UNLOCK SECRETS TO YOUR HEALTHY SPINE
Lower back pain is the most frequently reported complaint, especially due to sedentary lifestyles and desk jobs with a lack of awareness of postural health. Despite the intensity of impact and the staggering economic effects, very few efforts are taken for prevention.
Every individual must be made aware of the prevention strategies via awareness programs. But are we really addressing it? Or is the focus just on investigating to find out if we pass health-wise on paper and go back to work in unhealthy postures (following unhealthy lifestyles) or go for various treatment lines, sometimes, irrespective of whether it is actually the reason you suffer?!
Yes, investigations (MRIs/X-rays) do intimidate when these suggest:
- Spondylosis,
- Slipped disc/disc bulge,
- Nerve impingement (e.g., sciatica),
- Degenerative changes in the spine, etc.
We start worrying about the same. We limit all our activities irrespective of whether they are the root cause of our pain or not.
According to a study by the American Journal of Neuroradiology in 2015, 68-80% of individuals with disc degeneration and 50-60% with disc bulges have no pain at all.
Thus, our quality of life gets affected as we stop doing activities we enjoy, moving around freely without fear, engaging in social activities, etc.
Look, the point here is, precautions are a must when you have injury/ pain, but first get to know whether they are actually necessary, and if yes, then for how long? Just hampering our routine work, fitness activities, and social mingling as a part of precautions takes away the zeal of life after some time, especially when we keep doing all this and do not address the actual cause of the pain. And the pain continues to trouble us even when we keep following precautions unnecessarily.
The cycle is vicious!
To tell you one very important thing over here, good doctors never treat only based on X-rays or MRIs. They treat the individual considering their:
- Present clinical status,
- Presenting muscle strength,
- Lifestyle (to go back to), and
- Overall body/physical status.
According to research studies, many people with affected MRIs do not have symptoms/pain at all, while others with relatively good MRIs have severe pain.
This is because certain individuals tend to adapt; their body adapts readily, whereas others do not adapt to the changes as readily. Hence, investigations need to be correlated with the clinical symptoms to reach a conclusion about the line of treatment.
So STOP worrying about MRIs/X-rays and START living your life by empowering yourself with the right information and knowledge. This will help you prevent health-related problems and take charge of your health.
Always find out the scientific reason before you follow anything. After all, it’s your body and health!
Don’t restrict your lives unnecessarily. Keep moving and exploring!
Improved technologies entering lifestyles have led us to become physically less active (sedentary); Disney’s Wall-E movie depicts it very well. Sedentary lifestyle has affected our overall health, leading to many lifestyle-related diseases like diabetes and hypertension along with different aches and pains in the body and its joints.
We need to understand that movement is key. Prioritize long walks (in greens, exposing yourself to sunlight) over the treadmill ones. We need to keep moving. No posture is perfect if it is maintained for a very long time. It needs to be changed, and the body needs to be relieved of the pressure on its parts.
Minimize the use of gadgets, have your meals on time, stay hydrated, sleep well, and last but not least, spend time with your loved ones. We need to understand that our future and health are decided by the movement and lifestyle we adopt today!
Happy moving!
Call us now on 8879970571/8928475928.
Authored by –
Dr Rajashree Lad (PT)
Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist,
Osteopath
BPT, MPT (KEM, Mumbai), DOMTP (Canada), COMT, MIAFT, CFMP (Canada), BRS (USA), ASRM (USA)
Co-founder of PRAJ -THE REHAB SPHERE, Mumbai
Author of the book – ‘Are You Posture Perfect?’