The changing lifestyle has increased spine-related problems across the world, and in India, it is on the alarming rise mainly due to unhealthy lifestyles, bad postures and sedentary jobs, stressful work-flow, and environmental degradation. The common problem majority of Indian face is – back pain because a sedentary lifestyle leads to weak muscles and ligaments, which do not support the back appropriately and, thus, predispose people to back pain. Spine infections, like tubercular infections, are much more common in India.
“The emerging spine-related problems in India may be due to an overall reduced physical activity of the society, but the inappropriate living conditions of a large segment of the population also contribute to it. A few pilot studies have suggested that 60 per cent of the Indian population will have a significant episode of spine-related problems at some point in their lives. But a healthy spine plays a significant role in healthy living. There are some spine-related problems where other treatment options do not work, and surgery is left as a lone treatment option. In such a situation, the procedure of Micro Endoscopy Spine (MES) surgery comes into play, putting the patient at ease,” Dr Manish Vaish, Director of Neurosurgery at Max Super Specialty Hospital, New Delhi.
For spine-related disorders, Micro Endoscopic Spine Surgery (MES) also called Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) has proven to be a boon for patients because, in this surgery, surgeons use a variety of techniques to operate with maximally preserving the anatomy and minimal insult to the surrounding structures than with open surgery. Usually, it is safer than open surgery and allows the patient to recover faster and heal with less pain and wound.
Adding further Dr Manish Vaish said, “Micro Endoscopy Spine (MES) or Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) surgeries are setting new remedial paradigms to mitigate the sufferings of the patients struggling with spine-related disorders. The novel method devises an improved surgical precision that cuts down on blood loss besides lessening risks and entailing faster recovery ensuring healthy living.
Minimally Invasive Surgery usually requires a short hospital stay. This offers dual advantages in terms of money and time and above all back to work or back with life.”
Of many spine-related problems, Spine TB, Spine tumour and Spine vascular malformations when reaching the advanced stage, need surgical treatments. Two surgical options to fix this problem are available – open surgery and the less invasive procedure, called endovascular repair. The choice of repair can depend on the size and location of the aneurysm. Nowadays, there is an increasing trend of spine tuberculosis, Spine tumours and Spine vascular malformations in the country. The symptoms of spinal tuberculosis are localized back pain, painful movements, fever, a hump in the back, excessive weight loss, and in worst cases, weakness of hands or legs. Likewise, in a Spine tumour, there is back pain, often radiating to other parts of your body, feeling less sensitive to pain, heat and cold, and loss of bowel or bladder function. And in Spine vascular malformations, there are balance or coordination problems, difficulty walking or climbing stairs, dizziness and headache.
“Spine-related diseases like Cervical Spondylosis, Arteries in brain tumours, Backache pain, Spine TB and Aneurysm commonly occur. However, most of them like Brain tumours, Spine TB and Brain aneurysms in their advanced stage need surgical treatments, where Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) has been very successful as it helps fast recovery post-surgery. Bone and joint tuberculosis account for up to 35% cases of extrapulmonary tuberculosis,” Dr. Yashpal Singh Bundela, Senior Consultant, Brain and Spine Ppl, New Delhi.
Adding further on how Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) has been turning feasible and successful Dr Bundela added, “Like many spine-related problems, the prevalence of osteoporosis is also very high. It is among the highest in the world and no exact cause has been found for this so far. And the Asian population as such is predisposed to this. The most common surgical techniques used for osteoporosis are vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty. And both are ‘Minimally Invasive Surgical’ procedures.”
Delay in the medical treatment of spin-related problems despite treatment if they need surgery to fix the problems, they mustn’t hesitate and go for the surgery at the earliest. Surgery involves drainage of the inflammation area and stabilization using bone grafts or implants. Sometimes, improper medicinal treatments may aggravate the problem by creating drug-resistant bacteria which often become very difficult to treat. This is where Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) emerges as proven therapy to help patients to deal with their spine-related problems.
