Tips to avoid the problem of back and neck pain while driving

Long driving hours often cause stiffness in the back and neck. Also, sitting in the same position for long affects the blood circulation of our body and can cause severe back pain. People, many a times, modify their car seats on their own. For instance, removing the head rest which can be extremely risky as it makes your neck more prone to pain. Remember that our vehicles are designed in a way that they provide an ideal sitting posture to the driver. So, it is better not to modify the basic structure of seat that may lead to any spinal problem.

 

In case you consistently feel pain the back while driving, try changes in your posture while driving. First and foremost, it is important to sit in a posture where both your knees and hips are at the same level. Another thing, adjust your seat at an angle of 100 to 110 degrees, in order to support the upper part of your body. Following these tips can to a large extent help in preventing back pain.

Treating Spinal Tuberculosis

Timely diagnosis of Spinal Tuberculosis can help in better treatment. Today, various treatment modalities are available, be it surgical treatment or non surgical one. Surgical options for treatment of Spinal TB include decompression of spine. Whereas, non surgical treatments include draining of infected areas and immobilisation of spine for proper cure can be followed. One should take a diet rich in protein. Regular physiotherapy can also prove beneficial. Negligence can lead to humped back, distorted posture and permanent paralysis.

Diagnosing Spinal Tuberculosis

After identifying the preliminary symptoms of ‪Spinal Tuberculosis‬, consulting a specialist is advised. Your doctor may suggest you to conduct few ‪‎diagnostic procedures‬ like CT scans, MRI scans, a test of enthrocyte sedimentation rate and tuberculin skin test. 

Based on the results the line of treatment is decided. Various treatment options are available today in the form of operational and non-operational procedures. So, the sooner the problem is detected, the better for patient.

 

Spinal Tuberculosis: Symptoms to look out for

‎Back Pain‬ if accompanied with fever, night swears and anorexia for more than 3-4 weeks, it is time for you to visit a doctor immediately, as these are the primary ‪Symptoms of Spinal Tuberculosis‬. In addition to this, if your coughing continues for long due to which you are facing problems like weight loss, stiffness and ‪‎pain‬ in the limbs and difficulty in sitting or walking, please don't ignore. Consulting a doctor timely, can help in preventing further damage to the ‪spine‬, as lack of treatment can lead to spinal deformity like ‪kyphosis‬ or ‪Collapsed Spine‬.

Spinal Tuberculosis

Thanks to the major awareness campaign led by the government, today we have achieved quite a success by making people aware about Tuberculosis‬ (TB) as a disease and its treatment prospects. But, sadly people are totally unaware about TB of Spine Yes, you read it right, there is a spinal problem known as TB of spine Or Spinal tuberculosis‬. Spinal tuberculosis, also known as Pott’s Disease, is a condition in which the vertebrae ‬ gets infected with tuberculosis. It is caused by myco-bacterium which is spread by the way of blood or breathing droplets from an infected person in your lungs. This bacterium due to weak immune system thrives and grows and reach the blood stream, from where it infects a number of organs including the spine Early diagnosis followed by adequate treatment can completely cure spinal tuberculosis.

Preventing Disc Herniation

Diagnosing Herniated Disc becomes a tricky part, thanks to its symptomatic similarities with Sciatica Pain. Generally, it is identified with steep or pinching pain in the lower back area which goes down to the leg causing weakness or numbness in one or both leg.

Lack of physical movements or exercises play a big role in development of this problem. So, the best way to avoid becoming a victim of this disease is to follow the right ergonomics and perform exercises regularly. Besides, a correct diet too has an important part in preventing any spinal diseases to occur. So, have a healthy diet which is full of micro nutrients, Vit B, D and calcium.

Know about Spinal Disc Herniation

Disc Herniation has become quite a common problem these days owing to wrong postures which puts a lot of pressure on the vertebrae. Due to the excessive pressure, the spinal disc begins to break leading to leakage of gel like material present inside. This leakage can irritate the nerves present around the spinal disc which can cause pinching pain in the lower back, numbness or weakness in either of the legs or arms. 

 

Factors causing Back Pain

The problem of Lower Back Pain is more found in those who are either involved in sitting jobs or who have to lift heavy weights. In addition to this, there are also some categories of people who are more prone to this problem like people over the age of 60, women post menopause, obese people and those suffering from VitaminD deficiency.

Wrong Posture and Back Pain

Sudden back pain is generally an outcome of Wrong Posture while sitting, standing, sleeping or while lifting things up. This pain usually subsides with small precautions undertaken for a period of 10-15 days. But if it doesn't and one continues to follow wrong posture, it can lead to Spinal Disc Prolapse. This problem which is currently seen in a lot of young patients can in future take the form of SpinalArthritis.

Ignoring back pain can cost you

LowerBackPain‬ has increasing become a problem affecting people from all age groups. Generally, an outcome of bad ‪‎lifestyle‬, this problem if continues over a period of time can take the form of ‪‎Spinal Arthritis‬. In fact, prolonged lower ‪backpain‬ isn't just an indication of ‪‎arthritis‬ but can also be a sign of problem related to kidney. So, if you are facing ‪backache‬ for long, please don't ignore and visit a specialist today.

Spondylolisthesis‬: Diagonis and Treatment

An X-Ray of the back is generally taken to diagnose ‪Spondylolisthesis‬. Your doctor will check for any kind of fracture or crack in the ‪vertebrae‬ or any slipped bone in the X-Ray, based on the results, the doctor may suggest further CT Scan or MRI to move ahead with the right course of treatment.

The treatment for Spondylolisthesis generally starts with restricting certain movements that can further cause any damage to the vertebrae. ‪Physiotherapy‬ is suggested to the patients to strengthen the core ‪‎back‬ and stomach muscles. Besides, ‪pain‬ killers and anti-inflammatory medicines are given to relieve the pain. If you are overweight, reducing some is always advised. 

For patients with extreme cases, getting a surgery done is another good option. The surgery involves either removal of a slipped out bone/ tissue to reduce the pressure on the spinal cord or the bone can be fused back to the original position. But in certain cases, both of these processes are done simultaneously in the same surgery. Post the surgery, the patient has to wear a brace for some time. After rehabilitation, the person can get back to his routine life.

Series on Spondylitis-Part 2

Moving on with the series on Spondylitis, today will discuss about its symptoms. Similar to any other problem of the spine, the most basic symptom of this disease is back pain.  In addition to this, problems like buttock pain, pain that moves down from back to the leg, numbness or weakness in the legs, pain that becomes worse after bending,difficulty in walking are the other signs of Spondylolisthesis. In some extreme cases, one may even suffer from loss of bladder or bowel control.

What causes the problem of Spondylolisthesis‬

#‎Spondylolisthesis‬ can be an outcome of some congenital defect like defective ‪#‎spinaljoint‬, or an accidental damage to a joint in the ‪#‎spine‬. But, there may be other reasons too for the development of this disease like ‪#‎VertebralFracture‬ due to extreme pressure on the joints, ‪#‎JointInfection‬, ‪#‎arthritis‬ etc.

Understanding spinal problem called Spondylolisthesis

Spondylolisthesis is a condition where a bone in the spine slips forward from its actual position and falls over the bone/vertebra below it. This problem is generally found in the lower back area leading to weakening of ligaments and joints, which play a major role in keeping the spinal cord aligned. In rare cases, this can also cause compression of nerve roots. The most primary symptom to identify Spondylolisthesis is back pain along with numbness or weakness felt in one or both the legs. 

Vitamin D deficiency can be bad for your Spinal Health

It is saddening to know that in a country like India, where there is ample amount of sunlight available, a large percentage of our population suffers from Vitamin D deficiency. Be it newborns, elderlies or even the younger age group; all are coming up with this problem. 

Vitamin D deficiency is the most common cause of the development of Osteopenia, which, if not treated in time can result in Osteoporosis. With diseases like Osteoporosis, problems like brittle bones and low bone density comes complementary. In fact, it has been noticed that a good percentage of people with Vitamin D deficiency, have unrecognized vertebral fractures. Besides, problems like hip pain, bone related diseases like arthritis, chronic pain, spinal curvature are other outcomes of Vitamin D deficiency.