Spine Health Awareness Month: People in age group of 18-40 at higher risk of back pain

Hyderabad: Spine problems or back pain is one of the global health issues. Lower back pain is considered a leading cause of disability worldwide. Spinal cord injury (SCI) due to accidents, violence, sports and work, and backbone disorders like neck pain, osteoporosis, and radiculopathy remain the major causes of concern.

More than 64% of the working professionals in India reported symptoms of recurrent back pain and discomfort due to spine issues. The lack of awareness leads to long-term consequences, including a decrease in mobility, chronic pain, inability to carry out daily routines, reduced productivity levels, and increased expenditure for treatment.

With a sedentary lifestyle affecting the adult population more, experts advise preventive measures to stay safe from spine problems. Several awareness programs are held as part of World Spine Health Awareness Month observed in October and World Spine Day on October 16.

What are spine problems and what common symptoms

A spine problem is a range of conditions affecting the functions of the spine, which consists of vertebrae, intervertebral discs, and nerves. Herniated discs, spinal stenosis, scoliosis, osteoarthritis, SCI, degenerative disc disease, inflation, and tumors are the most common spine problems.

Pain, numbness or tingling, weakness, and limited mobility are the commonly found symptoms among people with spine problems.

Long-term impact of back pain

A large section of the population doesn't even realize the very existence of back pain. Lack of treatment and management could lead to severe long-term problems.

Dr. Sukumar Sura, Co-founder, nSure Healthy Spine, Hyderabad said, “Persistent back pain can lead to decreased mobility, sleeping difficulty, discomfort, and turns as a chronic pain severely impacting the quality of life and chronic pain can in turn develop anxiety affecting mental well-being and eventually contributing to depression”.

It can further lead to disability, limit the ability of the individual to carry out daily activities, and reduce participation in work or social life.

“Severe back pain can impact the productivity level of working professionals at the office as well as at home. The scenario may eventually cause financial strain due to increased treatment expenditure and unforeseen situations like job loss”, Dr Sukumar added.

Adults at higher risk

The increase in sedentary lifestyle, particularly in the age group of 18-40 has put the group at higher risk of developing spine problems, while the older age group too is already at risk of spine problems due to degenerative conditions.

“Studies suggest that considering factors such as pregnancy, differences in body composition, and hormonal changes, back pain is notably higher in women than in men. The secondary research shows that mostly 80% of 20-50 age group women experience chronic lower back pain”, Dr Sukumar said.

The profession and life conditions, including office workers, homemakers, and industrial laborers, with prolonged sitting hours, heavy lifting, or poor posture have the risk of back problems.

Preventive Measures

Dr Sukumar suggests several preventive measures to avoid spine problems, which could lead to long-term consequences.

“Keep a check on the body weight, strengthen the core muscles with timely physical activity, maintaining a proper posture while driving, sitting, walking, lifting, working with ergonomic workspaces, and reducing stress is essential”, he said.

Being overweight can put extra stress on the spine, strengthened muscles can enhance spine strength, and ergonomic working spaces can minimize the risk of developing neck pain and stiff back.

“Learning stress management will help one reduce anxiety and this reduces the risk of spine problems”, Dr. Sukumar added.

Need for more awareness.

Though awareness about spine problems is increasing in India, more activities are being carried out, particularly during October, observed as World Spine Health Awareness Month with the theme 'Support your Spine' for 2024.

“Recently nSure Healthy Spine, a Preventive Spine, and Sports Health Platform, launched the ‘Healthy Spine, Healthy India’ campaign for Proactive-driven Preventive Spine Health. The main motto of nSure’s campaign is to increase awareness of spinal health and ensure that the country understands the importance of early detection of spinal problems and avoiding them preventatively”, Dr Sukumar said.