KOCHI: Thanks to the pitiable condition of Kochi’s roads, 28-year-old Libin Kurian today suffers from chronic backache. Daily rides on his two-wheeler, which are necessitated as part of his work, on the dilapidated roads of the city, have taken a terrible toll on the young man’s health. Libin, who travels nearly 60 kms in the city every day, works as a content writer in Vennala near Palarivattom. He travels daily to different places in the city in order to develop content for an online website.
According to doctors, intervertebral disc prolapse cases are on the rise amongst youngsters within the age group of 20-35 years.“It has been over two months since I’ve been having severe back pain. Taking public transport to reach many locations in Kochi is not feasible; therefore it is economical for me to go on my bike. The condition of the roads are going from bad to worse day by day, increasing pain for us motorists,” said Libin. Jincy, Libin’s wife, is also suffering from severe back-ache issues after daily travel in the city. “I did not have such problems earlier. This is the first time I have been affected with such severe backache,” said Jincy.
As per orthopedic surgeon Dr R Venugopal, cases of aggravated backache, mainly due to intervertebral disc prolapse cases are on the rise in the city. “At least one out of ten cases that come up for my consultation, have aggravated backache problems. Motorists and auto-drivers are the worst affected. A major concern is that most of these are young people in the age group of 20-35 years. Severe backache, due to spine and disc problems, can even cripple a person, if not properly treated”, said Dr Venugopal.
He also added that habitual bad posture in working individuals could lead to serious health issues and consequent loss of working days, thus adversely affecting their professional lives. “There are cases in which patients had to take over a month’s leave to recover from the pain”, said Dr Venugopal. “Backache is a regular complaint among office-goers, particularly those travelling long distances daily. While too little exercise is another major problem with such individuals, bad roads certainly have a major role in aggravating the pain”, said a joint replacement surgeon in the city.
HEALTH TIPS
Instead of riding two-wheelers daily through bad roads, take public transport.
Back-strengthening exercises will be a relief
Maintain correct posture - make sure to get up and walk around at least once an hour if you sit most of the day.