Prolonged sitting and physical inactivity, excessive phone use and cigarette smoking, among others, are increasing the risk of spinal disorders among Nigerians, especially among younger people, the President of the Nigerian Spine Society, Dr Misbahu Ahmad, has said.

Ahmad said that while traumatic spine injuries from road accidents, workplace incidents and falls remained a major driver of spinal disorders in Nigeria, degenerative spine conditions were becoming increasingly prevalent as the population aged and diagnostic technology improved.

He said: “As we age, our spine actually tends to undergo a lot of changes. These changes reflect the reduction in the content of the intervertebral discs and then our ability to carry our body weight.

With changing demographics in society, now that people are getting older, and with advanced diagnostics, we are diagnosing more and more degenerative spinal disorders.”

In an exclusive interview with PUNCH Healthwise to mark Spine Health Awareness Month, observed every October, with World Spine Day marked annually on October 16, the NSS president said prolonged periods of sitting, as is common among office workers, and spending long hours looking down at phones were contributing to spinal problems.

The minimally invasive neurosurgeon and spine specialist at Bayero University Kano and Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital explained that the growing use of mobile phones had led to what is known as “tech neck”, a condition associated with the strain placed on the neck when people repeatedly look down at their screens.

“Nowadays, we have what we call a “tech neck.” People are now having problems with their necks because of the way our lives have changed with the advancement of phones. Most of the time, we are on the phone texting, chatting or answering phone calls and because of the way we hold the phone in front of us and keep looking at the screen, we are putting increasing weight on the neck. As a result, we are seeing degenerative spinal disorders in relatively younger people, which before was very uncommon,” he said.

Ahmad said people whose jobs required prolonged sitting, those who smoked cigarettes, those with little physical activity and those who regularly lifted heavy weights were all at elevated risk of degenerative spinal disorders.

The neurosurgeon noted, “Modernisation, office work where we sit for prolonged periods of time, lifting heavy weights, cigarette smoking and certain diseases also can weaken the spine, like diabetes and hypertension. People with diabetes and hypertension are at an increased risk of having spinal disorders.”

He added that tuberculosis, which remains prevalent in Nigeria, could also attack the spine, causing vertebral bodies to collapse and discs to be destroyed, sometimes requiring surgical decompression and stabilisation to restore mobility.

The neurosurgeon said spinal disorders broadly fell into categories including traumatic conditions resulting from injuries, degenerative disorders associated with ageing, tumours and vascular disorders.

He explained that degenerative spinal disorders occurred as the spine underwent changes with age, including changes in the intervertebral discs that affected their ability to support body weight.

According to Tampa General Hospital, a private, not-for-profit hospital, degenerative spine conditions are usually caused by ageing, although tumours, infections and arthritis can also contribute.

It noted that symptoms may include persistent or sharp pain, restricted movement and spinal deformity, adding that when spinal nerves are affected, patients may experience weakness, numbness, tingling, loss of sensation, bladder and bowel problems, or sexual dysfunction.

Ahmad further attributed the increasing detection of spinal disorders partly to improved diagnostic facilities, including magnetic resonance imaging, which allows clinicians to assess spinal conditions more clearly than with X-rays alone.

He said better diagnosis was helping specialists identify conditions that required surgery and determine appropriate treatment.

The neurosurgeon urged Nigerians to take steps to protect their backs, avoid risky activities and seek appropriate care for health conditions that could affect spinal health.

Ahmad said advances in spine care had improved treatment options for people living with spinal disorders in Nigeria, reducing the need for patients to travel abroad for many procedures.

He said minimally invasive spine surgery, endoscopic spine surgery and deformity correction were increasingly available in the country, although robotics-assisted procedures remained beyond local capacity.

“I can tell you at this point, almost 90 per cent of what can be done outside when you have a spinal problem can now be done in Nigeria,” he said.

He added that the country was training more specialists interested in spine care, while collaboration among professionals was helping to advance treatment.

Ahmad said modern surgical techniques could improve patients’ quality of life and help them remain mobile and independent, rather than living with persistent back pain and disability.

“With modern surgical methods, a lot of these problems that before became like the end of life for people can now be solved because we can operate and we can change the outcome,” he said.

He added that surgery could help patients continue walking and carrying out daily activities, even when it could not restore them fully to their younger physical condition.

The NSS president urged Nigerians to recognise that the body’s capacity changes with age and to avoid activities that could expose the spine to injury.

“We should understand that we are ageing, that things that we used to do before as young people, we may be unable to do them now as we are growing older,” he said.

He also advised motorists to avoid driving at high speeds and other risky activities that could result in accidents and spinal injuries.

Ahmad said the NSS had discussed the changing patterns of spinal disorders and ways to improve care at its conference held on September 24 at the National Trauma Centre in Abuja.

The conference, themed “Advancing Spine Care Through Driving Innovations, Bridging Research, and Cultivating Leadership,” brought together professionals involved in spine care to discuss collaboration, research, innovation and leadership.

He said continued public awareness, preventive measures and access to specialist care were important to reducing the impact of spinal disorders.

“The future is really bright. We need to put hands together to protect our spines, prevent injuries and degeneration from happening. And where those things happen, we can see help is readily available in Nigeria nowadays,” he said.