CITY DENTAL CLINIC, Madiwala

Spinal surgery becomes inevitable when back pain cannot be managed with medications and/or exercise. This is a major decision and requires planning for many things before, during, and after the surgery.

Before a spinal surgery- This preparation will help in smooth recovery, especially if you do not have a full-time caretaker.

1. Discontinue pain killers: Discontinue pain killers at least 10 to 14 days before surgery. These are blood thinners and can prolong bleeding during the surgery.

2. Prepare for blood loss: Most people experience some blood loss, but not excessive.

3. Use a toilet seat raiser: Sitting and getting up from the toilet seat may be difficult. The seat raiser is used to increase the height, making this movement easy.

4. Enable easy access to common items: Before heading for the surgery, keep things which are commonly used within easy reach. This will help reduce movement and avoid searching (especially if someone else is going to be doing it).

5. Stock it up: Cooking may not be feasible during the initial postop period, and so it is advisable to stock up food items (ready to eats, fruits, soups, etc.) which will come in handy.

6. Slip-ons: Bending down and tying shoes may not be easy, so slip-ons can be used.

7. Caregiving: It is always advisable to have someone stay over with you during the initial postop days. They could help with regular household chores, cooking, etc.

8. Lifestyle changes: Ensure you eat well in the days before surgery, quit smoking, quit/use moderate amounts of alcohol, and exercise as advised by your surgeon.

After Surgery- Post surgery, there will be some pain and limitation of movement. It is important to understand that adherence to post-op instructions will improve the success rate of the surgery. Also, recovery time for spine surgery is slightly longer and affects overall quality of life, so psychological preparation is required.

1. Postoperative medications: These will be given to control infection and pain in the immediate postop period, and should be taken without fail

2. Rehab: The surgeon will recommend physical therapy and rehab exercises which need to be followed. Complete recovery may take anywhere between 3 to 12 months. During this time, care should be taken to avoid repeat injury.

3. Support: Adequate back support should be provided using lumbar support and ergonomic chairs, and the right posture should be maintained. Ensure there is no undue strain on the back muscles.

4. Weight management: With excess weight, there is too much strain on the lower disks. Therefore, weight should be managed to reduce this strain.

5. Smoking and alcohol should be completely stopped, as healing can be hampered.

With some preparation, spinal surgery can be sailed through smoothly.

Spinal cord is a very important part of your body as it renders support to your body.  It also gives your body a good posture and thus maintaining a healthy spine is very essential. An unfit spinal cord can lead to various complicated problems.

The following are 5 must do exercises in order to maintain a healthy spine:

1. Exercising your core muscles can help you to maintain a fit spine. Your core muscles refer to the muscles of your lower back and your abdominal muscles. These muscles give support to your spine. So exercising them can give you a healthy spine.
2. Walking regularly can also give you a healthy spine. It is suitable for people of all age groups. Daily walking can help you to recover from various spinal illnesses as well such as spinal stenosis.
3. Swimming is also a good exercise for maintaing a fit spinal cord. Swimming helps to exercise all back muscles and thus, gives you a healthy spinal cord.
4. Lying down straight with your face down on an even and firm surface for about twenty minutes can help you to get a healthy spine and also a good body posture.
5. Cycling can also help you achieve a healthy spine. While cycling, all your back muscles and the muscles of the lower part of your body are engaged in physical activity. If the muscles of your lower back are strong, then it can help you to keep your spine fit.

Other than these exercises, stretching your limbs and other stretching exercises are also beneficial for a healthy spine. But it is highly recommended for you to consult a doctor before doing any exercise in order to be guided in the proper manner and avoid further complications.

Bone loss is a silent condition that occurs over the years as you age. It is a condition when the bones become weak and fragile. Many people may not even know that that they are suffering bone loss until it leads to serious conditions such as Osteoporosis. Bone loss resulting in osteoporosis is more in women than men. It is estimated that one of every three women above 50 years suffers from osteoporosis related fracture.

What causes bone loss?
Bones are made of minerals, calcium, and phosphate. Bones are being constantly destroyed and refoemed within the body. As long as your body balances the process, your bones stay strong and healthy. However when the bone decay out grows the bone formation process, bone loss and a host of other problems occur. Some of the common causes bone loss are:

1. With growing age, the body starts to reabsorb phosphate and calcium instead of keeping it in the bones. This makes the bones weak. When the process continues for a long time, it leads to osteoporosis.
2. If your diet doesnot contain high calcium foods, then your bones donot get enough calcium.
3. Smoking and drinking can make your bones weak.
4. Medical conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, chronic kidney disease can cause bone loss.
5. Sometimes medicines can also result in bone loss.

What are the symptoms of bone loss?

1. Receding gums: Our teeth are connected to the jaw bone and if the jaw starts losing bone then it causes receding of gums. Loss of jaw bone is linked to lower bone mineral density.
2. Decreased grip strength: Hand grips strength decreases due to low bone density.
3. Weak and brittle fingernails: You may find your fingernails have become weak and brittle.
4. Cramps, muscle pain, and joint ache: Pain in muscles and joints are an important indicator of vitamin D deficiency, which is a vital component for healthy bones. Cramps in legs and foot at night are an indicator of deficiency of potassium and calcium in the bones.
5. Height loss: This is a common problem that comes with age. But there are other factors that lead to height loss such as poor posture and fractured vertebra. Poor posture can cause bone loss.
6. Overall low fitness: If you notice that your overall fitness has declined which includes your balance, muscle strength then you may be suffering from bone loss.

Can homeopathy treat osteoporosis?
Homeopathy has the most effective and holistic approach to treat osteoporosis. Homeopathy doesn’t intend to cure bone loss, instead, it tries to treat the underlying health condition that leads to osteoporosis. Consult a homeopath online. Some of the important homeopathy remedies are:

1. Calcaria Phos: It is a very effective remedy for osteoporosis It helps in increasing the absorption of calcium from the food. It is a bone builder and creates new cells.
2. Calcaria Iod: This is a great remedy to treat loss of bones as well as loss of muscles and fat.
3. Alendronate: Alendronate is given to patients suffering from osteoporosis which is caused by steroid treatment. It reduces the release of calcium from the bones to the blood.
4. Calcitonin - Salmon: Calcitonin-Salmon is a man-made hormone used to treat osteoporosis.

Muscle pain is common to both men and women irrespective of their age. People usually resort to painkillers in order to receive temporary relief, but taking too much of these can affect your health adversely. Ayurveda provides effective ways to heal muscle pain.

The following few ways to treat muscle pain can be taken into notice:

1. Regular exercise- Regular exercise can help you treat muscle pain. Yoga can prove to be very helpful. You may try lotus pose, cobra pose, boat pose among many others to get relief from muscle pain.

2. Panchakarma- Panchakarma is a therapeutic treatment, which can help you heal your muscle pain. It includes five steps vamana, virechana, nasya, basti, raktamokshana, which will clean your body and mind from toxins and can also offer relief from pain.

3. Abhyanga-This process is suggested in ayurveda to offer relief from muscular pain. It involves applying oil all over your body followed by a warm bath.

4. Healthy diet- Having freshly cooked food and including green vegetables and spices like cumin, ginger, turmeric in your diet can help you to combat your problem of muscle pain.

5. Use of ice cubes- Applying ice cubes over the area of muscle pain can help you get some relief.

6. Foods to avoid- Avoiding food items like curd, sugar, refined cereal, rice, potato and sour food can help you to reduce muscle pain.

7. Ayurvedic Herbs- Ayurveda also offers many herbs, which can help you find relief from your muscle pain.

8. Obesity- Avoid gaining excess weight. Being overweight can increase muscle pain.