Dr. Surya Prakash Rao Voleti

Lower back pain is a very common issue and can take place due to numerous reasons. However, one of its main causes is a ligament strain or back muscle strain. Microscopic tear or excessive stretching of ligaments can take place due to lifting very heavy objects, doing enormously strenuous task or due to a sudden twisted movement. These conditions are most likely to be experienced by individuals ranging between the ages of 30 and 60. Other causes of lower back pain include back injury, arthritis of back bone joints, infections in the lower back area, and in very rare cases, tumours.

In case of acute back pain, these are a few important things that should be definitely kept in mind.

1. It is absolutely essential to take rest for a couple of days and avoid any sort of stressful activity. Although back pain is self-limiting, if you take proper care, it can be cured in a few days. However, if proper rest is not taken, the situation may become worse.
2. Using the black belt, also known as lumbo sacral corset, is a good idea. This can actually be of enormous help to individuals who have been suffering from lower back pain for a shorter period of time.
3. As already mentioned, one of the main causes of these kinds of mishaps are sudden jerky movements, twisted movements, heavy weight lifting etc. So, it is necessary to avoid such circumstances, or else, a more acute back pain situation may arise due to slipping of one of the discs from the spinal cord.
4. As much as you like long drives and bike rides, these are a strict no. Any prolonged sitting or standing activity needs to be avoided. It is important that the tear caused in the muscles due to what-so-ever reason heals properly and prolonged stay in a tensed muscle position would definitely not help the cause.
5. Although these back pains can be handled at home by following the discussed steps, using simple analgesics or muscle relaxants prescribed by the doctor can be a way to speed up the process of recovering the strained ligament.

Apart from these important steps, regular exercise to strengthen the core body muscles is a great way to avoid such ligament strains in the future. However, if you feel that even after following the precautionary measures, you problem doesn’t subside, visit an experienced doctor for his advice. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!
 

The spine plays a very crucial role, both from a person’s movement and sensation point of view. It carries the nervous supply for a lot of internal organs and the lower body. By virtue of its structure, it also helps in movement through the disks. Due to various reasons, spinal injury is common, causing pain along the back, lower extremities, neck etc.

Medicines and exercise are the first line of treatment for most spinal injuries. The issue, however, is that these only provide relief from the pain and the medicines, but do not actually ‘rectify’ the underlying problem. Whether it is a herniated disk or a pinched nerve, the medicines and exercise can relieve the symptoms, but the disk continues to be herniated and the nerve continues to be pinched. Definite treatment is in the form of surgery, and with recent advancements in the field of spinal surgery, there are minimally invasive surgical options, which provide complete cure with minimal recovery time. Some of the benefits of this are listed below-

1. Smaller incision compared to traditional surgical procedures, where only the injured area is accessed

2. The surrounding tissues are untouched, unless they are injured and require repair

3. Lesser bleeding compared to earlier techniques

4. Lesser painful procedure

5. Reduced hospitalization period

6. Quicker recovery and return to normal activities

The question, however, is whether this is indicated in everybody. A detailed discussion with your surgeon keeping the below points in mind will help identify the answer for this. The main driver should be the answer to the question – will the surgery be able to effectively relieve you of the pain and symptoms? Additionally, the following factors help in getting better results out of a minimally invasive spinal surgery.

1. Presence of symptoms relating to nerve compression, including pain from the spine down the leg.

2. Recent onset of symptoms, with pain starting days to months before seeing the doctor. This indicates the condition is relatively new and so damage is minimal, indicating favorable outcome. Chronic pain conditions take slightly longer time compared to recent injuries.

3. People with active lifestyle who engage in regular physical exercise are likely to have better benefits from the minimally invasive procedure.

4. Smoking reduces blood flow to the spine, leading to disk degeneration and weakening of bones. Healing is highly slowed down and recovery is overall delayed.

5. Excessive weight puts strain on the back, and so healing can be delayed or badly affected with more complications. It is not a contraindication, but be prepared for a longer recovery period.

Talk to your doctor keeping these points in mind, and you can bid farewell to your back pain forever.