[Health Tip] Beware of Spinal Fatigue Syndrome During Holidays... Prevention Measures

The representative holiday syndrome is spinal fatigue syndrome. When driving for long hours on a congested highway or sitting for a long time on an airplane, the burden on the lower back increases, which can cause spinal fatigue syndrome. The same applies when preparing holiday food, sitting for long periods in a hunched posture, or repeatedly bending and straightening the waist.

Dr. Kim Seong-hoon, a neurosurgery specialist at H Plus Yangji Hospital, explained, "Spinal fatigue syndrome refers to the strain on the spine caused by continuous pressure on the neck and lower back, leading to impaired blood circulation around the spine, resulting in stiffness and pain." He added, "The load on the spine while sitting is 1.5 to 2 times greater than when standing, so the likelihood of developing this condition increases with prolonged sitting."

If you have had neck and lower back pain regularly, the possibility of developing spinal fatigue syndrome is even higher. If the pain persists for more than two weeks, you should visit a medical institution for accurate examination and treatment. Neglecting the symptoms can lead to continuous deterioration of the spine, increasing the risk of developing a herniated disc.

To prevent spinal fatigue syndrome, when driving for long periods, it is recommended to set the seatback angle to about 110 degrees and press your hips deeply against the seat. When preparing food, taking breaks every 1 to 2 hours and stretching by rotating the neck and shoulders can help relax stiff muscles. In the early stages, treatment with conservative methods such as medication, exercise, and physical therapy can improve symptoms, but delaying treatment can cause severe pain, lower body sensory abnormalities, and even bladder and bowel dysfunction.

Many people also complain of neck pain besides lower back pain. This is because during long hours of driving and holiday food preparation, people unconsciously adopt unstable postures such as lowering or protruding the head. Normally, the neck supports about 5 kg of weight when in a correct posture, but for every 1 cm the head moves forward, the cervical spine bears an additional 2 to 3 kg of load.

Neck pain that appears after the holidays is usually caused by temporary factors such as muscle tension and generally improves with rest. However, if the pain persists for a long time, one should suspect turtle neck syndrome. Turtle neck syndrome refers to a posture where the head bends forward like a turtle even when still, and it has a high potential to develop into a cervical disc, so caution is necessary.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.