As people age, their body functions continue to degenerate, and various problems arise, the most common of which is low back pain. In fact, low back pain is a symptom, not a disease. There are many reasons that can cause low back pain. Today, let’s talk about self-care for old low back pain.

Causes of low back pain

There are many reasons for low back pain. Here are some common reasons:

  1. Injury: mostly caused by indirect external force. When falling from a high place, the hip or foot lands on the ground, and the impact force upward causes fractures, including fractures, dislocations, and nerve damage of the vertebral body and its appendages.
  2. Osteoporosis: With age, the amount of bone tissue per unit volume decreases, the bones become fragile, and fractures are prone to occur, causing low back pain.
  3. Herniated disc: With age, the intervertebral disc will gradually lose moisture and elasticity, leading to herniated disc, compressing nerves, and causing low back pain.
  4. Lumbar spinal stenosis: Lumbar spinal stenosis will compress the dura mater sac, spinal cord or nerve roots, causing low back pain.
  5. Lumbar muscle strain: Maintaining a bad posture for a long time (such as sitting or standing for a long time) or overusing the waist muscles will cause lumbar muscle strain and cause waist and leg pain.

TCM’s understanding of waist and leg pain

TCM believes that the causes of waist and leg pain are mainly the following types:

  1. Acute sprain – Qi and blood stasis type
  2. Exogenous wind, cold and dampness
  3. Long-term illness and strain, kidney deficiency type

Symptoms of waist and leg pain

The symptoms of waist and leg pain vary. The following are some common symptoms:

  1. Waist pain: The pain is usually in the lumbar spine or sacral spine, often accompanied by stiffness and discomfort.
  2. Leg pain: The pain is usually in the thigh, calf and ankle, often manifested as soreness, tingling or swelling.
  3. Numbness and paresthesia: often manifested as numbness of hands and feet, weakened or absent tactile sensation.
  4. Muscle weakness: Due to nerve compression, muscle weakness may occur, especially in the lower limb muscles.
  5. Difficulty walking: Pain and weakness may cause difficulty walking, requiring the use of crutches or wheelchairs.

Treatment of low back pain

There are many treatments for low back pain, and the following are some common methods:

  1. Physical therapy: Physical therapy such as hot compress, acupuncture, cupping, massage, etc. can relieve pain and improve blood circulation.
  2. Drug treatment: Such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, etc., can relieve pain and reduce inflammation; in addition, Chinese herbal prescriptions such as liver and kidney tonic, such as Duhuo Jisheng Decoction, etc., can be used. The above should be used under the guidance of a physician.
  3. Surgical treatment: For severe conditions, surgical treatment may need to be considered.

Prevention and health care for low back pain

  1. Use the correct posture for lifting heavy objects and sitting posture: When lifting heavy objects, bend your knees and squat first, and then lift the heavy objects to avoid damaging your waist. Otherwise, if you straighten your knees and bend over to lift heavy objects, it is easy to cause waist injury and lumbar disc herniation.
  2. Prevent the invasion of wind, cold and dampness: Chinese medicine believes that “coldness causes pain, coldness causes stagnation, qi and blood are blocked, meridians are blocked, and blockage causes pain”. Therefore, the living environment should be dry and warm, especially do not sleep on cold and damp ground, and change clothes in time after being caught in the rain. Do not take a cold shower immediately after strenuous activities and sweating.
  3. Exercise of waist and back muscles: Strengthening the exercise of the waist and back muscles helps to maintain and enhance the stability of the lumbar spine, and can effectively prevent acute and chronic waist injuries and low back pain. Common exercise methods include: swallow flying method, five-point support method, and three-point support method.
  4. Diet in moderation: The diet should be balanced, with high protein and vitamin content, low fat and cholesterol, prevent obesity, quit smoking and control alcohol, and it is recommended that the elderly consume more foods rich in calcium, vitamin D and other nutrients.
  5. Early treatment: If symptoms of waist and leg pain occur, treatment should be carried out as soon as possible to avoid worsening of the condition. It is recommended to seek medical attention in time when discomfort symptoms occur, and receive professional diagnosis and treatment.

In short, understanding the causes, symptoms, treatments and preventive health care methods of low back and leg pain will help you better deal with this common problem. At the same time, you should pay attention to maintaining good health, strengthening muscle strength, and reducing the damage to the waist and joints caused by bad living habits, so as to prevent the occurrence of low back and leg pain.