Relation between Obesity and Spine Disorders
Many conditions related to the spine, such as lower back ache, are linked with obesity. This happens because all the excess weight puts pressure on the muscles and ligaments, thus causing the spine to twist out of line. Biologically and inflammation-wise, obesity may have an impact on the spine.
Increased body weight is usually linked to disc degeneration because it can wear down different spinal structures, including discs, joints, and ligaments. Reducing body weight has been demonstrated to improve the outcomes for obese people receiving treatment for lower back pain.
The article will explain about detrimental effects of obesity on the spine
Risk of Disk Degeneration After Spine Surgery
Obesity leads to disk degeneration that may also contribute to the possible development of operative pathology. A postoperative complication, such as surgical site infection and venous thromboembolism, is more likely to occur in obese patients who are considered for spine surgery.
This prevention can be done through exercises, maintaining the body’s weight, and changing lifestyles, which prevents the slow progression of disk degeneration. Medical prevention from being obese is possible when assisted by physiotherapists, medicines, or steroid injections.
Differences in Posture and Mobility
Obesity imposes a problem of reduced mobility in the spine and hips, thus leading to a reduction in the range of motion in the spine at the two pelvic and thoracic levels. Obesity leads to increased thoracic kyphosis that could be a way the body maintains its center of gravity.
Excess body weight causes slouching that leads to wrong posture and curved shoulders. Prevention programs can address these issues by working to reduce body weight while emphasizing the importance of teaching correct postural habits among youths.
Compression Fractures
Numerous metabolic parameters, including bone density, contribute to the increased risk of fractures in obese individuals. Instead of breaking their hips, spines, or wrists, obese people are more prone to break their ankles, upper legs, and humerus. Acute vertebral osteoporotic compression fractures (VOCF) were found to be substantially correlated with sarcopenic obesity, particularly in women.
Risk of Osteoarthritis
If the patient suffers from obesity, then that person would be exponentially at risk of developing Osteoarthritis since it accelerates the degeneration of joints and makes tissues inflame more, thereby creating additional work on the cartilage and the joint. For every step they make, it adds 30 to 40 more pounds of weight on the knee, which subsequently causes more breakage of the cartilage.
It has been known that exercise and weight loss affect risk factors of the disease as well as symptoms among patients suffering from osteoarthritis. Pain, physical function and health-related quality of life decline with more than 10% loss of body weight by almost 20%.
Can lead to Sciatica
Obesity also acts as a factor for developing sciatica, the extra weight can put pressure on your spine, which can lead to herniated discs. Excess weight can put pressure on spine which leads to inflammatory mediators that contribute to chronic inflammation, which can lead to sciatica.
To reduce the risk of sciatica, a primary care provider can help you create a plan to eat and exercise to reach and maintain a healthy weight. Practicing good posture and strengthening your core can also support you in reducing the risk of sciatica.
Increased Risk of Surgery
Obese patients have the risks of developing complications following surgery because of low blood flow in adipose tissue, increasing the chance of infection at the surgical site and longer healing. Secondly, when a patient is obese, the body raises estrogen, increasing the probability of clot formation in the bloodstream. Moreover, obese patients may have problems moving around in the ward after surgery, thus increasing the chances of clots in the blood.
Another factor that might affect the surgical complications’ risks is the complexity of the procedure. For instance, with less complex procedures, the risk of infection, VTE, and renal problems is high for obese patients. With more complex procedures, obesity patients are likely to have more unintended readmissions, pulmonary complications, and death.
Conclusion
Obesity has become one of the significant public health concerns with numerous implications, among them being an increased risk of operative complications. As will be demonstrated in this work, the fact that a procedure is more complex can have a direct bearing on the chances of developing complications for an obese patient.
After lower-complexity surgeries, obese patients are more likely to develop infections, VTE, and kidney complications. Extended recovery times also mean increased medical expenses and several other negative health consequences. Obese patients are, however very much at risk of complications from higher complexity surgeries, including higher risks of death and pulmonary complications, and readmission.
This would address the obesity pandemic, as it prevents surgical outcome degradation and reduces costs to the health care system. Advocating healthy lifestyle choices, access to preventative care, and innovation in surgical techniques, mainly for obese people, would reduce the adverse effects of obesity on surgical outcomes. With this holistic approach to treatment, health care practitioners can ensure that obese patients receive safe and effective surgical care.
