An individual experiences back pain when there is an insult to the muscles, ligaments, or tendons. Inappropriate body posture, lifting of heavy objects more than the sustainable ability of the body, fractures, and lack of exercising or excessive exercising are some of the common causes of back pain, which mostly affects the region of the lower spine.
Commonly, back pain may go off with physiotherapy, heat therapy, acupuncture, and spinal manipulation combined with pharmacological agents such as muscle relaxants and painkillers within 4 to 5 weeks. But certain cases may require surgical intervention.
This article talks about some of the common reasons why people may experience back pain. Additionally, it examines what exactly is spinal fusion surgery and when are people recommended to undergo it.
MAJOR REASONS FOR BACK PAIN
Back pain can result in any part of the spine, including the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral vertebrae. Back pain can be of various types such as pathologic, physiological, or mechanical. Risk factors may include obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and weight gain during pregnancy, poor body posture, lack of regular fitness regime and smoking.
The most common region of back pain is the lower back as most of the body weight is amassed there. Moreover, maximum movement of the spine occurs in the lower back and therefore, lower back pain is the most prevalent health ailment affecting the population in the developed nations.
Due to lifestyle factors, injury, or other factors, people may develop spine-related conditions such as spinal stenosis, disc herniation, slip disc, and nerve compression. These conditions also cause a peculiar pain in the back, which sometimes radiates down the legs and hence, restricts movement and affect the daily routine.
CONSERVATIVE TREATMENT VS. SURGERY
Lower back pain may result in prolonged suffering and not every individual with spinal pain can be treated conservatively. There are multiple anatomical sources of lower back pain and virtually there are no standard methods of categorizing the pain except with the help of specialized radio-diagnostic techniques.
Patients who cannot be treated conservatively are indicated for surgical intervention to restore their quality of life. Individuals with severe spinal conditions such as sciatica, spondylolysis, spinal stenosis, and degenerative disc disease are often recommended to go for a surgery for instant and long-term relief, among other benefits.
SPINAL FUSION SURGERY
Spinal fusion is one such surgery that helps treat a variety of conditions. Spinal fusion is similar to the welding process, which is done to make a single solid entity. This surgery is recommended for individuals who experience pain due to friction between the vertebrae or accidental tapping or compression of the nerve root while moving.
During this procedure, two or three vertebrae are fused together to form a single, solid bone. This eradicates the motion between the vertebrae, prevents nerve compression, and reduces pressure on the surrounding ligament structure.
