Easy Exercises To Ease Pain In The Lower Back

Mild to moderate back pain can be treated and/or managed with daily exercises. Many medical professionals suggest everyone practice this habit for preventive purposes. It is estimated that more people are being diagnosed with chronic spine pain every year due to poor sitting habits and lifestyle choices. While not life-threatening per se, the condition could take a debilitating nature.

Thankfully, there are two easy exercises anyone can do.

The Piriformis Muscle: This muscle runs from the thigh bone to the base of the spine. This is often the area that becomes painful after sitting down from too long. To stretch this muscle, one should lay on the back, crossing the affected leg over the other. When both knees are bent, one should place both hands together under the knee of the lower leg and gently pull the bottom leg towards the chest until the stretch is felt. This should be held for 30 seconds.

Image Source: Medscape.com

The Psoas Major Muscle: This muscle occupies the front portion of the lower spine and limits mobility when constricted. Patients who have hurt this muscle often complain of difficulties standing up for long periods of time. This muscle can be stretched from a half-kneeling position. One should rotate one leg outward while tightening the butt on the side that is being stretched. Then, the person should lean forward through the hip joint. The stretch should be felt at the front of the hip.

Image Source: Medscape.com

Doing these easy stretches once or twice a day can significantly reduce the risk of developing serious chronic spinal problems.

Dr. Joseph Yazdi’s neurosurgery practice focuses on chronic spine problems including scoliosis and spinal fusion. To learn more about alleviating back pain and other spinal conditions, subscribe to this blog.

The Early Warning Signs Of Scoliosis

As a spinal issue, scoliosis is a very challenging condition. Most scoliosis patients have attested how much the condition limits and immobilizes them in many ways, keeping them from having comfortable lifestyles. Here is a list of early warning signs of scoliosis, which may direct us to visit the doctor sooner rather than later:

Posture abnormalities: Any oddity in your general skeletal structure should be treated as a red flag. If you feel that you generally tend to lean forward or backward, or if you tend to appear as if you are favoring one side when you stand upright, get a doctor’s opinion.

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Breathing difficulties: Scoliosis could be causing minor pains that people learn to tolerate, as if they were minor quirks, by shifting their bodily postures ever so subtly. This could provide relief, but truly this method is not without fault. Accommodating the pain results in breathing difficulties that are caused by the irregularity in posture.

Limping: Any limp, especially one that has been going on for a while, might just be a sign that points to scoliosis. When a spine has an irregularity, the body tends to shift to one side, causing a person to walk with a limp.

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It is best to note that there is very little that can be done to actually prevent scoliosis. It is a cold reality that a number of people are just destined to have it. However, its effects can be managed. Being aware of early warning signs could ensure that you do not have to go through the full scale of its discomforts.

Neurosurgeon Joseph Yazdi, M.D. is a seasoned medical practitioner who is familiar with the newest ways to manage scoliosis and other spine-related issues. Learn more about his expertise by following this blog.

A Comparative Look At The Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeries

For those suffering from low back pain or radicular pain that may be caused by spine conditions, such as degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, or scoliosis, some options do not require major operative care.

 Image source: wfdd.org

Minimally invasive spine surgeries involve fusing two or more vertebrae together using bone grafts either from the patient’s pelvic bone or a donor to add strength and stability to the spine. It is also considered only when extensive non-surgery therapies have been exhausted.

 Image source: medscape.com

The common minimally invasive surgeries done on the spine are the following:

Posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF): With this method, the vertebrae are reached by creating an incision in the middle part of the back. Two small bone graft spacers are placed on each side of the interbody space.

Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF): TLIF has recently gained popularity as a refined version of PLIF. The vertebrae are accessed from the side of the spinal canal, minimizing the trauma to the spine, the amount of muscles dissected through, and nerve manipulation.

Anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF): Instead of operating on the spine through the back side, the incision is done on the front side of the body, cutting through the muscles in the lower abdomen. The muscular strength and function are still preserved after the surgery and recovery.

Extreme lumbar interbody fusion (XLIF): XLIF is a relatively new fusion procedure that works on the anterior side of the spine through one or two incisions on the patient’s side. It uses special retractors, a fluoroscopy machine, and monitoring equipment. XLIF may be less painful and usually, results in a shorter recovery period.

Neurosurgeon Joseph Yazdi, M.D., specializes in minimally invasive surgical techniques. Learn more about his work by visiting this LinkedIn profile.

What Causes Adult Degenerative Scoliosis?

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Degenerative scoliosis is the curving of spine caused by the degeneration of the facet joints and the discs. This usually occurs to people over 65 years old.

Facet joint deterioration is similar to the causes of osteoarthritis. However, degenerative scoliosis causes a straight spine to shift. Because of this, the spine curves to just one side.

When scoliosis is discovered after puberty, it is already considered adult scoliosis. Its causes are different from that of scoliosis detected at an earlier age. Scoliosis in adults can be caused by other spinal conditions that affect the vertebrae. For instance, osteoporosis, osteomalacia (bone softening), or bone degenerations, could be the culprits. Adult scoliosis can also appear after a major spinal surgery.

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Degenerative adult scoliosis begins as a back pain. The degeneration occurring in the spine causes the curve to form. Those experiencing the condition could feel numbness, pain, and weakness in the lower back and leg portions of the body. In some cases, patients experience difficulty walking due to the pressure on the spinal nerves.

Surgery is not always the first option to treat adult degenerative scoliosis, but it can be required if the pain is severe or if the patient is experiencing breathing problems. Other treatment options include bracing, physical therapy, and medication for pain management.

Dr. Joseph Yazdi is a neurosurgeon with years of expertise in treating chronic spine conditions like failed back syndrome, scoliosis, and spinal fusion. Learn more about spinal injuries and other related medical issues by visiting this blog.

How Spinal Cord Stimulation Compares with Other Pain Management Options

Also known as dorsal column stimulation, spinal cord stimulation provides an alternative means of pain management that could offer results when other procedures, particularly surgery, prove ineffective. In addition, the procedure is frequently sought for peripheral neuropathy, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, arachnoiditis, and causalgia.

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The entire procedure is minimally invasive, with an implant placed in the spine or just under the skin close to the affected region. The implant releases a current, controlled through a handheld device, which creates a pleasant sensation while blocking the pain signals of the affected nerves. 

Spinal cord stimulation offers a drug-free approach to pain management, relying instead on electricity to manage pain. This avoids many of the risks associated with using medications for chronic pain management (especially in the case of particularly risky drugs), particularly the tolerance that builds up over time when drugs are taken orally. Because it is comparatively minimally invasive, the treatment also exposes the patient to less risks than another attempt at surgery. 

In addition, unlike most surgical implants such as targeted drug delivery, spinal cord stimulators are first installed as a trial before being replaced by a more permanent system. Lasting about a week, the trial takes 20 minutes to install and is used to determine the efficacy of the treatment. It is also easily removable when proven ineffective or deemed no longer necessary.

Image source: webmd.com

As with many treatments, there are contraindications to spinal cord stimulation such as systematic infection, pregnancy and lactation, sensitivity to transcutaneous electrostimulation, and pacemaker use. In addition, the procedure is limited in its effectiveness, with only between 50 and 60 percent of patients reporting efficacy of pain reduction. Moreover, being only a means of systematic relief, it does not address the source of the pain itself; it is therefore often given only after surgery or physical therapy had been tried. 

Joseph Yazdi, MD, is a neurosurgeon specializing in chronic pain management through spinal cord stimulation and other minimally invasive surgical techniques. For more on this and other procedures involving the vertebral column and spinal cord, visit this blog.