While many Americans pour millions of dollars into each and every new diet or exercise fad that comes along, they often tend to overlook the basics; and nothing could be more basic than the very center of your body-your spine.
Great Neck resident Dr. Sanjeev Suratwala recently held a lecture at the Massapequa Public Library on spine health; a subject that most people take for granted…until something goes wrong. By then, he said, the results can be utterly debilitating, especially if you don’t seek out the right treatment.
“The purpose of this talk is to educate people on their spine and their own body…what’s normal, what’s abnormal, what are common things that people experience and common ways to solve those problems,” he said. “I also talk about the right time to seek a medical opinion, how to distinguish between a more common problem and a more serious one, and what kind of treatments people can do to help their condition. It’s about impacting someone’s lifestyle in a positive way so they have a long-term solution instead of a quick-fix.”
Dr. Suratwala is an Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the Hofstra North Shore Long Island Jewish (LIJ) School of Medicine, and a practicing spine surgeon at Syosset Hospital. He graduated medical school in 2001 and completed his surgery training in 2007; he originally practiced in Virginia until moving back to his native New York several years ago.
“I was initially attracted to orthopedic surgery because of how you can impact a person’s life. People can come in with bad backs, knees, hips, and you do something that affects their life meaningfully and gets them to functional recovery much sooner than just putting them on medication,” he said. “I’ve always been a hands-on person, and the opportunity to take care of people in an immediate way, getting them back up and around, was appealing. Plus, the spine is a complex body part to work with, and that challenge appealed to me as well.”
For people suffering from back issues, or even those with trouble-free backs that wish to avoid future issues, Dr. Suratwala said that preventive back care is simply laden with common sense and a healthy lifestyle.
“I encourage people to stay active and tailor the activity to your overall physical ability and age level; walking, swimming, light weight training, those are all very important things that I want to encourage people to pursue,” he said. “The other thing is to watch your diet; avoid fads and processed foods, prepare your own meals, eat a balanced diet and combine that with activity. Finally, try and avoid bad habits, such as poor posture, smoking, repetitive bending and twisting, and so on.”
Not everyone is destined to have major back issues, Dr. Suratwala said, but more than likely, the process of aging is likely to produce back issues of varying degrees in pretty much anyone as they get older; but it’s important to know the difference between the aches and pains of old age and a serious problem.
“As you get older, the instances of back pain tend to increase, and you’re almost expected to have some episodes from time to time,” he said. “Few people have severe, chronic back pain every day of their life, but having occasional pain that comes on predictably – say, standing or sitting too long – that is normal. But anything else, you’d want to get a professional evaluation.”
Will Knoph, a Massapequa Park resident, was one of the attendees of Suratwala’s lecture, and said that he had found it to be quite informative, and hoped to get some personal advice on a few lingering health issues.
“I’ve had some back problems in the past, and I just wanted to get some information on some general things I can do to improve my situation in the future,” he said. ”I think Dr. Suratwala’s lecture was very helpful, and I’m waiting my turn to pick his brain and ask him some one-on-one questions.”
Massapequa local Irma Demicoli had also attended the lecture hoping that Dr. Suratwala would be able to provide some much-needed counsel and aid.
“My husband was previously going to the hospital for pain management. I wanted him to come to this lecture today, but unfortunately other health issues prevented him from coming,” she said. “However, I thought Dr. Suratwala’s lecture was excellent, and I’m definitely going to be making an appointment with him to get my husband a consultation and see what we can do to help him get better.”
If you’re interested in contacting Dr. Sanjeev Suratwala, visit his website at http://www.northshorelij.com/orthopaedics/en/physician/sanjeev-suratwala.
