Cervical spine (neck) is the most mobile region of the spine. It has to carry the weight of the head in different postures and protect the spinal cord and nerve roots in the spinal canal while allowing a wide range of movements. This makes the discs in the cervical spine equally prone to degeneration (wear…
Cauda equina syndrome. Explained through the story of a young techie.!
It was at the end of a long day and I was seeing the last patient in my clinic. He was a young IT professional who came in dragging his feet, with support of two people. He complained of inability to walk independently since that morning, numbness in both the feet and legs and hadn’t…
“Ankylosing spondylitis” is a crippling disease that is often diagnosed too late.
Early diagnosis helps preventing development of severe joint and spine deformities. “Ankylosis” is a term that represents severe loss of movements in a joint due to formation of bone or fibrous tissue in the joint. Ankylosing Spondylitis is a type of a chronic inflammatory arthritis that predominantly affects the spine, apart from other big joints…
Scoliosis: How to catch it early?
Scoliosis is an abnormal sideways curve in the spine. Normally the spine has a straight alignment when seen from the front or back. A sideways curve in the spine can develop due to a various reasons at different stages of growth. As the spine grows taller, there is a tendency for the curves to worsen…
IIT Guwahati team fabricates spinal disc using silk — Science Chronicle
Researchers at IIT Guwahati have fabricated a silk-based spinal disc construct that mimics human intervertebral disc both in form and function. The construct allows annulus fibrosus cells or AF-like differentiated cells to grow and proliferate and deposit normal extracellular matrix. The construct was found to be biocompatible when implanted in mice. Using mulberry silk, researchers […]…
India wants to eliminate TB by 2025 but falters on several critical fronts — Science Chronicle
In 2015, India accounted for nearly 2.8 million (27%) of the 10.4 million new tuberculosis (TB) cases in the world, and 0.48 million (29%) of the 1.8 million TB deaths globally. Yet, India brings up the rear on most critical fronts to fight the disease. This has been clearly highlighted by the ‘Out of Step’ […]…
Scoliosis – poor awareness and social stigma leads to delayed diagnosis in India.
Awareness is the key to catch it early and reduce the risks associated. Scoliosis is an abnormal sideways curve in the spine. Normally the spine has a straight alignment when seen from the front or back. A sideways curve in the spine can develop due to a various reasons at different stages of growth. As…
Does cigarette smoking cause disc problems?
Smoking has long been know to cause many harmful effects, mainly on the lungs and heart, apart from increased risk of various cancers. A less known fact is that smoking can also lead to faster degeneration (wear and tear) of the discs of the spine and increase the risk of disc prolapse and related problems;…
Spine Tuberculosis – Catch it early to avoid serious disability.!
Tuberculosis is widely known as a disease that affects the lungs. Tuberculosis is an infection caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Although most commonly the lungs and bowel are affected, it can affect any organ in the body including the bones and joints . How and who: Tubercular bacteria usually enter the body through…
Endoscopic discectomy: the emerging new gold standard surgical treatment of disc prolapse.
A disc prolapse in the lower back causing nerve root compression can lead to severe pain radiating down the legs, sometimes associated with weakness of leg muscles and numbness. Although majority of the patients recover well with medication and rest, about 10 to 15 percent of them may need a surgical treatment for pain relief…
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