Spinal injuries and chronic backaches must not be dealt with lightly, said a leading spinal surgeon who has made several bed-ridden patients stand on their feet within weeks.
“Persistent pain and stiffness in the back or shoulders should be consulted with doctors at the earliest,” said Dr Shankar Acharya, leading spine surgeon at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, adding that with latest technological advancements, surgeries have become easy and people should not be afraid to seek medical aid.“If I had not been treated on time, I would have been paralysed for the rest of my life. Within six months of my surgery, I could walk and live a normal life, which is hard to believe in my case,” said 22-year-old Archit Jindal, who was operated by Dr Acharya after falling off the fourth floor of a building.
Erratic lifestyle triggers chronic backache and spinal problems among urban population and the best way to cope with it is exercise and meditation, suggested Dr Acharya while citing the worrisome trend of the escalating complaints of back pain. “A sedentary lifestyle, lack of regular exercise, poor food habits and irregular sleeping hours are all to blame for the increasing cases of back problems,” he said, while addressing a group of people, including his patients who underwent successful surgeries, during a health awareness event organised by Kadambini Charitable Trust.
Speaking about the causes that lead to spine-related problems, the surgeon said cumulative effect of improper sitting posture, accidents or any physical injury causes damage to spine, which is worse than head injury. “Often the food one eats leads to diseases like TB, which may lead to spinal problems. We tend to ignore it till the time our upper torso becomes immovable,” he said.
