脊椎痛長卧床礙康復

【本報訊】都市人不時受到頸梗膊痛或腰痠背痛折騰，有時更會痛至坐立難安，甚至擔心脊椎出現嚴重問題。骨科醫生指出，脊椎痛症大多是短暫性勞損引起，八成 患者有一次嚴重的腰背痛，且不少人有脊椎側彎及骨刺，但只要沒有嚴重影響日常生活，毋須過份擔憂。痛症出現後要多活動強化肌肉，長時間卧床反會影響康復。
記者：伍雅謙

脊椎痛症在30至40歲人士非常普遍，骨科醫生張啟然表示，大部份痛症並非由嚴重疾病引起，常見頸腰痛都是椎間盤勞損，除非痛楚持續太長，才有機會是腫 瘤、骨折或受細菌感染。人體脊椎每節骨中間都有軟組織，稱為椎間盤，讓脊椎有軟韌度及吸震功能。若椎間盤勞損便會出現撕裂，甚至令患者無法走路，惟大部份 人可靠止痛藥舒緩，嚴重者則需到醫院注射止痛針，一般數日至數周便會自行痊癒。

椎間盤勞損有機會令中間的髓核向外突出，壓擠附近的神經線，形成椎間盤突出，若造成放射性痛楚，即坐骨神經痛。他說，椎間盤勞損常見於頸椎第四至七節，患 者肩膀至手部會受影響而疼痛。位於臀部以上的腰椎第四及五節，也是常見痛位，會影響臀部至小腿。一般會處方止痛藥舒緩患者痛楚，約六周內會痊癒。

惟嚴重者如壓着中樞神經，會導致四肢麻痹甚至致癱，便需切除突出的椎間盤放鬆神經。他提醒，雖然脊椎痛症大部份都可自癒，但大腦會記憶痛楚，若感到脊椎痛便應求醫，否則拖延太久，即使痊癒也會感到痛楚存在。

勤做運動　強化肌肉
他表示，止痛藥可舒緩患者痛楚，防止患者因疼痛而長期卧床，因患者躺床逾三日，康復速度會大減，完全康復的機率也大受影響。建議患者要保持活動，令肌肉不致萎縮，讓身體自行修補。痊癒後勤做運動，強化肌肉，鍛煉背部肌肉尤以游水最佳。

不少長者隨着年紀增長，椎間盤退化，為穩定脊椎便會出現增生情況，造成骨刺。除非骨刺增生至壓着神經線，否則大部份骨刺毋須特別治療。若椎間盤增生又無法 穩定脊椎，會出現脊椎滑脫的情況，需視乎情況進行手術。很多人都擔心脊椎移位，他指不少人有移位情況，只要沒有引起痛楚及影響日常生活便可。



新聞來源: http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/news/art/20141009/18894407
以上所提供的資訊僅作為教育及參考用途，如果你有任何醫療問題，
應向自己的骨科醫生查詢，而不應單倚賴以上提供的資料。

Spine knowledge - Intervertebral Disc

INTERVERTEBRAL DISC (IVD) are located between the concave articular surfaces of the vertebral body endplates. IVDs form the most important and unique articulating system in the spine, allowing for multiplanar motion.

These fibrocarilaginous, composite structures make up one fourth of the total length of the spinal column. Discs are present from the C2-C3 interbody space to the L5-S1 interbody space. There is no disc between the skull (C0) and the atlas (C1), nor is there a true disc between the atlas (C1) and the axis (C2).

Intervertebral discs are the cartilaginous joints of motion segments. A motion segment is composed of two adjacent vertebrae, the disc between them, the connecting capsular facet joints and the ligamentous structures attached to the vertebrae.

Each disc permits slight flexion, extension, lateral flexion, rotation and some circum-duction. Movement at a single motion segment is limited, but since motion segments are stacked on top of each other, considerable movement throughout the spine is possible. The greatest range of motion occurs in the cervical and lumbar areas, with smaller degrees of motion in the thoracic region.

Intervertebral discs are the largest avascular (without blood supply) structures in the human body. The discs are composed of the annulus fibrosus and the nucleus pulposus.

Reference information: ispine.com.hk

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your orthopedic doctors for diagnosis and treatment.

What is back pain?

1.      Degeneration

The rate of degneration is vary from people. Generally, the interverbral disc and joints will become unstable after aged 30, leading to back pain or sciatia caused by nerve compressions.

2.      Bone Projection / over-growth

Osteophytes (bone spur) form naturally on the back of the spine as a person ages and are a sign of degeneration in the spine. In most cases, the spur are not the source of back pains. However, if the bone projections compress the adjunct nerves and suppress the blood supply to the nerve, the patients would suffer pain in running or standing position.

3.      Others

If back pain caused by tumor/ cancer or bacterial infections, patients may experience persistent pain in back, leading to insomnia and other associated syndromes.  

Back pain - prevention

Exercise is an effective way to strengthen your muscles. The strong muscles can help to maintain a correct position of spine. Low-impact activities can increase overall fitness without straining the low back.

Back pain - treatment

1.      Physiotherapy. It can be classified as active and inactive treatment.

Active – effectively strengthen the patient’s muscle through persistent specific exercise. 

Inactive – relieve pain in specific position through micro-current therapy

Misconception:

Many patients believe that reductions of physical activity can relieve their pain conditions, however, it is incorrect as physical acticity can help to strengthen your muscle and relieve the pain in long term. You are recommend to consult physiotherapy to personalize an exercise plan for you.

Medication

Depends on the severity of pain, orthopaedic doctor would prescribe oral medications for pain reliever. If needed or pain persist, orthopaedic doctor may recommend for intramuscular or percutaneous injections of nerve blocks to control your back pain.

Surgery

Orthopaedic doctor would recommend for orthopaedic surgery if needed, especially for patients suffering:

i.                    Medications and physiotherapy treatments cannot manipulate the back pain

ii.                  Incontinence caused by nerve compression

iii.                Progressive muscle weakness caused by nerve compression

iv.                No improvement of pain conditions after 4-6 weeks physiotherapy treatment.

references: www.ispine.com.hk/

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your orthopedic doctors for diagnosis and treatment.

九成痛症毋須動手術 六周修復

不要以為痛症是成人獨有，有專科醫生表示，每年約有兩﹑三名１０至１２歲兒童因坐骨神經痛求診，估計是遺傳基因令他們的椎間盤提早退化。但他呼籲患者不用過分憂心，因九成個案毋須動手術便可治癒。

香港全能運動學會調查顯示，逾兩成港人曾受慢性痛症困擾，患者比例於10年間急升一倍。而在被轉介至政府痛症診所的患者中，28％被診斷為神經痛，僅次於首位的肌肉筋骨痛（46％）。

有別於傷害性疼痛，神經痛可以是沒有受到刺激也能引發的痛感。骨科專科醫生張啟然表示，患者會經常感到疲倦乏力，甚至會引發失眠或抑鬱症等心理問題。現年62歲的蔡先生16年前便因頸椎神經痛而情緒低落，更一度出現幻覺。

 

年輕患者多屬遺傳

張啟然指因椎間盤突出引發的坐骨神經痛尤其普遍。「患者常見於30至40歲期間，但每年亦有兩、三名10至12歲兒童出現這類情況。」他最近便接觸了一名12歲患者，該男童因坐骨神經痛而走路一拐一拐，無法上體育課。

但張啟然並未為男童作任何治療：「因為身體有自動修復功能，只要保持活動，疼痛會於六星期內消失。若疼痛未消失，則要考慮進行手術。」他又指年輕患者主要的病因是遺傳基因，生活習慣屬次要。
 

既然九成痛症毋須動手術便可治癒，那痛症患者是否不用求診？「當然不是，建議若痛楚持續一至兩星期，便要向家庭醫生求診。主要作用是診斷痛症屬良性還是惡性，因5％痛症可因癌症及細菌感染引起。」

張啟然 骨科專科醫生

 

 

 

 

 

參考資料: 晴報

以上所提供的資訊僅作為教育及參考用途，如果你有任何醫療問題，

應向自己的骨科醫生查詢，而不應單倚賴以上提供的資料。

脊椎導航術治骨刺95％準

不少老年人誤以為生骨刺會痛到如「世界末日」。有骨科專科醫生指骨刺並非疾病，只是隨年齡增長，關節老化的骨增生，大部分不會引起痛楚；但若骨刺壓着神經線便會頻現麻痹痛，嚴重更會導致失禁。患者經藥物及物理治療不果便需動手術減壓。近年本港引入脊椎導航技術，可掃描3D影像與病人脊椎位置作電腦配對，更準確地推測植入螺絲的深度，精確度九成五，適用於微細脊椎手術。

骨科專科醫生張啟然指， 骨刺其實是骨增生，一般人骨骼十多歲時開始退化，但骨刺多在五十歲以上才出現，隨年紀增長，關節不斷老化，同時軟骨組織退化，促成骨骼出現自然修補及增 生。這些骨增生一般會出現在關節壓力較大的地方，例如關節邊緣。大部分骨刺均不會帶來任何疼痛，但當骨刺壓着神經線，如生長在椎間盤內，神經會受壓，造成 下肢痛楚。病人可能走路時感到雙腳沉重、臀部至小腿地方出現麻痹，小部分人嚴重至失禁。

患者痛楚若不嚴重，會先進行約六周的藥物或物理治療，再嚴重些可按需要使用神經鎮靜劑。但有三分之一患者因痛楚仍沒法改善，終接受神經減壓手術治療。為骨骼退化或脊椎嚴重變形的患者施手術有難度，本港五年前引入脊椎導航技術。

張啟然解釋，類似的導航技術已在駕駛車輛、體感遊戲機應用，手術前為病人進行3D影像掃描，再將影像與病人真實脊椎位做電腦配對，更準確植入螺絲固定骨位，令脊椎手術更順利。

較X光快兩成 免攝輻射

張至今已為二百多個病人進行脊椎導航精確手術，當中七成人進行腰椎手術，分別有一成及兩成進行胸椎及頸椎手術。他按經驗認為，傳統手術用X光追蹤病人脊椎位置會更花時間，也會增加輻射攝取量；利用導航技術比X光快兩成，配對準確度逾九成五。曾接受脊椎手術而需要復修、癌症轉移、脊椎骨折創傷的病人均適合接受導航手術，但手術成本增約一成。他又強調醫生不會依賴掃描分析，還會按脊椎手術的經驗進行即時判斷。

記者戴碧怡

參考資料: orientaldaily.on.cc

以上所提供的資訊僅作為教育及參考用途，如果你有任何醫療問題，

應向自己的骨科醫生查詢，而不應單倚賴以上提供的資料。