“The most common spine problems are lumbalgia, osteoarthritis and herniated disk, which mainly affect adults and may be related to work, poor posture and physical inactivity.
When spine pain is severe, persistent, or accompanied by symptoms such as pain, burning, tingling, or other changes in sensitivity in your spine, arms, or legs, it’s important to see an orthopedic surgeon for tests.Treatment may include medication, therapy, and sometimes surgery.
Here we identify the main diseases that affect the spine, its symptoms and its forms of treatment:
Also known as ‘parrot peak’, herniated disk can be a serious disease that requires surgery, however, many patients can live with a hernia without any pain, usually a herniated disk causes pain in the area where it is located, as well as burning, tingling or weakness in the arms or legs. When the intervertebral disc pushes the spinal cord, nerve endings are affected, causing these symptoms. See more details: Symptoms of a herniated disk.
What to do: Treatment of herniated discs can be done with physical therapy, medications to relieve pain and discomfort, acupuncture and hydrotherapy, but in some cases even surgery may not be enough to cure the individual and, therefore, each case should be carefully evaluated by the doctor and physical therapist, so that the treatment adapts to their need.
Also known as back pain, it affects people of all ages and can appear at any stage of life.Lower back pain can last for days or months. In some cases, in addition to causing back pain, it can cause a burning or tingling sensation in one or both legs (especially in the back), called sciatica, because it affects the sciatic nerve that passes through this region.
What to do: Your treatment can be done with physiotherapy and comprehensive postural rehabilitation sessions, known by the acronym RPG.A good home treatment consists of exercises of stretching and placing a hot compress over the sore area.
See what you can do to relieve back pain in the video below
Although more common in the elderly, spinal osteoarthritis can also affect young people, can be caused by accidents, excessive physical activity, excessive weightlifting, but there are also genetic factors involved, spinal osteoarthritis can be a serious disease that causes symptoms such as severe back pain and difficulty getting out of bed, for example.
What to do: Your treatment may be done with pain relievers, physical therapy, and, in some cases, surgery.In general, people with osteoarthritis of the spine also suffer from osteoarthritis of other joints of the body.See more details on: Treatment of spine osteoarthritis..
In osteoporosis, the bones of the spine are fragile due to the decrease in bone mass and deviations may appear, since thoracic kyphosis is common; This disease is more common after 50 years of age and is silent, without characteristic symptoms, being discovered only during tests such as X-rays or bone densitometry.
What to do: It is recommended to take the calcium and vitamin D remedies recommended by your doctor, expose yourself to the sun, practice exercises, such as those of the clinical Pilates, and always maintain a good posture.With these strategies, it is possible to decrease the severity of osteoporosis, leaving bones stronger and less prone to fractures.
Scoliosis is a lateral deviation, in C or S of the spine that affects many young people and adolescents, most of the time its causes are unknown, but in many cases it is possible to correct the position of the spine with due Scoliosis can be diagnosed with tests such as x-rays, which also show its degree, which is important to define the indicated treatment.
What to do: Depending on the degree of spinal deviation, physiotherapy, the use of vest or orthosis, and in the most severe cases surgery, physiotherapy and physical exercises such as swimming may be recommended in the simplest cases and when children are affected, the orthopedist may recommend the use of an orthopedic vest that should be worn 23 hours a day.Surgery is reserved for the most severe cases, when there are large deviations of the spine, to prevent its progression and improve the mobility of the person.
Watch the video below and learn the exercises you can do at home to help correct scoliosis:
It is advisable to see a doctor’s office when there is a pain in the spine that does not happen, even with the use of painkillers such as acetaminophen, and creams such as Cataflan, for example.The doctor most appropriate to consider in these cases is the orthopedist, who can observe the person, listen to their complaints and request tests, such as X-rays or MRI, that can help in diagnosis, being important to decide on the most appropriate treatment.A medical consultation is also indicated when:
The doctor to look for in case of back pain is the orthopedist or rheumatologist, who should order spine imaging tests such as X-rays or MRIs and, after seeing the results, decide the best treatment.During the consultation, it’s important to say the characteristic of pain, when it started, what you were doing when it appeared, if there’s a time when it gets worse, if there are other affected areas.
Spine disease can be prevented by exercising regularly, under the guidance of a professional and adopting good posture while sitting, lying down or on the move. Spinal protection measures such as maintaining the strength of abdominal muscles and preventing inadequate weight lifting are also important.to maintain the health of the spine.