How Do I Know If My Spine Problem Is Serious?

How Do I Know If My Spine Problem Is Serious? There is no denying the fact that our spine is one of the most important structures of our body. Apart from helping us to stand erect, our spine also has a number of other functions.

Our backbone carries the spinal cord inside it and the cord helps in receiving signals and sending them to the brain apart from also getting signals from the brain and distributing the same to the various parts of the body.

It is therefore quite obvious that the spinal cord along with the backbone has to be protected properly and it also should be taken care of the right way. However, there could be situations where a person could come across a serious spine problem.

It could be because of injury, diseases or illness, bone-related problems, and much more. Fortunately, most of the problems pertaining to the spine are mild and can be easily treated.

However, you also should be aware of the certain symptoms that could point out some serious problems with the spine. You should not neglect the same. We are listing down a few such symptoms that could point to something disturbing and serious as far as the spine is concerned.

Persistent Fevers

While most of us suffer from fevers once in a while, you should be watchful and careful about fevers that become a regular habit or that become too persistent for comfort. This could be because of some infection in some part of the spinal cord or it could be something more serious.

Unexplained Weight Loss

If you have not planned for any weight loss but still find that you are losing weight, you may have reasons to worry.

If such unexplained weight loss is happening with some discomfort, pain, or other such issues in any part of your back or spinal cord, it is time you took notice of it, rather than ignoring it. You should also avoid taking over-the-counter pain medications and other such things to manage the situation.

Sharp pain instead of dull ache

A dull ache often could be because of some pressure being exerted on the spinal cord. In most cases, the pain radiates and moves in one part of the body. It happens either in one’s right or left extremities.

You must not ignore the same because the more you delay the whole thing, the more it may create problems.

Problems related to incontinence

Many people often complain of pain in the lower part of the spinal cord. This is accompanied by their inability to control their bowel movement. If a combination of this happens and if you are unable to see any improvement in a couple of days, it is time that you sought an appointment with your doctor.

The combined problem of back pain with urinary or other forms of incontinence could point to a serious compression of the nerve in your spinal cord. It also could be an infection in your spinal cord and could perhaps be meningitis or discitis. This requires immediate attention and treatment.

Numbness or needles and pins in the glutes or even the groin

This type of pain or discomfort is referred to as saddle anesthesia. It could be a serious spinal condition or it could also point to some serious compression of the nerves inside the spinal cord.

It could also be accompanied by leg weaknesses, numbness, and also incontinence as mentioned above. In such situations, it would always be better to address the problem as soon as possible. This could prevent serious damage to the spinal cord.

In most cases, this is considered to be a medical emergency. The patients may need to undergo immediate surgery. The main objective of such surgery is to decompress the impacted nerve so that any risk of possible permanent damage is avoided or reduced significantly.

You feel that your spine is losing flexibility

This condition is referred to as sacroiliitis. This is basically an inflammation of the various joints that connect the pelvis to the spine. This pain could also become serious if it is not addressed as soon as possible.

It could also be accompanied by weakness in the lower extremities and also could lead to moderate or severe back pain.

How Do I Know If My Spine Problem Is Serious? – Conclusion

The spinal cord and the backbone is an extremely important and vital organ of the body. It controls many movements and helps the brain to receive and send various commands and requests. Hence, any problem with the spinal cord needs to be addressed immediately.