Spine

Spine

Backache is the commonest presentation of spine patients. The causes range from muscle tear, sprain, ligament strain, prolapsed disc to degenerative spine disorders. Treatment modalities can be conservative or surgical.

Conservative : First and foremost aim of treatment is to reduce muscle spasm and bring the patient to normal life. We never advice bed rest more than 3 days except in fracture patients. Muscle start losing their tone after 48 hrs of inactivity and it puts extra load on already damaged structures. We aim at muscle strengthening from day one. We avoid pain killers as much as possible. Instead we look for and treat the cause.

Surgical : 90 percent of surgical procedures of spine are now done endoscopically. Open surgeries are reserved only for tumour, revision surgery, gross infection etc. Advantages of endoscopic spine surgery are

• Daycare procedure
• Mobility within hours of surgery
• No blood loss
• No nerve injury (due to 20 times magnification)
• Cosmetic scar
• Preservation of basic structure of spine (no bone cutting)
• Return to normal life within a week