New Delhi: Ever felt a sudden pain in
your spine after a sneeze? Medics caution not to take it
lightly as there are chances of the spine becoming vulnerable
to serious disorders like a slipped disc, hernia or in rare
cases, paralysis of limbs.
A body pulverising sneeze, which makes body jerk as if
on a take off mode may cause the spine to take the full impact
of the shattering blow.
"If you get a sudden pain running down your spine, it
means the sneeze has really struck hard," says Dr Ashish
Shrivastav, Senior Neurosurgery consultant at B L Kapoor
Memorial Hospital here.
Shrivastav explains that a sneeze jerk may precipitate
a slip disc especially if any of the discs is on the verge
of herniating.
"A strenuous sneezing attack can leave the body with
back spasms and upper or lower back pain and can cause injury.
Vigorous sneezing not only wracks the entire body, but the
pressure can be so intense it may actually cause a weakened
spinal disc to herniate. Sneezing aggravates already existent
musculoskeletal strain and might increase back pain that
resulted from a previous injury," explains Shrivastav.
A powerful sneeze creates a flutter around the spine
discs and if sneezing results into a sudden pain in the back,
it is best to avert a crisis by consulting a neurosurgeon, say
experts.
Bureau Report
