Low Back Pain : Common problem but poorly understood

Low back pain (LBP) is one of the commonest orthopedic problems. It is generally accepted that between 60% and 80% of the adult population can be expected to experience Low back pain at some point during their lifetime, and that between 20% and 30% are suffering from it any given time. By the age of 30 years, almost half of adults have experienced a substantive episode of low back pain. Most symptoms are short-lived.

LBP is most commonly treated in primary health care settings. Pain can originate from several anatomic structures within the spine making it difficult for the patient and the physician to localize. Moreover, clinical management of acute as well as chronic low back pain varies substantially among health care providers. Also, different primary health care professionals are involved in the management of LBP, such as general practitioners, physical therapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, manual therapists, and others. There is a need to increase consistency in the management of LBP across professions. Also, there is a need for the general public to understand that this is a problem which is best handled by early intervention under the guidance of a specialist.

Low back pain is self-limiting, and the pain improves substantially by about 80% in 6 to 12 weeks. In most people the pain and associated disability linger on for months and only 25% of the patients who sought consultation for low back pain had fully recovered within 12 months. For those whose pain does resolve completely, recurrence during the next 12 months is not uncommon.

Risk factors:

• Sedentary Lifestyle
• Change in Job Profile : Shifting of job profiles from field work to office or desk
• Static postures
• Previous history of back pain
• Heavy physical work
• Frequent bending, Twisting & Lifting
• Pulling and pushing
• Repetitive work
• Psychosocial risk factors include stress, distress, anxiety, depression, cognitive functioning, job dissatisfaction and mental stress at work.
• Smoking
• Obesity

Tips to keep your spine healthy and Avoid low Back Pain:

• Patient Education
• Assurance about recovery
• The change in lifestyle from sedentary to active
• Meditation and Relieving Stress
• Conditioning exercises: which includes a brisk walk of about 45mins to 1 hour to swimming or dancing or playing an outdoor sport or aerobics.
• Stretching exercises and Yoga
• Diet also plays an important role in maintaining the muscle mass of the body.

Our Vision: An active lifestyle, regular exercise program, a healthy diet, maintenance of good posture and knowledge about the ailment can help prevent the back pain. So, our goal is to explain the illness to the patients so that they are able to prevent any further episodes of back pain and are also able to manage their back pain and ultimately come out of the long-standing back pain as a winner.

The 1st Spine Clinic of the region has been started at CarMax Hospital, Jalandhar where we provide total spine solutions under one roof under the guidance of Dr Sahil Batra (Specialist Spine Surgeon). From prevention of various spine problems and educating the patient about spine ailments to performing simple and complex spine surgeries, CarMax Hospital in Jalandhar offers around the clock spine services.