Karnataka - Bangalore   

A little care can keep backache away

Sahana Charan

BANGALORE: Do you wince every time you bend down to pick up something? Or are you plagued yet again by that nagging backache when you sit long hours in front of the computer?

In the Silicon City of Bangalore, where a lot of work gets done sitting in one place facing the computer for long hours or where you have the largest number of two-wheeler riders in the country, backache is a common strain.

It is a debilitating and painful condition and can interfere with daily work if ignored for long, say medical experts.

According to statistics, backache is the leading cause of disability between the ages of 19 and 45 and is the second most common cause of absenteeism in developing countries.

Moreover, backache is likely to occur between the ages of 30 and 50, the most productive period of people’s lives. In fact, four out of five people will suffer from backache at some point in their lives.

“Back pain can be caused by various reasons. We get a lot of patients from the Information Technology sector, who have repetitive stress injuries (RSI) because of bad posture and sitting for long hours in front of the computer. Because of the growing affluence in cities such as Bangalore, obesity is increasing and people who are overweight tend to have a bad back because the back takes most of the strain of their weight,” Satish R., consultant neuro and spine surgeon, said.

Dr. Satish said apart from these common causes backache can be caused by spinal disc degeneration, osteoporosis in older persons, some infections and even simple stress can cause back pain.

According to a study of more than 14,000 people who have computer dependent jobs, conducted by Deepak Sharan, consultant orthopaedic surgeon and rehabilitation expert, a pioneer in the treatment of RSI, back pain (47 per cent) was the most common complaint among people with RSI.

“If the back pain persists, it is found that the performance of the affected person at work goes down by 30 to 40 per cent. Young people should take care to see that they maintain a healthy lifestyle, exercise and adopt good postures,” Dr. Satish said.

Most back problems can be corrected through physiotherapy sessions that include appropriate exercises and rarely need surgery.

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