The growing craze for Zumba, pickleball, baseball, marathons and gym workouts is bringing more people with spine and disc problems to hospitals. Doctors say children, young adults and middle‑aged people are increasingly reporting back pain after suddenly taking up strenuous physical activities without adequate preparation. Heavy weightlifting, long hours of sitting and a lack of everyday movement are adding to the problem.
Doctors advise people to build up fitness gradually and warm up before exercising. They warn that suddenly taking up intense workouts, playing sports without prior training or attempting long‑distance runs without assessing fitness can increase the risk of spine injuries.
Dr Sukumar Sura, neurosurgeon and national lead for endoscopic spine surgery at a private hospital, said people in their 30s and 40s were increasingly taking up sports and gym workouts after settling into their careers and moving into gated communities equipped with sports facilities.
“When people reach 40, have a good job and buy a house in a gated community, they suddenly decide to focus on fitness because the society has badminton, volleyball and basketball courts and a gym. Without preparation or warm‑up, they start playing and end up with injuries,” he said.
He said the trend was also visible among children. While some parents push their children into sports without adequate preparation, others spend long hours sitting and studying, particularly while preparing for competitive examinations.
Dr Sura said hospitals were seeing nearly five patients with spine‑related problems every day, with at least two requiring surgery. He advised people to begin with a 10‑minute walk, treadmill session or cross‑training, followed by stretches, before starting a sport or intense workout.
Reduced everyday movement was another concern. People increasingly depend on vehicles and food delivery services even for short distances, unlike previous generations who walked more as part of their daily routine.
K.V. Shivanand Reddy, brain and spine surgeon, said disc‑related complaints were being reported even among children as young as 12. Conditions that were earlier more commonly seen in people aged 50 and above were now appearing at younger ages, he said. Women, too, were reporting disc problems earlier than before, including in their 40s.
He said prolonged sitting among software employees, inadequate movement, intense gym workouts and long road trips were contributing to spine‑related complaints. The sudden popularity of pickleball and terrace sports courts in gated communities was also encouraging people to take up games without building the required fitness.
Dr Reddy said advances in endoscopic spine surgery had made it possible to treat selected conditions through openings measuring just 7 to 8 mm, instead of the large incisions used in conventional open surgery.
“In open surgery, large incisions are made, muscles are split and, in some procedures, bone is removed to reach the affected area. With endoscopic surgery, we make a small opening and reach the problem area through it. This results in a smaller scar, minimal blood loss and less muscle trauma,” he said.
Dr Sura said nearly 90 per cent of the spine procedures in his practice were now performed endoscopically. His youngest patient was 11 and the oldest was 88. Selected patients who cannot undergo general anaesthesia may also be treated under local anaesthesia.
What to do before & during activity
1. Warm up Walk or use a treadmill for 10 minutes before exercise.
2. Stretch Do gentle stretches before playing sports or lifting weights.
3. Start gradually Build fitness before attempting marathons or intense workouts.
4. Lift carefully Avoid heavy deadlifts without proper training and supervision.
5. Move regularly Break up long hours of sitting with short walks and movement.
6. Listen to your body Do not push through persistent back pain; seek medical advice.
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