Authored by Dr Harsh Sharma, Edited and Peer Reviewed by Dr. Pooja Sharma

Published April 3, 2014, Last updated October 21, 2016

Lumbar spondylitis is one of the most common problems for which people visit a doctor these days. Most of the patients happen to be young ones who are in their late 20s or early 30s. It is one of the side effects of the vastly improved material comforts but considerably deteriorated lifestyle of the modern day world. More and more time is spent sitting in front of the TV or the computer and little time is spent in physical activity. Physical stress is little but mental stress is on the rise. Sooner rather than later, one starts feeling pain in the back, lower back to be precise. Severity of the pain is not uniform and may vary from one patient to another. This pain often extends to the legs; in some patients one leg is involved and in others both the legs may be involved. In cases, where the damage has been more and the disc has herniated or slipped as is said more often, the pain may even be disabling. Such a pain is often aggravatted by picking up even small weights or even by sudden movements like sneezing or coughing.

What is lumbar spondylitis

Lumbar spondylitis refers to the changes in the structure of the spine that occur because of the degeneration that happens due to various reasons like old age, wrong posture, extreme pressure on the spinal column and weakening of muscles of the back. The intervetebral discs lose the normal water content and this can cause a loss of height of the intervetebral disks. When one moves or bends sideways or backwards or forwards, the joints of the spinal column experience extra stress and pressure and this slowly leads to their degeneration. This process is accelerated by wrong posture like sitting bent forward or lying in an awkward position. This causes the joints too to degenerate. Sometimes, the nerves that pass through the spinal column are impinged upon due to this whole degenerative process and this translates into pain in the areas where the nerve travels. This may be to the thigh or the lower leg.

Causes of lumbar spondylitis

While the main cause of the lumbar spondylitis is the normal wear and tear associated with age and injury to the spinal column as explained above, there are some other reasons too. One of the other causes that contribute to this trouble is a sedentary lifestyle where one has little physical exercise. On one hand, this causes muscles of the back to weaken over a period of time and on the other hand this leads to obesity. It is a natural corollary of a sedentary lifestyle that one tends to gain weight and this will at the same time lead to a weak skeletal system. Since the whole weight of the body has to be borne by the spine, it needs to be strong and fighting fit which is not the case in such patients as all sorts of odd postures have contributed to straightening of the lumbar curvature. Nature has designed the spine in a way that the upright posture in which the back remains straight is the best posture.

Do’s and Don’ts for lumbar spondylitis

Exercise regularly. Brisk walk is the most advisable exercise.
Good posture is very important. Keep an upright posture while sitting and walking.
Stick to flat soles as they help distrbute the weight of the back evenly.
Avoid heavy weights. If you have to pick something from the floor, bend down at your knees.
Bed rest is advisable only in case there is acute pain. Once the acute phase settles, start regular exercise at the earliest.
It is better to use a hard mattress.

Exercise regularly to keep spine in proper shape

Regular walk and exercise is the best solution to keep the spine in proper shape and strength. All sorts of backward bending exercises are helpful in reducing pain and stiffness in the lumbar area of the back. Walk is one thing which is very helpdul as it not only helps in reducing weight but also keeps the muscles of the back fit without subjecting the spine to too much physical stress. One needs to understand that regularity of exercise is the key to a healthy spine and one should not get overenthusiastic while setting goals of exercise and walk.

How Homoeopathy helps Lumbar Spondylitis

Homoeopathic medicines have been found to be very effective in curing lumbar spondylitis. The most commonly used medicines are Arnica, Rhus Tox, Calcarea Phos, Hypericum and Ruta. Even the most severely affected persons have been helped by the properly selected Homoeopathic medicines and a regular regimen of exercise or yoga asanas.