Waist pain treatment

Waist pain is a problem that can be successfully eased with painkillers and heating pads. However, one should consult a doctor, before trying any self cures, who will determine the exact cause of waist pain and suggest suitable treatment.

This particular type of pain affects the area between the hips and the rib cage. It can be a consequence of a hard day's work and spending too much time sitting in a particular position. However, several more causes of waist pain need to be taken into consideration if a patient turns to a doctor with this problem.

Causes of Waist Pain

Bad posture is the leading cause of waist pain. Also, the pain may be associated with certain medical conditions, such as sciatica, or it may occur during temporary changes in the body such as pregnancy. Any involuntary contraction of the abdominal muscles may be also a cause of waist pain.

In sciatica, the pain occurs as a consequence of compression of the nerve roots. The sciatica nerve starts within the spine and then travels down the leg innervating certain muscles. If it is under pressure, a person will experience pain which may be localized in the waist area (at the back) and, in some cases, it may radiate down the leg. In pregnancy, rapid growth of the uterus puts pressure on the surrounding structures, and may eventually lead to waist pain, which is commonly localized in the lower part of the back. Finally, involuntary contractions of the muscles in the waist area (muscle spasms) may cause waist pain. The pain is, in this case, temporary and usually does not last long.

Low back pain (LBP) is a common disease that up to 84% of adults will experience during their lives, and up to 50% of them will have more than one episode. This disease is the second ranked cause of lost days at work, and approximately $50 billion per year is spent on LBP in the US.

The severity of symptoms in LBP varies widely. Some episodes are self-limiting and resolve without specific therapy, but some causes of LBP might be excruciating enough to necessitate treatment in an emergency room. Many sources are responsible for LBP, including muscles, nerves, bones, and referred pain from abdominal organs. Although there can be many underlying causes for LBP, often no specific reason can be found. So, better identification of the source of LBP may result to better treatments.
A total of 1,125 patients were evaluated to determine the sources of their LBP with physical examinations, imaging, injections, and other laboratory examinations, if needed. The patients were divided into five groups based on their ages. Frequencies of the sources of pain were assessed in the five age groups, and the assessments were done separately by gender.
The patients enrolled in this study consisted of 527 males (46.8%) and 598 females (53.2%). The frequencies of the sources of pain were, in descending order, spine (689, 61.2%), no cause found (163, 14.5%), spine with sacroiliac joint (SIJ) (72, 6.4%), spine with hip (65, 5.8%), SIJ (60, 5.3%), hip (44, 3.9%), spine along with hip and SIJ (20, 1.8%), hip with SIJ (8, 0.7%), and other diseases (4, 0.4%). There were significant statistical differences between the genders and mean ages for different sources (P = 0.03 and 0.000, respectively).

✓ Fact confirmed: What is the source of low back pain? Hamidreza Shemshaki, Sayed-Mohammad Amin Nourian, Mahboobeh Fereidan-Esfahani, Masoud Mokhtari, and Mohammad Reza Etemadifar; 2013 Jan-Jun

All people suffering from waist pain are generally advised to have plenty of rest. They should avoid strenuous activities such as lifting heavy objects, etc. These activities may only increase the intensity of the pain.

In the case of sciatica, patients undergo specially designed treatment, which includes certain medications (painkillers and muscle relaxants) and heat or cold therapy. In severe cases, the pain can be controlled with epidural steroid injections. Only in extreme cases, surgery is the most suitable treatment for the particular pain.

If waist pain originates from muscle spasms, it can be controlled with muscle relaxants and sometimes medications, which are prescribed to people suffering from seizures such as carbamazepine.

In case of waist pain becomes chronic (a common consequence of herniated or slipped spinal disc) a person is recommended specific treatment options such as mechanical pelvis traction and muscle therapy. In mechanical pelvis traction, the goal is to stretch the back and increase the gap between the bones of the spine, which allows the herniated disc to return to its original place. Muscle therapy comprises a set of exercises performed to stretch the back area.