Taxi drivers suffer from back pain

By Kim Sang-hyuk

There are many occupations in our society, and each has its own distinctive environment and work-related injuries.

Taxi or bus drivers in particular are under lots of stress and physical burdens due to their long working hours.

This pattern causes them to be exposed to various health issues, especially those related to the spine.

The Korean Taxi Worker’s Union recently published in its “Health report of taxi drivers” that 51 percent of taxi drivers have spinal problems diseases and 68 percent suffer from musculoskeletal ailments.

Extreme stress and pressure on the spine

The spine is not anatomically structured in a way to sustain pressure. Especially when we’re sitting down, our back needs to support our entire body; this results in 60 percent more pressure on our spine when compared to standing up.

Thus, people who spend long hours sitting down have a higher chance of experiencing spinal complications. Occupational drivers usually drive for eight to 10 hours daily and are always in a stressful environment; ultimately, this causes stress to the spine.

Moreover, these drivers can barely change their position while sitting down, and this makes the muscles surrounding the spine stiff. Uneven and bumpy roads also cause an impact to the spine, making drivers susceptible to spinal disc problems.

Surgical treatment is not always necessary

Many patients with back pain overlook the seriousness of their ailment, and they do not consult with medical professionals. Occupational drivers who are accustomed to seeing back pain in their colleagues often do not get the proper treatment.

However, the longer we leave pain untreated, the more intensive treatment may be necessary. On many occasions, spine problems in the early stages can be easily treated with conservative treatments.

Therefore, to prevent the symptoms from developing into a more serious stage, consulting with a specialist is important.

In the early stages, exercise and physical therapy ease stiffened muscles and decrease pain. Especially for spinal problems, pain usually occurs from spinal muscles not adequately supporting the vertebrae. Thus, appropriate exercise and physical therapy that strengthen the muscles are important in making our spine healthy.

If the symptoms continue after series of conservative treatments, then other non-surgical or surgical treatments should be considered. Based on the severity of the pain and the spine condition, the right treatment method should be selected.

Among many procedures, nucleoplasty has proven to be very effective in treating herniated discs. Undergoing spinal anesthesia, this procedure injects a catheter of less than 1mm radius, and stimulates the herniated disc with high frequency radio to remove the herniated area.

As the procedure only involves removing the nucleus and preserves all other normal tissues, it is very quick and safe. As there are no incisions like other surgeries, the procedure significantly reduces risk.

Moreover, a specialist surgeon can perform in a precision manner by monitoring with a computer. The procedure only takes about 10 to 20 minutes, and it has the benefits of a fast recovery time.

This treatment is especially beneficial for elderly patients or individuals with chronic ailments such as diabetes or high blood pressure. However, this procedure cannot be the best solution for all spinal problems, so choosing the right treatment plan after consulting with a specialist is recommended.

The writer is director of the spine center at Bumin Hospital Seoul in Gangseo District. He was named in the 2014 edition of Marquis Who's Who.