Low Backache

Hi,

I am Dr. Aditya S Bhati, Neurosurgeon. Today I will be talking about low backache which is common in day to day life. Everyone suffers from low backache. In 90% of cases, low backache can be managed medically. Medically means physiotherapy and it goes off. And only in 10% of the cases, you find some or the other problem. If it is associated with red flag sign like radiating pain in the legs, trauma, causing weakness in both lower limbs, if it is associated with bowel and urinary disturbances and any other severe symptoms, then one must consult a physician then you should be referred to a spine specialist and a neurosurgeon.

We see in 10% of the cases, severe symptoms. Then you would be referred to a specialist Dr who will advice special examination like MRI of the spine or CT scan of the spine just to check there is another root compression or any other severe problem which can lead to severe symptoms. Then there are different causes of low backache rising from simple backache to tumors, disc problems which can be managed accordingly. Based on the pathology, these can be managed accordingly. If it is a simple spasm, it can be managed with physiotherapy and bed rest. If the patient has a disc problem, that can be managed with endoscopic or microsurgical discectomy.

This is a simple procedure where a patient gets admitted for a day and gets relief on the second day. Management depends on the severity of the injury. In conclusion, I would like to say that, in 90% of the cases as I said earlier, the backache is a common element and it can be managed conservatively. Only in 10% of the cases, a patient needs surgical intervention.

Thank You!