Mysore/Mysuru: With the sedentary lifestyle, lower back pain has become one of the major health problems among many people today. 

To create awareness among people about the lower back surgeries and its importance, Columbia Asia Hospitals, Mysuru (a Unit of Manipal Hospitals), had organised a webinar on Discectomy.

In all, 86 people  from all walks of life, including Professors, techies, businessmen, home-makers from Mysuru, Kodagu and Mandya, attended the webinar. 

According to WHO, lower back pain is a very common health problem worldwide and a major cause of disability. It can affect the performance at work as well as general well-being.

An individual can experience lower back pain at any age and it can be due to various reasons like sitting posture, lifting heavy objects, lack of physical activity, disc injuries, accidents etc.

Dr. Maqsood Ahmed, Consultant Neurosurgeon, Columbia Asia Hospitals, who discussed about the lower back and spine care, said: “People tend to delay treatment for back pain thinking it will subside on its own, which is not right. If the pain is severe and lasts longer than a few weeks, it is important to get medical help.”

“People need to identify the chronic symptoms of lower back pain like back pain radiating down the legs, weakness of feet or difficulty in gripping the slippers, experiencing pain and numbness of legs while walking etc. Surgical intervention like Discectomy helps in relieving this pain and helps patients to regain their mobility in such cases,” he said.

“Discectomy is a surgery to remove lumbar (low back) herniated disc material that is pressing on a nerve root or the spinal cord which will in turn decrease the pain and restore normal movement and function. The surgery usually does not take long and patients do not have to worry about prolonged hospital stays. Patients can also be rest assured that this surgery is safe and free of side effects,” he added.