Back pain is not only seen in adults; in today's life, we often witness that our children also experience low back pain complaints. Low back pain is one of the most common problems, especially in developed societies. Low back pain, which we commonly observe, unfortunately continues to be one of the problems that 80 out of every 100 people complain about at some point in their lives.
Dear patient relatives and dear parents, in this article, I would like to discuss in detail the situation of children in cases of low back pain that we frequently encounter. Although low back pain is not a common condition in children, I have observed an increase in its frequency in recent years. Although this increase is generally attributed to children being inactive all day long or spending time in front of the computer, there may actually be very dangerous problems underlying it. For this reason, I think that both doctors and parents should pay careful attention to complaints of low back pain in children.
Why Does Low Back Pain Occur in Children?
Long hours spent in front of the computer, backpacks that even us adults have difficulty carrying, and poor posture cause the problem of low back pain to become common in children.
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To put it briefly;
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Spending long time in front of the computer,
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Poor posture,
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Backpacks with poor ergonomics and excessive weight are among the most common causes of lower back pain in children.
However, in addition to the reasons I mentioned above;
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Infection
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Tumors
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Sprained Lumbar
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Spinal curvature or hunchback Depending on the reasons, lower back pain may occur in children.
Therefore, before the cause of low back pain is fully understood, it is necessary to move away from the logic of "it's just a child and it will pass" and to consult a specialist to find out the cause of the pain.
Be Careful: Children under the age of 4 may experience lower back pain lasting longer than 4 weeks. It may indicate abnormalities or cancer. Therefore, low back pain in children should be closely monitored.
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Pain that increases at night
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Continuous fatigue
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Ongoing pain in legs or arms
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Numbness or numbness in legs or arms
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Toilet incontinence
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Difficulty in walking
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Weight loss
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One of the symptoms of fever It should not be forgotten that if one or more of them accompany low back pain in children, suspicions of spinal anomaly, infection or tumor should be investigated.
When to Suspect Congenital Spinal Anomaly?
In addition to lower back pain;
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Hair growth in the waist and coccyx areas,
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The waist dimple or dimpled appearance, which is considered pleasant in our society, even though it is actually muscle paralysis.
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Fat accumulation in the tissue in the waist area may indicate a spinal anomaly. . I recommend that parents who encounter the situations I mentioned should consult an expert.
Scoliosis and Low Back Pain in Children
Scoliosis, in its simplest form, is a disease of the spine. It is expressed as taking a C or S shape when viewed from behind. Curves of more than 10 degrees in the spine are defined as scoliosis. It is especially common in those with congenital anomalies or those who have had polio. The incidence of scoliosis, which is 7 times more common in girls than boys, increases in children over the age of 10. Remember that lower back pain is among the symptoms of scoliosis.
Things to Do to Protect Children from Low Back Pain
First of all, we should not think that every back pain indicates serious problems, but as parents, we should not forget to observe. We shouldn't. Immediately after low back pain occurs in children, the child's life We need to follow the process by making small changes. The first thing that should be considered in children with back pain is the use of a backpack.
Be Careful When Using Backpacks!
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Children using backpacks , make sure that the weight of the backpack does not exceed 15% of the body weight,
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Ensure that the weight of the bag is distributed evenly,
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Backpack Make sure that the design is ergonomic,
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Make sure that the bag is carried with both shoulders.
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In cases where heavy carrying is required, use a hip strap or wheel. Choose bags that have a comfortable fit,
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Use bag designs that allow the weight to be distributed evenly across the body with waist and chest belts.
Backpack-related back pain can be overcome with the precautions I can list as mentioned above.
Regular Movement and Correct Posture
In order to protect ourselves from back pain, we need to monitor our children without disturbing them or putting them under pressure. While monitoring, intervening in children's movement and posture habits is important to ensure that the process goes smoothly.
Swimming: Swimming is one of the most beneficial sports for waist and back pain. This sport, which children generally enjoy, can be beneficial for what we call growing pains, in addition to waist and back pain.
Posture Control: Correct posture is important to prevent low back pain in children. It is necessary to check children's posture and warn them when they assume a hunched posture. I also recommend that children who spend long periods of time in front of the computer should be checked and their sitting positions should be observed.
Be Careful: If back pain persists for more than 4 weeks despite the precautions taken, a specialist should be consulted. dirt.
Diagnosing the Cause of Low Back Pain in Children
When children have long-term low back pain, a physical examination must first be performed. It is important for the examining doctor to listen to the medical history of the child's family and ask the child questions about the pain in order to find the cause of the pain. A physical examination is critically important to investigate the symptoms that occur with low back pain and to evaluate the child's mobility.
Pay Attention: Dear patient relatives and parents, you should not ignore children's complaints of low back pain and should definitely consult a specialist. Pain that occurs due to spinal anomalies and curvatures is of great importance in terms of early diagnosis and comfortable treatment planning.
X-ray: X-ray examination can be performed to examine the alignment of bones, diagnose deformations, and visualize fractures and tumors.
Computed Tomography (CT): Computed tomography may be needed to examine the spine in 3D, especially in cases of spinal anomalies.
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Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MR): MRI is requested to evaluate soft tissues such as the spinal cord, nerve roots and disc. With this imaging method, back pain due to infection or tumor can be diagnosed.
Bone Scan: Bone scan can be performed to clearly visualize infections, tumors or fractures that cannot be clearly examined with imaging techniques.
Laboratory Tests: Other laboratory tests, such as complete blood count, may also be requested by the doctor to confirm the disease.
Treatment of Low Back Pain in Children
In the treatment of low back pain, planning must be made depending on the cause of the pain. The treatment of pain due to acute and chronic muscle tension must be different from the treatment of low back pain due to kyphosis.
Dear patient relatives and parents, you should definitely keep in mind that low back pain is treatable and that only a very low percentage of these treatments are performed by surgery.
The common cause of lower back pain in children is excessive or incorrect use of muscles. When such a problem is encountered, lower back pain can be treated with exercises, non-steroidal painkillers and posture control.
Kyphosis, or hunchback as it is popularly known, is among the problems that cause low back pain in children. Hunching may occur due to posture or structurally. Postural hunchback is the most common type in children. Posture-related hunchback can be corrected with posture exercises. Children can be helped to adapt to the correct posture through exercises. Performing 1-hour training 3 days a week will help prevent hunchbacks due to poor posture.
Structural hunchback, or "Scheuermann kyphosis" as it is called in the medical literature; It is a problem characterized by structural disorder in the discs between the vertebrae. In children with structural hunchback problems, corsets should be used to prevent the problem from progressing, especially while growth and development continue. Surgical intervention may be considered in cases where the curvature caused by hunchback is over 75 degrees.
Herniated disc is not among the problems we encounter in children, but it can rarely be seen during adolescence. Since adolescence is a period in which physical development continues, a herniated disc must be kept under control and examined with follow-up treatment.
Although low back pain in children often does not indicate serious problems, I would like to underline that long-term low back pain that occurs during the development period should be followed up. If your child has a complaint of back pain that does not go away, you should consult a specialist without neglecting it.
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