Mr. Sharma had been
an active person all throughout his life. But from his 65th birthday, he
started having difficulty in walking. He would easily get tired and his legs
would feel heavy. Tingling and numbness, with leg pain had made his active
lifestyle a thing of the past. Gradually he became afraid of walking. It was
becoming increasingly difficult for him to carry out his daily chores. The
thought of being dependent on others, finally made him visit a doctor. He
underwent a few tests and MRI of the spine. He was diagnosed with Lumbar canal
stenosis, a condition which causes abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal
carrying the nerve roots to the legs.
Image by Harrygouvas
He underwent a
minimally invasive surgery for the spinal stenosis. After surgery his world had
changed. Next day he could walk and could again feel the nimbleness in his
feet. He had no pain and he again started hoping of travels, he had long wanted
to do. The incision was hardly noticeable. Three months after the surgery, he
regrets only one thing. Why did he go to a doctor so late? Perhaps, he was
afraid of the surgery. He had heard of so many patients not recovering from
back surgery, having persistent pain or being bedridden forever.
Spine surgery
underwent massive developments over the last decades. The results of surgery
have improved drastically. Still, there is a lot of fear of spine surgery. This
is mostly because of lack of awareness about spinal conditions and their
treatment. Some pain can have simple answers like physiotherapy and slight
modifications in lifestyle. Only very few of back pain patients require
surgery, perhaps less than 1%. With the advances in spine surgery, especially
minimally invasive or keyhole spine surgeries, the mental and physical trauma
during recovery phase has also reduced drastically. Despite all these facts,
there is so much of apprehension surrounding spine surgery. Many patients do
not even visit a doctor because of such ill found fears. This needs to be
addressed through media campaigns.
So, if you have
been ignoring a back problem for a long time, it is better to visit an expert.
Imagine a life free of pain, and stop suffering. Don't worry even if you have
to undergo a procedure also, and believe in your doctor. Very few patients have
recurring problems after back surgery, and high chance are you may not fall in
that category.
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