Gurgaon: Spinal stenosis is a disorder caused by narrowing of the spinal canal. This happens due to the degeneration of both the facet joints and the intervertebral discs. In this condition, bone spurs (also called osteophytes) can grow into the spinal canal. There is a need to raise awareness on such spinal problems and the importance of recognizing symptoms such as a shooting back pain in a timely manner.
Spine-related changes are not just an outcome of age but also ergonomic issues with our lifestyle. This has exacerbated during the pandemic since many people are working from home. Wrong posture can put pressure on the nerves and lead to back and/or leg pain, possibly leading to complications.
Speaking about this, Dr Sumit Sinha, Neurosurgeon, Paras Hospital, Gurgaon, said, “People are spending more time sitting than ever before due to the pandemic and work from home situation. Most use dining room chairs or other household furniture which are ergonomically unsuitable for work. Core strengthening exercises are important for spine health and provide better protection from lumbar stress fractures or other serious back injuries. The contraction of core muscles stabilizes the spine, pelvis and shoulder girdle, all of which are important for people in their daily activities and not just sports of exercise. This is why spinal health should be a key area of focus for everyone rather than being dismissed off as a normal back pain.”
Adding further, Dr Sinha, said, “With a minimally invasive procedure, surgeons can achieve similar results and objectives of traditional surgery by using imaging systems, tiny cameras, and skin incisions about the size of a thumbnail. Surgeons are able to work precisely in smaller surgical fields with less tissue splitting. This type of procedure can offer patients physical and aesthetic advantages.
Some of the treatment options for spinal stenosis include MIS spine surgery, spinal deformity correction, and spinal fusion. The goal of spinal fusion is to restore stability to the spine. During the procedure, the surgeon removes the disc between the vertebrae in order to stabilize the spine. The surgeon will insert material between the vertebrae which will promote the two vertebral bodies to “fuse” into one bone structure. An evolving trend in spinal surgery is minimally invasive surgery. This technique makes the use of smaller incisions to do traditional surgeries through new approaches. The surgeon is aided in this procedure by intra- operative nerve monitoring, navigation, and powered tools.
