The 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 Sudeep Jain is a Director of Spine Surgery at Spine Solutions India, New Delhi. Dr Sudeep did Superspecialization in Spine Surgery from the University of Seychelles. Dr Jain has performed thousands of surgeries in India and abroad with 13 years of experience as a spine surgeon.

His special interests are Endoscopic Spine Surgery, Scoliosis Correction, Brachial Plexus, Disc Replacement, Paediatric Spine Surgery and Deformity Correction, Back & Neck Pain Management. Dr Jain is a consultant at many well-known multi-speciality hospitals of Delhi like the Fortis RB Seth Jessa Ram Hospital, the RLKC Hospital and Metro Heart Institute, the Sunder Lal Jain Hospital, and the Kalra Hospital.

Common Spine Problems

Dr Jain begins, “Spine pain, neck pain and back pain are very common in all age groups. Since the spine is in close contact with our nervous system, severe pain in the back can cause compression on the nerves. This can lead to pain in the hands and legs. Some neurological symptoms like loss of sensation, seizures, burning, even weakness can be felt.”

Lifestyle Habits that Cause Spine Pain

He explains, “The major cause of spine problems seen in the young and middle age group is due to their lifestyle habits. Because of desk jobs, many of us are prone to prolonged sitting. While sitting many don’t have proper workstations causing them to sit in bad posture. There is also less awareness on how to set up an ergonomic workstation and the importance of frequent breaks.”

“In the young age group, the usage of mobile phones is massive. Even children are forced to sit in front of screens due to online schools. This is why even they are suffering from back problems.”

“Earlier such problems were seen in old people due to cells degeneration. Now the same problems are observed in kids due to change in lifestyle, diet and getting no exercise. India is now becoming the ‘Obesity Capital’ of the world. The BMI in kids is high.” 

Diet for Healthy Spine

Dr Jain highlights, “Diet is very important. Our spine is such a structure where the health of the vertebral bones is very important. To maintain its health we need calcium, vitamin D and protein. For the supporting structure of our spine, like disc, cartilage, joints, ligaments and muscles we need a balanced and nutrition-filled diet. It must have protein, calcium, vitamin D and micronutrients.”

“The current trend of eating fast food, fried, spicy and junk food is going to cause you trouble in the long term. Such foods can increase your weight. It disturbs the fat ratio in the body. It causes abdominal and truncal obesity. The extra weight causes more stress on your spine. Even pediatric obesity is common nowadays as such foods are eaten from a very young age.”

Children and Back Pain

Dr Jain says, “Our spine has multiple functions. It is weight-bearing, provides us mobility and flexibility. It has been almost 2 years since our kids have not gone to school. This means their physical education has come to a standstill." Dr Jain recommends to take the following care - 

When they spend time learning online make sure they don’t use handheld devices like mobile and iPads. They should have a proper workstation. Just like in schools kids have a proper desk, so should they in their homes. After a 40 minutes long class, the kids should get a prolonged break of 15 minutes. This break can help them release tension from their back.

“With handheld devices, the kids will be more prone to bad postures like dropped shoulders and straining neck. The kids should be taught how to maintain their posture so that they don’t suffer from back and neck pain.”

(Edited by Priyal Shah)