Spinal surgeries 100% successful at Al Emadi Hospital

Hisham AljundiDohaThe spine is an axial part of the human body and connects all the limbs of the body together through a sophisticated ligamento-musculo skeletal system with neural tissue in the middle made of many small functional units.To explain all about spinal diseases and the ways of preventing and avoiding them, Dr.  Aleksandar Curcic, a specialist in spinal surgery for more than 25 years, talked about spinal issues and the related diseases and causes.Dr. Curcic said, “I have the experience of over 25 years in spinal surgery. I have done over a thousand surgeries related to the spine -- from the neck to the lower back (spinal discs are part of that).”Elaborating on the different causes of spinal disc problems, Curcic said that lack of exercise, obesity and sitting for long hours are the most common causes of spinal disorders. He referred to this as “office disease” caused by sitting for over 10 hours. “This high pressure on the spine without resting it makes the spine corrode over the time,” he said. “The disc pressure is 70 MM/HG and can rise while sitting on a desk to 80 or 90 depending on the person’s weight. Even people as young as 30 can be affected by this, which is one of the causes for early ageing changes.“Spinal issues are not common among children; it could be deformity since birth; it could happen if the children were overused in sports and must be supervised for healthy lifestyle to avoid such issues in the future.“The spine is a system which works for itself and works like a connection for limbs and safe passage for neural tissue passing from brain to all the parts of the body.”Dr. Curcic added that the spine provides a support for upright positions of the human body as it is a highly sophisticated system consisting of muscular cartilage, ligaments, fibrosus, bone and neural tissue. “It consists of 33 vertebral bones, 23 discs and more than 50 joints connected through sacroiliac joints with pelvis,” he noted.“Spinal disorders occur in all individuals but remain asymptomatic in many patients. Many factors -- mechanical, traumatic, nutritional, biochemical and generic -- contribute to the development of spinal degenerations,” the surgeon explained.Another case he pointed out is spinal stenosis (or narrowing), which is a common condition that occurs when the small spinal canal, which contains the nerve roots and spinal cord, becomes compressed. This causes a “pinching” of the spinal cord and/or nerve roots, which leads to pain, cramping, weakness or numbness.Dr. Curcic said the major goal in initial evaluation of a patient with axial pain is to differentiate the common non-emergent spinal condition from serious disorders such as spinal infections, tumors or myelopathy.“Speaking about the pain, there are two kinds of pain: nociceptive cause with structural disorders which stimulates nerve endings and neuropathic pain due to nerve damage in injury with different variety of medical treatment.”Although people might notice the symptoms of spinal disc illnesses, the diagnosis remains the doctor’s job and through tests and accurate diagnosis the case is decided upon, as Dr. Curcic assured that low back pain is a symptom and not a diagnosis.Asked about the main causes of spinal issues, he cited inactivity, obesity, overuse, aging changes, nicotine abuse (smoking) as the factors leading to spinal issues and diseases.“The Sun is a very rich resource of Vitamin D, which is very important for the spine and its tissues. People here may complain of the hot weather but the sunshine is very important to have a healthy spine.”He added: “Exercise, swimming, healthy bone muscles and vitamin D help avoid any spinal issues.”General recommendations by the doctor:Change your lifestyle and make good investment for a future life without pain. Enjoy your time with family and friends. Check your spine before it’s too late.“It’s good to remember that healthy people have a thousand wishes and the sick only one...”.