Back pain or Spine Pain
Back pain comprises of neck pain or cervical pain, upper back and lower back pain. The incidence is increasing mainly because of the life style, long sitting hours and hardly any time for walk and exercises. Many causes of back pain and spine degeneration can be avoided by regular exercises and posture management.
Now back pain is not considered as an old age related problem as significant number of younger population is suffering from chronic low back pain or chronic neck pain.
What is best solution for back pain?
Starting from Conservative treatment in the form of physiotherapy under qualified doctor’s order, to surgical management, many solutions are available. But the most exciting are the minimally invasive spine interventions, which gives the best solution for back pain. More than 70% of spine surgeries can be avoided now with spine interventions.
What are the causes of back pain?
Back pain may come from Disc, facet joints which are small joints in spine, muscles around spine, bones of spine and nerves coming from spine. You pain specialist after physical examination makes a provisional diagnosis and may order MRI/ CT Scan or X ray to confirm the diagnosis.
What kind of work out is recommended for people with back problems?
We cannot avoid working but we can modify our lifestyle to prevent and manage our back pain. More commonly seen with prolonged sittings. We just need to stretch and get out of our chair after every 30-40 min, just a min or two to avoid constant loading on spine.
Workouts depends on the type of back disorder. Rest is not advisable for most of the back problems. Infact, in some cases, rest aggravates the spine problem specially lower back and neck pains.
Rest is only indicated in severe conditions like sciatica, pinched nerves, severe disc bulge, spine fractures.
Your spine doctor or spine specialist will advise you stretching or strengthening exercises depending on the type of spine pain.
What is the best non-surgical solution for lower back pain?
Depends on the pathology. Many minimally invasive and target specific spine interventional techniques are now available and can prevent more than 70% of spine surgeries. Surgery at times is required to prevent a permanent damage to the nerves. Severity of pain is not directly related to severity of the problem.
Biacuplasty or cooled Radiofrequency or Annuloplasty are the proven procedures for disc repair. Vertebroplasty for spine compression fractures and metastases of spine. Endoscopic discectomy for slipped disc or disc bulge which causes sciatica and radiating leg pain.
How do I treat back pain without dangerous drugs?
Medications are required in acute phase to prevent you from landing into chronic pain states. Prevention is always better than cure. But once back pain develops, follow the pain and spine specialist advise on medications.
Medicines are not dangerous. Their misuse or overuse of drugs without doctors consultation may lead to side effects. Medicines are approved for clinical use only after their research on efficacy and safety profiles.
What all disorders can be managed with minimally invasive spine interventions.
Spine endoscopy is used to treat slipped disc and sciatica, Biacuplasty or disc annuloplasty is used for discogenic pain and to repair the disc tear, vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty for osteoporotic compression fractures of spine and metastases of cancer, neurolytic procedures for cancer pain, Radiofrequency ablation for joint pains, regenerative interventions for sports injuries.
How safe are these procedures?
As compared to surgery, safety is the biggest advantage. We don’t have to open the spine, no bone cutting is required, hardly any blood loss. And the patient can go back home the same day
How many days of rest are required after these procedures? Can I join my office after the procedure?
Usually, bed rest is not required. The patient can be discharged the same day and the patient can resume duties after the 3rd or 4th Day. Most of the non- endoscopy procedure patients can resume their duties even after one day of rest.
Can these procedures also helps in pinched nerves or slipped disc and sciatica?
Yes, depending on the size of the disc herniation, we select the percutaneous procedure. In large herniations or big disc bulge, we remove the herniated portion of the disc or joint with spine endoscopy. For smaller herniation, some percutaneous procedures like, disc decompressor, laser discectomy, ozone discectomy or ozonucleolysis are selected.
MRI shows a tear in the disc. Can this be a cause of my back pain?
Disc tear or Annular tear is the most common cause of chronic back pain. Patients with annular tear will have pain after sitting for some time. They also feel pain and stiff back in the morning. Forward bending aggravates their pain. Now, with disc repair procedure, disc Annuloplasty or Biacuplasty where cooled RF (Coolief) is used to repair the damaged portion of disc without opening the spine.
Are these spine interventions covered under medical insurance?
Yes, most of the procedures are covered under medical insurance. Currently, it is mandatory to admit the patient for one day in the hospital for insurance coverage. Soon, spine interventional procedures will also come under day care procedures.