Spine is our body’s central support system. It connects different parts of your musculoskeletal system. Your spine helps you sit, stand, walk, twist and bend. Back pain and other spinal pains are now common in both old and young people. Back pain is a serious issue as it can make any person bed-ridden for days and even for years. Around 20% who suffer from back and neck pain are in the age group of 16-34. On average 45% of people in India neglect their spinal treatment for more than 7 weeks.

World Spine Day is celebrated on October 16 to inform people about the struggles faced by spinal pain and its disability. The day seeks to promote the overall health and wellbeing of one’s spine. The day is organised by the World Federation of Chiropractic. A good posture and staying active is important to ensure good spinal health. We at Medicircle are conducting the World Spine day Awareness Series wherein we will be featuring experts in this field to understand and create awareness about good spine health. 

Dr Om Patil is a Consultant Endoscopic Spine Surgeon at Apollo Spectra Hospitals, Mumbai. He is expertise in Endoscopic Spine surgery, keyhole Spine surgery, Minimally invasive spine surgery. He was selected for the prestigious Fellowship In Spinal Surgery at Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals Affiliated with Maharashtra University of Health Sciences. He has a collective experience of more than 3000 orthopaedic and spinal surgeries

Common Spine Problems 

Dr Patil begins, “Before the pandemic, my patients would be from the elderly category. But nowadays, 70% of my patients are in the age bracket of 20 to 45. These are banking and software engineers who engage in work from home.”

“The problems they suffer are mechanical back pain. This happens when we don’t follow the biomechanics of the spine. The next common problem is slip disc. Another problem is Sciatica, where the nerve gets compressed because of the spine. The pain radiates from here to the calf.”

“The elderly usually suffer from osteoporosis and back pain. Due to the last two years, the cases of osteoporosis is increasing. Degenerative spine disease is where the water content in the disc would decrease due to age. This causes inflexibility and causes back pain. Another problem faced by the elderly is Canal stenosis.”

Habits that cause spine problems

He explains, “Earlier people used to work for 8 hours and used to travel and move around. With WFH, the average working hours has increased to 14 to 16 hours. Here, sitting for too long is the main culprit. Sitting for 4 to 5 hours is more dangerous than smoking. It increases the risk of spinal diseases, hypertension and cholesterol.”

 “Many people sit in the wrong posture while doing WFH. If one is slouching or is tilting their neck forward, then it is the wrong posture. Poor ergonomic setup is also causing harm. The main purpose of having good ergonomics setups is to have one’s ear, shoulder and hip all in one line and vertical.”

“If one spends 4+ hours in front of screens, then ergonomics setup is a must. One needs to have their screen at eye level. If they use a laptop then use BlueTooth keyboard and mouse. Maintain your elbow parallel to your core and at 90 degrees. If you tilt your neck then every 15 degrees cause 10 pounds of pressure on your spine.”

“Sitting for long hours should be avoided at all cost. What one can do is take 2 to 3 minutes of micro-breaks every 1 hour. You can engage in core exercises, stretching or simply moving around. Smoking and alcohol are contributors to chronic back pain. This can cause osteoporosis led fractures and delayed healing.”

Diet for a healthy spine

He suggests, “Calcium-rich diet. Eat dairy products like milk, curd, cheese and paneer. By including green vegetables one can get good amounts of calcium, vitamins and minerals. Include berries and citrus fruits like oranges and lemon.”

“Include nuts like cashew nuts, walnuts and almonds. Beans too should be consumed as they provide protein and fibre. These foods in limited portions will help fight spine degeneration.”

Remedies for back pain

He says, “The first step to avoiding back pain is to avoid all bad habits that cause them in the first place. Make sure you intake 2 to 3 litres of water daily. Make sure your posture is correct while sitting or even standing. When standing for long periods make sure to stand on both your feet. You can change your weight from one leg to the other every 10 mins.” 

“Avoid wearing high heels. To avoid back pain, engage in basic core strengthening like suryanamaskar. One can also take calcium supplements and vitamin D supplements. Make sure you expose yourself to the sun for 30 to 45 minutes between 7 AM to 9 AM. In your cupboard keep the heavy things between the shoulder and waist level. The light objects can be placed above the head.”

(Edited by Priyal Shah)