductive function or other organs. In this article we will talk about why the lower abdomen hurts and radiates into the anus. You will find out the main causes of this symptom.
As mentioned above, this symptom most often appears in women of reproductive age. In this case, the pain in the lower abdomen radiates to the anus. It can be physiological or caused by certain pathological processes.
Less commonly, this symptom occurs in men and children. However, in this case there can be no talk of any physiology. If your lower abdomen hurts and radiates to the anus, then you should see a doctor as soon as possible.
There can be many reasons for the occurrence of such a symptom. Let's try to understand them in detail and find out why, in one case or another, pain appears in the abdomen (radiates to the anus).
If a representative of the fairer sex has abdominal pain (radiating into the anus), this may be a sign of the release of an egg from the ovary. This process occurs most often in the middle of the menstrual cycle. In this case, unpleasant sensations are most often temporary and end quickly.
Also, abdominal pain radiates to the anus if it is caused by menstruation. In this case, the woman marks the beginning of a new cycle, which is accompanied by the release of blood from the genital tract. Remember that menstruation should not be heavy or prolonged.
Pain in both of these cases can be eliminated by taking antispasmodics. These include the following drugs: “No-shpa”, “Solpadeine”, “Mig” and so on.
What to do if the lower abdomen and lower back hurt for quite a long time (radiates in the anus)? Most likely, we are talking about inflammation or infection. In this case, a woman may experience an unstable cycle and periodic pain, which either subsides or becomes stronger again.
Advanced inflammation may be accompanied by the release of fluid into the retrouterine space. In this case, an adhesive process is formed, which, in turn, leads to the same unpleasant sensation. Pathology should be treated only after a thorough examination and consultation with specialists. You should not dull the pain with antispasmodics, as this will only make it worse.
If you experience abdominal pain that radiates to the anus, then the cause may be a cyst. Most often, these formations are functional and go away on their own within a few months. However, you should play it safe and see a gynecologist, as well as undergo an ultrasound examination.
In some cases, cysts can be caused by hormonal imbalance. In this case, the neoplasm requires excision with such symptoms. Treatment in this case is surgical.
Remember that if a non-functional cyst is not removed in time, it may simply burst. In this case, in addition to abdominal pain (radiating to the anus), additional symptoms appear: bleeding, weakness, faintness, and so on. This condition is very dangerous and can be fatal.
If a woman has pain in the lower abdomen and lower back (radiates in the anus), then the reason for this may be the fetus developing outside the cavity of the reproductive organ. Detecting this pathology is quite simple. You just need to do a blood test or undergo an ultrasound examination.
Unpleasant sensations in this case are the reason that the fertilized egg increases in size and puts pressure on neighboring organs. In this case, the nerve endings that penetrate the intestines often react.
If your stomach hurts and radiates to the anus, then the cause may be inflammation of the appendix. In this case, pathology can occur in both women and men. Children are also affected in some cases.
The accompanying symptoms of appendicitis are the following: pain spreads throughout the peritoneum, nausea appears, which turns into vomiting. In addition, the person feels weak, there is an increase in heart rate and a decrease in blood pressure. If help is not provided in time, the consequences can be very dire.
Often the cause of abdominal pain that radiates to the anus is stool disturbance and increased gas production. In this case, a person cannot go to the toilet for a long time.
Associated symptoms of the pathology are the following: flatulence, rumbling in the stomach, lack of appetite, nausea and discomfort. Treatment in these cases is exclusively symptomatic. A person needs to take medications that separate air bubbles into small particles and laxatives. Newborn babies often suffer from colic. To receive qualified treatment, you should contact your pediatrician.
If constipation does not go away for a long time (more than five days), then you should visit a doctor. In this case, abdominal pain that radiates to the anus may be a sign of intestinal obstruction. Treatment for this is most often surgical.
If the expectant mother has abdominal pain that radiates to the anus, then the reason for this may be the onset of labor. In this case, you should not make any decisions or medications on your own. Go to the maternity hospital as soon as possible. Only there you will be provided with qualified assistance.
You now know the main causes of pain in the lower abdomen, which radiates to the anus. Remember that in some cases, taking painkillers may cause a blurred clinical picture. This is why you should consult a doctor and only then take any medications. Good health to you!
Pain during menstruation or dysmenorrhea is pain in the lower abdomen, in the projection of the uterus. Pain occurs during menstruation either directly or 1-3 days before the onset of menstruation. Pain before menstruation usually reaches its peak within 24 days from the start of menstruation and subsides within 1-3 days. The nature of the pain is usually sharp, acute, but can also be throbbing, spasmodic or dull with constant intensity. In this case, the pain may radiate to the legs. Often accompanied by these symptoms are nausea, constipation, frequent urination and pain in the buttocks. Period pain may last throughout the entire period, but may only last for a few days.
The causes of pain during menstruation can be divided into two groups:
Primary dysmenorrhea occurs without connection with any structural changes in the pelvic organs. It is believed that the intense contractions of the uterus that occur during menstruation are triggered by prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are produced by the sloughing layer of the uterus - the functional endometrium. The influence of prostaglandins and other substances leads to a strong contraction of the muscles of the uterus, constriction of the blood arteries passing through the thickness of the muscle layer. Compression of the uterine arteries leads to a deterioration in the blood supply to the tissues and the development of ischemia. Ischemia is a lack of blood flow to tissue. As a result of these processes, pain receptors are stimulated and pain develops during menstruation. Excitement and fear of menstruation contribute to the worsening of symptoms. Sometimes the pain can be due to an incorrect position of the uterus or a too narrow cervical canal through which the rejected tissues come out during menstruation. Risk factors for primary dysmenorrhea include the presence of a similar problem in blood relatives, early onset of menstruation, and smoking. As a rule, pain during menstruation occurs with the onset of puberty and subsides upon reaching adulthood. Also, pain before menstruation often disappears in women who have given birth.
Secondary dysmenorrhea is characterized by a condition where the stomach hurts during menstruation due to disorders in the pelvis. The main causes of such dysmenorrhea include:
In less common cases, the cause of pain during menstruation is disorders of the structure of the pelvic organs, ovarian cysts and tumors, pelvic inflammatory diseases (including STDs), congestion in the pelvic veins and the use of intrauterine devices. Sometimes pain during menstruation occurs when rejected sections of the endometrium are expelled through the narrowed canal of the cervix. Narrowing of the cervical canal can occur due to scar deformation after treatments for cervical erosion and cervical dysplasia (using electrocoagulation, laser and cryodestruction). Secondary dysmenorrhea always appears in adulthood.
Always, if you are menstruating and your stomach hurts, you should consult a doctor. Try to answer the following questions: when did menstruation pain first appear , how long did it last, what is the nature, frequency and intensity of menstruation. Is the monthly cycle regular? Which factors alleviate and which aggravate pain. Do you have pain in the lower abdomen that is not associated with menstruation?
In order to determine why it hurts before menstruation, it is imperative to take a pregnancy test and undergo a transvaginal ultrasound of the uterus and ovaries. If inflammatory diseases are suspected, it is necessary to undergo tests for STDs, especially chlamydia. With the help of transvaginal ultrasound, you can determine the main causes of pain during menstruation. This applies to fibroids, endometriosis, adnexitis. If varicose veins of the uterine veins and congestion in the pelvis are suspected, duplex scanning of the pelvic vessels is used. If the cause of pain is not recognized as a result of the above measures, hysteroscopy and laparoscopy can be used for diagnosis.
First of all, it is necessary to treat the conditions that cause pain. If dysmenorrhea is primary, the first steps are aimed at normalizing the regimen. Adequate sleep and reasonable physical activity are required. A diet low in fat and high in fiber. The administration of vitamin E, zinc, vitamin B1, and omega 3 fatty acids is useful. If the pain syndrome is very intense, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can be used 24-48 hours before the start of menstruation. You can stop taking painkillers 1-2 days after the start of your period. If these medications are not effective, contraception is used to prevent menstrual pain by reducing the intensity of the processes that contribute to the symptoms of dysmenorrhea. Psychotherapy and hypnosis can show fairly good results, since in some cases pain can be a manifestation of deep-seated prohibitions and fears. In cases where the intensity of pain before and during menstruation is very high, surgical treatment can be used, which consists of cutting the sensory nerves coming from the uterus.
In conclusion, let us remind you that no matter how obvious the symptoms that occur during menstruation may seem, you should always be wary of them. If a woman has been suffering from pain before her period since puberty, this does not mean that she cannot have serious gynecological diseases. Therefore, it is worth visiting a gynecologist, if only to rule out the presence of unrecognized diseases and abnormalities. In addition, the gynecologist will help you choose the right and safe method for dealing with pain.
In obstetrics and gynecology we work in the following areas:
We treat the following problems:
Hello. Little Sister (she is 15 years old) has pain in her right side and it hurts in her leg, making it painful to step on. At first they took me to the hospital, they thought it was appendicitis, but the doctor looked and said that it was not appendicitis, but something related to gynecology. We went and had gynecological tests, the tests showed that I was completely healthy. Tell me, please, what can it be? Thank you in advance.
You need to show it to a neurologist. Most likely these are manifestations of osteochondrosis. It's surprising that no doctor thought of this before...
Best regards, Sergey Filimonov.
Tell me please... If you had sex on 23, and your period started 28. Is it possible to get pregnant?
No, you can't get pregnant. The very presence of menstruation indicates that conception has not occurred. From the first day after conception, the fertilized egg releases hormones that prevent the onset of menstruation.
Sincerely, Sergey Alekseevich Filimonov
Good afternoon. Over the course of a year I have been bothered by white discharge, and a lot of it at that... I passed all the tests .. they said I was healthy .. but now another problem happened during my period, the smell is simply terrible .. what is this connected with?
I am not a gynecologist, so please ask a gynecologist with this question. Usually the smell is associated with a violation of the microflora - tank. vaginosis (questionable). To clarify, still see a gynecologist.
Sincerely, Sergey Alekseevich Filimonov.
Hello. For a long time now, I have had a nagging pain in my lower right side that radiates down to my leg. She is not strong, but still, what could it be?
Hello. The thing is that my back hurts on the right side and radiates to my leg (I’m 17 years old). I went to the hospital and they prescribed warming up and injections with ointments. Nothing helps, but the pain in my back is getting stronger and stronger, I have difficulty lying down and getting out of bed
Hello. For 3 months now I have been bothered by pain in my right side, under the ribs and in the lower abdomen. They checked for appendicitis immediately and did not confirm it. Over the last 2 weeks, the condition has worsened, the pain has become constant, it radiates strongly to the right leg, sometimes the pain in it becomes very severe. On palpation, pain can be felt under the ribs on the right, in the iliac region and in the lower abdomen, above the pubis (especially strong there). I visited both a gynecologist and a gastroenterologist (an ulcer was ruled out). The gynecologist prescribed injections of sodium thiosulfate, which did not bring any effect. The therapist prescribed Omez, which I took for more than a month. After the course, the condition first became better, and then sharply worsened. The temperature became constant, 37 and 3 or 37 and 2. I took tests for dysbacteriosis, I’m waiting for the result and I’m going to visit a proctologist, but these pains bother me Should I drink this week while the Tsiprolet test is being done? Or something else. Thanks in advance for your answer!
HELLO. I have pain in my right side, my leg is twisted and my lower back hurts. They made a CT scan of the spine. THE DIAGNOSIS IS PICTURED OF COMMON OSTEOCHONDROSIS OF THE LUMBAR-SACRAL SPACE SPONDYLOARTHROSIS RIGHT-SIDED SCOLIOSIS OF THE LUMBAR REGION ATHEROSCLEROSIS OF THE ABDOMINAL AORTA CAN IT REALLY YES I HAVE SO MUCH PAIN, IT BURNING IN MY VAGINA AND THE SOLES OF MY FEET BURN
Hello. I have this problem: during menstrual periods or before them, I have pain in my side and radiate to my leg. What is this?