A survey by the Brazilian Society of Spine (SBC), at the request of CNN, shows that the number of spine surgeries in Brazil increased 20% in the first nine months of 2021, compared to the same period in 2019, before the Covid pandemic -19.
The main problems identified by the specialists were: degenerative disc diseases, herniated discs and spondylolisthesis, when a vertebra is displaced because it does not support excessive loads on the spine.
With the need for remote work, due to the social isolation imposed by the pandemic, the SBC study points out that sedentary lifestyle, weight gain and mood changes were the three main factors for the discharge of spinal injuries and, consequently, in surgical interventions.
“Without a doubt, this is the moment that I’m most operating in the column. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the need for interventions to treat cervical spine problems has increased a lot, with the majority being patients with intolerable pain”, said Haroldo Chagas, member of the SBC and head of neurosurgery at the Hospital Federal da Lagoa, in Rio de Janeiro.
According to Chagas, the home-office was one of those responsible for this increase in procedures.
“All these problems already existed before the pandemic, but during the coronavirus, people started to stay only at home. People stopped walking to work, taking buses, etc. This generates atrophy”, reiterated Chagas.
For the orthopedist and spine specialist, Rogério Vidal, emotional stress during the health crisis was also relevant to the increase in surgeries in Brazil. To CNN, he explains that people ‘can’t take it anymore’ to feel back pain.
“Currently, patients don’t want to treat spinal problems cautiously, because they’ve gone through the entire pandemic with these pains and can’t take it anymore,” he said.
According to Vidal, some cases could be treated with less invasive procedures, such as physiotherapy and Global Postural Reeducation (RPG), but patients say they can no longer stand the pain.
“Emotional stress is also one of the problems that can cause these pains. The truth is that everyone was afraid of dying”, he emphasized.
Rogério Vidal also detailed how the home-office and the lack of structure may have influenced the increase in invasive procedures.
“Inappropriate posture is one of the main problems for increased surgeries, sitting wrong in a chair, for example. In addition, there are people who do not have an adequate structure at home to work. I heard reports of patients who said they work all day sitting on the couch, this is poison for the spine”, concluded the specialist.
Reference: CNN Brasil
