“On the couch with the letter “Zu”: doctors spoke about the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle

Every fifth person in the world over 30 suffers from osteochondrosis. And by the age of 40, almost everyone begins to complain of pain in the neck or lower back. In Moscow, for every thousand of the adult population, there are 122 patients with spinal dysfunction. How to protect your spine, which is burdened by a sedentary lifestyle? Is it necessary to run to the doctor if the back does not hurt, and what is the blockade that neurologists offer to patients? The most pressing questions about the health of the back “MK” answered neurologists and neurosurgeons.

Should I go to the doctor if my back doesn’t hurt? This question has probably been asked by everyone at least once in their life. Doctors are sure that it is necessary to examine the spine, even if it does not remind of itself.

“Modern diagnostics makes it possible to detect the disease at an early stage. You don’t have to come often. It is enough to check your back once a year, says Andrey Mezin, a neurosurgeon at the Open Clinic.

Who most often becomes a patient of a neurologist? Sedentary office workers? And here it is not. That is, clerks who spend most of the day in an armchair, and then storm city traffic jams behind the wheel, are also the target audience of neurologists. But adherents of a healthy lifestyle often get serious back problems.

– Often people, due to illiterate coaches, incorrectly distribute the load on their backs, make small mistakes, or pump over one muscle group. This leads to a violation of the mechanics. Therefore, there are patients who seem to come for a routine preventive appointment, and I can say with a guarantee that their back will hurt in the next couple of years. Now check-ups are gaining popularity – medical examinations of people who have no pain. Very often I find minor flaws that promise problems in the future, – said the head physician of the CDC on Presnya, neurologist Dmitry Afonin.

“The time factor is very important: sometimes people come too late, and it becomes a problem to help them,” says Andrey Mezin.

The main fear of patients, because of which many never reach the doctor’s office, is “surgeons only cut!”.

Here, doctors are in a hurry to reassure: surgeons cut very rarely. Their main task is to find patients who need surgery and who cannot be helped in other ways.

Another myth is that if a person has had an operation once, then it will happen again later.

Neurologists and neurosurgeons assure: this is not true, this happens very rarely.

– I have been doing surgery for 20 years and I can say that the same operations are performed differently today: for example, today we make a 1 cm incision, previously a 20 cm incision was made – the difference is huge. Therefore, today, after many operations, serious rehabilitation is not needed: we perform the operation today and tomorrow the person will calmly go home. The issue of people’s perception still works here: we have a normal attitude towards dentists, but we are wary of operations on the spine. And I also want to note that the point of today’s spine surgery is to make it safe. The main task is not just to solve the problem, but not to make it worse, not to hook something, – says Andrey Mezin.

Neurologist Dmitry Afonin adds that the statistics of direct recurrence – when the disease returns – is only about 2%. Another thing is that not all patients after a neurosurgical operation begin to take care of their health.

– If the factor that caused the disease is not eliminated by the patient within about 5 years, then a new problem arises, and then the operation can be repeated. In 15 years of work, I have seen cases of incorrect operation. For example, nerves are hurt, but these were people who were operated on several decades ago, the doctor noted.

What to do if the health of the spine fails? One of the solutions to the problem is a blockade.

– Blockade is primarily different drugs. Therefore, we need to understand why we prick them. Most often, it is an anti-inflammatory drug, and it is best to bring it directly to the place of pain, says neurosurgeon Andrey Mezin.

As the doctors said, there are two types of blockades. The first is the simplest, safest and most accessible, it is done according to a guideline and is not deeply set.

The second type of blockade is done by neurosurgeons – this is a more complex manipulation.

– Patients often ask how long the blockade will last. I can say that it does not have an expiration date: it has an infinite potential for action if the patient follows all the recommendations,” Mezin explained.

The main recommendation that will prolong the duration of the drug blockade is regular physical activity. Doctors recommend warming up at work every hour.

By the way, many women believe that they are faced with back pain, because once, during childbirth, they were given epidural anesthesia. Doctors say it’s not true. As the neurologist explained, epidural anesthesia is the safest type of pain relief during childbirth, and subsequently it does not cause back pain.

A healthy spine is the key to a fulfilling life. Take care of your back, do not stay too long and do not lie too long. Get regular check-ups and exercise. Well, if you still have questions for the doctors, you can ask them by sending an email to [email protected]