Dubai: A ‘lazy’ lifestyle, lack of exercise and not strapping up when driving are the main causes for people suffering from spinal injures, surgeons said.
Younger people are today suffering from slipped discs that compress the nerves, leading to more cases of back pain, neck, leg and shoulder pain, said Dr Abdul Karim Msaddi, head of neurosurgical and spinal department at the Neuro Spinal Hospital in Dubai.
He was speaking to Gulf News on the sidelines of the Pan Arab Spine Society Congress at the Emirates Towers.
“It is not the disease of the aged any more,” he said, adding that lack of exercise to strengthen the abdominal muscles, the back and the neck muscles are leading to more spinal disorders.
The surgeon said sitting and standing for long periods at work and obesity puts an uneven weight on the spine.
“It is a price we pay for our lifestyle,” he said. “Increased physical activity does not delay ageing, but it protects your system.”
Dr Msaddi warned that younger women are suffering from osteoporosis (a bone disease that makes the bone weak and more prone to break easily) due to lack of enough exposure to the Sun.
“Lack of Vitamin D (which the body absorbs from sunlight) is affecting younger people, even men, in this region,” he said.
He recommended that people expose themselves to early morning sunlight to absorb Vitamin D and to avoid being affected by strong ultraviolet rays during the peak hours of the day.
The surgeon said sports injuries are also growing and mentioned jet ski riders face spinal injuries because of the large waves they ride.
“Heavy truck drivers and construction workers are the other categories of people that suffer from spinal injuries,” he said. It is apparently the strong vibrations from the heavy truck engine that affects the spine, and the constant pulling and pushing by the construction workers that puts pressure on the spine.
Dr Walid Othman, a consultant orthopaedic spine surgeon, said not buckling up when driving is increasing the number of young patients with spinal trauma.
“If you do not wear a seat belt, the accident will create three-times more damage to the spine, compared to those who wear a belt,” he said.
“There is no chance a person’s spine can be saved in a high-speed accident if he does not wear a seat belt,” he said.
The surgeon said once the spine is affected badly, the person loses sensation to the arms, legs and the bowel movement cannot be controlled.
He advised everyone to strap up when driving, even for a short trip to the mosque, or the nearby grocery. “An accident happens once but you are affected for your whole life,” he warned.
