Why do our elderly have difficulty in walking?

Dr. Satyen Mehta

The cause for this lies in our spine. Our spinal canal contains bundles of nerves which travel from the back into our legs. These nerves are responsible for strength and sensations in our legs. As we get older, wear and tear leads to degeneration of the ligaments and joints in our back. This decreases the space for the nerves and the nerves start getting compressed. This compression is more while standing and walking and thus the person with advanced degeneration has a lot of back pain, leg pain and leg numbness while walking. This is called lumbar canal stenosis. Hence our elderly have more difficulty in walking.

How do we avoid this problem?

There is no foolproof method to avoid degeneration as wear and tear is part of life and growing old. However, we can reduce its effect with regular exercise, yoga, bodyweight control and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

How can we treat this problem?

Mild to the moderate problem can be treated with physiotherapy, medication and spinal injections. If the problem is advanced surgery is required. Surgery involves decompression of the spinal nerves with or without fusion. Surgery is performed microscopically and the patient can usually start walking the very next day after surgery. Due to the high success rate of the surgery, it is a common and routine surgery.

What is a slipped disc? How to treat it?

A slipped disc is basically a tear in the disc leading to extrusion (coming out) of the nucleus pulposus (soft jelly-like central part). This causes back and leg pain. This usually occurs in worn out discs. It is a common problem which can occur at any age but more common in middle-age. It leads to acute back and leg pain with muscle spasms.

The best way to avoid this is by strengthening the back and core muscles. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle with 30 to 60 minutes of physical exercise five days a week is helpful as well. Keep your body weight under control and avoid smoking.

Most of these problems are treated effectively with medication, rest and physiotherapy. When this doesn't work, surgery may be required. Sometimes the nerve compressed in the back gets damaged leading to weakness and numbness in the leg, in which case surgery is performed urgently. We perform this surgery using minimally invasive techniques. The patient typically starts walking on the same day after surgery and can resume all routine activities and exercises quickly. There is no long term restriction or problem after this procedure.

Dr Satyen Mehta is a leading Spine Surgeon in Mumbai. He has over two decades of experience in treating spinal disorders. He is affiliated to major hospitals in Mumbai.

Spine Specialist Clinic
022-26485500 (call or WhatsApp on this number)
Khar (W), Mumbai
spinesurgeon@spinespecialist.co.in
www.spinespecialist.co.in

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