Orthopaedics, neurosurgeons and spine specialists are increasingly linking spinal disorders as one of the biggest cause for backaches, which refuse to go away easily for a long time. When it comes to spine, there is a definite sense of trepidation among patients who suffer from persistent backaches. On one side of the divide, there are surgeons who prescribe spine therapy or minor procedures, which they maintain will be safe enough for patients. Given the kind of advancement in medical technology, doctors assert that spine surgeries are relatively safe.
On the other side, there are doctors who insist that when it comes to spine, conservative treatment is the way forward. They argue that there are several corrective methods like changes lifestyle, posture correction, exercises, Yoga and many more should be explored first before taking the call to go under the knife.
Such divergent views create a lot of confusion and anxiety among patients. So, what is the ideal way forward for patients? Should patients agree to get operated and when should they do that?
A simple yes or no for a spine surgery is not an ideal solution.
Orthopaedics, especially those with speciality in spine-related disorders, however, make it clear that there is no logic in stalling if symptoms like unbearable pain are threatening to make patients immobile. At the same time, they also advise other alternative measures to manage pain till it goes out of hand and add that they should look out for ‘red flags’, which will guide them to take an informed choice.
“A persistent backache can be managed conservatively, but at the same time, patients and general public should be aware of the red flags, which should not be neglected at any cost. Then there is also a fact that even a trivial fall has the potential to fracture a bone in spine. The bottom-line, however, is always to look out for red flags,” says chief spine surgeon, Sunshine Hospitals, G.P.V. Subbaiah.
There is also a lot of apprehension surrounding spine surgeries and permanent damage. Surgeons point out that minimally invasive techniques are relatively safer options.
“Safe spine surgeries, done with minimal disruptions to proximal organs, reduce post-surgical complications, blood loss and cost of the entire procedure and most importantly, the hospital stay. They help in quick recovery,” says neurosurgeon from Kamineni Hospitals, Subodh Raju.
While this being the case, surgeons also advice exploring options available on the table. “For management of spine disorders, the first choice of treatment should be conservative. A lot of bed rest, posture correction, physiotherapy sessions, exercises and avoiding repetitive stress injuries will do a lot of good. When all this fails and the pain becomes unbearable, then surgery is an option,” says Head, Orthopaedics, Osmania General Hospital (OGH), S. Sreenivasa Reddy.
– M. Sai Gopal
