Dr Waleed Al-Hajji

By Abdellatif Sharaa

KUWAIT: Interventional radiology, pain treatment and spine consultant Dr Waleed Al-Hajji said back pain is widespread in Kuwait and may affect 70 percent of people. He indicated that disc injuries are no longer limited to the elderly as before, as they now occur in youth and juveniles. Moreover, he noted that the increase in such cases is due to obesity and lack of exercising.

Dr Hajji said most people who are suffering from disc conditions will have their nerves affected; a condition known as sciatica. Its symptoms include pain that spreads to the legs, feeling like electricity or numbness in the foot, and muscle cramps that increase while standing or sitting for long periods, and sometimes while walking if the patient is overweight.

Dr Hajji warned against the modern lifestyle, laziness and lack of practicing various sports, as well as obesity, because all these factors are considered among the main causes of disc cases. He said scientific development in the field of treating spinal problems contributed to discovering new techniques that led to a major revolution in the medical field and medical equipment used for treatment.

Furthermore, Dr Hajji noted that modern technologies in the field of spinal conditions made it possible for 90 percent of disc cases to not need surgical intervention, keeping the scalpel away. "We previously used to treat these cases surgically, and although the procedures were giving good results, we now have technologies that do not require surgeries. These are done very rarely, as most pains can be treated without surgeries or via keyhole openings, and the patient can leave hospital the same day," Dr Hajji said.

Finally, Dr Hajji said it is possible to avoid complications resulting from traditional surgeries, which may lead to infection, bleeding and damage to muscles and tendons, as well as damaging tissue that may reach the spinal canal and nerves.