Acute and chronic back pain are one of the most common problems in mankind. We have evolved from into a two-legged animal, but the spine must bear the brunt of this evolution for its lifetime.
Our spine is made up of 33 vertebral bones and the gap between the bones is occupied by discs. These discs are subject to enormous stresses and may lead to give way and irritation to the nerves travelling around them
There may be mild to moderate back pain of varied duration. Usually the adjacent nerve root is irritated and may give rise to current like pain in one or both lowerlimbs, commonly known as sciatica. If the problem progresses, there may be loss of power or reduction in sensation of the affected limb.Involvement of sensations of urine and bowels is considered to be an emergency
Treatment is usually varied and tailored as per the problems faced by individual. It may range from local injection at the involved nerve level to removal of the affected disc partially or completely. The surgery is safe and usually results are predictable.
