Lumber Spine
The phrase `Watch my Back’ is used by daredevils and soldiers. Most of the patients coming into the our OPD at Spine Centre in Delhi are now requesting our doctor and spine specialist Dr Sudeep Jain `Please look at my back’. With the advent of computers, the number of deskjobs have increased disproportionatly in the world in the last 3 decades. So have the number of patients suffering from back pain, expecially low back pain. The human back is made of bones, muscles and nerves which coexist in a small space. The spine is made of bones called vertebrae which are separated by a soft cushion called disc. Any problem with the vertebrae or the disc can impinge on the nerves and cause sharp tingling pain especially in lower back. If the pain in the lower back starts radiating to the legs then it is most likely a case of nerve compression by a bulge in the vertebrae or the disc. Sometimes due to a jerk while bending the disc betweeen two vertebrae can pop out and start pressing the surrounding nerves. This also causes pain in the back. The spine is divided into three parts – Cervical (Neck region), Thoracic (Middle Back) and Lumbar (Lower Back).
At our spine centre in Delhi Dr Sudeep Jain has noticed that most of the cases of lower back pain are caused by weak back muscles combined with poor sitting posture or a jerk while bending. The gym goers tend to injure their lower back while lifting weights without proper warmup. If you experience chronic back pain then you should consult a spine specialist without wasting any time. If the treatment is started early then the problem can be nipped in the bud but if you ignore the problem then you might land in the operating room for this condition.
Treatment Options
When you first land up at the our spine centre in Delhi through OPD appointment, you would get a thorough physical examination. Most of the cases of lower back pain can be correctly diagnosed by clinical evaluation. Some cases would require investigations like X-Rays or MRI Scan. The MRI of Lumbar Spine is the best for diagnosing all the problems in the lower back especially nerve compression.
Most of the cases of the lower back pain in the early stage are treated conservatively through pain and anti inflammatory medications combined with physiotherapy. Long term relief from lower back pain can be achieved only through the strengthening of the para spinal muscles. What to talk about the couch potatoes, as even the gym goers tend to ignore the back muscles. Exercises for chest and abdominals should be matched by exercises for the back, set by set. Cycling and Swimming are also great for strong back muscles.
If the lower back pain is caused due to a disc prolapse (slip disc) and the physiotherapy fails to give pain relief then a small surgery is done. Dr. Sudeep Jain performas micro endoscopic surgery through a tiny incision in the back to remove the protruding intervertebral disc. The advantages of such a surgery is that the hospital stay is reduced to just one day and the recovery is much faster. The patient is back to work within a week of the surgery. The surgical scar is so small that it is almost invisible post surgery when the person is topless.
Cost of Treatment
The cost of any treatment is quite less if the treatment is done at the early stage of the disease. So if you experience a sharp pain in the lower back, immediately book an appointment with Dr. Sudeep Jain who is considered as one of the top spine specialist in India. The clinic is located at Naraina Vihar. The cost of consultation is Rs. 1500. Other costs associated with the treatment of Lower Back Pain could be in the form of diagnostic tests like X-Rays which would cost in the range of Rs. 600-900. If MRI of the Lumbar Spine is required it would cost another Rs. 6000 – 7000. Normally no other tests are required for the diagnosis of the cause of lower back pain.
The cost associated with the treatment of lower back pain is mostly in the form of physiotherapy sessions. Most of the patients would typically require 6-8 sessions of physiotherapy to start on the path of recovery. The cost for 6-8 physio sessions would be Rs. 3000 – 4000 depending upon the modalities used for pain relief.
The cost of Microendoscopic Spine surgery would be in the range of Rs. 1-1.25 lacs. If you have a corporate insurance then this surgery is covered from day one. However if you have an individual policy then most of the insurance companies would pay for the surgery if the policy is more than 2 years old.
Chronic Back pain can take the zing out of your life and therefore the cost of treatment is nothing when compared with the cost of degradation in the quality of your life.
