Cases of back pain rising among youngsters: Doctor.

DOHA More young people in Qatar are suffering from back pain now than before, said an Al Ahli Hospital doctor on Tuesday. The Orthopaedic and Traumatology Department at Al Ahli Hospital alone sees around 625 orthopaedic cases per month, of which 45 percent are back pains, neck and thoracic spine cases, said Dr Emmanuel Tolessa, head of the Orthopaedics and Traumatology Department at Al Ahli Hospital. He was presenting to the media the expansion programmes of his department. Pointing out that back problems used to be a common illness among the elderly earlier, he said, "Now we are seeing more young people with back problems. This is followed by knee problems which is also common among the younger population." According to him the underlying causes include inactivity, not building up enough muscle strength, obesity, and the type of work. "The number of young people in the construction sector, where work involves lifting weights has been increasing," he said. "Conventional notions of back pain management often involving pain medications aggravated the problem," Dr Tolessa added. Christine Thomas, director of Health Service Development at Al Ahli Hospital, said that a holistic view of care was needed in back pain management. "Physiotherapy and chiropractics are interrelated. Development of abdominal muscles helps the spine, which is also good for improving fitness and the whole muscular system," added Thomas. Tolessa said, "What makes Al Ahli unique is that we have a multi-disciplinary approach to back pain management, from managing pain, the nerve pain, to surgical intervention and orthopaedic help. We have a wide range of spinal services including joint injections, decompression, stabilisation, andmuchmore." Regarding the number of road accidents and industrial injuries in Qatar, Thomas said, "These are one of the leading causes of death, injury, and long-term hospitalisation here. Orthopedics and Trauma Department plays an active part for those who require follow- up surgery treatment". Tolessa added, "As the number of road traffic accidents substantially increase, trauma is one of the biggest areas we'd provide service. We have management of skeletal problems for fractured bones, dislocated joints, tendon injuries, and we take pride in us providing the first holistic approach to orthopaedic problem". According to Tolessa, patients can come for treatment at the department either through the emergency room (accidents/injuries) or through referrals and appointments. "We can give appointments within a day, and they can also walk-in and have the service without any delay," he added. Currently, the department is enhancing its trauma section. It aims to receive about 1,000 patients per month by November. "Recently, we purchased trauma kits from one of the biggest orthopaedic implant services. The implants are now available for trauma cases. We are investing more in latest equipment. Part of our future plan is to add one more specialist consultant orthopaedic surgeon to the team who will be looking at paediatric orthopaedics hopefully within the next couple of months," Tolessa added. Al Ahli Hospital's Orthopaedic and Traumatology Department officially opened in March. It organised the 'Back Pain Management Workshop' in April and plans to hold another workshop on 'Fracture Fixation' later this month.

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