Expert: Gerald Anzalone, D.C. - 8/29/2009

Question
Dear doctor,  I am from India and working in a computer firm.  I sit in front of computer for 10 to 12 hours.  I am suffering from stiff back.  Due to this cramps at ribs and lower back right and left side heavy pain.  and middle of the spine also is heavy pain.  I cannot sleep in one position.  I also have job related stress problem.  I am diabetic type II and primary Hipertention and obesity.  I cannot travel in bus/auto/and motor cycle.  A small bump also makes heavy pain at lower back.  I am suffering this from last 6 months.  I am morally down.  Kindly help me what treatment and which doctor i should consult.

Answer
Thank you for your question.

In general, anyone who is required to remain seated for roughly half of a 24-hour day is going to experience back pain. The human body simply was not designed to sit for long periods of time.

To that, add obesity (which probably caused your type II diabetes and hypertension, or at the least, certainly worsens them significantly), and you basically have a recipe for total disaster. Since diabetes essentially equals heart disease (coupled with high blood pressure), obesity on top of it makes this a time bomb waiting to explode.

"Bumps" anywhere on or near your spine definitely warrant investigation by a medical physician. Benign tumors (that is, tumors that are not cancerous) called lipomas commonly occur near the spine, but you want to be certain that this is not something that requires surgical removal or medical treatment.

The solution for your back pain problem is very simple, at least in theory. Making the necessary lifestyle changes to correct these problems may be more challenging, but they can be done.

First, you need to get up after sitting for more than 20 minutes and stretch. Since when sitting the tendency is to bend forward over time, creating large amounts of muscle tension in the neck, shoulders, and back, standing up and arching backwards is probably the easiest stretch to perform. Here is a link to guide you in safe stretching:

http://tinyurl.com/nwyxul

Secondly, whilst I cannot provide you with medical advice via the Internet, I can provide you with general health information. This is a link to guide you in modifying your diet to reduce the foods that drive up your blood sugar and promote inflammation, making chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes worse:

http://tinyurl.com/le4onl

I will share with you that on a personal note, by following the anti-inflammatory diet guidelines listed in the link below and incorporating a daily 30 minute alternating brisk walk/run into my lifestyle, I lost 27 pounds, and I'm still going.

http://tinyurl.com/lx2ku2

Understand that the long-term solution to most of the problems that you describe here is making lifestyle and work habit changes. However, for a short-term solution to addressing chronic back pain and stiffness, appropriately trained practitioners of manual spinal therapy can help. I do not know what the prevalence of such practitioners may be in countries such as India, but in the U.S. I would recommend a doctor of chiropractic, a licensed massage therapist, or a physiotherapist as a starting point for a patient who needs immediate care for musculoskeletal pain. I understand that osteopaths are more common in India than chiropractors, so that might be a good practitioner to consult.

I hope that this helps to answer your question. Good luck.